By DAVE DOMESCIK | Staff Writer

MONTEVALLO – A festive atmosphere filled downtown Montevallo on Saturday, June 14, as Xcaret Grill Mexican Restaurant celebrated its official ribbon cutting, marking a new chapter for both the restaurant and the local dining scene.

Owned by Saray and Daniel Jimenez, Xcaret Grill brings authentic Mexican cuisine and family-driven values to 1032 Main Street. Though the restaurant has been softly open since late April, the ribbon cutting served as a formal welcome into the heart of Montevallo’s business community.

“It’s kind of hard when you first open, to get all the employees used to the menu and get things together,” Saray said. “We’re trying to improve constantly since we opened, and people have been loving the food… I feel like we’ve done really good and we’re going (down) the right path, because I see repeat customers (constantly).”

The journey to opening Xcaret Grill has its roots in an unexpected pivot. Saray originally scouted the Main Street location with the intent of opening a hair salon after finishing cosmetology school. But a conversation with her husband Daniel quickly took a different turn.

“I was looking for a location to open my hair salon, so I went on Google and this location in Montevallo appeared,” Saray said. “It was originally planned for a hair salon, but my husband suggested we open a new restaurant, and that’s how everything started.”

The restaurant’s name, “Xcaret,” comes from the Mayan language, meaning “small inlet.” It also nods to a historic archaeological site on Mexico’s Caribbean coast, underscoring the couple’s desire to infuse the restaurant with deep cultural roots.

Saray said she believes the restaurant’s success and distinctiveness lie in its commitment to quality—a tradition they’ve carried over from their other location, Cozumel Grill in Pelham.

“(We serve) quality food,” Saray said. “We also have dishes that other restaurants don’t have.”

The extensive menu features crowd-pleasers like a grilled chicken bowl, a customizable burrito option and an array of margaritas and traditional Mexican beverages like Jarritos and Mexican Coca-Cola.

Beyond food, Saray emphasized that the heart behind Xcaret Grill is about more than just serving meals — it’s about serving people and cultivating an atmosphere of welcome.

“It’s been a lot of hard work and sometimes sleepless nights, but so far I feel like it’s been worth it,” Saray said.

That vision has resonated with Montevallo residents since the restaurant’s initial opening, with growing support from both locals and visitors alike.

“When you plant a seed, it takes a long time for it to grow and bear fruit,” Saray said. “(The ribbon cutting) made all of the hard work worth it.”

Xcaret Grill is open Monday through Saturday, offering lunch and dinner hours, and is closed on Sundays—a choice Saray said is rooted in their desire to prioritize time for rest, family and faith.

“A restaurant (takes) so much work, and I feel that it was fair for the employees to have a family day,” she said. “The best things are things that money can’t buy, like time with family or at church.”

As the ribbon was cut and the restaurant officially welcomed into the Montevallo business community, Saray and Daniel Jimenez’s story stood as a reminder that sometimes, the best plans are the ones you never saw coming—and that great food is even better when it’s rooted in love, culture and community.

For more information on Xcaret Grill, call the restaurant at 205-476-8901.