Late-night bar hoppers and daytime diners can both benefit from a new Mexican restaurant, Es Tas.

The restaurant, which keeps its salsa flowing until 3 a.m., is special because it is an authentic Mexican dining establishment, said Es Tas business consultant, Adam Crepeau.

Es Tas, 120 Welch Ave., is owned and operated by Drew Hernandez.

Hernandez formerly ran a taco stand in Minnesota, he said. His taco stand, his heritage and his dismissal from Iowa State led Hernandez to open Es Tas, he said.

“My mission [in establishing Es Tas] is to educate Ames about the growing Latino population,” Hernandez said.

The business is open during the day and evening hours, complete with sit-down dining and servers, Hernandez said. The scene of the restaurant changes Wednesday through Saturday between the hours of 8 p.m.—3 a.m. Menus are posted on the wall, and the restaurant is managed in a “fast-food” fashion, Hernandez said.

Most of the items on the menu are made from scratch, including Hernandez’s original guacamole and salsa, he said.

“The vegetables are cut fresh every day, and the meat is freshly prepared daily,” Hernandez said.

The menu is a collaboration of family and friends’ recipes, Hernandez said, including the Irish Taco, a steak, potato and green pepper entr‚e.

Hernandez said Es Tas is the only restaurant of its kind in Ames.

“It’s a normal concept in bigger cities, but there is nothing like it in Ames, not that caters to the night crowd,” he said.

Hernandez said he and his colleagues are excited the business is underway and that he can meet the needs of ISU students and community members.

“We have a good work crew,” he said. “The employees and I are all excited about making it work.”

Taco Bell, 2650 Lincoln Way, and Taco John’s, 500 Lincoln Way, are both open late as well. Taco Bell keeps its dining area open until 10 p.m. and the drive-thru closes at midnight, said shift leader Randy Rucore.

“I don’t think [Es Tas] will affect our business, because they are authentic Mexican, and we have more of a Tex-Mex style,” Rucore said.

Taco John’s keeps its doors open until 11 p.m. every night, said manager Kathy Vickers. The drive-thru remains open until 1:30 a.m. Sunday through Thursday, and closes at 2:30 on the weekends.

“I think we will continue to have the same [positive] response from the community,” Vickers said.