Gjusta, the Venice bakery-turned-all-day hangout on Sunset Avenue, is looking to level up from coffee and pastries to cocktails and wine. The neighborhood favorite has applied for administrative clearance to pour a full line of alcoholic drinks under Los Angeles' Restaurant Beverage Program, with the request set to land in front of the Venice Neighborhood Council on Tuesday. If the move clears the local process, the Sunset Avenue spot could extend into fuller evening service without going through a traditional Conditional Use Permit. City paperwork and local reports describe a plan that includes expanded evening hours and about 70 indoor seats, details expected to get a close look at the meeting.
How the Restaurant Beverage Program Works
According to Los Angeles City Planning, the Restaurant Beverage Program, adopted in 2022, gives qualifying sit-down restaurants a faster, lower-cost administrative path to serve alcohol instead of seeking a full Conditional Use Permit. To qualify, a restaurant must run an operational kitchen with continuous food service, limit alcohol hours between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m., and skip nightclub-style moves like dancing, cover charges, or age-restricted entry. Planners frame it as a tradeoff: businesses get a streamlined process, while the city locks in strict operating rules and ongoing monitoring meant to keep surrounding blocks from turning into late-night chaos.
What Gjusta Is Seeking
City records on the Venice Neighborhood Council's Land Use agenda identify the new case as ADM-2026-1572-RBPA for 318–320 Sunset Avenue, the address Gjusta calls home. The filing seeks permission for a full line of alcoholic beverages at the restaurant. As reported by Yo! Venice, the application commits to a full menu with continuous food service and lists roughly 70 indoor seats, along with later evening hours, in its materials. Those documents are slated to be part of the council board's discussion on Tuesday.
Rules and Enforcement
Los Angeles City Planning notes that participation in the Restaurant Beverage Program comes with detailed operating standards and ongoing monitoring, including inspections and complaint-driven enforcement. The enforcement teeth are spelled out in the Los Angeles Municipal Code, which states that three citations for RBP violations within two years can terminate a restaurant's administrative clearance and bar it from the program for five years. With stakes like that, it is no surprise that nearby residents and business owners keep a sharp eye on new liquor-related filings.
Why Neighbors Will Watch
The application appears on the Venice Neighborhood Council's regular board agenda for Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at Westminster Elementary School, according to Yo! Venice. Gjusta's public-facing hours on its website still emphasize daytime bakery and market service, which sits in contrast to the later-evening hours described in the filing; the business' posted location and hours remain listed on its site. The council staff packet also points out that the restaurant previously operated with a conditional-use approval for alcohol that lapsed during the pandemic, a piece of history that often shapes how neighbors respond when similar requests come back around.
Next Steps
The Venice board meeting is the first big hurdle. After the neighborhood council weighs in, the Planning Department will continue processing the administrative clearance. Even if the city signs off, Gjusta would still need a state alcohol license before it can start pouring drinks. Guidance from the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control makes clear that local planning approvals do not replace the requirement for an ABC license and directs applicants to review ABC materials on license types and submission rules. We will track Tuesday's discussion and follow up once the board has made its views on the application known.
