Rafael Ramirez

Rafael Ramirez was born in Mexico, moved with his family to California when he was 4. His father and his uncles bought a restaurant and he grew up around the business. With over 17 years of experience in the business, he spent the past 3 1/2 years working at El Tequila restaurant in Piqua, learning all the roles needed to run the eatery. He knew he wanted to own his own business, so when the former Chin’s location became available in Tipp City he jumped at the chance to make his dream come true.

After 4 months of remodeling, bringing the kitchen up to code and hiring, he was ready to open. His wife, who will work in the restaurant, helped him choose the name, Frida’s Mexican Kitchen & Bar. His 2 sisters are also working as servers. After a 10 day soft opening, this Friday is the grand opening for the eatery, which will open without a liquor license. He applied about 4 months ago and due to Covid, the state is running behind on processing, but Rafael say he expects it any day now!

The restaurant which seats just over a 100 with patio seating for 20, will be open seven days a week, and feature daily specials. The menu is full of traditional Mexican favorites, but also features some specialty items like Mexican sushi. Rafael explains that this is all the rage in Mexico and is a mix of Japanese and Mexican, with most of the sushi being deep fried. It’s listed on the menu as La Casa Azul de Frida: