A decades-old destination for late night eats in San Diego's Pacific Beach, Ramiro's Mexican Food will soon shutter to make room for a new location of The Crack Shack.
Last summer, news broke that San Diego-based fried chicken chain The Crack Shack was in the planning stages of opening a new location in the buildings at 4525-4527 Mission Boulevard in Pacific Beach. The leased space includes the quaint building that has been occupied by Ramiro's Mexican Food for over 40 years, as well as the neighboring unit that previously housed the once-popular Surfside Sushi.
Ramiro's Mexican Food will close mid-September at which time The Crack Shack ownership will take over the property. When The Crack Shack opens in Pacific Beach as early as next year, expect a mostly al-fresco eatery with a walk-up counter service for ordering, a full bar, and outdoor patio seating, as well as a menu of fried chicken sandwiches and other shareable plates.
Celebrity Chef Richard Blais - known for appearances on Top Chef, Top Chef All-Stars, Iron Chef America, and his hit primetime cooking competition Next Level Chef - along with his business partner Mike Rosen opened the flagship The Crack Shack location in the space adjacent to their Juniper + Ivy restaurant in November 2015. The fast-casual, counter-service bar and eatery was an instant hit, resulting in a second location opening in Encinitas in early 2017, a third outpost in Orange County's Costa Mesa, and a Los Angeles branch that opened in Westfield Century City, which has since closed. Another Los Angeles branch also opened in Pasadena, but that branch has also since shuttered. There are additional Crack Shack restaurants inside the Park MGM Resort on the Las Vegas Strip, In Lehi and Salt Lake City, UT, and in Denver, CO, with a national expansion planned due to after entering into an investment partnership in late 2020.
The Crack Shack's menu was created by Chef Richard Blais and Culinary Director Jon Sloan and is centered around poultry-based sandwiches, fried chicken, salads, and appetizers, all made with local and organic ingredients, including free-fange Jidori chicken from small farms. Outside of the food, Crack Shack fans flock to the "coops" for the social atmosphere surrounded by whimsical, chicken-inspired artwork, lawn games, and bars stocked with craft cocktails, wines and local beers.
For more information about The Crack Shack, visit crackshack.com
