Village Cafe — Restaurant in Long Beach

We were invited here, it was busy, there was a wait. I was told the food was really good, priced well (affordable) but for me it was just ok, the taste. I got the chorizo burrito, in ingredients themselves were ok, but was like a layered burrito. I mean potato's with chorizo, some egg, then the beans were in last bites. A lot of restaurants do to this, but why? The combination of ingredients is delicious, why are they so separated? In the end, it was like eating a been & cheese burrito. The chorizo is a spicy salty meat, and it did have good flavor, the potatoes could have used some of that salty seasoning. My sister loved her pork chops, my husband ate his so fast I forgot to take a photo. I did taste the pancakes, but for me they weren't special, just regular alitttle chewy, a texture I'm not fond of in pancakes, and a hint was that my fork wasn't cutting the pancake quickly & easily. The butter, I was unsure if it was margarine, I prefer real butter. I forget what my brother in law had, but I did try the toast. He said it was sourdough, but it had no sourdough flavor. It was buttered, maybe that took flavor if it was margarine? I tried my sisters coffee, it was served steaming hot, it looked good. However once I tasted, it was a little bitter, meaning they reheated or kept it too hot that it turned bitter. I was surprised that it was bitter, so many people and they didn't have fresh coffee? I'd give it another try, maybe it was just me because...

This is a GREAT local joint. I came here on a Saturday morning with my mom. The place was jumpin'. The host was super friendly and upbeat. He chatted amiably with us while a busser cleaned a table for us.

I told the waitress it was my birthday so she gussied up my French toast with strawberries and blueberries and whipped cream. So special.

The baker was selling muffins at a sidewalk sale outside the cafe. Many muffins came home with me.

Will happily return to this cafe when I'm in town.

EDIT TO ADD:

I stopped by again today. It's been awhile. I'm staying in the area temporarily.

The staff was friendly. I was ordering takeout. Three different people asked to make sure I was helped.

My order was ready super quickly. I got a chili cheese omelet for me and a breakfast croissant for Mom.

Mom was very happy with her sandwich. It was so large she saved some for lunch. I like my omelet. The chili was the right level of spiciness. It wasn't greasy or overwhelmed by cheese. Just perfect.

I did note that at 10 a.m. on a cool winter morning, both the inside and outside tables were...

We were visiting my father in law and he wanted to go to Village Cafe for breakfast.

Pros: Parking was very easy. Short wait but they had coffee set out for those who were waiting. The staff was VERY friendly.

Food:I got the Chili Verde Special my wife got the Machaca. We were both disappointed.The first thing i noticed was that my food was not hot, and the dish was lacking substance. It felt very runny and not very good.  I got tortillas with mine and I sort of tried to use that to safe the day. My wife didnt seem happy with her machaca so I tried some of it. The meat was not seasoned at all, dry and the dish was very bland. I like the homey, neighborhood feel of this restaurant but the two dishes that I tried were pretty disappointing, especially after two staff members raved about them.

Staff is def 4-5 stars Foods is...