See inside new Perry Mexican restaurant that makes guacamole at your table

At a new Mexican restaurant in Perry owned by two close friends and their families, customers can watch chunky guacamole made in front of their table, savor freshly-made shrimp or fish ceviche and potentially wrestle with choosing from among 100-plus dishes on the diverse menu.

Cozumel Mexican Grill is at 1365 Sam Nunn Blvd., Units H and I, in the Perry Marketplace anchored by a Kroger. A new Wingstop is in the same shopping center.

The restaurant with ample table and booth seating for about 120 people opened quietly late Wednesday afternoon.

“Very grateful with God because the moment is here,” said an excited Jazmin Esparza-Ortiz, one of the partners in the restaurant with close friend Alma Valencia.

How Cozumel Mexican Grill came about

The impetus for the restaurant came from an everyday conversation about a year ago between the two women when Valencia shared she was considering expanding and opening a new restaurant. Valencia is a co-owner of the popular Sol Azteca Mexican Grill in Warner Robins. The women got to know each other a decade ago while working together at another Mexican restaurant. Esparza-Ortiz later became the godmother of Valencia’s daughter.

Valencia, her husband, Angel Canul, and daughter, Gloria Canul, will be back and forth between the two restaurants except for the first month in which Valencia will be preparing dishes solely at Cozumel Mexican Grill. Her brother Noe Valencia will join them in the new venture once he completes a previous commitment.

Esparza-Ortiz is hands-on at the new restaurant, this time as a co-owner, greeting and serving customers. Her husband, Jesus Servin, works another job but is helping to finance the venture. He’s also behind the restaurant’s flower pots.

Their eldest daughter, Lluvia Servin, wanted to work as a cashier at the restaurant.

“But she’s only 12,” Esparza-Ortiz said. “But she loves to draw. So Alma and I were like, ‘Why don’t you paint something here?’

“And we saved that wall just for her,” said Esparza-Ortiz, pointing to the far wall on the left when entering the restaurant. “She was very excited.”

LLuvia Servin painted a beach scene on the wall fitting with the restaurant’s Cozumel theme that’s also reflected in its sampling of island dishes and in its simple decor.

Esparza-Ortiz said the aim was to create a relaxing space.

“This is a place where they can come where we’re gonna have good service, good food and a good experience,” she said. “We want people to feel comfortable, happy.”

Favorite dishes

To showcase some of the restaurant’s offerings, Alma Valencia prepared a few dishes. Here’s a little bit about each:

• Mojarra frita — A deep-fried marinated whole fish, served with rice, lettuce, raw onions, tomato, cucumbers, avocado and tortillas. Esparza-Ortiz suggested the best way to eat the fish is with your fingers “especially because that way you can feel the bones and grab the juicy meat from them — kind of peeling and eating.”
• Alambres fajitas — Steak and chicken grilled with bell peppers, onions, bacon, and topped with shredded cheese and served with rice, beans, lettuce, pico de gallo, guacamole, sour cream and tortillas.
• Torta mexicana — A Mexican sandwich made with soft bread and filled with your choice of meat, beans, lettuce, mayo, tomato, citrus red onions, jalapenos, guacamole, cheese and chipotle sauce.

“I’m excited about the chunky guacamole, which the employees, they prepare, in front of the customers … They give like a show for the people,” Esparza-Ortiz said.

Alma Valencia was happy to demonstrate — slicing an avocado, scooping its contents out in chunks, mixing it with freshly cut tomatoes, onions and other ingredients, and adding a pinch of salt. Presto, in a couple of minutes, fresh chunky guacamole at your fingertips.

More about the Mexican restaurant’s menu

Developing the extensive seven-page menu was a collaborative effort among the family members and each ensured their favorite dish was among the selections, said Esparza-Ortiz, who picked the ceviche.

Her husband chose the camarones Cozumel, which the menu described as deep-fried shrimp with shells cooked with a “special spicy sauce” and grilled onions and served with white rice and fresh cucumbers.

Valencia chose the mojarra frita and her husband the alambres fajitas, according to Esparza-Ortiz.

The seven-page menu includes appetizers, nachos, salads, combination plates, specialty meals and house specials, additional chicken, steak or pork dishes, seafood offerings, fajitas, quesadillas, burritos, vegetarian dishes, all sorts of a la carte and side choices, and desserts. A lunch and a kids menu also are offered.

Additionally, the restaurant includes a full-service bar, but the owners are waiting on the issuance of their alcohol license, which they expect to receive within about two weeks.

Once it has its alcohol license, the restaurant is expected to offer margaritas, daiquiris, wines, domestic, imported and draft beers, tequila, whiskey, mixed drinks such as rum and coke, mud slides and michelada, a popular Mexican beer cocktail.

“Michelada is like a bloody Mary just Mexican style,” Valencia said. “Instead of vodka, it’s with beer — a tomato juice mix with beer. It’s a refreshing drink.”

The restaurant’s first customers

Joey and Traci Shipp of Perry were the first customers to walk through the doors when the restaurant opened at 5 p.m.

The couple had planned to eat at another restaurant but found it temporarily closed for the day due to a city water main break. They decided to swing by Cozumel Mexican Grill to see if it had opened yet.

She ordered nachos, while he chose his standby combination order of a burrito, taco, rice and beans.

“We’re always looking for great new places,” Joey Shipp said. “And it’s nice to see something really good come to a place where another business has left.”

Cozumel Mexican Grill is in the former Shane’s Rib Shack location. The space underwent a remodel prior to the new restaurant opening, including removal of a large ordering counter, construction of a long bar and the addition of new restaurant furniture.

Hours are 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The number is 478-313-5151.

This story was originally published April 25, 2025 at 12:18 PM.