2024 was one of the most wildly successful years in terms of new spaces opening: Over thirty new restaurants, bakeries, chains, and other food spaces opened across the year. And even more, the Long Beach community clearly cared about those openings: Over 60,000 people looked at that list across the year.
With this year, we are starting off with many already-knowns and some definite holdovers from last year that are hoping to open—so send them all the good permitting/contracting/licensing vibes, food lovers. And, perhaps, I might be holding onto some announcements that I am just not quite allowed to talk about yet. But until then…
Due Fiori
2708 E. 4th St.
Baby Gee owners Daniel Flores and Gianna Johns have a little something up their sleeves. They have formally taken over the former Shady Grove Foods space. (Shady Grove was set to close in January of 2024, then to have some hopeful talks with Mayor Rex Richardson, only to eventually permanently shutter in February.)
The concept? Dubbed Due Fiori (or “Two Flowers”), the space will be a trattoria: Think traditional Italian, lotsa wine and beer, neighborhood vibe. Given they live down the street, Daniel’s experience at the lauded Bestia, Gianna’s own Italian heritage, and the pair’s masterful propelling of Baby Gee as a drinking institution, this one has already, as expected, generated some hype.
Midnight Oil
244 E. 3rd St.
I cannot tell you how excited I am for this: Not only is it from a seasoned veteran, but he is bringing something DTLB could truly use. Well, things: More late-night food. Chinese grub. A rotating speakeasy. And the eventual evolution into a new space without losing the original employees. Midnight Oil definitely has a way to go—it will be reopening in the coming days as Rosemallows while it begins its transition—but once it becomes fully fleshed out, it will likely be a quick DTLB staple.
For the full feature, click here.
Royal Indian Curry House
242 Pine Ave.
Whew, this story is long: Three months after it was announced that longtime East Village Arts District restaurant Utopia would permanently shutter, its new owners have already moved in and begun to alter the space—and that includes raising temporary signage. It would go on to become the Arabian Grill, leaving Royal Indian Curry House, well, homeless. According to co-ower Babbljit Kaur (aka Bubbly), the family signed a lease at the former Starbucks on Pine Avenue between Broadway and 3rd Street. Work is continually happening inside the space, with hopefully “a month or two to go before final permitting,” she said in January of 2025.
Don’t know Bubbly? She is the former owners of Natraj—and I discovered her new food endeacor via a story that is more cute than it is journalistic. One of my favorite workers at my local RiteAid was Bubbly. I noticed she had mehndi on her hands, so I had presumed she had recently been to a wedding. And she had. We talked about how much I loved the food my friends Pakistani-Cambodian wedding and that’s when I learned that her and husband Singh were the former owners before they sold. Formally known aarjit Singh and Babbljit Kaur, Bubbly told me they are trying to open a new space at 1st and Linden—and what do you know: It’s RICH.
Mangiafolie [soft opening Jan. 22]
2306 E. 4th St.
Mangiafolie, the vegan space dedicated to Southern Italian cuisine and pastries, is soft opening Jan. 22 at 8AM. After announcing his re-branding of the popular and respected Long Beach Vegan Pizza popup as he scored the former Scholb space at the southeast corner of 4th Street and Junipero Avenue, owner Paul Reese is “full of gratitude and humility. I’ve kept this project somewhat close to the chest because of endless bureaucracy and nagging uncertainty.”
NYC Chop Cheese
420 Cherry Ave.
After causing my food group quite the (non-malicious, I assure) laugh, the signage for the anticipated chopped cheese shop on Cherry Avenue just north of 4th Street has gone up. Previous signs have already hinted they will be serving Boar’s Head cold cuts but let’s hope they can manage to get the tradition of the chopped cheese down right.
Bushfire Kitchen
4610 Pacific Coast Hwy.
Temecula-birthed Bushfire Kitchen, which has quickly expanded its presence across SoCal, will be opening its first Los Angeles County location in Long Beach. Taking over the Images Nails & Spa space at 4610 Pacific Coast Hwy.—inside the newly minted Sprouts by the traffic circle—it is expected to open in 2025.
“We’re really about clean, simple food with a lot of global influence. Or, as we say, comfort food you can feel good about,” said Alex Barwin, brother of Bushfire CEO Oliver Barwin and head of marketing. “We’re honored that Long Beach will be our first location in the L.A. region and look forward to bringing something that both those who want to seek healthier options and those that want to indulge can enjoy.”
