Mitla Cafe
Protected, Route 66
Before Taco Bell, There Was Mitla
Mitla Cafe has been open on Mt. Vernon Avenue in San Bernardino since 1937. Lucia Rodriguez and her husband Salvador founded it after immigrating from Mexico, naming it after the Zapotec archaeological site in Oaxaca. It was Mexican American cultural presence embedded directly into Route 66.
The cafe is widely connected to the origin story of the hard-shell taco that later shaped Taco Bell. Glen Bell reportedly observed Mitla's preparation methods before adapting them into what became one of the most replicated fast food items in the world. Mitla never got the credit. It never closed either.
San Bernardino has faced deindustrialization, economic decline, and civic instability for decades. Mitla has outlasted all of it, sustained not by institutional recognition but by the community that keeps showing up. The National Trust for Historic Preservation has supported the cafe through its Backing Historic Small Restaurants initiative.
From a Mexican immigrant family's restaurant on Route 66 to a nationally recognized piece of culinary history. Eighty-eight years and still serving.
Timeline
Mitla Cafe Menus (c. 1950)
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Focused, approachable, and driven by results, our sales manager is all about building strong relationships. They help connect people to the right solutions—with clarity and care.
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With a vision for building something meaningful, our founder brings a blend of big-picture thinking and hands-on experience.
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With a vision for building something meaningful, our founder brings a blend of big-picture thinking and hands-on experience.
