Telefèric Long Beach will open “within a month,” according to Executive Chef Oscar Cabezas. They will take over the former Hungry Angelina space (which closed in late 2022) at the massive 2nd & PCH retail complex in Alamitos Bay.
“Or so we hope,” Cabezas told CBS/KCAL in an interview. “You know how restaurant openings are.”
Why Telefèric Long Beach is important for the food scene
If among the gaps in the Long Beach food scene, one were to be quite large, it would be proper Spanish food: tapas, paella, pitchers of sangria…
And if you were to excuse our sole representative of Spanish cuisine, the highly corporatized giant that is Cafe Sevilla in DTLB, along with a throwback shoutout to The Social List back in its wee baby days when it attempted but eventually abandoned a pseudo-tapas space that had croquetas and pan con tomato…
There would be zero representation of formal Spanish cuisine here in Long Beach—making the addition of Telefèric Long Beach all the more saliva-inducing.
What’s the history behind Telefèric Long Beach?
Technically, it has its roots in San Cugat, just slightly northwest of Barcelona, when it opened in 1992, pioneering what would become the Basque and Catalonia region’s staple: pintxos and tapas. The restaurant’s quick liege of patrons made its owners, brother-and-sister team Xavier, and Maria Padrosa, open up shop in the bustling Barcelona to equal acclaim.
After coming to the States on a scholarship, Xavier—called “Xavi” by friends—wanted to open a shop in NorCal. Eventually, they had spots in Walnut Creek, Palo Alto, and Los Gatos before opening their first location in Los Angeles earlier this year.
What to expect from the newest location
What to expect? All the 38-month-cured jamon Iberica de Bollota laid out in beautiful slices or atop pan con tomate. Paellas, from a Maine lobster and veggie version to a mixta offering that includes nearly every protein the space offers. Patatas bravas. Croquetas, from crab to ham. Gazpacho porrón, where cold watermelon chunks are doused with basil oil. Empanadas. Gambas al ajillo, where massive prawns slathered in herbs are ready to be eaten with grilled bread. Grilled pulpo lying in a bath of truffle oil and a pimento-potato puree. Catalan Tomahawk prime rib eye. Grilled Catalan cod…
And, of course, they will offer a full lineup of cocktails, beer’n’wine, sangrias, and even porróns. They’re the put-the-spout-to-your-mouth wine pitcher with the potential to take fun (and accidents) to the next level.
Will we also see the 40-ounce tomahawk steak for $110 at its Brentwood location? Or the prime Wellington with Spanish-style potatoes? We shall see.
While having just scored their alcohol license, it remains to be seen when the space will be open: Maria has done the interior design of every Telefèric location thus far—and given each space’s elaborate layouts and vibes, it is unlikely this will be an immediate turnover. But with the release of their renderings, where we have finally seen the physical space and its buildout mixed in with Maria’s interior details—vases of white feathers here, cutlery of a specific taste there…—it looks like we are closer than ever to seeing the Spanish space of (hopefully) our dreams.
Telefèic will be located at 6420 Pacific Coast Hwy. #160 inside the 2nd & PCH complex. This article was originally written on April 11; it has been updated to reflect newer information.
