Midtown Village is one of the hottest neighborhoods in town, but it wasn’t always this way. In fact, it didn’t exist at all until quite recently, when a group of shop and restaurant owners came together to lay claim on the newly lively stretch of 13th Street from Chestnut to Locust. Instrumental in sparking this renewal were Marcie Turney and Valerie Safran, who in 2004 ventured across the street from their retail shop, Open House to open Lolita.

Though the pair has gone on to launch several more successful restaurants and shops in the area (Barbuzzo, Jamonera, Grocery, Verde), their first eatery remains one of the most popular BYOs in the city. So much so that you voted the modern Mexican winner of Best BYO in our 2012 Drinker’s Choice Awards. We caught up with the duo via email to see what makes Lolita special, and where they might take their own bottle of wine on a night out.

– Can you name two (or more) specific things that make Lolita special/deserving of the BYO win?

It would have to be Lolita’s special ‘bring your own tequila’ (BYOT) policy and our selection of freshly squeezed margarita mixers, which we encourage our guests to pair with their favorite tequila.  The margarita mixer flavors change seasonally — currently at Lolita we’re offering the Tradicional, a traditional lemon-lime with a salted rim;  the Sandia y Mente, a fresh watermelon puree with wild mint and a sugared rim;  and the Fresa y Basilica Violeta, strawberry with fresh purple basil and a sugared rim.

– Tell us briefly (one sentence) why you were inspired to open Lolita?

We always wanted to open a fun, modern Mexican restaurant, so when the opportunity presented itself, we went for it.  

– If you had to choose a winner in this category that is not your own establishments, what would it be?

It would have to be Matyson.