Latino Restaurant Week celebrates the rich flavors of 18 Latino eateries

LONG BEACH, Calif. () — For the first time in Long Beach, Latino Restaurant Week is bringing the community together to celebrate the vibrant, diverse flavors of Latino culture.

Presented by Affluent Hispanic Philanthropies, the event kicked off with a party showcasing all 18 participating restaurants, each offering a distinctive taste of cuisines from Latin America.

“It’s a range from Venezuelan to Brazilian to Mexican food, definitely our tacos are in there. But also, Peruvian food, which is one of the top cuisines in the world right now, and we received the support from all of them,” said Roberto Carlos Lemus, vice president of Affluent Hispanic Philanthropies.

Each restaurant offers a special menu for the week. One participating restaurant is Ubuntu Café, where owners Danielle Soldati and Fellipe Esteves have crafted a menu that blends the flavors of Brazil with California-inspired cuisine.

“Our specialty is definitely the eggs, we do a French-style omelet,” Esteves said. “We have our Brazilian cheese bread which is my mother-in-law’s recipe. And my mom’s recipe which is the salted cod and croquettes.”

For those craving a seafood-inspired menu, Ruta 15 Ceviche Bar Mexican Kitchen is a new restaurant in Long Beach that specializes in fresh ceviche and innovative Mexican dishes.

“We have the traditional fish ceviche and shrimp ceviche. But other than that we have great dishes like the botana mixta, which has a little bit of everything,” said Juan Carlos Flores, general manager of Ruta 15 Ceviche Bar Mexican Kitchen.

The celebration will run through Saturday, Oct. 5. For a full list of participating restaurants, you can visit latinorestauarantweeklbc.com.