12:11am
The end has been looming for almost a year and locals have had time to mourn the impending loss of favorite, low-key eating spot La Fiesta Brava. The time has now come to say goodbye, as the family run Mexican hole-in-the-wall, gets ready to close it’s doors forever at their location on 423 Rose, Ave., in Venice.
In 2015 the Camarana family saw their restaurant become a poster-child for those against the gentrification of Venice as rising market rents, an evolving restaurant culture, and a proposed new development on the lot made it clear there was going to be no room on Rose for the family business.
However, after a year filled with anxiety and uncertainty, the family are now ready to move on, and look forward to the future with optimism.
“We don’t want people to mourn the move. Saturday is a celebration of all the years we’ve been in the Venice community. What happened was unfortunate but there’s nothing we can do about it now, so it’s time to look forward,” says Sam Camarena.
Camarena is just one of the five Camarena children who grew up at the family restaurant. A restaurant that had been successful enough over the years to support the entire family and put all the children through college.
“My Dad built this place. He came here 22 years ago,” said Jasmin Camarena, the eldest Camarena daughter. “People have watched me grow up here, a lot of our customers, they’ve known me since I was 5 or 6 years old,” Camarena told Yo! Venice back in May 2015.
Saturday’s farewell party will run from 4pm-7pm at La Fiesta Brava and the family is inviting all of Venice to come join them, and a Mariachi Band, for one last supper at the Rose location before the doors are shut forever.
After Rose the restaurant will be opening a pop-up restaurant in the old Sauce space at 259B Hampton Dr, Venice.
