Adelitas management is planning new Mexican restaurant at Bonnie Bray

Nathan and Karina Ayala-Schmidt have been managing Adelitas on South Broadway since opening in 2013.

And now the couple is set to make their way with a new restaurant called Ne Tuyo at 730 S. University Blvd. at Bonnie Brae, where Brightmarten previously operated for four years before closing in January.

“Kareena’s brother wanted to get back into the restaurant game, so we spent the last year training her to do what I did at Adelitas,” Nathan said. “Now, we need to do something.”

Karina, 33, is the daughter of Sylvia Andaya, a former housekeeper who opened Adelitas at 1294 S. Broadway in Platt Park in 2013, cooking up delicacies from her hometown of Michoacán, Mexico. He then opened La Donna Mezcaleria, a mezcal-focused cocktail bar with Mexican street food, at 13 E. Louisiana Avenue in 2016.

Andaya is preparing the menu for Ni Tuyo, which her daughter and son-in-law hope to open in early June. It will have a smaller, more upscale menu than adelitas, with a Mexican charcuterie board and a variety of molcajetes, tacos, and margaritas. The bar will have 10 different types of tequila and 25 different mezcals.

“Sylvia has a set menu at Adelitas and La Donna that will essentially never change, but it is an opportunity to showcase menu items that have been successful in weekly specials or catering,” Ayala-Schmidt said. “We think she’s the best chef in Denver, and this is a place for her to show off her talent.”

The couple signed a 10-year lease for the 3,000-square-foot space with a 40-seat patio in early May. They’re removing hand-paint from brick walls, booths out windows to let in some more light, and replacing appliances in the kitchen. They also plan to add some art from Mexico on the walls.