For the full feature, click here.
Zarape Long Beach
4702 E. 2nd St.
Belmont Shore is becoming the epicenter of elevated Mexican cuisine as Zarape Long Beach becomes a reality. The West Hollywood-based taqueria, owned by Oneismo Mendez, will be “high-end but casual, not cheap but not outrageously expensive.” Zarape Long Beach will be taking over the former Rubio’s space at 2nd Street and Roycroft Avenue. While the fast casual Baja-inspired chain had a presence in the Shore for nearly two decades and its lease was technically running through to December, new leasing signs appeared in May of this year luring in new tenants.
South of Nick’s
5354 E. 2nd St.
Nick’s Restaurant Group—the massive, Irvine-based group that is home to mid- and upscale restaurants through the region—has decided to expand its presence in Belmont Shore by providing a sibling to its Nick’s on 2nd location, South of Nick’s.
The group’s Mexican concept, announced all the way back in June of 2022, already has two locations in Laguna Beach and San Clemente; its Long Beach location will take over the historic building at 5354 E. 2nd St., formerly home to Citibank before it closed several years ago.
While it is certain that Nick’s doesn’t challenge much in terms of its food—the existing location on 2nd has a menu that has largely remained unchanged since its opening nearly a decade ago—and it is as straight-forward as an American restaurant can be: Excellently made steaks, sides like fried deviled eggs that rarely fail and a butter cake dessert which is one of the best in the city. And while it could certainly elevate with a bit more finesse and a bit more focus, as well as a shift in its layout, to achieve something like the elegance of Arthur J, Nick’s on 2nd has been an anchor in a Shore that has constantly changed.
& Waffles
95 Pine Ave.
Los Angeles mini-breakfast chain And Waffles (stylized as & Waffles) will be opening a Long Beach location at the former Pier 76 space in Downtown Long Beach at 95 Pine Ave. and is expected to open summer of this year. For more information about the place, read the original announcement.
San & Wolves Bake Shop [opening Feb. 6]
3900 E. 4th St.
Kym Estrada’s wildly popular Los Alamitos monthly vegan pop-up, Sans & Wolves Bake Shop, will be moving beyond the popup world and into the former B&Q Art Gallery space on 4th Street (near Coffee Cup Cafe) for her first brick-and-mortar, adding to Long Beach’s growing Filipina-owned bake shops. (Shout-out to the OG Catherine Talentino of Gemmae and Maria Leyesa of Foodologie.)
Announced via Instagram back in August, what does this mean for Long Beach food lovers? A ton of vegan Filipino pastries: ube cookies, donuts, pan de sal, ensaymada, bibingka…
Signage for the space had gone up back in November, adverting everything from pandesal to coffee from the Phillippines in perfectly retro, hand-painted signs that Kym and Arvin simply posted on social media: “Analog art > digital… One of our goals for our bakeshop is to keep things classic and timeless. In a world full of fast trends and computer shortcuts, we know human skill is most valuable.”
Oakberry
4913 E. 2nd St.
OakBerry, the Brazil-based açaí juggernaut of a chain, will be opening its first Long Beach location. Located inside the former Engels & Völkers sapce at 4913 E. 2nd St. And it is but one of many bourgeoning brands that have sought Belmont Shore as its home, bringing about a renaissance along the business corridor that hasn’t been seen in years.
Ackee Bamboo Jamaican Cuisine [in limbo]
3222 E. Broadway
The famed Leimert Park legend that is Ackee Bamboo Jamaican Cuisine has been facing its own slew of uphill battles in getting their Broadway location open in the former Cafe Piccolo space for nearly two years—and it is uncertain if they will be able to open.
The food coming from Ackee is important because there is a frank reality: The representation of Black food in Long Beach has dwindled along with the Black population itself—but for Blacks and non-Blacks alike throughout the city, the cuisines of the Caribbean, Africa, Afro-Latin America, and elsewhere are not only wanted locally but directly sought after by those locals in other cities.
After Cafe Piccolo closed their space on Broadway following decades of service, the owners of Ackee Bamboo Jamaican Cuisine announced their move-in last year. Owners Marlene Sinclair-Beckford and Delroy Beckford told me in 2023 that, praying construction follows through as planned, the restaurant hoped to open in May. Then they hoped to open by the fall. Then: radio silence and a ton of unfinished contract work at the space.
