Neighbors feel at home at La Casita

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Monday, November 13, 2023
Neighbors feel at home at La Casita
It was a tiny room with just enough room for a kitchen and three tables. 47 years later the Mexican restaurant is a beloved institution.

PEARLAND, Texas -- For 47 years Evangelina Castillo has been living her dream. The 85-year-old is the owner of La Casita Mexican Restaurant.

"It never crossed my mind that I wasn't going to make it," Castillo said. "We have survived this long because we have never changed the recipes. They are the same from when we started."

La Casita opened in 1976 in a small room built by Castillo's husband, Paul. It only had space for three tables and it was located outside her home.

"She could walk from her back door to her kitchen," One customer remembers.

"There was nothing out here but oil field roads, there was nobody out here," Daughter Rita Dickens said.

La Casita is now a family business with Castillo's daughter and grandchildren working at the restaurant, and next year fourth generation family members will join the staff.

"When anyone says La Casita, I would say its family, family cooking, family togetherness and family time."

The restaurant is located 18043 County Rd 127.