Bono's Restaurant. Long Beach

4901 East 2nd Street, Long Beach CA, 90803

562-434-9501

Hours of Operation:

7 Days a week.

Weekdays 11:30am - 9:00pm. Weekends 11:30am - 10:00pm. Bar Stays open later.

THE ROOM & THE FOOD:

I must say that Bono's has the nicest ambiance of all the Belmont Shore 2nd Street eateries. I love its casual California contemporary feel. It has a nice long bar and some tropical like plants and a water wall that give it  that ( I almost hate to say this) South Beach feel. The first week I moved to the area I found myself sitting at their lovely long bar looking over the real estate adds and drinking many chilled classes of a great Italian Pinot Gris. So many in fact I do not recall the name of the wine!

  The airy dining room is enhanced by an open air patio that wraps around the restaurant itself. If the sun wasn't shining in Long Beach it would be shining here. The owner, if you don't know by now is Christy Bono, daughter of the late Sonny Bono. The bill of fare is typical California cuisine and she does it well. She has a wide range of appetizers from baked brie to egg rolls to beef Satay with a soup du jour. She offers a nice selection of salads. I have enjoyed her classic Caesar and the Capresse with Maytag blue cheese. Who can go wrong there? There are a variety of fresh pastas as well as chicken, filet, a variety of fish and a double stuffed pork chop. I tend to gorge on the Salmon alla Vodka or the Risotto so I never have enough room for desert. I have had their salmon and they cooked it just perfectly for me substituting more vegetables rather than a starch. I always like that when they go out of their way to accomodate a customer. I have taken my very young grandson there for lunch and they didn't sneer at me or make huffy noises when they noticed all the bread crumbs on the floor. They even had a high chair. I was really impressed.

Bono's delivers a very decent meal for a lovely lunch with friends or a romantic evening with that special someone. Their food is served elegantly and is always consistent. I really like this place and will always recommend it.

THE SERVICE:

The service is professional and friendly. The staff know their kitchen and their specials. Remember they didn't sneer at me when I brought Graham (the grandson) for lunch. If I needed something I looked up and there they were with their smiling faces, You gotta love that attention.

COMMENTS:

Oh just go and check it out yourself or sit at the bar and mingle. It's 2nd Street in Long beach after all!

Ratings:

Food:  ***                                                      Cost: $$ to $$$