Mike’s Red Tacos Is Now Open in Pasadena, and Its Signature Birria Comes With a Dunkable Twist
Some tacos arrive ready to eat. At Mike’s Red Tacos, they arrive with an invitation to dunk. The San Diego-born birria restaurant is now open at 899 E. Del Mar Boulevard in Pasadena, bringing its red tortillas, slow-cooked beef, and accompanying consommé to its first Los Angeles-area location. The restaurant’s official website confirms it is operating after its announced October 16 grand opening.
The draw is a combination of crisp tacos and rich broth, with both connected to the same beef-cooking process. The tortillas get their reddish hue from the oil produced while preparing the birria, while the braising liquid becomes the consommé served alongside them. The brand sums up the intended experience with its slogan, “the dip is worth the drip.” Consider that both an introduction and a reminder to keep a napkin nearby.
Pasadena is the company’s fourth restaurant, joining three San Diego locations, and its first corporate-run outpost. It also serves as a training center as Mike’s prepares to expand through franchising. Those business ambitions help explain the attention surrounding the opening, but the immediate proposition for diners is simpler: a new address for beef birria, served in tacos and several other formats that keep the same filling at the center.
Why Those Red Tacos Come With Their Own Broth
The signature color isn’t just a branding decision. Restaurant Business reports that the corn tortillas are fried in oil skimmed from the beef’s braising liquid. The company’s opening announcement describes tortillas dipped in chili oil produced during cooking, then crisped on the grill. Although the descriptions differ slightly, both link the red exterior directly to the beef’s preparation rather than a separate decorative flourish.
The tacos are filled with shredded, braised beef. Alongside them is consommé, the broth from that cooking process, used for dipping. The combination creates the meal’s defining routine: pick up a crisp taco, dip it in the broth, and take a bite. The exterior and filling are not disconnected components; their preparation links them before the taco ever reaches the serving tray.
For newcomers, the Mike’s Meal offers a straightforward introduction. The company says it includes two crispy, cheesy birria tacos, house-made chips, and consommé, plus a self-serve salsa bar for extra choices. Restaurant Business listed the meal at $14.99 in its opening coverage. That is a reported opening-period price, not a guarantee of what a future order will cost, so checking the current menu remains worthwhile.
Founder Mike Touma described the original idea in the company’s opening announcement: “We started in San Diego with a food truck, a passion for birria and a commitment to doing Place the thing exceptioinell.” The business launceto keep021, followed by its first brick-and-mortar restaurant in August 2022. The company says the truck frequently sold out by mid-afternoon, although that popularity claim comes from the business itself rather than independently published sales records.
The Menu Takes Birria Beyond the Taco Shell
Tacos may be the clearest introduction, but they aren’t the only option. The Pasadena menu also puts birria into ramen, burritos, quesadillas, loaded nachos, and loaded fries. Restaurant Business describes another offering, the Crunchstack, as a variation inspired by Taco Bell’s Crunchwrap and filled with braised beef. The choices change the format without changing the restaurant’s central focus: beef birria remains the main event.
That distinction helps define what kind of restaurant this is. Rather than advertising an expansive assortment of unrelated taco fillings, Mike’s builds multiple dishes around its signature preparation. Restaurant Business also reported guacamole, queso, and shareable churros topped with strawberries and cream. Diners can add sides and dessert, but the menu stays focused rather than trying to cover every possible craving under one roof.
The Pasadena location also provides a permanent place to sit down. The company describes a 3,400-square-foot restaurant with seating for 62, an outdoor patio, and street-art-inspired murals by Los Angeles-based artists. Restaurant Business rounds the space to approximately 3,000 square feet, so the more precise measurement should be understood as company-provided. Either account describes a substantial change from the food-truck setup where the business began.
The official locations page lists hours of 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday. That gives customers a broad window for visiting, including later evening meals on weekends. Those are the restaurant’s currently published hours, not an assumption based on the opening celebration or the schedules of its San Diego locations.
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Pasadena Is a Local Opening With Bigger Plans Behind It
The company arrives in Pasadena with recognizable investors and experienced restaurant operators involved. LeBron James invested ahead of the opening, while chairman Bill Phelps brings a background associated with Wetzel’s Pretzels, Blaze Pizza, and Dave’s Hot Chicken. Those names help explain why a fourth location is receiving attention beyond its immediate neighborhood. They are part of the expansion story, however, not independent evidence of how any particular diner will rate the tacos.
Restaurant Business reported that CEO Andrew Feghali said development rights had been sold for roughly 350 restaurants across about 12 states. The company’s announcement uses the broader description of more than 300 franchise locations in development. Neither figure represents an operating restaurant count or guarantees that every proposed location will open. Pasadena’s training-center role supports that growth, rather than simply adding another dining room.
Feghali acknowledged that balancing act in the opening announcement: “We are building for the future while protecting the details that made people fall in love with Mike’s Red Tacos in the first place.” For Pasadena customers, the opportunity to assess those details is already here. The restaurant is open, the tacos come with broth, and the decision is no longer whether to wait for an opening date, it is what to order for the first dip.
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