Danny Bowien To Expand Mission Brand With 'Mission Cantina'

Is it possible that Manhattan will get another Mission outpost before Williamsburg? The New York Post reports that Mission Chinese's Danny Bowien is opening another Mission in the Lower East Side this fall, this time called Mission Cantina.

Word broke back in June that Bowien had applied for a booze license for the former Noodle Bar space at 172 Orchard St., as he was planning a "Mexican Chinese" eatery. Eater sources pointed out that the food will be strictly Mexican, which still jives with the Mission brand thanks to Bowien's reputation for too-hot-to-handle "weird Chinese" dishes.

The most recent report from the Post claims that Mission Cantina will be a Mexican food and tequila bar, with 2,300 square feet of space. Of course, that could all change before the reported fall opening. We've reached out to Bowien representatives for more information, although Bowien's own Twitter (and Bowien himself in interviews) has remained mum on the subject.

Update: Bowien has gone to Twitter to clear things up (or muddle things up), saying, "Rumors are rumors. Tequila bar? I think not. Spokesperson? Who? What?" He has not denied his acquiring the former Noodle Bar space, however.