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Long Beach Food Scene Intel is a series from Brian Addison that will recap food news throughout the city, both news that needs just a quick mention, is developing, or repeated news where you might have missed the full features.
Ground Hideout broken into (again)
Ground Hideout in DTLB—one of the city’s great coffee shops—faced yet another break-in after a series of such incidents over the past three years. This seemingly constant pattern is one of many that have plagued the Downtown over the past three years. Re-Circle, Right Mealz, the now-shuttered Broadway Pizza (see below), Modica’s Deli… All have suffered vandalism and burglaries.
Please support the shop as yet another piece of plywood goes up as they await glass replacement.
Broadway Pizza shutters in DTLB
Broadway Pizza has permanently closed its doors in DTLB, with owner Mike Rosetti citing multiple break-ins over an 18-month period as the final nail in the coffin. According to news reports, he will “focus on a different business he runs with his girlfriend: Rossmoor Donuts & Coffee in Los Alamitos.”
El Barrio to host incredibly valuable tequila dinner
El Barrio Cantina is teaming up with Volcán de Mi Tierra tequila—LVMH‘s first take on tequila, which I first experienced at a tasting dinner at Chez Bacchus— for a four-course chef’s tasting dinner led by Chef Ulises Pineda-Alfaro on Thursday, Oct. 22, at 6PM.
Priced at $65 per person, the dinner features:
- Hamachi tostada featuring citrus-cured hamachi, avocado mousse, serrano, pickled shallot, and cilantro, paired with a Volcán Blanco margarita
- Pan-seared scallop with roasted poblano crema, crispy chorizo, sweet corn, and chile oil, paired with Volcán Reposado
- Crispy-skin duck breast with mole negro, sweet potato purée, charred baby carrots, and sesame, paired with Volcán X.A
- Churro bread pudding with Mexican chocolate, piloncillo caramel, vanilla bean ice cream, and toasted pepita, served alongside a Volcán X.A carajillo
IDOWU Afro Carribean Market closes
IDOWU Afro Carribean Market’s owner, Julie Messi, has announced that she has closed her market in the heart of the Gayborhood on Broadway. She said it was a “hard decision,” but that ultimately a lack of foot traffic and a decrease in patron spending have led to the closure. It was one of the few places in the city that regularly stocked everything from canned mackerel and palm oil to frozen Jamaican patties and DG Genuine Kola.
Bacio di Latte chain to open in Belmont Shore
Bacio di Latte, the global gelato chain started by Milanese brothers Edoardo and Luigi Tonolli in 2011 on Rua Oscar Freire in São Paulo, Brazil, will take over the former Holey Grail space in Belmont Shore.
Bacio di Latte has a distinctly Italian soul with Brazilian roots, having sprouted from the brothers’ time in Brazil. Before that debut, the brothers traveled across Italy, studying traditional gelato recipes and seeking out the ingredients that would shape their approach. What to expect? Over 20 flavors: Pistacchio. Giandujotto. Cioccolato Belga. Nutellina…
Mandala Grill & Spice, melding Indian and Nepali cusiines, takes over former Natraj space
Belmont Shore’s former Natraj space is entering a new chapter as Mandala Spice & Grill, a Nepali-Indian fusion restaurant, takes over the storefront at 5262 E. Second St. Looking forward into diving into their menu more in the coming weeks…
Owner of Nico’s takes over former Chianina space; to reopen Kelly’s Steakhouse
So word is getting out that George Mlouk of Nico’s has purchased the former Chianina/4 Shore building.
Rumors have circulated about the space returning to a Kelly’s-like restaurant—and they’re true: Kelly’s Steakhouse is indeed returning. For those who don’t know, Kelly’s was the city’s oldest steakhouse before it shuttered in 2013. Opening in 1958, the Naples staple served steaks, seafood, and martinis—and, at its peak, was considered one of the best restaurants in the city.
George is still working with the city to fine-tune all the details and I can’t wait to tell y’all about it.
ICYMI: Famed Balboa Island sweet shop Sugar ‘N Spice to open Long Beach location
One of Orange County’s most enduring beachside sweets traditions is heading to Long Beach—and giving one of its signature treats a neighborhood makeover.
Sugar ’N Spice, the Balboa Island institution whose history stretches back to 1945, is opening at 5269 E. 2nd St. in Belmont Shore, taking over the former European Wax Center space. Its famed hand-dipped frozen bananas will make the trip north. And its Balboa Bar? Here, it will become the Belmont Bar, a nod to the neighborhood welcoming the longtime Newport Beach business.
For the full article, click here.
ICYMI: Underrated Long Beach restaurants: 2026 Edition
Ah, underrated Long Beach restaurants—honestly, my favorite list each year I write it.
Click here for the full listicle.
ICYMI: Due Fiori continues its seasonal toe-dipping with new fall menu items
There are officially two forms of Due Fiori, the rightfully popular, yes-there’s-almost-always-a-line Italian restaurant on 4th Street. There is the classic Due: Papardelle a limone. Carciofi e fagioli. The famed Caesar salad… These items will never go away. They are, if anything, the very DNA that has made Due Fiori such a neighborhood favorite.
But then there is the seasonal Due. This is the one that uses corn, fig, and melon for the summer. And it’s the one that now has rabbit, chanterelles, sage, and pumpkin to welcome in the autumn season.
