Señor Masa Brings Chef-Driven, Authentic Mexican Cuisine to Mentor
Chefs Javier and Sarah Hernandez, a husband-and-wife team with over 20 years of professional experience in top-end hotels and resorts, have opened Señor Masa, a fast-casual, authentic Mexican restaurant, located at 9179 Mentor Avenue.
After running a successful food truck, the couple transitioned to this brick-and-mortar spot in November 2025. They were looking to expand their offerings and to keep the food coming with the food truck season ending.
A ceremonial ribbon cutting took place in December with members of the Mentor Chamber of Commerce and city officials in attendance. Señor Masa has been off and running ever since.
Javier, originally from Leon, Guanajuato, Mexico, brings his expertise in savory dishes from his vast background in culinary sciences to the exciting, unique menu offered at Señor Masa. Sarah, a pastry chef, who trained at Le Cordon Bleu in Pittsburgh, handles the in-house made desserts. There is always something new to try like homemade cookies and cheesecake, and the variety and selection change often.
Making food from scratch is very important to the Hernandez family, and the name was not chosen randomly. Masa, the Spanish word for dough, is traditionally a ground corn mixture which makes up the delicious base of many items on the restaurant’s menu. The masa, which is made in house every morning, is used to make the tortillas for their popular smash burger tacos, and it’s also in their delicious masa corn fritters. When it comes to the rest of the menu, they offer many exciting flavor combinations including the popular braised beef Birria Taco, and their fish tacos with fresh avocado keep people returning.
Another in-house, made-from-scratch item is their signature hot sauce – Batch 28 – which is fermented for a month, hence its name.
“I like [the flavor of] the fermented hot sauce a lot and try to incorporate that on the menu,” says Javier.
Javier and Sarah relocated to Mentor two years ago and decided to base their business here as well.
“We knew a lot about Mentor and how it was growing, and it was really important to us to continue to grow here,” says Sarah.
Javier adds, “Being community driven – we like growing organically. As the community supports us, we will keep growing, and we are really happy to be here in Mentor.”
Señor Masa is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 11:00 AM to 8:00 PM. They offer take-out, limited dine-in, catering, private dining, and the food truck service will return as the weather warms.
Check out their menu, and be sure to follow on Facebook and Instagram. You can also reach them at (440) 290-0530.
We thank Señor Masa for their investment in our community and wish them much future success.