Ay Wey Mexican Kitchen + Tequila opens in Lexington
Partners in the new Ay Wey Mexican Kitchen + Tequila on Talbert Boulevard are (from left) Moises Onate, Eduardo Hernandez, Stephannie Cervantes and Jorge Lopez. In the middle is Matias Lopez, the 3-year-old son of Stephannie and Jorge, who is “in charge of candy sales.” {Vikki Broughton Hodges/Davidson Local}
There are more Mexican restaurants than barbecue eateries in the city limits of Lexington but the newest one — Ay Wey Mexican Kitchen + Tequila — features an extensive list of tequila cocktails and a wide-ranging menu that even includes some seafood.
Located at 295 N. Talbert Blvd. in the former Silver Diner building, Ay Wey (which loosely translated means “Oh, man! or “Oh, wow!”) is the third Mexican restaurant to open along a busy stretch of Talbert Boulevard. There are four additional Mexican restaurants around town.
Ay Wey Mexican Kitchen is owned by five partners — Stephannie Cervantes and her husband, Jorge Lopez, her sister, Sandra Cervantes and her husband, Moises Onate, and Eduardo Hernandez. Sandra Cervantes, Onate and Hernandez manage the Lexington restaurant since Stephannie Cervantes and Lopez own and operate the original Ay Wey in Dunn, N.C.
Stephannie Cervantes knows there are many local competitors in the Mexican restaurant category but she thinks Ay Wey stands out for several reasons. “For one thing, everything is fresh and made to order — our own salsa and cheese dips. And we have the best quality of ingredients — meats and cheeses. We may be a little more expensive than some others but I want it to be the quality of where I would want to eat.”
That freshness extends to the cocktail menu as well, she added. Fresh fruit juices and watermelon, mango and pineapple are paired with a variety of tequilas. Sangrias are made in-house. There is an extensive beer menu and small wine menu.
Cervantes said most Mexican restaurants offer one traditional margarita and possibly a frozen version. Ay Wey offers a flight of margaritas in four flavors, which she said is popular because people like to try different flavors such as a mango margarita. There’s even a 50- and 100-ounce margarita tower for sharing.
The margarita sampler is popular on the restaurant’s cocktail menu. {Contributed photo}
“It’s a modern Mexican restaurant with bright colors and décor,” Cervantes said. “We want people to have fun.”
Lopez said some of the most popular dishes include chipotle chicken and shrimp along with pina del mar, which is grilled shrimp and fish and vegetables served in a hollowed-out half of a pineapple. Pineapple is in the marinade. The meat version with steak, chicken and chorizo is a best seller, he noted.
The menu is comprehensive and varied. Appetizers include nachos, several dips, guacamole (including a version made tableside), chicken wings, jalapeno poppers and Mexican street corn. There are salads, including a taco salad, and soups, including menudo, which is made with beef tripe.
Entrees include burritos, enchiladas and fajitas. Other favorites include tamales, chimichangas and arroz con pollo. A variety of street tacos are on the menu, ranging from al pastor, which is adobo marinated pork, pineapple, chopped onion and cilantro, to fish tacos. An assortment of shrimp and salmon dishes are available as well as several vegetarian choices. There is a gluten-free taco in which a lettuce leaf takes the place of a tortilla. Cervantes said they soon plan to offer a few more gluten-free options as well as quesabirrias.
Chicken tinga tacos are just one of many items on the large menu at Ay Wey Mexican Kitchen + Tequila. {Contributed photo}
Desserts range from churros and tres leches cake to flan and sopapillas.
Many of the dinner items are offered as lunch specials from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Hours of operation are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Cervantes and Lopez have both been in the restaurant business for 10 years and opened the original Ay Wey in Dunn two years ago. She said their parents have been supportive of their business ventures. Her parents, Isidro Cervantes and Luz Elua Gomez of Mexico, instilled the entrepreneurial spirit in her and Lopez’s father, Antonio Lopez, worked in restaurant kitchens for 30 years.
Sandra Cervantes and Onate have been the restaurant business for about 10 years and moved from Nebraska to launch the Lexington restaurant.
Ay Wey in Lexington seats about 185 people and can group tables for parties of up to 35 folks. The team plans to add a patio for more seating. The restaurant offers catering.
Customers can place takeout orders by phone at (336) 590-9980 or online at ayweymexicankitchen (make sure it’s the Lexington location). Delivery service is planned for the future.
Cervantes is aware service was slow when the restaurant opened two months ago but they have worked to improve that with more hiring and training. “We weren’t fully staffed at first and people were not yet trained. I hope people will give us a second chance now. Our goal is to have the best service in the area.”
