I went to Higher Taste for lunch after class this past Friday and was pleasantly surprised by the…read moreflavors and textures of my appetizers. I ordered the potato taco which had a fabulous crunch and a perfectly delicious chipotle ( ? ) dipping sauce on the side. The taco itself wasn't very flavorful but I think it's perfectly fine because the sauce carries more than enough. I also ordered the vegan fried chicken and I was so intrigued by the flavor. They had a notable buttery taste to them which was rich and pleasant. I believe they were coated with a cornflake cereal which gave them a proper crunch. The hibiscus drink was a tad thicker than I expected and wished it had a more balanced flavor ( sweetness : tartness ), but it wasn't a bad drink by any means. Definitely one to drink cold. I let mine sit for a bit and I think that affected the tasting experience. & Service is genuinely chill which I respect and prefer. No need to perform. I'm just there to eat! & You order by yourself on a tablet too. It's really my kind of vibe.

Sadly I was not impressed with this restaurant. It's a…read morebeautiful interior, but the food was underwhelming and the wait was longer than I anticipated. When I entered there were already 3 other groups seated. I didn't realize until after I ordered at the kiosk (there is no wait staff) that no one had any food. We ordered the Caesar salad & wrap as well as fries and a cookie. It took about 30 to 40 minutes for the first salad to arrive and about 15 minutes after that for the wrap which was made with ingredients we had asked to omit. Weirdly, the wrap came with avocado slices on the side instead of inside of the wrap which was very strange. The French fries came a few minutes after the wrap and they had the consistency of a wet noodle covered in oil with little to no seasoning. The salad and wrap were OK taste-wise but I could have easily made a better salad at home. The fried chicken that comes with it was mushy and served cold. The cookie was fine, good large size and a lot of chocolate chips which was nice. But again, I could have made myself a better cookie at home. Ultimately I'd rather have saved the money and stayed home.

Great food, exceptional service. Mary, our waitress, was phenomenal! What a great time. Such a good…read moreexperience.

My wife and I decided to take a stroll through downtown and check out all the local menus to see…read morewho sounded like they had the best salad as we were in the mood for something "fresh & delicious". Ammatoli for the win based off of their descriptive menu choices. We were able to be seated immediately. We live nearby and had always seen it but never ventured inside. Our waiter, Cameron, informed us that we lucked out because it's usually a 2 hour wait. He was amazing at guiding us through the menu and recommended quite a few amazing selections. Arugula & Beet Salad w/ Salmon. The Avocado Delight is a must with added shrimp. Zaatar Manoushe w/ hummus. Pistachio Baklawa. A Date w/ Cake. Turkish Coffee. Everything was amazing and the ambience was a warm modern welcoming. We'll definitely be back and just incase, we'll make reservations. Thank you Cameron.

Split 2 meals and very much enjoyed both. The atmosphere is wonderful with tons of light coming…read morein, a low level of noise from patrons, and great service. I am not vegan or vegetarian, but appretiate a good vegan meal. In house made spreads were an added bonus. This experience was phenomenal...vegan goodness with flavors on point.

I came here for a Friday lunch. It wasn't too crowded. Perhaps we caught them on an off day, but…read moreservice was extremely slow. We sat down and looked at the menu, which was different than the menu on their website that I previously looked at prior to coming that day. Not a big deal, I just ordered something different. We sat and sat, and finally a server came over to take our order. We got the burrito, BLT, and Chick'n biscuit. I will say the prices are on the high side, but since it is vegan I do understand why they might be that way. We waited quite a while for our food. We noticed the parties that were here before us still did not get their food either. Luckily, we were not in a rush to get back to work that day. The food was not bad for imitation meat. I especially enjoyed the fries with the vegan aioli. I also liked the crunchy crust of the mock fried chicken. I was a little bit disappointed in the service because our server never came in to check on us. Our glasses were empty, and we needed refills, but she was nowhere to be found. This place wasn't too bad. I can't say I eat at a lot of vegan restaurants and am not a vegan myself, but I thought the food was great for a vegan restaurant. The issue was the lack of service. I wouldn't come here to dine in again, especially if I was on a time crunch. I may consider getting take out in the future, depending on how long that would take.

Food was freshly made and delicious. The service was quick…read moreand efficient, perfect place to sit and have a meal local ambiance. Chill place good food.

