Ubuntu Cafe

Expected nothing less than a 5* experience and of course they delivered. I have visited the original location numerous times, but this was my first time to the downtown location and my first time trying this spot for dinner. Located on the Promenade with both indoor and outdoor seating. Just like the original location, they have blankets out should you need a little extra coziness during dining. This was a mid-week visit and they weren't very busy, so solid service was to be expected.The starter of choice was the Brazilian Cheese Bread. This gluten free bread is so so so delicious! This was the first time, i've had it served pipping hot. It was even better than I remembered.I rarely order pizza at a place like this, but sitting inside, with the pizza oven in view, I just went with it. Overall, fabulous! I had pear (instead of figs) and prosciutto. Best part was the perfectly cooked crust. I paired this with a Farmers Salad which I also enjoyed.I'm glad we have this new location in downtown LB!

Tried the other location in LB over a year ago now, only to have recently found out this just popped up a couple blocks away from me! The owner and staff are always kind, the food is fresh and great quality, and the vibes are just what DTLB needed. Highly, HIGHLY recommend the Spanish Latte (with their homemade almond milk), as it's rich, slightly cinnamony and always perfectly sweetened with condensed milk. A bad latte can easily taste bitter, burnt, or acidic, but Ubuntu's espresso is always so smooth and balanced. Better yet, their almond milk is PERFECTION and not at all watery. It's quickly become my go-to order and easily my favorite treat. ***Bonus: The team even waits to make my latte when ordering ahead until I've arrived to make sure it's hot when I receive it!The ham and cheese quiche is also a go-to order! I'd recommend ensuring it's nicely warmed up before eating (per the owner's recommendation!) as the crust gets crisp and flakey. Love u Ubuntu!! ***Note: Urth Caffe claims to have invented the Spanish Latte, but after trying both multiple times, I can easily say Ubuntu's is FAR superior. (Urth's was extremely acidic, watery, and burnt-tasting.)

Met my friend here for brunch right after we flew into LA area for a visit. We were looking for something with vegetarian options and the menu looked very interesting. When I first walked up I noticed the outdoor area looked very cute. There was a covered front area for seating that was covered in vines and would be a really nice place to relax with friends in the summer. Inside there were tall ceilings and a few tables but the interior wasn't super big. I was surprised that you actually ordered at a counter and were given a number, I hadn't picked up on that reading the reviews previously. The menu looked a little pricey so I kind of expected table service.They had very unique brunch options. My friend got their Fig and Plum Toast. It looked good but for $17 I don't think it would have filled me up at all. I opted for their famous scrambled eggs. It was very tasty but it was basically a pretty standard soft scrambled eggs. I think the novelty is that not many places offer soft scrambled eggs. The potatoes that came with it were very crisp which is just how I like them. It was a good dish but I was still a bit hungry after. We also tried some of their drinks which were very good. I would recommend any of their cocktails. The food came within a reasonable time, and they did have waiters coming around to refill our water and take additional drink orders so that was nice. Overall worth a try.

Tried for the first time! Absolutely loved the ambiance and the service is top notch. Every staff member is super friendly. The food was also delicious. I definitely recommend if you are looking for a pet friendly brunch spot! Two thumbs up!

$5 for a small lemonade is crazy, but I was so dehydrated that it was worth it. The server at the register was nice. The place inside though was super cool.

Funny enough, I was originally hoping to get the first review of this place when they opened, having been there for brunch their very first day open, a few months ago, but life got in the way, as usual (when I checked back a couple days ago, I'd been beaten to the punch, so I wasn't in as much of a hurry.) Well anyway, last month, I had another excuse to go back - that they were running a one-week-only lobster tamale dish I wanted to try. Sadly for me, it turned out, when we went there for brunch on Sunday, that dish was only on their dinner menu, so I never got to try it, but I have been here twice now, so I can say: Service was wonderful both times. Indeed, while I would normally not have wanted to write a review of a place during their first day soft-opening, I would have been happy to in this case, as they clearly knew what they were doing right out of the gate, both in friendliness and in speed (I suppose it helps that this is their second location, so the restaurant concept itself isn't brand new.) I will comment that, when we said it was our first time trying Ubuntu, they said they were going to comp us a free order of their "famous" cheese bread that never showed up - but given that they proceeded to completely comp my wife's quiche (they apologized profusely for having burned it slightly, which it really hardly even was), and due to a miscommunication on their end, also didn't charge me for the $6.50 upcharge to add sausage to my chilaquiles, I wasn't really complaining (my point is, they know how to make sure customers are happy, and did even on day one, though I am still sad I didn't get to try the cheese bread, as it does sound very tasty.) The quiche was solid (I tried a bite of my wife's), as was their chilaquiles (definitely "craft" enough to justify the price.) The sausage was also great, though I don't think it added enough to justify the $6.50 I ended up not paying. I haven't tried any of their (unsurprisingly fairly pricey) alcoholic offerings, but their coffee drinks are solid, and *entirely* reasonably priced (in that they're very much in line with your typical craft coffee spot, anyway.) Great cold brew one time, great espresso drink the other time. That said, I was definitely less impressed with both the brunch items I tried the second time I was here - once again, I wasn't going to complain at all given how much I paid (in the second case, because it was my birthday and my parents paid for the whole meal), but I will comment, while there was nothing *wrong* with either the breakfast sandwich or the lobster omelette, there wasn't anything particularly impressive about either of them either. I could name several better breakfast sandwiches in LB for $14 or less, and the lobster omelette (a whopping $31 before tip), while it did certainly have a good amount of lobster in it, was otherwise kinda flavorless. So I wouldn't really recommend either of those - but I definitely *would* recommend their chilaquiles, and will almost certainly go back in the future to try other dishes as well. I will also almost certainly be back (as I live down the street), separately from any of their sit-down restaurant offerings, to pick up to-go pastries - they are also a bakery, and the couple bakery items we tried for dessert each time, were also solidly 5/5 baked goods. Only real gripe, which I knew to expect given there were a number of similar complaints posted to reviews on their original location across town: why don't they post *prices* for their baked goods anywhere? You have to ask the price of each one individually, which is non-optimal if there are people waiting behind you to order. They're mostly quite reasonably priced, given the quality, I just wish the prices were *posted* like they are for everything else on the menu.

