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The owners of La Margarita restaurant, a fixture in the Fountain Square neighborhood since 2011, announced Friday plans to move the Mexican eatery to Factory Arts District on the near-east side of Indianapolis.
La Margarita will serve customers at the Murphy Art Building, 1043 Virginia Ave., through Feb. 8 before moving. A March opening is planned at Factory Arts District.
Formerly known as Circle City Industrial Complex, Factory Arts District will be home to two restaurants operated by La Margarita owners Lori Rangel and Jon Carlos Rangel. Their new concept, Daisy Bar, also is expected to open in March at 1011 Massachusetts Ave.
Lori Rangel co-founded La Margarita with her late husband, Larry Rangel, in Speedway in 1984. The restaurant moved multiple times, including a stint at 9435 N. Meridian St. before opening in Fountain Square.
“I feel like we have had an impact here [in Fountain Square] and I am very proud of that,” Lori Rangel said in a written statement. “I am also very excited for our next phase. Daisy Bar is going to be the perfect complement and expansion of our family business. To add La Margarita at the same time is perfect.”
Factory Arts District is made up of two commercial buildings. The northern building, which opened at 1125 Brookside Ave. in 2015, occupies 420,000 square feet. The southern building that opened in fall 2024 is 90,000 square feet.
Daisy Bar and La Margarita will open in the southern building.
Jon Carlos Rangel, son of Larry and Lori, said Daisy Bar will specialize in comfort food.
Daisy Bar will occupy 3,200 square feet, while La Margarita will take about 500 square feet in the context of a food hall planned in the building.
“We’re working on about 20 seats,” Rangel said of the new La Margarita. “It will be intimate and cozy.’
In Fountain Square, La Margarita occupies about 3,000 feet. Rangel said 20 staff members at the present restaurant will be relocated to the two restaurants in Factory Arts District.
The move does not affect a pair of satellite locations of La Margarita affiliated with Sun King Brewing: Nacho: A La Margarita Outpost at Sun King’s downtown headquarters and La Margarita at Sun King Carmel.
Planning for Daisy Bar began in 2016, Rangel said.
“Our plans to be on this side of downtown started over eight years ago,” said Rangel, who lives in the Windsor Park neighborhood. “To be able to see Daisy and now La Margarita come to life here is amazing. We live here, our family and friends live here, and we cannot wait to continue the La Margarita brand here.”
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This is great! Excited for the business.
Bummer. Factory Arts District is a neat idea. It looks cool from the freeway but they really need to improve the access and infrastructure. You can’t get there from anywhere….
Not sure what you mean by this. It’s an easy drive straight down tenth street from Little Flower. Excited for the development to keep taking shape but I hope that Fountain Square gets something interesting in the spot left emptied.
No clue what you are talking about. It is right off of 10th st. Right by Bottleworks. You can walk there from Mass Ave. It is very easy to get to and find…Sorry it isn’t in some strip mall next to the O’Charleys so you could see it after you make your trip to Kohls.
Ha! Okay got it. Everything is great, don’t improve a thing!
Maybe a vape and liquor store combo can take its spot.