New Mexican restaurant, event venue coming to Lexington’s Distillery District
A popular Cincinnati restaurant group that offers traditional Mexican flavors is planning to open a location in Lexington.
Mazunte, which has three locations in Ohio, will open a fourth spot at 903 Manchester St. in Lexington’s Distillery District, between the Grand Reserve and the new Manchester Hotel that opens June 1. It’s also original location of Manchester Coffee Co., which has moved to The MET off of Winchester, Midland and Third streets.
The company plans to have a restaurant, bar and grab-and-go market as well as two full-service event venues.
Mazunte specializes in authentic regional Mexican food specialties including tortas, tlayudas, al pastor, barbacoa and birria.
“Our food is a vibrant fusion of traditional and new flavors, and we’re proud of the way it represents us,” said Wendy Enriquez, Mazunte’s creative director, in a news release. “We’re most excited that customers in Lexington will get to experience our food and culture.”
They hope to be open by the end of 2023.
The Lexington location will have 4,200 square feet of bar, cafe and restaurant space called Mazunte Bodega, with 13,000 square feet of event space called La Brasa Event Venue, according to the release. Mazunte hopes to offer catered event options for hotel patrons and you can book online through labrasalexington.com.
The bodega will have best-selling items from Mazunte’s Cincinnati locations, plus new products as well as a full bar and cafe. There will be packaged grab-and-go and carryout food options for customers from the next door hotel, as well as nearby Town Branch Park & Trail, Rupp Arena and Convention Center and downtown Lexington.
Mazunte founder Josh Wamsley was inspired by his travels to Oaxaca, Mexico, in 2010 and 2011 while teaching English to students there. On weekends, he would travel to Mazunte, a small beach town, and was inspired to create a restaurant concept that is an homage to the people and customs of Mexico in his hometown of Cincinnati.
This story was originally published May 10, 2023 at 12:36 PM.
