Ay! Mamá Taqueria is coming to Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda, taking over the former Falafel Inc space next to Chick-fil-A.
The family-owned Mexican restaurant previously operated at Solaire Social in downtown Silver Spring, where it initially opened under the name J&J Mex-Taqueria before becoming Ay! Mamá Taqueria. The restaurant specializes in birria and other Mexican favorites, describing its concept as focused on fresh ingredients and family recipes.
The menu includes birria tacos, burritos, burrito bowls, quesadillas, enchiladas, tortas and tacos with fillings such as carnitas, chorizo, al pastor, barbacoa and lengua. Other offerings include fajitas, carne asada, chicken milanese, fried shrimp and tilapia, along with several vegetarian options. A $12 meal section includes a burrito bowl, quesadilla or three-taco meal with rice and beans.
Ay! Mamá’s previous location was one of the vendors at Solaire Social, a 13,000-square-foot food hall that opened in downtown Silver Spring in May 2024. The food hall closed in October 2025 after approximately 17 months in business, requiring its collection of local food and beverage vendors to vacate the space.
News of the upcoming location was first reported by Robert Dyer.
