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<\/p>\nFamilies, dates, solo diners and beer nerds are lining up nearly every day to experience Mooney\u2019s Pizza Tavern, a new Long Beach restaurant that\u2019s big on nostalgia and Midwest comfort. <\/p>\n
The pizzas come large and piping hot, there are vintage arcade games to play in the waiting area, and for dessert, there\u2019s house-made frozen custard.<\/p>\n
\u201cI grew up going to dine-in pizza places and loved it,\u201d said owner Hal Mooney. \u201cAll of my family memories growing up are going out to eat. I\u2019m not trying to be anything other than what I ate growing up and still love to this day. \u2026 [Mooney\u2019s] is warm, and nostalgic to no specific era.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Custom stained-glass lanterns at Mooney\u2019s hang over every booth.<\/p>\n
(Stephanie Breijo \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n
The Central Illinois native wanted to incorporate a number of tavern stalwarts, including squeakers \u2014 or fried cheese curds \u2014 imported from Wisconsin. He\u2019s also offering buttermilk-brined chicken wings, four-meat meatballs, a classic cheeseburger, salads (which can be ordered \u201cfamily size\u201d), a range of house-made dips and dressings, and frozen custard in two constantly rotating flavors.<\/p>\n
Mooney\u2019s uses a combination of five flours for its pizzas, which come in two styles: the \u201cclassic round,\u201d a California-style, fluffy-crust variety available in 12 and 18 inches; and the 14-inch pan pizza, which arrives with a crispy layer of cheese at the edges. Toppings include classic options such as pepperoni or supreme, or cheffier ingredients like sausage and chard, eight-hour rag\u00fa, or the al pastor-inspired pie slathered with pineapple sauce. Zinc and Pitfire veteran Thomas McNamara is leading the kitchen.<\/p>\n
As a cicerone and the founder of beer-tour company LA Beer Hop, Mooney\u2019s path overlapped with the pizza community for years. But when he was hired to develop the beverage menu for a pizza chain, he began learning the trade and later put that knowledge to use in a local pizza pop-up called Crumb, which his friend still runs.<\/p>\n
Mooney and his family moved to Long Beach during the pandemic and drove by their future restaurant space countless times. Eventually Mooney wondered: Could the long-vacant Huff\u2019s diner flip to a tavern? He won the lease and set about building his dream \u2014 and first-ever \u2014 restaurant. He designed custom stained-glass lamps that spell out the restaurant\u2019s name in cursive. He turned the diner\u2019s long kitchen counter into a bar, including seats that overlook the pizza oven and TV screens broadcasting live sports.<\/p>\n
With 15 years in the beer trade, Mooney offers 20 taps at the restaurant and crafted a beer list that includes a rotation from his \u201cbucket list,\u201d a guide to 100 beers he believes everyone should try before they die. His tavern offers a passport for them, and once you\u2019ve ordered 25 and 50, you receive a prize at each benchmark; at 100, your name is printed on a plaque. Meanwhile, Mooney\u2019s wine list is full of biodynamic picks curated by consulting and lauded sommelier Ian Krupp of Anajak Thai Cuisine.<\/p>\n
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A pancetta-topped wedge salad, buttermilk-brined buffalo wings and \u201csqueakers\u201d cheese curds at Mooney\u2019s.<\/p>\n
(Stephanie Breijo \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n
But Mooney also needed the tavern to be kid-friendly. Inspired by his 3- and 5-year-old kids, he installed two arcade cabinets that he sourced from Button Mash; designed a smiling turtle mascot named Chef Pepp; and devised a recipe for fresh lemonade, which is found on nearly every table with children.<\/p>\n
