Where to Score Great Taps and Tacos in Oxford, MS

Bruce Newman

Oxford has a lot of love for locally-owned restaurants. Unlike other college towns packed with chain restaurants, this Ole Miss town is unique in that it celebrates local fare. Owners here can be found working the front desk or slinging bagels on a Sunday, emphasizing the love behind the business. Local institutions like family-owned Casa Mexicana and El Charro and newer haunts like Circle and Square Brewing are embraced by the Oxford community. Check out these great places to grab taps and tacos in Oxford, MS.

A Legacy of Scrumptious Mexican Food in Oxford

Since the mid-1990s, the Muñoz family’s restaurants have been a cornerstone of the Oxford food scene. It all started with Oxford’s first Mexican restaurant, El Charro, which opened up where Jackson and Hathorn intersect. After swiftly outgrowing their space, the restaurant reopened down the hill on West Jackson Avenue, and was later renamed to Casa Mexicana in 2007.

In 2021, the family decided to harken back to the beginning and open a new El Charro restaurant on Sisk Avenue. Now, Casa Mexicana has also been refreshed with its own new location on Highway 6, and the legacy continues.

The two restaurants are a family affair, and a new generation has now taken with the siblings at the helm.

Bruce Newman

“What we wanted to do is take our parents’ business that they worked so hard on for the past 30 years and make it on a bigger scale and make it open to a wider audience,” manager Esmeralda Muñoz-Angel says, “So now we’re at locations where it really represents who we are and what we stand behind as a business.”

The rebrand brought along new and updated interiors for both restaurants. Special artistic touches from the family’s father, Ramiro, can also be found, including clouds hand painted on the ceiling in both restaurants.

The siblings and their partners work together, floating between the two restaurants where needed. A key to their restaurants’ successes over the past three decades is their commitment to putting customers and community first.

The family also prides itself on serving up dishes from their childhood like Pozole Verde and Albondigas as well as authentic Mexican eats you can’t get just anywhere. One of Muñoz-Angel’s favorite dishes is the Chicharrón de Ribeye at Casa Mexicana–deep fried ribeye tips with guacamole. At El Charro, the Caldo de Marisco, a seafood-packed soup, shines.

“I think it’s very important to include those traditional items in a big growing town like Oxford,” Muñoz-Angel says.

Lo Magee

Something New is Brewing in Oxford

From Oxford’s first Mexican restaurant to its first microbrewery, Circle and Square Brewing is making a big impact on the scene. As the name suggests, the taproom sits right in the middle of two Oxford landmarks: Oxford’s downtown square and the Circle at the University of Mississippi. It provides the community with an invaluable spot for hanging out and enjoying a curated bite, coffee, or in-house brew.

Sumner Abraham along with three partners, John Adrian, Rick Hollander, and Taylor Webb decided to take advantage of the 2021 law change in Mississippi allowing microbreweries to open.

“The Lafayette-Oxford-University community is vibrant and we felt confident that we could bring a ‘third place’ to our city,” Abraham says.

The beer side of things is manned by head brewer Joel Weyenberg, who churns out seriously sippable brews. Their flagship beer, a Kolsch called Full Ride – is crisp with muted hop notes and is the perfect game day beer.

But Circle and Square isn’t just about the beer. It’s a hangout spot for everyone, and from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., coffee is served alongside a breakfast sandwich that Abraham claims is “nearly perfect.” At 11 a.m. beer and craft cocktails start being poured and the full menu is available featuring well-done staples like burgers and chicken tenders as well as a giant pretzel.

The Oxford food scene is special, and its love and support for local restaurants really shines.

“What makes Oxford unique is the collaboration and kindness that is shared amongst the industry’s businesses. In some towns there is fierce competition, and in Oxford it feels more collaborative and encouraging,” Abraham says.