"Mother-in-law" restaurant in the Valley

I hate to post this question here, because it's not a Chowhound's question, but I trust this community so much more than Yelp, and...

Mother-in-law is coming into town to do overnight babysitting for our small children. We live in Sherman Oaks and want to take her out to dinner somewhere fairly local (Burbank to Encino, Van Nuys, NoHo, etc.) to thank her. But our criteria are tough.

We need a place that's small-child-friendly and will not have a long wait on a Friday night (without this criterion it sounds like Salsa & Beer would fit the bill).

Mother-in-law is a White People boomer who doesn't care much about food and likes to drink beer and cocktails. She appreciates fun atmospheres and exotic decors. She LOVED Guelaguetza when we took her there because of the authentic and lively atmosphere but didn't much notice the food. Where food is concerned, she'll try the exotic but doesn't really prefer it. My husband and I, OTOH, appreciate good food and would prefer that, in meeting the foregoing criteria, we not have to eat something horribly gross or bland.

I can't think of a single place that quite fits the bill--but we haven't lived here long and don't have a great sense of the options.

Any ideas would be MUCH appreciated. Thank you.