Los Rios Eatery Makes Last-Ditch Plea to Serve Alcohol

After settling one Jurassic controversy in the Los Rios Street Historic District, the San Juan Capistrano City Council will tackle another: a restaurateur’s request to serve alcohol.

The owner of Hummingbird House Café, through his landlord, has requested to amend city law that prohibits the sale of alcohol in the Los Rios district, the state’s oldest residential neighborhood.

Currently, two businesses, the Ramos House Café and the Tea House on Los Rios, serve alcohol because they jumped at the chance during the brief time the city allowed alcohol sales in the 1990s.

The Hummingbird House Café’s proposal has already gone before the Planning Commission and the Cultural Heritage Commission. Both denied the request.

On Tuesday, the City Council will have a final say. Staff is recommending a denial, saying the serving of alcohol could “diminish the residential character” of Los Rios. Meanwhile, not unlike a certain dinosaur statue, the community is divided.

Customers and members of the business community have sent in letters of support. On the other hand, residents of Los Rios and local preservationists have written the council, urging a no vote.

“[A]ll the residents of Los Rios Street deserve to have the area preserved and kept peaceful,” wrote Jerry Nieblas and Janice Pickartz on behalf of the Capistrano Historical Alliance Committee.

“Neighborhood is the key word here. Not just commercial but residential. And how can the council reasonably expect the residents of Los Rios Street to have their peace (which every homeowner deserves) if more alcohol is allowed?” the pair wrote.

Pamela King, a resident of Los Rios, agreed. “I think the property owners must follow [the] rules. I think it would be very devastating to the Los Rios neighborhood, which already has allowed two property owners to engage in alcohol sales, to see more alcohol sales permitted in our neighborhood,” she wrote, adding that the residential component is the primary characteristic of the district.

But customers and fellow business owners have also written the City Council, saying they see no harm.

“I understand that the current established restaurants that serve beer and wine have numerous restrictions that help preserve the residential integrity of the area,” says a form letter signed by many local business leaders, including John Gilotti, owner of Mission Grill.

The alcohol sales is only one of three requests landowner Monica Mukai is seeking. She also wants to change area law to allow outdoor sales at non-owner-occupied homes and permission to add a restroom to a small building on the property. Staff is recommending approval for the other two. 

The City Council meets at 6 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall, 32400 Paseo Adelanto in San Juan Capistrano.