La Bamba gets alcohol permit

CITY HALL — La Bamba, a tiny open-air restaurant serving California-eclectic cuisine, will be able to sell beer and wine along with seafood and salads after the Planning Board approved its application this week.

The board, after hearing no opposition from neighbors, voted unanimously to grant a conditional-use permit to owner Chris Facchetti allowing the incidental sale of beer and wine from his 315-square-foot kitchen within the 500- square-foot outdoor dining patio.

Facchetti, in the public hearing, said La Bamba patrons and neighbors of the eatery at 2600 N. Glenoaks Blvd. regularly request to pair beers and wines with menu items. Facchetti said the license would also permit him to serve mimosas and other Champagne beverages along with brunch.

“I am here to see if I can add to my menu, be able to give my patrons the ability to have a beer or glass of wine with their quesadilla or lobster burrito,” he said. “I am not in any way trying to make this place a bar.”

City laws require a conditional-use permit for restaurants that sell alcoholic beverages for on-site consumption within 150 feet of a residential zone. La Bamba neighbors a single-family home, music school and hair salon. It began operating 20 years ago at 1220 W. Burbank Blvd. and moved to its current location in 1992, Associate Planner Jesse Brown said.

Although La Bamba is in an area with three active alcohol licenses for on-site consumption, which according to Alcoholic Beverage Control constitutes an over-concentration, the board left the matter to be dealt with between the owner and state agency.

“I’ve been living in Burbank for 36 years, so I don’t really want to piss anyone off,” Facchetti said. “We just want to keep it a little family establishment — we don’t really want to turn it into a bar or party place.”

Public outreach and cooperativeness have helped Facchetti find favor with the neighborhood, said resident David Piroli, who lives within earshot of La Bamba.

“This owner living in the neighborhood has been a very responsible owner,” he said. “Very convenient, very efficient, very considerate.”