Mexican Restaurant Planned at the Aztec Hotel

The new owners of the Aztec Hotel plan to remodel the former Brass Elephant bar and turn it into a Mexican restaurant, according to a Monrovia Planning Commission report.

The 3,700 square foot restaurant sould seat more than 140 patrons. A patio area previously used by the Brass Elephant would not be used for dining or service of alcoholic beverages, according to the Nov. 14 planning report.

Jacky Chan, the owner of the hotel and restaurant, applied for a conditional use permit to serve alcohol and host live music at the restaurant. The Planning Commission tabled the idea of allowing live music because of previous complaints about entertainment at the Brass Elephant from local neighbors, according to the commision's development blog.

"The property owner of an apartment building on Melrose Avenue that is directly north of the Aztec Hotels parking lot attended the meeting," the report reads. "The property owner expressed concern that she did not want to see a repeat of what happened in the past when the Brass Elephant occupied the restaurant space before it changed to the Mayan Room restaurant. The Brass Elephant had evolved from a restaurant to a nightclub/bar use that created late night problems for her tenants and the neighborhood."

The Commission pushed back the public hearing until its December meeting and directed city staff to "bring back conditions of approval to allow entertainment on a very limited basis," according to commission's development blog.

The restaurant would be open until 11 p.m. Sunday to Thursday and 11:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, the report says.