Located on the Promenade in downtown Long Beach, in the space formerly housing Michael's, Ubuntu Cafe is the second location of this popular cafe. It is a great location, with a beautiful interior, reusing a lot of what made Michael's so nice (including their brick pizza oven). It serves up a focused but eclectic menu, using very good ingredients for a premium overall price.Ubuntu (both locations) are two places that are part of the Resy network of restaurants (another one is the Ordinaire further down the Promenade). Since our credit card gives cash back if you dine at one of them, I've been trying to frequent them. We came from a walk on a Tuesday afternoon around 1, and the place was still relatively busy. Don't let the cafe name fool you....it continues to be a big space, with plenty of indoor and outdoor seating. It seemed fully staffed. You are requested to order (and pay) from the front counter first. I had already looked at the menu on-line (their website is very good), and knew what I wanted to order...this was going to be our main meal for the day, and was hoping for leftovers. Unfortunately, because of supply chain issues, the new york steak was not available (only told when I excitedly ordered it)...which did put a damper on things. Per Octavio's suggestion, I ended up getting some pop-overs (Brazilian Cheese Bread) instead.Short Ribs Chilaquiles ($25) - I love braised short ribs (galbi-jjim, anyone?) so had to get this, especially with another favorite: chilaquiles. I thought this was good, each tortilla chip covered in a creamy queso fresco (instead of the typical salsa that other places use). Strangely, that made it quite heavy for me. The braised short ribs had been cooked all day, so were extremely tender, and had good flavor. Just wish there was more of it.Side of Parmesan Fries ($7.50) - really well done shoestring potatoes, perfectly deep fried. Could have been served at any cafe with pride.Brazilian Cheese Bread ($14) - it was good, just delivered fresh so was piping hot. They are baked with tapioca flour so gluten-free, and you can get an actual good version from Trader Joe's (my wife craved them from her trip to Brazil a while back, so have gotten them multiple times). When you first rip them open, it almost seems underbaked (i.e. raw), but that's not the case.Service was great, except for the delivery of the cheese bread...it came a good 20 minutes after the first plates had come, and we were done with our food by the time they came. It would have made a great starter. That's one problem with prepaying...can't really cancel these misses without a big hassle. The space is very conducive to conversation, and my wife and I ended up staying a bit longer after we had finished. We got into a nice conversation with Octavio about the short history of the place. It was a pleasant way to end the lunch.

Have been here several times the last week! It's that easy to keep on coming back to. Service is nice, friendly, quick and efficient! Shout out to Sam!You can never go wrong with Ubuntu food - filling, fresh, clean and just overall YUM. My favorite is the avocado toast (brunch) and the ahi tuna salad (lunch) and they also have one of the best flat whites in the neighborhood. Not all coffee shops know how to make an actual flat white and happy to report Ubuntu sure does know how! Welcome to DTLB! So happy you guys are so close now :)

Quick breakfast and food was great. I had the ham and cheese quiche and my kid had the Brazilian cheese bread and it was tasty too. They were very busy that morning but service was ok. The only disappointing thing was the water bottles (see photo), I doubt they get cleaned.

Found this place on Resy and the ribs looked so good I had to try them. The ribs did not disappoint. Perfect flavor of bbq with an Asian tang. Also loved the Brussels sprouts with pieces of pork belly. Great food and friendly kinda staff.