Several folks reached out to let us know that Baja Fresh #50, opened in January 1999 at 595 North Moorpark Road in Thousand Oaks will be closing at the end of this month.

UPDATE: Thursday, May 30th is the final day this Baja Fresh will be open.

There were no apparent signs of this happening at Baja Fresh - no signs, no social media mentions - but I was hungry tonight and decided to stop by for a burrito. Burrito Mexicano and chips in hand, it was then that I confirmed with staff that Baja Fresh #50 would indeed be closing by the end of this month.

It is a sad moment for me as, having lived and raising kids in the Conejo Valley for decades, Baja Fresh has been a mainstay, albeit less so in recent years,

The very first Baja Fresh opened in the Kimber Plaza in Newbury Park in 1990. It subsequently relocated to The Village at Newbury Park (near Home Depot), where after a number of years, closed its doors on January 10, 2012.

From what I gathered from staff, Cafe Rio Mexican Grill is looking to open in this spot. While I have not independently confirmed this, I do know that Cafe Rio is currently hiring restaurant managers for its new Thousand Oaks location. www.caferio.com