Pastaphony brings customizable pasta bowls and coffee to downtown Long Beach

Downtown Long Beach is getting a new pasta counter with a coffee case to match. Pastaphony is scheduled to open in the first half of June at The Promenade, 210 E. Third Street, Suite C, taking over the former Ubuntu Cafe space in a spot that has already seen a string of restaurant reinventions.

Co-founder Leni Benbicaco said downtown Long Beach was a deliberate choice because of its mix of residents, offices, visitors, hotels and walkable foot traffic. That street-level blend matters to a concept like Pastaphony, which is built for speed as much as comfort. The chain’s core model stays centered on fast-casual Italian pasta bowls, with customers assembling meals from different pastas, sauces, proteins and toppings.

The Long Beach location will push the formula further. Instead of operating as a dinner-only pasta stop, it will also house Grandpa Coffee House, Pastaphony’s in-house coffee concept, turning the restaurant into an all-day destination. Breakfast, espresso drinks, matcha, baked goods and dessert items will sit alongside garlic bread, salads and tiramisu, giving the store a broader reach than the typical full-service Italian dining room.

That wider footprint also fits the company’s growth pattern. Pastaphony already operates five locations in Stanton, Tustin, Glendora, Fullerton and Carlsbad, with another planned for Anaheim. Long Beach becomes part of that steady expansion rather than a one-off experiment, and it gives the brand another foothold in a dense downtown market where lunch traffic, coffee runs and evening takeout all overlap.

The address itself has become a small symbol of downtown restaurant turnover and persistence. Ubuntu Cafe had previously taken over the former Michael’s Downtown space there, and Ubuntu co-owner Fellippe Esteves once summed up the area’s stubborn appeal: “Despite all the uphill battles, I’m not ready to give up on Downtown at all.” That history helps explain why operators keep returning to The Promenade, even as full-service dining costs continue to rise.

For pasta fans, the Long Beach opening is worth watching because it reflects where the category is heading. The modern pasta shop is no longer just a sit-down Italian restaurant with red sauce and long waits. It can be a build-your-own counter, a breakfast stop, a coffee destination and a downtown anchor all at once, and Pastaphony is betting that formula will work in the middle of Long Beach.