At the edge of Los Angeles’s modern downtown stands a link to the city’s Spanish colonial past. El Pueblo de Los Ángeles was one of the earliest settled areas in what is now L.A. County, and today is home to such attractions as the last standing adobe house, the city’s first firehouse, and, most importantly, one of the oldest family-run restaurants in California, El Rancho Grande. Poised to celebrate 95 years of operation on the area’s historic Olvera Street, this family has grown with the city, preserving and sharing traditional foods since just before this area was designated as a Mexican-style tourist marketplace in 1930.
This section of downtown L.A. was once an Indigenous Kizh-Gabrieleño village named Yaanga until 1781 when the Spanish claimed the area, renaming it El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles del Río de Porciúncula, or The Town of Our Lady the Queen of the Angels of the Porciúncula River. After nearly two hundred years of Spanish rule, people of Indigenous, mixed, and Spanish descent won independence as Mexico became a nation in 1821. With Spanish missions losing influence and Mexican ranches taking their place, the area soon became part of the United States and known officially by its new condensed name, Los Angeles, in 1850.
Almost 70 years later, the city of L.A. was flourishing in all directions around the old pueblo. By 1920, the city was ready to demolish its last connection to its Spanish past – a condemned adobe building along the neglected Olvera Street – so named for the county’s first judge, Agustin Olvera, who had lived there – in the former heart of downtown. A woman named Christine Sterling, newly arrived from Oakland, set out to save the area, with visions of transforming the dilapidated alleys into a commercial and historic zone that paid homage to its Spanish-Mexican past.
After persuading the city council, Ms. Sterling gained approval to turn the dilapidated Olvera Street into a pedestrian area and Mexican-style marketplace, saving the Ávila Adobe and surrounding structures, which had been listed for demolition. She invited local merchants, market owners, and food vendors to fill this commercial area. This included the Cajero family at El Rancho Grande, who were not charged rent in their first years of business because they were one of the only restaurants established before the street was transformed. Instead, they were asked to maintain the heavily trafficked area around their stall.
Since 1930, five generations of that family have made Olvera Street home. Many family members have dedicated more than fifty years of their life selling traditional Mexican foods to tourists and locals alike on this historic street. The newest member of the staff is Jesse “Magdeleno” Salcedo, who has introduced a few changes and is ready to pay homage to his family and this restaurant “With a kitchen filled with love and food that makes you feel like you are in your grandma’s kitchen,” he says proudly. (The restaurant is one of the stops on our Exploring America’s Culinary Frontier food tour in Los Angeles.)
Jesse’s great-great-grandmother Maria Cajero left Aguascalientes, Mexico, for Los Angeles in 1930, chasing the promise of work in the big city. Maria named her restaurant El Rancho Grande as a tribute to her family’s ranch of the same name, which they left behind in Mexico. The family began vending months before Ms. Sterling approached Maria with the idea of including them in the creation of this historic area, not knowing it would become the famed Olvera Street that it is today. In the beginning El Rancho Grande welcomed visitors with dirt floors and a makeshift wood-fired metal drum stove on which they cooked humble street foods like pinto beans, potato-filled tacos, and taquitos – crispy rolled up corn tortillas with shredded beef in the middle.
Maria fell ill toward the end of the 1930s and her daughter, Rosi, took over the restaurant. Rosi’s son, Raul Magdaleno, ran around the restaurant as a baby, not knowing the legacy he would help create. In the 1970s, Raul became the patriarch, employing other male family members and old friends from Mexico to work the kitchen at El Rancho Grande. Raul was a favorite of customers, who returned not only for the food but also for his warm and welcoming presence as he took orders, served meals, and stepped into the kitchen when needed. For decades, Raul and his team built deep, lasting relationships with customers through comfort food and exceptional hospitality, expanding their Mexican street food offerings to include burritos, enchiladas, sweet drinks, and more.
Jesse can recall his earliest memories at El Rancho Grande – his mother would double park in the small parking lot, asking young Jesse to run in and grab their to-go order. He remembers the interior of the restaurant, the way it was decorated, and, most importantly, his grandfather Raul who was known and loved by many.
In 2015, Raul retired and passed away shortly after, leaving behind a legacy of love and fond memories. His daughter Deborah (“Debbie”) took over soon after, with his grandson Jesse joining the family business in 2022. Honoring his grandfather and other men in the family who have worked in the kitchen for close to fifty years, Jesse humbly says, “I don’t ever want to be the face or the attention of the restaurant. I just want to make sure that I am the grandson who is continuing the legacy.” That includes the taquitos and guacasalsa (guacamole mixed with salsa verde) that are classic favorites, but also the red salsa and pinto beans are a staple of the restaurant.
While the wood tables and chairs are reminiscent of what was found 95 years ago, the dirt floors have been replaced by brick, and the kitchen now features a fryer and gas stove. Jesse has also introduced some thoughtful updates, including a modern-yet-classic menu design, an active social media presence, and a new logo.
Jesse carries his grandfather’s spirit and energy as he navigates this cozy space with his aunt Debbie. They prioritize personal connections by having chefs personally deliver plates to customers whenever possible, believing that “there is a connection with the customer when the chef is the one handing out the food.” The team at El Rancho Grande eagerly anticipates the upcoming large-scale events in L.A. and the joy they can bring to their patrons, whether they are longtime guests or customers trying classic Mexican street foods for the first time.
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