From 1933 until 2025, the Estudillo family served tamales, handmade tortillas, rolled tacos and so much more at Las Cuatro Milpas.
The food at the Barrio Logan staple was renowned for its simplicity and flavor, and the restaurant often had a long line out front.
“I would describe it as your typical homey Mexican food. What you'll expect when you go to your grandma's house — that warm bowl of chorizo with your fresh flour tortillas, your beans and rice,” said 26-year-old Nadia Estudillo, the great granddaughter of the original owners.
Estudillo said the cash-only eatery closed in December, after 92 years in business.
The Estudillos sold the restaurant property for $2.2 million.
“It was a very sad moment for the Estudillo family because that property had been (in) our family for about 100 years now,” she said.
Nadia said the closure was due to financial issues for the Estudillo family as a whole.
The business and property had accrued tens of thousands of dollars in tax debt for several years, according to San Diego County Assessor-Recorder-Clerk Jordan Marks’ office.
His office said now “there are no defaulted property taxes,” but, “there may still be Federal or State taxes due. There are three Federal and State tax liens that haven’t had a release recorded to date.”
Estudillo said they're working to resolve those liens quickly. She wants a clean slate when Las Cuatro Milpas reopens its doors just a few blocks away from the original location.
“I couldn't let my great grandparents' legacy die. And my father couldn't allow that to happen for his grandparents either — hence our new location, our new chapter in the Estudillo book,” she said.
Broker Gino Kalasho of Commercial Asset Advisors worked with the restaurant to secure the new space. He said it won't need too much structural remodeling.
“One of the main positives about this space is that it has a full kitchen, it has a hood, grease trap intact,” he said.
Kalasho said they signed the lease for the 2,800 sq. ft. space over Valentine’s Day weekend. That's a bit smaller than before, according to Estudillo.
The new location is at the Mercado del Barrio plaza.
“This building was constructed in 2012. So relatively new, especially for Barrio Logan,” Kalasho said. “I think it's going to be a positive for them because it's definitely upgraded and more recent in terms of code and things like that, a lot of these guys won't have to worry as much. We got the patio out here, which they did not have at their other location. They may be able to better service the lines, hopefully.”
Estudillo hopes the new location will open by Chicano Park Day — April 25.
“We’re still going to keep our same dishes, same dynamic that people love as always, going down the cooking line,” she said. “We're going to keep all that the same, just a few tweaks and upgrades there along the line, but it's for the best.”
Estudillo said some of those tweaks include a change in decor and selling some merchandise.
And after a long history of being a cash-only business, they'll start accepting cards for payment.
