For generations and generations and generations of Pasadena families, it wouldn’t be a birthday, quinceañera, or anniversary without Mijares.
The landmark Mexican restaurant, now approaching its 105th anniversary, has been woven so tightly into the city’s fabric that
regulars often forget—or never knew—it began not as a restaurant at all, but as a dream — and a tortilla window.
That dream belonged to Jesusa “Jesusita” Mijares, who arrived in Pasadena from Mexico around 1918, escaping hardship and carrying little more than family recipes as she headed north.
From a tiny tortilla factory and boarding house at 66 South Fair Oaks, she began selling handmade tortillas and plates of food through her kitchen window.
Neighbors took notice.
Word spread.
Before long, what started as a survival hustle became a gathering place.
“She just really found a passion in feeding people and connecting with them through food,” says her great-granddaughter, Mary Recendez, who now helps run the restaurant.
“I think it grew into the business we have today almost unintentionally.”
The family’s journey has not been without heartbreak.
In 1979, an arson fire destroyed the original property, leaving Jesusita — then elderly — devastated.
But her daughter Alice was determined to carry on the dream.
With the help of family and investors, Mijares reopened in Altadena in 1980, and returned to its Fair Oaks location in 1984.
“My grandmother did everything she could to keep her mother’s dream alive,” Recendez says.
“She loved working and loved feeding people. Rebuilding was about more than business — it was about honoring her.”
That sense of devotion continues today.
In 2002, the family knocked down Jesusita’s original house on the property to build a banquet hall — but not without preserving the memory.
“I always tell customers, when you celebrate here, you’re celebrating in her home,” Recendez says.
For Recendez, who was born a year after Jesusita’s passing, the restaurant wasn’t just a family business. It was home. Literally.
“I was raised on the property, in my great-grandmother’s house,” she recalls.
“I’d wake up to the smell of food, walk out into the patio, and there would be birthdays, weddings, quinceañeras. The customers were my family.”
She began working in the restaurant as a teenager, first hostessing at thirteen, then waiting tables — still her favorite job.
“I love connecting with people immediately. And through customers, I learned about my great-grandmother. They tell me stories — how she used to hand out candies to neighborhood kids, or how families could bring their own beer in paper bags. That’s how I connect to her spirit.”
Ask anyone what makes Mijares endure, and the answer is almost always the same: the food and the feeling.
“We’ve worked really hard to keep her recipes consistent,” Recendez says.
“It’s about more than the flavor — it’s the warmth, the sense of home. That’s what people come back for.”
Locals often call Mijares “Pasadena’s living room,” a nickname that makes sense once you step inside.
Families fill long tables, catching up over enchiladas and margaritas.
Regulars wave at each other across the room.
“It’s a place where everybody can just sit down, take a breath, and reconnect,” Recendez says.
To celebrate its milestone, Mijares will host a tequila tasting on September 17, with both longtime and new vendors pouring samples in the banquet room.
“Even after all this time, we’re still meeting new guests,” Recendez says.
“Some people have lived in Pasadena their whole lives and never been here. I love welcoming them, showing them what my great-grandmother started, and inviting them into our story.”
That story — one of resilience, family, and community — has been sustained not by accident, but by intention.
It is visible in the continuity of recipes, in the loyalty of customers who return for every life milestone, and in the
great-granddaughter who still sees her role as a caretaker of Jesusita’s vision.
“I never met her,” Recendez says.
“But I feel her presence every day, through the food, through our customers, through the stories. Reaching 105 years is shocking, in the best way. It means we’ve honored her.”
In a city that has changed immeasurably since 1918, Mijares remains a constant — the little window that grew into a Pasadena mainstay, still nourishing the community one plate, and one tortilla, at a time.
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.