Boy was I pleasantly surprised by Saffron. We decided to go here on a weeknight. There were not…read morethat many people hanging out, but we still decided to get some Mediterranean food. We saw that Saffron was a good choice, so we made the move. Okay, Pine avenue in Long Beach has experienced some empty locations. This spot is located behind Chipotle where the movie theater used to be. Although it's nestled in the back of a couple of other restaurants, Saffron is easily displayed. I decided on the chicken skewer meal. That will run you about $20. The meat was tender, the hummus was delicious and homemade, the garlic sauce was exquisite, and the rice clearly had saffron in it. The pita bread that they served with the meal was definitely homemade and delicious. All in all it was a $20 well spent. If you're in downtown Long Beach on Pine avenue, I highly recommend going to Saffron for some excellent Mediterranean fare. Give them a try. You will be happy you did.

Been here twice, absolutely LOVE this place. Vegan Italian made from scratch??? Sign me UP!…read more I have yet to try the pizza here but the way they make it has my interest piqued. I always get the caeser salad and meatballs to start.. the lasagna is so good, thankfully I was able to take home for the next day! The first time I can a weekend night and service was good! Came again a weekday evening on a slow night and service was not so great. Server was chit chatting mostly with whom I'm assuming was a friend and food took a long time BUT I sat at the bar and saw the cook working and giving every fish he worked in his undivided attention, so I can appreciate that. Overall though wouldn't knock the restaraunts for that... The food makes up for it all... Can't wait to go back again soon!

Visited this place for the first time to celebrate my birthday this past weekend and it was such a…read morewonderful experience. Firstly, since it's all plant-based, I was able to eat literally anything off the menu, which is always delightful. Started the meal with a Tricolore Salad and the Pizza Montanara for appetizers. The Salad was good, best when you can get a bit of every ingredient in each bite. The Pizza Montanara was hotter than magma when we received it, but once it cooled and we were able to tear it into pieces, it was very, very good. These two items themselves would be a great light meal. We had glasses of red wine with the main course, which paired well with the pastas we chose. One Vesuvio, which was really tasty with a little chili heat (not so much so that it made eating it a rough job,) and another pasta dish that I can't recall the name of that was very lemony and cooling. We both shared these dishes and the alternating between the two very different flavor profiles was really fun. The online menu doesn't have these pastas listed in the "Dinner" section, but the in-store menu did. The only thing that was kind of a bummer was that they were out of things like meatballs, olives, and a couple other items, but we were still able to choose dishes that were delicious. The restaurant's vibe is very laidback and like, elevated casual, if that makes sense. They have great little water glasses and everything has a modern feel, from the green decor accents to the fancy pasta forks, which are the first of their kind I've ever seen. The bathroom had a bidet, which was my first experience with the same, and it was cool and fun. Thorough! I laughed at the sticker on the bidet saying it WILL spray you in the face. All in all, this was a fantastic experience. Definitely be patient with finding parking, as we all know how 4th Street is. This will likely become a favorite celebration meal destination.

The regular cheeseburger is basically a McDonald's cheeseburger if McDonald's actually had quality…read moreingredients. Hit the spot. I was really impressed with the meat quality as well as the bread. I usually don't get anything fancy on my burger so I tried the standard cheeseburger. Next time I might snazz it up and get one of the fancier ones.

Only really bad part is the area. One side of the street is…read moreclean and nice but the others are dirty and filled with less than reputable looking characters. The burgers are good though. This is probably why most people came in with online/phone orders for pickup and got the heck out of there in a hurry. Fries are okay at best but the onion rings are fantastic! I don't recommend the smash style burger because it's smaller and doesn't come with the fixings, but if that's your thing than by all means enjoy. I got the backyard bbq burger and it was very tasty. Not the best I've ever had but it definitely hits the spot and prices are not bad at all here. If I happen to be in the area again I would definitely be down to phone in my order and pickup for takeout to enjoy the tastiness somewhere I feel a little more comfortable. Staff was also very friendly - when they could be seen at least, but it was one cashier/server with two guys in the kitchen and although it's a small hole in the wall place there is still plenty to do if you're understaffed so I'm not even mad about it. Thanks ya'll!

This place is always amazing! We came with a group of 12 on May 17th for our annual Pride brunch,…read moreand everything was fantastic. The food was exceptional, with every dish coming out fresh and delicious. The atmosphere was lively and perfect for celebrating with friends. And of course, the bottomless rosé didn't hurt either! Great food, great drinks, and great service every time. We always have a wonderful experience here and can't wait to keep coming back!