Mooney\u2019s Pizza Tavern is also serving intrigue: During construction, Mooney discovered an old locked safe left behind by former tenants. Since mid-April, he\u2019s been raffling $5 tickets to win whatever might be inside, and on Sunday at 1 p.m., in lieu of an official ribbon-cutting ceremony, he and his team will mark the grand opening by cracking the safe \u2014 with all proceeds from the raffle benefiting nearby nonprofit Casa Youth Shelter. As of Wednesday, Mooney said he\u2019s raised more than $10,000 for the charity.<\/p>\n
If it\u2019s empty, Mooney says, there\u2019s always pizza: The winner will receive the equivalent of a weekly supply from the tavern. Mooney\u2019s Pizza Tavern is open daily from 4 to 10 p.m.; Sunday\u2019s grand opening marks the launch of its weekend hours of 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.<\/p>\n
8105 E. Wardlow Rd., Long Beach, (562) 684-2220, mooneyspizza.com<\/a><\/p>\n Fried whole snapper with chile-and-mandarinquat vinaigrette, mashed yuca and salad at Chainsaw in Melrose Hill.<\/p>\n (Stephanie Breijo \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n Chainsaw<\/p>\n One of L.A.\u2019s favorite food pop-ups launched a brick-and-mortar cafe \u2014 and Chainsaw\u2019s new Melrose Hill outpost is already so popular that it\u2019s expanding again this year. Chef-founder Karla Subero Pittol launched her dinner series of the same name out of her Echo Park garage, where throughout the pandemic she roasted whole animals and served Venezuelan snacks such as arepas and empanadas and her famous icebox pies.<\/p>\n The counter at Chainsaw in Melrose Hill.<\/p>\n (Stephanie Breijo \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n Subero Pittol \u2014 a Here\u2019s Looking at You and Animal alumna \u2014 opened Chainsaw in late 2025, originally intended as a space for fans to find her popular desserts. But over the last few months it\u2019s become more of a Venezuelan cafe, where she showcased her heritage first through street foods like those arepas and empanadas and then through more involved dishes such as milanesas with tamarind barbecue sauce, lomo saltado with smoked tomato and whole fried fish.<\/p>\n \u201cVenezuelans are coming in in hordes,\u201d she said. \u201cI was like, \u2018Where have you guys been my whole life in L.A.?\u2019 I\u2019ve never known such Venezuelan community until I opened a Venezuelan restaurant.\u201d<\/p>\n The coffee program rapidly expanded, too, with options such as the TikTok-viral flan-inspired cafe quesillo, of which they sell upward of 100 a day (a funny twist for Subero Pittol, who does not own a TikTok account).<\/p>\n Now, with scant seating and lines down the block, Subero Pittol just signed the lease on the space next door and plans to expand with dinner service, wine and beer later this year.<\/p>\n \u201cOn the other side is where I\u2019ll definitely let my freak flag fly,\u201d she said. \u201cI will do the food that I don\u2019t get to do at the cafe, given the daytime nature of it.\u201d <\/p>\n Chainsaw is open Thursday to Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.<\/p>\n 5022 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, chainsawla.com<\/a> <\/p>\n Coucou\u2019s menu riffs on French fare with options such as the \u201chaute dog,\u201d a pork sausage with onion marmalade, cheese fondue and pepperoncini.<\/p>\n (Stephanie Breijo \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n Coucou Manhattan Beach<\/p>\n Playful bistro Coucou first opened in Venice in 2023<\/a> before expanding its oyster platters, steak frites and luxe hot dogs to West Hollywood the following year<\/a>. Now the restaurant and bar from the former Chez Tex owners is open just off the Manhattan Beach pier with French-ap\u00e9ritif classics, zucchini beignets, one of the city\u2019s best burgers<\/a>, gnocchi Parisienne, a fan-favorite soft-serve sundae<\/a>, lobster spaghetti and other signatures from the Venice and West Hollywood locations. The newest Coucou opens one hour earlier than its predecessors and offers roughly 52 seats, with 10 at the bar reserved for walk-ins. Coucou is open in Manhattan Beach Sunday to Thursday from 4 to 9:45 p.m. and on Friday and Saturday from 4 to 10:45 p.m.<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1777544113_762_.jpeg\")
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