Washington Avenue's Los Dos Amigos Shutting Down After 39 Years

Sad news to report from the Washington Corridor (yet again): longtime Washington Avenue mainstay Los Dos Amigos is expected to close as early as February to make way for more residential developments, according to Houston Press. The closure An employee confirmed the Mexican restaurant will close soon but  a date has not been set at the moment.

Los Dos Amigos has been a fixture at 5720 Washington Avenue since 1976, accumulating a large following over the years for its straight forward, home-cooked Tex-Mex meals. The cheese enchiladas were named Houston's best dish by former Houston Press critic Katharine Shilcutt and the restaurant landed on Eater's Essential 38 restaurants in Houston in 2013.

The impending closing marks another hit for Washington Avenue. Last year, the area saw a number of clubs, bars and restaurants close, especially towards the end of the year (Coppa, TQLA and Polovina to name a few). Some in Houston's tight-knit food community fear the mom and pop taquerias along the corridor are disappearing due to gentrification, a sentiment former restaurant critic and author Robb Walsh cited in 2008.

Houston's exploding population and housing development doesn't appear to be stopping anytime soon, which is great news from an economic standpoint. But when it comes at the cost of astronomical rents for smaller restaurants and businesses forced out for luxury developments, can that be good for the overall community in the long run?