I visited Ellie's on a Tuesday afternoon around 4 PM and was seated indoors. The restaurant was…read morefairly quiet at that hour, so I expected attentive service, unfortunately, that wasn't the case. I ordered the burger and fries. Visually, the burger was impressive and looked exactly like something you'd want to dig into. However, the salt level was overwhelming to the point where I genuinely could not finish it. What made matters worse was that our server was not attentive with refilling our waters, and when you're working through an extremely salty dish, hydration isn't optional. I left the meal feeling dehydrated and honestly a little frustrated. The bright spot of the visit was the Brussels sprouts, which were genuinely well done and showed some real kitchen care. If I were to return, I'd probably stick to the vegetable sides. For a restaurant with a 4 PM lull and minimal table traffic, there's no excuse for that level of inattentiveness. A simple water refill and a quick check in would have saved the experience. As it stands, the combination of an over salted entrée and absent service made for a tough sell on the value. If you're in the area craving a burger, you might want to save your money and head down the street to Louis Burger instead. Ellie's may shine in other areas; I've heard good things about the pasta, but this particular visit missed the mark.

THIS PLACE RIGHT HERE!!! All surrounding brunch spots... meet your match…read more This family-owned gem is about to take over the downtown brunch scene. My family and I stopped in on a Saturday around 10 a.m. The place was already packed with a line out the door, but don't let that scare you. The wait moved fast, and the staff ran that dining room like a well-oiled machine while somehow making you feel like you were a guest in their home. You order at the front, grab your number, then impatiently wait for greatness. Right away, the baristas were brewing, shaking, and stirring up some of the best drinks I've had in a long time. Matcha, mochas... Starbucks could NEVER. I ordered the banana strawberry matcha and an iced mocha. While I was at the counter, I obviously had to grab pastries because... self-control wasn't invited. The display alone had me ready to order 14 of 'em. I went with the tiramisu cookie, guava croissant, and strawberry cream croissant. Now for the main event. There were four of us, so naturally we ordered enough food for a small village. Savory pancakes, a bulgogi breakfast burrito with fries, steak and eggs, another breakfast burrito, and the Thai pizza. Yep. We came to eat. While we waited, I took in the atmosphere. The entire place felt warm and inviting. Sunlight poured through the windows, giving it the feeling of eating breakfast on your family's back patio. Just laughter, clinking forks, happy conversations, and those little "mmm" moments happening at every table. That's always a good sign. The Thai pizza hit the table first. Fresh out of the oven and straight to Flavor Town. The crust had to be handmade because there was no way something that good came from a freezer. The basil, sausage, and everything working together made this anything but your average pizza. It was different--in the best way possible. Five minutes later... Gone. Next up were the savory pancakes. At first glance, they looked simple. Then I took a bite. That little stack of fluffy pancakes topped with berry butter didn't even need syrup. THANK YOU for understanding that pancakes don't need to cover an entire plate to be memorable. These were soft, flavorful, perfectly sweet, and somehow disappeared before I could fully appreciate everything else on the plate. Speaking of everything else... The steamed eggs were light and fluffy. The hash browns? Listen... Whatever they're doing to those potatoes back there needs to be studied. They had the perfect golden crunch with this buttery goodness that made me question every hash brown I've ever eaten. Fried in beef tallow? Magic? I don't know. I just know I wanted another order immediately. The bacon deserved its own shoutout too. Fresh, crispy, and full of flavor--not bacon that was cooked at 5 a.m. and has been sitting around waiting for someone's Grand Slam order. This bacon had integrity. Then came the steak and eggs. The steak was tender, juicy, and seasoned perfectly. I had absolutely no interest in sharing. But somehow the potatoes still managed to steal part of the spotlight. Again... Those potatoes. Give me 14 of those babies to go. The breakfast burritos were packed with flavor, but those crispy potatoes inside gave them the texture that took them from good to unforgettable. And that green aioli? Bottle that stuff up. Immediately. This place just gets it. They understand that quality matters. Every ingredient tasted intentional, every dish felt like someone actually cared before it hit the table. Too many restaurants are cutting corners these days, and I will happily support businesses that refuse to compromise. Worth every penny. This is hands down one of the best brunch spots I've been to in a long time, and I already can't wait to come back. Do yourself a favor and go. Just don't blame me when there's a line.

Lazy Dough is a gem…read more Food quality & taste: 5 stars Value: 5 stars Service & ambiance: 5 stars We tried the sweet pancakes, eggs benedict croissant, and the steak scramble. Each was perfect. The sliced/cubed steak had a hint of sweetness and was tender. If you're picky about eggs benedict, you'll appreciate this place. The coconut cream that accompanied the pancakes is addictive. The service was great. Looking forward to returning to try different things on the menu. I bookmarked Lazy Dough as a place to bring friends and family.