Rafael Ramos was never interested in the restaurant business — he was a tire and auto repair guy. But when Ramos partnered with Rodolfo Monarrez to open Casa Ramos in Santa Ana, they had a clear mission in mind to bring something nice, healthy and affordable to a community that needs it.

The new restaurant sits on South Main Street across from Superior Grocers, a popular grocery chain that prides itself on being successful in neighborhoods where other chains may have failed.

A couple years ago, Ramos bought the lot where the restaurant now sits and the space next door. There was already a restaurant there, but both Ramos and Monarrez said it was not a good place to be or a good business.

“It wasn’t my plan [to start the restaurant], my plan was fix it and rent it out,” Ramos said. But friends and family encouraged him to take it on and he decided to give it a try.

Ramos and Monarrez met around 2008 when Monarrez was managing an El Torito where Ramos and his family would go for Sunday brunch every week. Their friendship developed over the years and when Ramos took the plunge to open the restaurant, Monarrez, who managed multiple restaurants over the years and had extensive knowledge, was asked to join. He was already responsible for a couple IHOPs in Los Angeles, but the challenge of making Casa Ramos work drew him in.

The sentiment that Casa Ramos would fail was something Monarrez heard over and over again.

“I kept hearing [the restaurant] is not for this area,” Monarrez said. “The security guard at Hectors told me if we go up to 4th Street it’ll be successful, but the more of a challenge it became, the more I wanted to do it. The people here deserve it, they shouldn’t have to go to 4th street.”

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But like many restaurants before getting people in the doors, the COVID-19 pandemic and the stress of getting permits and licenses was the initial challenge.

In May 2021, while construction of the restaurant was about 90% finished, a city water tank truck crashed into the side of the building. Surveillance footage from the day shows the truck careening down the street before smashing into the corner of the restaurant. A pipe burst and flooded the floor of the restaurant and the front of the truck was almost fully inside the building.

It set them back about six months. But still, Ramos and Monarrez managed to find the bright side of things.

“It wasn’t a good thing, but it ended up being a good thing we didn’t open then,” Monarrez said. The street had been taken over by so much construction done by the city, hence the water tank truck on the street that day, that the surrounding businesses suffered for months as people avoided the area and the construction.

The restaurant officially opened Nov. 26, to host the Mexico vs. Argentina World Cup game. Despite the early morning match, people still showed up.

“We want to bring people to the area and have a nice, family-friendly atmosphere,” Monarrez said.

Inside the restaurant, a stage was built to host mariachi bands in front of a fireplace and a section of the restaurant is segmented off for private parties or buffet-style events.

“We’re bringing something new to the area, we want to bring something fresher and more than just traditional food that’s a bit nicer, but at a good price,” Monarrez said.

Their menu is just that, featuring dishes like chilaquiles topped with a salmon fillet and roasted vegetables. Their ceviche includes shrimp and octopus drenched in fresh lime juice, garlic and habanero.

The official grand opening will happen sometime in late January or early February, after potential customers have had time to recover from the holidays and start hunting for their new favorite food spot again. And they don’t want to just stop with their one restaurant.

“If we can make it work here, we can make it work anywhere,” said Monarrez.

Visit: Casa Ramos, 1717 S Main St, Santa Ana; 657-232-1096, casaramosrestaurant.com