Toro Viejo Taqueria can serve wine, beer now

BRENTWOOD – Patrons of Toro Viejo Taqueria on Brentwood Boulevard will soon be able to enjoy beer and wine with their meals following the approval of a permit to serve some types of alcohol by the Brentwood Planning Commission during their May 16 meeting.

The conditional use permit would allow the restaurant to serve beer and wine, but not hard liquor. The final vote was 3-1, with Commissioner Kristopher Brand in opposition and Commissioner Dirk Zeigler absent.“I’m concerned as to how that proximity may influence the greater area,” Brand said, referencing the restaurant’s proximity to locations such as Garin Elementary School and Kiddie Academy, a small tutoring facility also on Brentwood Boulevard.

Brand estimated that the taqueria is roughly 250 feet from the former and 200 feet from the latter. Alcohol Beverage Control (ABC) law suggests a 600-foot buffer zone between businesses serving alcohol and these types of facilities, but is not a “hard requirement,” he said. The city does not have its own separate guidelines, according to staff.