HISTORY

The Ramos House Café is situated in the heart of the Los Rios Historical District in San Juan Capistrano. It is the oldest remaining residential street in California, Los Rios dates back to 1794 when about 40 adobe structures were constructed to house soldiers and workers overseeing construction of the Mission. Today, only three of the original adobes still remain: the Rios, which has been continuously occupied by the same family since 1794; the Montenez, which held religious services while the mission was being constructed; and the Silvas. At one time, the street stretched all the way to what is now Dana Point Harbor (then considered San Juan Bay) and was the main access point to the harbor. The remaining portion of the historical street is only 600 feet long.

In the late 1800s, a second wave of homes were built on Los Rios by European Immigrants. The Ramos House, built in 1881, is representative of the board and batten homes built during this time. Originally built by the Aguilar Family, the house was the long time residence of the Ramos Family, one of San Juan Capistrano’s oldest families. Rumors speculate that the hideout underneath the main bedroom, which now serves as a wine cellar and music studio, was once used to hide vaqueros from their would be captors.

The Ramos House began its new life as a café and residence for Chef/Owner John Q. Humphreys in 1995. Preserving a majority of the original structure, “Q” added a commercial kitchen to the back of the house, restored dilapidated portions of the building and laid out the exterior patio seating area around the century old Mulberry tree. An ideal location for an American Restaurant, the Ramos House Café opened its doors on October 4th, 1995, and has been cooking ever since.

In November of 2020, Michelle, and her husband Kris Winrich, purchased the Ramos House from John Q. Humphreys. Michelle worked as a server and manager for John Q. for 10 years prior to the purchase, so the café felt like home to her. The purpose of the sale was so that John and his beloved wife Jillian could retire at their beautiful abode, The Villa of San Juan Capistrano, with their three cuddly cats. It was important to Michelle and John Q. to establish one thing; and that was to keep the integrity of the Ramos House Café and the incredible legacy he had built over the past 25 years. Michelle and Kris knew they had big shoes to fill yet continued to be full of excitement and hope for the future of the café. Their mission is to create some fun reiterations of the signature favorite dishes as well as provide some new innovative culinary experiences. (And don’t worry, you will still see Q. & Jilly on the front porch as there is table dedicated to them!)