Domenico’s (Long Beach, CA) - The Episodic Eater

Tonight was the 60th Anniversary Celebration of Domenico’s Restaurant, the oldest restaurant in Long Beach. To celebrate such an important milestone, they rolled back the prices on their original menu items to the 1960’s prices! They did this ten years ago for the 50th anniversary and lines were around the block, so this was definitely going to be a popular event!

Domenico's (Long Beach, CA) on The Episodic Eater

Domenico’s is located on the popular stretch of 2nd Street with lots of restaurants, boutiques, and shops. I spoke to the owner of the building which had been passed down from her father, and she mentioned that this was one of the only restaurants in the area and everything grew up around it! It’s hard to imagine that now!

While everyone waited for some delicious food outside, I took a few pictures of the inside. A few of the locals who had been eating here since the 1950s were happy to share their stories about the place. I found out that this area was the original restaurant…

…and it eventually expanded to double the size!

Some of the regulars mentioned how they remembered Domenico playing checkers outside while everyone came inside to enjoy the food and friends. It was always a popular spot for high school kids, especially after football games. In fact, they remember kids standing in the aisles just to socialize over pizza and soda. Cute!

Ready for the food? This was the menu for the night, complete with the 1954 prices. I liked this little tidbit on the back of the menu explaining how to eat pizza, because Domenico’s was one of the first restaurants in the area to serve pizza!

Dinner Salad

with Domenico’s Special Dressing

It is pretty unusual to hear that salad is one of the most popular items on a menu, but it’s all about the salad dressing. It might look normal, but it’s a favorite for a reason!

Ground Sausage and Pepperoni Pizza

I don’t know of many restaurants that use such high quality sausage and sprinkle it on the pizza, instead of using little nuggets. It gives the pizza so much flavor, and it totally explains why it is the #1 customer order!

Spumoni Ice Cream

I had to indulge my sweet tooth, and the spumoni hit the spot! I love how old-fashioned it was, studded with the chocolate chips, pistachios, and cherries. Yum!

On my way out, I took a peek at the bar, with champagne being poured to celebrate the festivities.