Red O recently opened on Melrose Avenue, serving Mexican cuisine by Rick Bayless, the Chicago-based chef known for his PBS series, Mexico—One Plate at a Time, and his six cookbooks. The menu includes both authentic Mexican and lighter, California-style dishes. Signature dishes include albondigas al chipotle with beef and pork meatballs, smoked chipotle tomato sauce, caramelized onions, and Yukon gold potatoes; chilpachole, a seafood broth with shrimp, scallops, mussels, roasted potatoes, and chayote; and pork belly sopes with black beans, salsa negra, and sesame.
The restaurant's dining atrium seats 58 for events. Glass garage doors open up to Melrose on one side and the main dining room on the other. The glass roof is also retractable. The main dining room seats 60 for events, with a 14-foot communal table, banquettes and tables, a bar area with leather swings for seating, and a semiprivate dining area. A tequila lounge holds as many as 30 people for a more casual dining experience. It has a 25-foot-long fireplace, bar, and a direct entrance from outside.
Decor by G+ Gulla Jonsdottir Design includes custom furniture and accents arranged in an open floor plan. Two 14-foot chandeliers, handmade by Mexican artisans, hang over a dining courtyard. A glass tequila tunnel showcases an extensive selection of premium tequilas and winds from the dining room to the tequila lounge.