Dog owners visiting Granada Beach can now grab a drink, food or a treat for a four-legged friend.
Monty’s Dog Beach, a concession stand near Rosie’s Dog Beach, is open and offering coffee, beer, wine and food for humans — along with snacks and refreshments for their fluffy companions.
The location is Monty’s first in the United States, but it is owner Igor Montanari-Knez’s fourth over the last decade.
Montanari-Knez said he has one goal in mind for his latest installment, “Let’s bring beach life back to Long Beach.”
Along with a “Mediterranean-oriented” kitchen offering pizza, flatbreads, burgers and more, the location also features a dog agility course where owners can exercise their canines, Montanari-Knez said.
Also available soon will be pup-sicles and dog-friendly (alcohol-free) beer.
Montanari-Knez operates three other Monty’s locations: two in Croatia and one in Slovenia. Those locations are closed down for the fall and winter, but Montanari-Knez said the weather in Long Beach will allow him to operate year-round.
“I really want to copy what I have in Croatia here in Long Beach because I really think that Long Beach has a really big potential for that,” Montanari-Knez said.
In the coming months, he plans to roll out several dishes inspired by Croatian cuisine, including an octopus burger, fried sardines and fried cod fish balls.
The first Monty’s, in Crikvenica, Croatia, opened in 2015. To celebrate the 10th season of that location, Montanari-Knez and his wife Ruby organized a series of events to take place throughout last summer including treasure hunts, movie nights and a dog-owner marathon.
The pair originally opened a dog hotel in Crikvenica a little over 10 years ago, then expanded that concept to the beach with an aim to provide amenities for dogs and their owners at dog-friendly beaches.
At the Long Beach location, there are seating options aplenty, plus dining tables and umbrellas. Heat lamps are available at night and there is plenty of lighting set up for people looking to stick around the beach after sunset.
Montanari-Knez also got city approval to operate equipment rentals at Granada and Junipero beaches. At those locations, he said he plans to offer rentals of surfboards, boogie boards, roller skates, volleyball nets, sunbeds, umbrellas, chairs and lifejackets.
He has his eyes set on providing a lively beach environment for the World Cup coming to the area in 2026 and the Olympics coming to town in 2028.
“I’m really excited to be a part of that here in Long Beach,” Montanari-Knez said.
Monty’s Dog Beach, 5098 E Ocean Blvd., is open daily from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.