Ajua Contemporary Mexican Kitchen & Bar, offering Mexican cuisine, is open in Jacksonville Beach.

It is in the former The G.O.A.T. Tapas & Bar space at 311 Third St. N. between Second and Third Avenue North and faces Second Avenue North.

Ajua is co-owned by Azhar Mohammad and Raul Perez, who opened it about four weeks ago.

Combined, the co-owners have around 40 years of restaurant experience.

In addition to operating Ajua, Mohammad is national culinary director for the PGA Tour. He was executive chef at TPC Sawgrass, worked at three Ritz-Carlton properties and was executive chef at Grove Park in Asheville, North Carolina.

Perez and his wife, Martha, are the co-owners of Kairos Jax at 4815 Sweetgrass Place off Hodges Boulevard near Butler Boulevard.

Photo by Dan Macdonald

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