James Beard-nominated Philadelphia chef Dionicio Jimenez and Mariangeli Alicea Saez also own Cantina La Martina in Kensington
The restaurant location at 9 N. Main St. in Ambler is going from burgers to BYOB Mexican and Mediterranean.
The Philadelphia Inquirer wrote that James Beard-nominated Philadelphia chef Dionicio Jiménez and Mariangeli Alicea Saez, owners of Cantina La Martina on D Street in Kensington, will be opening a new restaurant called La Baja by summer in the spot formerly occupied by Ambler Burgers & More.
“For spring 2024, restaurants are paying attention to the suburbs: Dionicio Jiménez is opening La Baja in Ambler; Carina Sorella is coming to Bryn Mawr; and Haldi Fine Indian Cuisine to Mount Laurel,” stated the article.
According to the report, the restaurant will seat 30 patrons. The BYOB will be serving a fusion of Mexican border dishes, alongside Mediterranean and Asian flair.
Last year, the Mexican-born Jiménez was one of a handful of chefs nominated for the James Beard honor.
“I've worked in the city for so long and I've never been even nominated … now, being here in Kensington, and being nominated, is sort of surprising,” he told 6abc last April. "It's more than a good thing for the restaurant or for me, I think it's good for the neighborhood."
Jiménez got started in the restaurant business at the age of 14 in his Mexican hometown of Puebla. Over the next nearly three decades, he would work his way up in the restaurant kitchen – from dishwasher, to prep chef, to line chef, and finally executive chef.
He and Saez opened their Kensington restaurant in 2022.
"It's a dream because I come from a really small town," he told 6abc. "We've been farmers my whole life. This has been a dream come true. I don't want to wake up."
In additional restaurant news, Bob Ross and his family are expanding their Gypsy Blu bar and restaurant business in Ambler to Hatboro, per the Inquirer.
Ross & Co. will be opening at 58 S. York Road, taking over the shuttered Bernie’s Pub spot, per the report.
