A husband-and-wife are fulfilling a 10-year dream to open their own Mexican restaurant.

Business owners Daniel Gallegos Jimenez, who has 26 years’ experience as a chef, and his wife Emilia open their Mexican street food restaurant Mexcellent in Camden Road, Tunbridge Wells, today (February 25).

Between October and December last year, the couple were running a successful Mexican food trailer and built a reputation for delicious dishes.

But when an opportunity came up to have their own restaurant at the end of last year, they leapt at the chance and have spent the past month-and-a-half working long hours in preparation.

Daniel, 48, said: “We wanted to have a little place that’s manageable for us, and now, here we are offering something different to Tunbridge Wells.

“There’s no Mexican food around here, so the response has been amazing.”

Originally from the south of Mexico in Veracruz, Daniel has worked previously as a head chef at several restaurants, including French dining at Coco Retro, tapas and pizza at The Shuffle House and Mexican at Zapata’s.

He said: “I know my cuisine very well. I’m passionate about bringing classic dishes from Mexico.

“Our food is made fresh and prepared daily. Everything is cooked from scratch and my spices are from Mexico which makes it authentic.”

His wife Emilia will be helping to run the business as front-of-house.

She said: “We always dreamed about having our own place, so this is a dream come true. We’ve poured our heart into getting everything ready.”

Addressing the name, Mexcellent, Daniel said: “It’s easy to pronounce and memorise and we wanted to keep it original.”

The couple, who moved to Tunbridge Wells 12 years ago, previously worked together at the well established Zapata's Mexican Restaurant in the Pantiles, which closed after the premises was redeveloped.

The dad-of-two said: “I think Tunbridge Wells needs something else to bring Mexican vibes, flavour and culture.

“I’m happy to bring something like this to the area.”

As part of the vision, the menu offers authentic street food in a laid-back environment where people can “relax and chill”.

Inside, the restaurant has been designed to include Mexican decorations the couple were given by the owner of Zapata's when it closed.

Daniel said: “This is the first place we have built from the beginning, and we want it to look and bring that feeling of being in Mexico.

“We kept these decorations until now, when we have had the chance to use them.

“The challenge was putting it all together in the style we wanted but it’s paid off and we’re happy with how it looks.”

The married couple have two young girls and they hope the restaurant may be a future venture for them too.

“It’s important that our business supports our family,” Daniel added.

The venue opened its doors for the first time today with the launch of Taco Tuesday.

As well as meat-based options, the restaurant caters to vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free diets and will be open from Tuesday to Saturday for food between 12-3pm and 5-9pm, with drinks served until 10pm.

These hours may change after two weeks so customers are advised to check on the businesses’ social media platforms beforehand.

Emilia said: “Just eat and enjoy the company.”