Popular Lexington restaurant opening new place in former Shakespeare & Co. location
A popular Lexington Mexican restaurant is bringing a new concept to downtown.
The family who owns El Rancho Tapatio off Nicholasville Road is opening Mama Tequila on the corner of Short and Broadway.
Jessica Rios, one of the owners of the new restaurant and bar, said that Mama Tequila is expected to open soon, possibly in time for New Year’s Eve, and hopes to have a full bar.
At 5,000 square feet, the restaurant space, which was formerly the home of the original Shakespeare & Co., is big enough to have room for dancing too. In the evenings, when Mama Tequila will primarily be a bar, they will have a DJ playing Latin music on weekends, Rios said.
Mama Tequila signed a lease, negotiated through Lifstyl Real Estate’s Alexa Kelley, to take over the whole ground floor of 367 W. Short St., including the former Script bar as well as a small patio in the back.
Shakespeare & Co. closed in the spring of 2020 after eight years. The upstairs will remain the XOXO nightclub, under separate management.
The location will put them right on a hot downtown dining corridor that includes recently opened Agave & Rye, Postmaster’s Pub, Creaux, The Horse & Jockey, Frank & Dino’s, Dudley’s on Short, ELIXIR, Zim’s, School sushi, Roulay, Corto Lima and more.
Rios said the menu for Mama Tequila will concentrate on authentic Mexican food. It will be a slimmed-down menu of what is available at El Rancho Tapatio, which is staying open. El Rancho Tapatio has been open for about 12 years.
The new bar will offer margaritas but also lean into craft cocktails, Rios said.
They hope to be open for lunch and dinner daily, and stay open late Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
“We just wanted a different concept,” Rios said. “Someplace people can go out and have a good dinner, have drinks and if they want to stay later and dance a little they can enjoy that too.”
This story was originally published December 15, 2021 at 6:00 AM.
