Beloved Mexican restaurant closes its doors

by ZAHRAA MOHAMMED

Staff Writer

On Nov. 15, Rey Azteca announced the sudden closure of their Eagle Village location on Facebook. Opened in December 2020 near Eagle Landing, the Mexican restaurant quickly became a convenient gathering spot for students to meet with friends and family.

“From the bottom of our hearts, THANK YOU for all the unforgettable moments — the smiles, the celebrations, the family dinners, and every plate you enjoyed with us,” the Facebook post said. 

While rumors of the restaurant’s closure have been floating around since last fall, the loss of the off-campus dining option took many by surprise. 

“I was just talking about going to eat there tonight,” said Kai Pilot, a UMW student pursuing his master in education. 

Kiah Simmons, a junior communication and digital studies and computer science double major, was also surprised by the closure.

“I didn’t even know,” said Simmons. “It made me really upset because I thought they were just doing renovations, because I saw that they were taking all of the stuff out of the building and all of a sudden there’s this giant red sign that says ‘Sorry, we’re closed.’” 

Executive Director of University Communications Amy Jesse says the vacancy opens up the space for storage and potential future program use, since the university owns the building. 

“UMW will utilize spaces in the building for additional university partnerships and for programmatic spaces,” Jessee said. “We’ll need swing space when we renovate the fine arts buildings, and we are exploring space options for additional healthcare program offerings.”  

Rey Azteca was just steps away from student housing and served as a popular dining option for those looking for a bite off campus. The restaurant’s absence was immediately felt by some students who frequent the spot. For junior geology major Adrienne Womack, the Hispanic food provided her with a reminder of home.

“I’m upset about it,” said Adrienne Womack, a junior geology major. “I probably went there every other month, something like that. It was a comfort thing that I always went to when my parents were here.”

The Eagle Village location was not just a go to location for delicious meals, but also a gathering place for students and Fredericksburg locals to enjoy a safe space and community. The closure leaves a gap for many patrons, including freshman Anna Gough, wishing they had gone sooner. 

“It’s kind of sad. I would have liked to go and also just do more exploring over there. I mean, I’m new on campus,” Gough said.

Simmons also discussed the inconvenience that the closure of the Eagle Village location creates and that she doesn’t agree with it being a space designated to a UMW-specific program.

“There was a post office, a nail place. Like, these are very much community centered spaces,” she said. “And now they’re talking about turning these community centered spaces into UMW centered spaces.” 

She continued, “There are so many empty buildings on campus that they can utilize for these things that they don’t.” 

Many students, such as Matt Ramsey, a sophomore history and education double major, can’t imagine the space as anything other than the Mexican restaurant. 

“Students of UMW, sure, we’re getting the benefit of using it as an artistic space, but I don’t really care,” Ramsey said. “I like my Mexican food, and I like it five steps away from my apartment.”

Rey Azteca’s closure comes after other restaurants, such as Sweet Frog and Patriot Subs, closed recently in the same shopping center. 

“Our other two remaining vacancies are actively being leased throughout the reconstruction” said Emily Roberts, the marketing and communications personnel for Broad Reach, the retail company in charge of Eagle Village.   

Rey Azteca currently operates a second location in the Central Park shopping center.

While the exact purpose of the empty space is still undecided, Rey Azteca in Eagle Village remains irreplaceable in many students’ minds. 

“What would I like to see there?” said Abby Powers, junior biomedical sciences major. “I’d like to see Rey Azteca. I’d actually like it to come right back.”

Meaghan Van Dyke contributed to reporting for this article.