Celia’s Rancho Restaurante is the name of the new restaurant coming to 900 W Riverside Dr., its owner has told myBurbank exclusively.
In October 2021, restaurant owner Alonso Arellano spoke to us about plans for the site. Here, he and his wife and chef, Elsa, will serve a variety of Mexican dishes to the Burbank community. All renovations have been completed at the Riverside Drive location. This includes new lighting, redesigned flooring, and a cool color scheme, all of which represent a “Mexican Hacienda mid-century Mexico” theme. This concept was inspired by Arellano’s childhood memories and fulfills the goal of bringing a friendly, family-oriented restaurant to Burbank.
“The theme is … a sort of recreation of my grandmother’s home where I spent my summers for many years as a child,” Arellano said. “We are now in the phase of [decorating] both bars, the library, the family table area, and our private licortecas (liquor storage units for our customers).”
The opening date of the restaurant has not yet been confirmed due to pending authorizations. That being said, Arellano’s latest communication with the City of Burbank indicates that the dining spot will be open to the public sooner rather than later.
“The opening date is not a specific target date as permits and licenses with the State and City of Burbank keep being updated, as well as closing out the renovation permits,” Arellano said. “However, we recently received good news from Burbank’s planning department that will greatly reduce the wait time to the opening date.”
Arellano was present at Pickwick Gardens for The Burbank Chamber of Commerce’s Excellence Awards event on April 30, where he distributed a variety of food samples to the delight of locals. He says delicious meals on the Celia’s Rancho Restaurante menu will allow customers “to learn quite a bit more about our culinary gems from many regions of Mexico.” This, in combination with the amiable atmosphere of the location, will deliver a unique and enjoyable food experience to Burbank.
“You will be our guests at our family restaurante,” Arellano said. “Expect us to say, ‘Bienvenidos (welcome),’ ‘Gracias (Thank You),’ ‘Provecho (enjoy your food)’ and ‘Regresen Pronto (come back soon)’ … We want to be part of your community and plan on making Rancho our home as well very soon.”
