ALABASTER – On Jan. 19, Maya Mexican Restaurant opened its doors to the Shelby County community offering an array of Tex-Mex cuisines and weekly margarita specials.

The restaurant, located at 478 First Street Southwest, is in the same spot where Del Toro Mexican Restaurant served the Alabaster community for about 30 years. The restaurant closed at the end of 2019 with the retirement of owner Amy Chang.

Maya Mexican Restaurant is owned and operated by Marco Perez and his brother Juan Perez, with Jesus Carbajal as the head cook. The Alabaster restaurant marks the second Maya restaurant for the Perez brothers. Their first restaurant, located in Homewood, opened in August 2018.

Restaurant manager Marco Perez said his brother heard that Chang was looking to sell her restaurant, so they got in touch with her and she was happy to pass the torch on to them.

“We are so thrilled to be a part of the Alabaster community,” Marco Perez said. “We hope to bring you the best Tex-Mex in town, the best tasting margaritas and excellent service.”

Popular menu items include their specialty margaritas, fajitas, homemade tamales and the jaguar burrito, which features grilled steak or chicken and mushrooms topped with cheese dip, cilantro and chorizo and served with rice and beans.

According to Perez, one of the things that separates Maya Mexican Restaurant from others is its wide variety of margaritas. The menu includes more than 27 flavors and weekly discounts on specialty margaritas.

Perez said he realizes it will take some time for residents to get used to having a new restaurant where Del Toro once was, but he is hopeful that people will come to accept and embrace his restaurant over time.

“We’re ready to work hard and make a name for ourselves over here like we did with our restaurant in Homewood,” Perez said.

The restaurant is open Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5-9 p.m. On Fridays and Saturdays, the hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. For more information, go to Mayamxrestaurant.com.