Mangiafoglie — Restaurant in Long Beach

Our first visit here a month ago was fantastic. We had an incredible waiter who explained the menu in detail (even describing certain dishes as “mute” for milder flavors). We ordered the meatballs, and they were unforgettable steaming hot, perfectly textured, with sauce that was spot-on and hearty, brick-oven bread that was fluffy inside and toasted just right. We literally talked about it all the way home. We also tried a pasta dish, which wasn’t really our style, but overall the experience was great.

Fast forward to our second visit, and it was a complete 180. We called on the way since GPS said we’d arrive at 8:35 p.m. The person who answered assured us that wasn’t too late. My daughter went in first and ordered the meatballs with extra bread, but the waitress greeted her with attitude, snapping that they close at 9. When I came in and asked about a pizza I’d seen in a review, I showed her a photo. She identified which one it was, and when I asked what vegan cheese they used, she cut me off sharply with, “We make our own.” I asked what it was made of, and she snapped, “Coconut oil.” As a vegan chef, I was already skeptical that’s not even a proper cheese base. The tone alone should have been a red flag.

When the meatballs arrived, they were lukewarm, not hot and fresh like before. The bread was even worse: all end pieces, stale, chewy, and tough, basically the throwaway scraps you’d give out at the end of the night. Nothing like the fluffy, toasted bread we had on our first visit.

Then came the pizza. And tell me if I’m crazy, but the build was completely off: crust, sauce, meat, and then a thick layer of cheese on top. This wasn’t a deep dish, so it made no sense, it just felt careless, like “throw something together and serve it.”

The final straw was when we were packing up the meatballs to reheat at home, and the waitress just grabbed the pizza off the table without asking. We had only each taken one bite, and she never asked if we wanted it wrapped up, if we were done, or if there was an issue. We thought maybe she was taking it to box it, but nope, it just disappeared. The diabolical part is it still showed up on the bill.

From the best vegan meatballs worth driving 35 minutes for, to an experience that was flat out nasty, in food quality and service this place lost us completely. We will not be back.

(Photo: Sauce appears cold, bread looks...

We had heard so much about Mangiafoglie and oh my god, it exceeded our expectations. The food is plate licking good!! Everything is made in house and from the scratch including their sauces. If you read their menu, everything is of high quality, for example their gnocchi is made from purple potatoes, not just the regular potatoes and their pizza base looked brownish than the regular whitish base, so I am assuming that it was not made up of refined flour. One of the best pizzas that we ever had in life. Highly recommend the “CAPRICCIOSA”. The flavors were on spot. Very polite and friendly staff. They have high chair too. They have plates that are over 100 years old, if you look at the back of the plates, it kind of tells you a story leading up to your imagination. I thought it was so cool. This place has a nice, positive vibe. They were packed and it was just the mid-week today, not the weekend! We had to wait just a little bit before getting seated. You could expect a slight delay in the food arrival if they are jam-packed. But be assured that the food is not going to disappoint you at all.

They work like a coffee shop in the morning hours. We had ordered a lot of things and absolutely loved their lemon cake, Focaccia and the Marzipan latte. Hence, we had to surely go back there for dinner. Went on a Tuesday evening , lol that’s the only evening when they are closed. So, we went back today again and very glad to have this rich experience. 🥰

I must say that Mangiafoglie is definitely one of the top restaurants that Long Beach has! Our two year old picky toddler approved the food too. He kept saying, yummy, so good. He was so happy after dinner. Seriously, I can just go on and on about how good the food and service was! And, we will be definitely visiting them again and again for sure.

Vegans - guess what, their entire menu is plant based so indulge blindly in any of the items. 😀 Non-vegans, believe me you will not notice any difference because the food is just...

As I sit down to write this review, I'm taking a moment to reflect on my overall experience at the restaurant. Upon entering, I was greeted by a bustling atmosphere. It was crowded and had to approach a host to request a table for one, which made me feel a bit overlooked initially. I didn’t mind waiting, though, as I was eager to try the food.

Once I was finally seated, the server promptly brought over a menu, accompanied by a succinct overview of the various dishes and beverages they offered. However, it took a frustrating 5 to 10 minutes for me to receive a glass of water, and that was only after I proactively asked for it. This delay in service significantly impacted my overall impression.

On a brighter note, the food itself was quite enjoyable. I ordered a pizza, and I must say, the dough was impressively light and airy, making each bite a delightful experience. The toppings were well-balanced, with flavors that harmonized beautifully without overwhelming one another. Even though the prices felt on the steeper side for what I received, the quality of the pizza made it a worthwhile indulgence. It’s a shame the subpar service overshadowed the enjoyable aspects of the meal. Overall, my visit was mixed; I left with a satisfied palate but a lingering disappointment in...