While many restaurants on the Ave close at 10 or 11 p.m., Memo’s Mexican Food gets ready to take on one of its busiest times: the graveyard shift.

People walking into Memo’s on the Ave are greeted by a large menu on the wall; they order their food and have a seat. Soothing Spanish music plays while they wait for their meal.

On a recent Friday around 6:30 p.m., the ambiance was laid back. Shiny wooden floors gave it a clean look. Large windows were open to the Ave, allowing fresh air to come in. The restaurant was brightly lit. It was not very busy; about 10 diners were scattered around the restaurant.

Three things make Memo’s Mexican Food stand out from other restaurants. It is inexpensive, the food is plentiful and it is open at all hours.

Memo Garcia, 25, the owner of the restaurant, came to California from Mexico with his family when he was seven. They later moved to Oregon, where they currently own several Mexican restaurants

Garcia wanted to open a restaurant on his own. He heard from a friend that Seattle was a cool city.

“I came up here and checked it out,” said Garcia. “I went to Seafair and I said, yeah, Seattle is cool ... My friends told me that the Ave next to the university would be a good place for a restaurant.”

He knew that his customers would be college students. His plan was to serve them good, substantial, inexpensive and fresh food.

“All of our food is cooked here every day,” he said. “So it’s fresh.”

A student shouldn’t worry about ordering the most expensive item on the menu and going broke, because the most costly entree is $6.99.

Having the restaurant open 24 hours a day was an easy choice for Garcia, who opened the eatery in February. He figured that if he closed at 11 p.m. it would take him three hours to get the restaurant clean; he might as well sell some burritos during that time. That is how the restaurant became a 24-hour spot.

“It is a good area to keep a restaurant open for 24 hours,” said Garcia. “One of our busiest shifts is from 10 p.m. until 4 a.m. every day.”

So who is up in the wee hours of the morning looking for burritos and tacos?

“We have all sorts of people, from really business-like to all sorts.” said Garcia.

Tipsy college students and other night owls frequent Memo’s during the night. What do they eat at that hour?

According to Garcia people order anything and everything.

“They definitely don’t hold back. If they’re hungry at 2 a.m., they’re hungry.” he said. “They don’t worry about the fact that they have to go to sleep.”

Sure enough, Garcia was right. On a recent weekend night, inebriated college students staggered into the restaurant. Others in bike helmets and sweaters appeared to be finding their way home. Although the restaurant wasn’t full, there definitely was a small crowd with the munchies.

Allison Ruork, a student at the UW, was hungry at 1 a.m. and ordered tacos.

“This is the closest thing to actual Mexican food in Seattle,” said Ruork. “It’s cheap and for what it’s worth it makes good drunk food.”

The clientele at Memo’s is not only made up of college students. Jacob Leavitt of Shoreline was also at Memo’s fueling up for his bike trip back home.

“I am impressed with the food,” said Leavitt. “I had a delicious bean and cheese burrito. It was cheap ($2.99) and I got a big side of Mexican salsa.”

Its most famous burrito, the Washington burrito, features a flour tortilla filled with steak, potatoes, salsa and cheese ($4.50).

The most popular drink is horchata ($2.25-3.25). This blended Mexican drink is made from rice, cinnamon and milk. Other beverages include fountain drinks and Vitamin Water.

Garcia’s clientele has grown and his dream is to expand to other locations. He also wants to target the Latino community of Seattle. He is searching to find the perfect place.

For now, UW students who are craving Mexican food at three in the morning need not travel far.