Thursday, February 6, 2025

Long Beach wine bar Buvons develops restaurant space—starting with a stellar coffee popup

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Alicia Kemper, the owner of Buvons Natural Wine Bar & Shop, has set her eyes on expansion. While she has constantly flexed her love of food at the wine bar—everything from lobster rolls and seafood boil popups to picnic pickups—there has always been a more significant purpose with the space next door. Originally intended to be a Lodge Bread bakery, Alicia initially opened a café concept, Mangette, that closed late last year. Since then, Alicia has single-handedly taken over the space, and this time, has geared the space toward evening gatherings and refocused it on her passions: natural wine and simple, seasonal, satisfying cooking.

To get things started until the restaurant space begins to formally opens, she has invited Julian Park and his So Sentimental coffee brand for a popup. Minimalist in style and quality in product, So Sentimental reflects what Alicia has been doing at Buvons—and acts as the perfect segue into a full-on dive into the restaurant world for Buvons.

buvons so sentimental coffee long beach
So Sentimental owner and barista Julian Park. Photos by Brian Addison.

So what is So Sentimental? And are they just a coffee popup?

Some might actually already know So Sentiment and Julian. After all, the man has been building out a brick-and-mortar space on 4th Street between Baby Gee Bar and Casita Bookstore. He is expecting the space to be open “somewhere between summer and fall—whenever the City would allow me to do so following all the permitting processes.”

Having worked under the guidance of Stereoscope—a regional coffee shop and roaster whose Long Beach location is a caffeinated staple and beans can be found at Nonna Mercato as well—So Sentimental refrains from an excessively bloated menu. There are your straightforward offerings—lattes, espressos, Americanos…—along with just three seasonal offerings, like their stellar Orange Cream latte.

buvons so sentimental coffee long beach
Barista Martin Fuerte serves up an Orange Cream latte, an orange zest lover’s dream. Photos by Brian Addison.

Orange-zest-in-a-cup, this hyper-minimal, not saturated with saccharine notes, one can tell Julian loves to take his bean—this round he was using a pink bourbon Colombian bean from Brooklyn-based roaster SEY—and make that the highlight over dousing the coffee in third-party flavors.

So what is the ultimate goal for Julian and his sidekick, Martin Fuerte?

“That’s easy,” Julian said. “We want to provide good coffee that comes from a good farm and good roasting skills. That is the goal. And to be able to experience that with people? I just consider that a win-win because I may not be from Long Beach but I can’t imagine a better community to begin this journey with.”

buvons so sentimental coffee long beach
The restaurant space that Buvons will soon fully activate with food—but for now? A coffee popup. Photos by Brian Addison.

For Buvons owner Alicia Kemper, the restaurant space has become something she can fully own.

Like many small business owners, Alicia has faced many uphill battles: Opening a natural wine bar might have brought in the younger drinkers—despite one’s opinions on natural wine, one thing is clear: it helped introduce wine to Gen Z, which is a win no matter how it is diced—but an increase in drinking awareness amongst younger people paired with everyone spending less money has proven frustrating if not outright taxing.

“The past few months have been a real test and, admittedly, there were some moments when I genuinely thought about walking away. But then this space,” Alicia said, gesturing to the adjacent space just south of Buvons, “was meant for more. I have always believed that. But I also needed something that makes it my own. So I began by hand-sanding the benches.”

buvons so sentimental coffee long beach
The new restaurant space at Buvons. Photo by Brian Addison.

This isn’t the only detail of the space that is hers. She painted the walls herself. Updated the artwork. She had her mom make the curtains. Made it more cozy. These subtleties? They can definitively provide a sense of ownership, both tangibly and psychologically. And with that, she can also partner with people like Julian to mutually benefit people who are about one thing: the community.

“Julian has a work ethic that is rare and an aesthetic that just naturally fits my own—so it was just a natural fit for him to come in,” Alicia said, saying she had gone through several potential partnerships. “And while he can promote So Sentimental, I can show people the space, discuss future plans, and get ready for eventually opening the space as a restaurant.”

buvons so sentimental coffee long beach
The new restaurant space at Buvons. Photo by Brian Addison.

Yes, you can experience the menu now while you visit Buvons.

So what, exactly, can one expect from the restaurant space? Well, you can experience it now at Buvons.

“We have a preview menu available for patrons next door,” Alicia said, gesturing to her wine bar and shop. “It’s French-leaning, as my taste has always been, but with bits of Californian sensibility and style. Fresh, clean cooking.”

There are, of course, frites and baked cheese—but outside of that, a heavy leaning on roasted and fresh vegetables, from a four-way carrot course to roasted eggplant with a miso sauce, maitake mushrooms with a warm chestnut soubise and a soft egg that you dip toast into, to slow-cooked cabbage. Joining them are larger braised chicken and pasta plates with future dishes likely rotating as seasons and ingredient availability changes.

So Sentimental is running its popup in the new Buvons restaurant space, located at 1145 Loma Ave. It operates Thursdays through Sundays from 8AM to 2PM. Buvons, located at 1147 Loma Ave., is running its preview dinner menu Friday and Saturday from 5:30PM to 9PM and Sunday from 3PM to 8PM.

Brian Addison
Brian Addisonhttp://www.longbeachize.com
Brian Addison has been a writer, editor, and photographer for more than 15 years, covering everything from food and culture to transportation and housing. In 2015, he was named Journalist of the Year by the Los Angeles Press Club and has since garnered 30 nominations and three additional wins. In 2019, he was awarded the Food/Culture Critic of the Year across any platform at the National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards. He has since been nominated in that category every year, joining fellow food writers from the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, Eater, the Orange County Register, and more.

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