Buvons Wine Bar has quietly been doing a brunch on the last Sunday of every month. And it is nothing short of French AF in the best way possible, melding French bistro quality with Californian sensibility in a way no other space in the city does.
We’re talking a world where mushroom and comté quiches and provençal chicken sit next to banana bread with whipped crème fraîche and insanely delectable quince tarte tatin.
It is a reminder of what owner and chef Alicia Kemper, alongside service manager Luna Sallusti and newly minted Sous Chef Ryan Calbay, have created. Buvons is something not only special but deeply needed in Long Beach: farmers market-driven French bistro food done well in an atmosphere that is undeniably Long Beach.
Brunch at Buvons is monthly—and should be a continually sold-out ordeal.
Quietly launched last month, the last Sunday of the month affair is a smile-inducing $45 for four courses. And these aren’t misproportioned or lacking in quality. It’s inaugural menu included bread with beurre de barrate and housemade jam, honey yogurt with granola and berries, a mushroom and comté quiche with a salad, provençal chicken with veggies, and an apple crumble ending.
This month’s menu was no less impressive. Its main, a trout dish, was so immediately stellar that I had to include it on my Favorite Things list for the month before writing this: In-house smoked Mt. Lassen trout. (The same rightfully used at Heritage.) A perfectly soft-cooked egg. A buttery, well-crafted potato pavé. And a perfectly executed beurre blanc layered thickly with dill. It melds the light of tartness with the heft of smokiness, the creaminess of butter with the umami quality of egg yolk. It is the plate where you want every single component in every bite, despite how strongly each stands on its own.
There was a wonderfully buttered banana bread, with whipped crème fraîche to cut through the butter. Quinoa with mustard frill—like a more peppery mizuna—in a Banyuls vinegar that gave off the sweet earthiness of tarragon. A quince tarte tatin that was accompanied by what one patron literally called “the best whipped cream of my life.”
Buvons is a marvelous Third Place—and that matters in the larger context of the Long Beach food scene.
In a city long light on French-centric cooking—legacy Long Beach French chef André Anglès just took over Knolls Restaurant and even lighter on graceful rooms where you can tuck in with a laptop at noon and a glass of wine at five—Buvons lands like a deep breath.
Long Beach is flush with taquerías, burger counters, sushi bars, and new-American bistros that love the Mediterranean. But when you start hunting for a truly French-leaning space—somewhere that prizes the comfort of a café context, the pleasure of wine first and food as an equal partner—the list gets short. Fast. In fact, it is non-existent.
Buvons steps into that gap with confidence. It respects French sensibilities without cosplay: crisp hospitality, precise but unfussy food, and a natural wine program that has drawn a crowd typically not a fan of wine.
Built for working, lingering, and living a little
There’s a growing appetite in Long Beach for spaces that earn your presence at every hour: morning laptop needs, late-afternoon escapes, early evening gatherings. Buvons is engineered for that “third place” life. Tables are spaced for conversation and concentration. The music is present but never competitive. Outlets are there if you need them, but the glow of the room makes it just as easy to close the lid and stay for another glass.
Even more, Alicia’s story is one that should be continually uplifted. Like many small business owners, she has faced many uphill battles. Yet, she has created a space that is entirely hers. She painted the walls herself. Updated the artwork. She had her mom make the curtains (and has her do the dishes as needed—a truly nimble, family effort). Made it more cozy. These subtleties? They can definitively provide a sense of ownership, both tangibly and psychologically.
And with it, she has brought Long Beach a much-needed, French-centric space worthy of the title of bistro. Her monthly brunch is a prime example of that.
Buvons Wine Bar is located at 1145 Loma Ave.
