Liquor license granted for former Buster Bar

  The former Buster Bar on Shirley Avenue will soon reopen as a Caribbean restaurant. Last Wednesday, the License Commission granted an all-alcohol license for Lupita Restaurant to open at 111 Shirley Ave. The restaurant will be operated by the Guevara family, which owns the building and also operates the Lupita Sports Bar & Grill in Lynn.

  “This is a family-owned business, and it is also a building that is owned by the family,” said Attorney James Cipoletta, counsel for the applicants. “It had been rented to another establishment, and they saw fit to retire and turn in their license. Since they left, the Gueveras have undertaken to sink a lot of money into the improvement of the block of buildings.”

  Ernesto Guevara will be the manager of record for the restaurant, and his mother and father will also be involved with the business, said Cipoletta.

  Cipoletta said their Lynn restaurant has been open since 2003, with no violations filed with that city or the state’s Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission. “So all three family members have adequate experience in food service and alcohol service,” said Cipoletta. “The food to be served is Caribbean, from what they tell me, and they are ready to open.”

  The restaurant will be open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m., with food service until midnight. The License Commission also approved an entertainment license for cable TV, radio, jukebox and vocal and instrumental music.

  “I happened to go down there going toward the beach, and it’s quite an improvement down there,” said License Commissioner Linda Guinasso. “You’ve done quite a bit of work and the whole avenue – you drive down there and it’s a different place.”

  License Commission Chair Robert Selevitch asked if the establishment would turn into a nightclub later in the night, and Guevera said it would not. “I’m glad to see you are here,” said Selevitch. “I know the place has been closed for a while, and you guys have put a lot of money into it.”

  The License Commission unanimously approved granting the alcohol and entertainment licenses.