New Japanese Restaurant to Open Soon in Old Town

Patrons of restaurants in Old Town will soon have another option for dining.

A Japanese restaurant will be locating in a long-empty commercial space that once housed the "Oh My Goddard" art gallery on the east side of Myrtle Avenue between Colorado Boulevard and Olive Avenue.

The Monrovia Planning Commission last week voted to approve a conditional use permit for the owner to serve beer and wine for the eatery, which will be called Izakay Uppo.

The 2,650-square foot restaurant is surrounded by the Chang Thai Bistro to the north and the Monrovia Chamber of Commerce to the south, according to the staff report to the commission.

Across the street to the west is the Neighborhood Pawn Shop.

A conditional use permit is required for businesses wanting to sell and serve alcoholic beverages that are 500 feet from any residential zone, park, school, recreation center, religious assembly, or hospital, according to staff. The eatery is close to senior apartments at Myrtle and Olive avenues.

The owner plans to provide seating for around 50 diners.  The plans include both table and traditional floor seating, a sushi bar, and a kitchen located in the center of the restaurant.

The menu will include appetizers and entrees, Japanese barbecue, sushi, and sashimi.  The owner plans to serve a variety of beers, wine, warm sake, and Japanese rice wine.

For new restaurants, the city has emphasized that alcoholic beverage sales should be "incidental to the sale of food," according to staff. The quarterly gross sales for alcoholic beverages can't exceed more than 33 percent of the gross sale of all products during that same time frame.

"Over time Old Town has attracted many popular restaurants that (along with the KrikorianTheater) have brought new nighttime activity into this commercial corridor," Senior Planner Barbara Lynch wrote in the staff report.

"Because many of these restaurants are open in the evening serving dinner, the majority include alcohol on their menus. Permitting the Izakaya Uppo restaurant to serve beer and wine as part of their overall business operation allows this business the same opportunities as the other restaurants in Old Town."