New Mexican Restaurant to Come to 14th and V

Various bloggers are reporting today that a new restaurant is slated for the AM/PM carryout space at the intersection of 14th and V streets, near the U street corridor. Apparently it's a project that's been in the works for months.

I'm extremely curious to see the final result of this development, as I think the current AM/PM carryout is a bit of an eyesore (see photo, below). The surrounding area has seen quite a bit of renovation, with various higher-end apartment and condo buildings and the addition of Eatonville, etc.

Photo, courtesy of PrinceofPetworth

The new restaurant will be called La Fonda, and will be serving a Tex Mex menu. According to their liquor license application, they'd like to stay open until 2am on weekdays and 3am on Friday and Saturday, so clearly the proprietors are hoping for a bar/late night dining atmosphere in the evening. Given that the rent in this area has probably increased substantially, it's not surprising to me that the owners are looking for high-profit margin alcohol sales to boost their revenue. It may, however, be a bit a nuisance to the surrounding residents.

I'd personally rather see a fast-casual restaurant here than a bar, but hopefully the proprietors will renovate the location in fitting with the surrounding neighbhorhood's character (re: nicer than AM/PM without completely gutting the building).