Nestled in the heart of Bixby Knolls, SALA Coffee & Wine—the underrated gem of a space that blends coffee, music, wine, and always solid grub—is diving into the world of dinner with their Cuevita concept. Headed by Chef Jose Molina—an apprentice of the much-missed Chef Melissa Ortiz—owners and partners Brandee Raygoza and Derrick Montiel continue to exude what they’ve exuded since day one: A tenacity to expand their business, their presence, and their connection to the community.
“After we were forced to limit our major events, we knew we had to reconfigure SALA on the everyday side,” Derrick said. “We know the Bixby Knolls community is constantly looking for more dinner options. And with Lima opening next door, it felt the right time to step into dinner. However, we didn’t want people confused: Is it a coffee shop? Is it a dinner space? So we felt like branding it ‘Cuevita’ helps with that. SALA in the morning and through the day. Cuevita at night.”
SALA, if you were anywhere on TikTok, had a string of moments where its events were wildly packed. In a strange enforcement of bureaucratic tape, the city deemed the events to be “club-like” and asked Brandee and Derrick to get the appropriate license for such operations. The events, though, were anything but a club. Spinning classic vinyl and pouring wine, SALA’s events were more like chasing vibes and less about twerking.
In the end, it has caused the pair to—yet again—pivot. And Cuevita was born.
Hold up—what is SALA for those of us that don’t know?
is the kind of spot that quietly redefines what a neighborhood hangout can be. By day, you’ve got the hum of Stereoscope Coffee brews and the glow of morning light through big windows. By evening, the space shifts—natural-wine bottles line the wall, soft funk or soul plays on the turntables, and the vibe transitions to mellow, communal, slightly spirited.
The name “Sala” (Spanish for living room) isn’t accidental. The co-founders, Brandee Raygoza and Derrick Montiel, envisioned a place where both the laptopping-solo-coffee crowd and the late-night wine-chat set felt equally welcome. Their story began three years earlier, in an upstairs loft in Whittier, where they turned pop-ups and bags of beans into a full-blown café-wine hybrid.
When they moved into Bixby Knolls, they elevated the concept with a full kitchen, brunch and “wine bites,” and a layout that invites lingering. The aesthetic—succulent greens, blush pink neon, earth-toned loungers—mirrors the neighborhood: one part rooted, one part quietly evolving.
For Long Beach’s dining scene, Sala is significant because it isn’t just another café or bar—it folds both into one seamless experience, offering micro-moments that span from espresso to aperitif.
Whittier might have been the start to SALA—but closing that chapter has led to Cuevita.
Before settling in Long Beach, SALA opened in Whittier in a converted house at 7701 Painter Ave. That location carried over the same ethos—coffee and wine sharing a space—but the business faced the twin pressures of the pandemic and a landlord who was selling the building. They pivoted: coffee slowed, but wine and bags of beans stepped up. “We started out doing coffee pop-ups. Then we invested in wine inventory, and it took off,” Brandee said.
The Whittier space ultimately closed its doors, which allowed Brandee and Derrick to focus fully on the Long Beach location. And in many ways, it led to SALA’s focus on events and, now, Cuevita.
Spanning cuisines and embracing Californian style, Chef Jose Molina’s menu is a wonderful hodge-podge of offerings.
Chef Jose’s new menu reads like a passport of cravings, playful on many levels, comforting in others. He loves bold flavors—tamarind, fish sauce, and and a variety of peppers feature across the menu—and it fits well for such a concise, compact menu.
It opens humbly enough with house-made rolls and a butter flight—one with Thai chile, another with chives, and another with bright orange zest. And then it wanders into baby yams, where smoky salsa macha—earthy and rich though not packing the heat of a traditional salsa macha—and bright labne cohost the lemony pop of sorrel leaves atop.
The pork and beef kofta riffs on the viral “meat ribbon” trend—slivers of beef and pork woven together on skewers, lacquered in a citrus-tamarind glaze that feels equal parts backyard barbecue, part Middle Eastern street food, part elevated viral food.
His nước chấm chicken wings, glazed in the famed Vietnamese dipping sauce, with a pool of rajas sitting beneath if you want to dress the wing up with jalapeños and onions whittled down to soft strands. It’s the same rajas used for a bacon-onion jam that accompany his stellar burger.
And the crème brûlée cheesecake? It’s capped with a caramelized crust so crisp it begs to be cracked—and does to the glee of any eater who enjoys a bit of whimsy.
A visual look into the food at Cuevita…
Photos by Brian Addison.
BREAD & BUTTER: House-made rolls | butter flight
PORK AND BEEF KOFKA: Pork and beef mix | citrus tamarind glaze
CHICKEN WINGS: Confit chicken wings | charred yam and jalapeños | tamarind glaze
BABY YAMS: Salsa macha | labne
BACON JAM BURGER: Beef patty | Dilly spread | bacon-onion jam | pickles | fries
STEAK AU POIVRE: New York strip | au poivre sauce | herbs
CRÈME BRÛLÉE CHEESECAKE | vanilla | caramelized sugar crust=
SALA is located at Atlantic Ave. Cuevita is operating Thursday from 5PM to 9PM; Friday and Saturday from 5PM to 10PM; and Sunday from 4PM to 8PM.
