There’s no sign in front of Due Fiori. There isn’t a street number either. Nor is there a business card. The name is found in small print at the bottom of the menu. And there’s no one to seat you at a table, nor take your order.
The way Due Fiori works is that you find a table either inside or on the back patio, or perhaps a seat at the bar. You snag a menu and order your food and wine from a person to the left end of the bar — essentially a gatekeeper, but one who sets the tone for this exceedingly genial Modern Italian from the people behind the nearby cocktail lounge called Baby Gee, which also has no name in front of it. It’s a signature without a signature.
Despite its semi-anonymity, the restaurant is hard to miss. Just look for the hungry crowd waiting (politely in line) outside. Word of the wonders of Due Fiori have spread with the speed of culinary gossip. This is a classic example of a FOMO restaurant — fear of missing out. No one wants to be the last soul in their coven to luxuriate in the goodness of the charred snap peas in whipped ricotta, the mussels and clams in a spicy Soppressata Calabrese, or the pappardelle with lemons and parmigiano.
It’s not a large menu; there are just four pizza focaccias and four pastas. But it’s brilliantly curated. This is the sort of menu where you can just close your eyes and point at random, and you’ll wind up with a great meal. I don’t think there’s a clunker among the dishes. Honestly, I look forward to going back with some willing coves to eat our way from top to bottom.
The menu begins very modestly, with stuzzichini, a subspecies of antipasti, from the Italian word “stuzzzicare,” meaning “to pick.” They’re intended to be essentially bar snacks, something to chew on with a glass of Falaghina from Campania, or Alto-Adige Orange from Trentino. (And good on whoever chose the wines — a selection of three skin contact orange wines is three more than most restaurants carry.)
In this case, the stuzzichini run from the rustic simplicity of slices of very tasty house-baked sourdough, through a large bowl of black and green olives, intensely flavored with citrus, oregano and thyme, to a plate of musky dry-aged prosciutto di Parma with a slab of burrata and a scattering of basil. Just perfect with a golden glass of Italian pilsner from Far Field Beers of Lawndale.
The Hazy IPA from Ambition Ales of Long Beach is pretty fine, too. Be true to your local brew.
The border between stuzzichini and antipasti is a porous one; there’s a good deal of overlap from one to the other. But it’s the antipasti where the chef (Waldo Stout, whose resume includes LA greats like Bestia and Bavel) really flexes his flavor muscles.
Mussels and clams at Due Fiori in Long Beach (Photo by Merrill Shindler)
Due Fiori has no sign out front, no business card and no phone number — but it does serve some of the best Italian food you’ll find in Long Beach, says restaurant critic Merrill Shindler. (Photo by Merrill Shindler)
Show Caption
1 of 2
Mussels and clams at Due Fiori in Long Beach (Photo by Merrill Shindler)
Expand
Indeed, it can be argued that his cooking isn’t so much Italian as it is New Californian with a tip of the toque to the Boot. Consider, for instance, the sautéed sprouting cauliflower with roasted eggplant purée, salsa verde, walnuts and mint. It could easily pass muster in a Middle Eastern restaurant. Or perhaps an edgy vegan shop. Or a New American house. It’s a dish that’s many cuisines, a culinary hall of mirrors, viewed from one angle or another.
If there’s an antipasti that knocked me for a loop, I’d have to say it’s the aforementioned charred snap peas. They’re done with a degree of care that astonishes — the peas are charred, but retain their crunch. The sweet ricotta whipped with dill and mint could easily be served as a dessert. It’s a dish to be eaten slowly, enjoying every bit of fresh green. Along with the mussels and clams, the two dishes melded their flavors, exciting and soothing at the same time.
But then, room must be kept for the pizza focaccia, a dish that’s both at the same time, and something else as well. The bread comes topped with tomatoes and garlic, mozzarella and pepperoni, smoked prosciutto and artichoke hearts. Not as heavy as a pizza, not as light as a focaccia — a marriage made in the kitchen of Due Fiori.
There are no entrées here. But there are four pasta dishes which should satisfy those who are still peckish.
More Merrill: Classic Thai food in Long Beach is classically good at this restaurant
Try the classically elegant cacio e pepe, with its mix of pecorino and grana Padano, and lots of black pepper. Or perhaps the gnocchi with duck ragu, fried kale, ricotta and parmigiana. And the rigatoni pomodoro is a return to a dish we all grew up with. The essence of Italian comfort food.
Which, of course, can be said of the whole menu. This is a neighborhood Italian that’s flowered on 4th. The due fiori are blooming — and becoming many.
Merrill Shindler is a Los Angeles-based freelance dining critic. Email mreats@aol.com.
Due Fiori
Rating: 3 stars
Address: 2708 E. 4th St., Long Beach
Information: www.duefiorilbc.com
Cuisine: In the quirky space that was home to the amazing Restauration, this neighborhood Italian has no sign in front, no business card, no phone number and no reservations (except for groups of nine to 20). What it has instead is some of the best Italian food in Long Beach, with very cool vibes, and a great crowd of hungry locals.
When: Dinner, Wednesday through Sunday; lunch Saturday and Sunday
Prices: About $45 per person; no reservations (except for groups of nine to 20)
On the menu: 3 Stuzzichini Small Appetizers ($8-$22), 6 Antipasti ($12-$24), 4 Pizza Focaccia ($16-$22), 4 Pasta ($18-$24)
Credit cards: MC, V
What the stars mean: 4 (World class! Worth a trip from anywhere!), 3 (Most excellent, even exceptional. Worth a trip from anywhere in Southern California.), 2 (A good place to go for a meal. Worth a trip from anywhere in the neighborhood.) 1 (If you’re hungry, and it’s nearby, but don’t get stuck in traffic going.) 0 (Honestly, not worth writing about.)
Originally Published: July 3, 2025 at 4:27 PM PDT