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Photos by Baktaash Sorkhabi.

The sleepy stretch of Redondo south of 6th Street has been so for decades, especially when it comes to food and drinks.

Surely, the Silver Fox has etched its way into the queer bar scene without the needed guidance of the Broadway Corridor and the Reno Room has long offered its divey goodness to patrons of all backgrounds for decades.

But when all is said and done, Redondo has been, for the most part, sleepy.

However, with a recent string of quirky, if not outright Long Beach-centric retail infusion—design studio Kuarto (272 Redondo Ave), party store-unlike-any-other-party-store Wild Child (327 Redondo Ave), and famed midmod designer Eric Trine’s upcoming Amigo Modern shop—there has been an influx of new food that doesn’t relegate one to the hipsterdom of The Attic.

Kuarto has been hosting Newport Beach-based coffee brothers Kit Coffee every Friday through Sunday from 8AM to 3PM, continuing the design world’s love of incorporating food and drink into their spaces. (Think Commodity and Caffeinated Kitchen moving into the Zaferia District up the street.)

However, the success of the pop-up has proven fruitful and the store wishes to turn the makeshift space into something more permanent.

“We are currently re-vamping it and bringing it in-house as part of our own brand—think Kuarto Coffeeshop but not quite,” said owner Diego Diaz. “It’s closed for now until we get everything in order and we’ll be re-opening very soon with the intention to make it permanent.”

Up the way, Happy Cow Kitchen (371 Redondo Ave) is trying to keep it old-school simple: no wifi, no complex menu, and seemingly eschewing a hipster vibe on every level, owner Claudette Pentz offers up incredible baked goods every Saturday and Sunday from 9AM to 4PM.

My suggestion? Get a cream horn or a slice, if she has it, of her coconut lemon cake.


Finally, just west of Redondo on Broadway and directly next door to Baddeley’s, Flamin’ Curry will be offering up both fast-casual Indian grub along with catty laughs from queers nearby. While not open yet, the store is set to formally swing its doors open in the coming weeks after a build-out of several months.