Next week, one of Pasadena’s best-known gathering places will mark a remarkable milestone. On Wednesday, Sept. 17, from 4 to 8 p.m., Mijares Mexican Restaurant plans a 105th-anniversary tequila tasting at its longtime home at 145 Palmetto Drive, with tickets available in advance. The event is billed as a festive tasting with multiple tequila vendors, small bites and live music.
For regulars, the party is as much about continuity as celebration. Family-run since its founding, Mijares traces its roots to matriarch Jesucita Mijares, who arrived in Pasadena more than a century ago and began selling tortillas and homestyle dishes that evolved into a full restaurant. The City of Pasadena has described Mijares as the oldest Mexican restaurant in Los Angeles County; in Pasadena, it is commonly regarded as an institution.
The restaurant’s present-day ownership remains a family affair. Granddaughter R-lene Mijares-de Lang is a partner and general manager; her mother, Alice Mijares Recendez, has long been a public face of the business; and great-granddaughter Mary Recendez helps run operations. “She just really found a passion in feeding people and connecting with them through food,” Mary Recendez said recently of Jesucita’s beginnings.
Much of the lore is rooted in the earliest days: a small tortilla and tamale venture that grew into a restaurant known for tamales and salsas ground on a volcanic-stone molino—techniques the family still highlights. The house claim today remains straightforward: authentic regional dishes and “award-winning” margaritas, served in a set of patios and dining rooms that have hosted generations of birthdays, quinceañeras and neighborhood gatherings.
The history also includes resilience. A 1979 fire destroyed the original property; the family rebuilt and carried on, a through-line often cited by Mijares descendants when they describe why the place endures. In recent years the restaurant has typically seated hundreds and employed several dozen, according to family accounts.
Ahead of the anniversary, management has been signaling a convivial evening. Listings and social-media posts promote a curated tequila tasting in the banquet spaces, with vendors pouring and the kitchen sending out bites—essentially a house party scaled for a legacy business. The time, date and ticketing details align across multiple announcements, including an Eventbrite posting and third-party calendars.
If the tone feels familiar, that is by design. “A lot of prayer, a lot of hard work, good food, treating people the way you would want to be treated of all colors,” is how R-lene Mijares-de Lang summed up the operating philosophy in an earlier interview—an ethos that long-time customers say translates to the feeling of walking into a room already full of friends.
What to know, looking ahead
Event: Mijares 105th-Anniversary Tequila Tasting
When: Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025, 4–8 p.m.
Where: Mijares Mexican Restaurant, 145 Palmetto Drive, Pasadena
Tickets: Available in advance online; check the restaurant’s social channels and listing pages for availability.
A century-plus of family continuity
Founding: Jesucita Mijares opened a small tortilla operation in Pasadena circa 1920; the business grew into a restaurant built on her recipes and techniques.
Today: The family’s descendants continue to manage the restaurant and host community events; recent coverage and city materials have noted its “legacy business” status and County-leading longevity.
Signature notes: The kitchen still leans on heritage methods (including the molino) and a staples-first menu, while the bar is known for its margaritas—points the restaurant highlights in its own materials.
For Pasadena diners, the party next week doubles as a marker of civic memory. The address is the same, the neon still glows above the entry, and the family remains on the floor welcoming guests. The toast, fittingly, will be to a business that has kept showing up for the city for 105 years—and to another year of tortillas, tamales and familiar faces.
Mi Casa Es Su Casa will host its annual tequila tasting on Wednesday, Sept. 17, from 4 to 8 p.m. at Mijares, 145 Palmetto Drive in Pasadena. For more call (626) 792-2763.
The event will feature a selection of premium tequilas, chef-prepared small bites, fiesta-inspired party favors and live music.
Tickets are available in advance through Eventbrite.
