Best Contemporary Italian Restaurants in Long Beach

This was the first time we’d been to Alessandro’s since it was redone. Not for lack of interest; just a tough reservation to get! But it sure was worth the effort. The pace looks great, the service was as good as always and the food was better than I remembered. Best artichoke salad and chicken scarparella! Already can’t wait to go back. Bonus, Alessandro is the lost wonderful host. Always makes it a point to come say hi.

Gorgeous setting. We had river views in summer there are outside tables. A stylish restaurant with a central bar area. The food was fast and delicious and had a great vegetarian selection. About 5mins walk from York Street. Really can’t recommend this place enough.

Excellent food and service as always! A special holiday meal!

Everything from the baked clams, fried calamari and stuffed mushrooms to the halibut, chicken sorrentino and rigatoni with mushrooms was delicious. Desserts were overrated and quite expensive for what they were. $15 for a slice of Italian cheesecake, really? Server was excellent!

This place is such a gem - from the moment you get to the door, you can tell Cafe Mars is not your typical restaurant. The decor is colorful and vibrant; it just screams "walk in here and get ready to have a great time". The staff are warm, entertaining, and knowledgeable. I have had nothing but 10/10 service on all of my visits here. And of course, the food is fantastic. Chef Paul truly works wonders here. Run, don't walk to Cafe Mars!