Temecula-birthed Bushfire Kitchen, which has quickly expanded its presence across SoCal, will be opening its first Los Angeles County location in Long Beach. Taking over the Images Nails & Spa space at 4610 Pacific Coast Hwy.—inside the newly minted Sprouts by the traffic circle—it is expected to open in 2025.
“We’re really about clean, simple food with a lot of global influence. Or, as we say, comfort food you can feel good about,” said Alex Barwin, brother of Bushfire CEO Oliver Barwin and head of marketing. “We’re honored that Long Beach will be our first location in the L.A. region and look forward to bringing something that both those who want to seek healthier options and those that want to indulge can enjoy.”
The story of Bushfire Kitchen is a family-centric one.
Restaurateurs and cousins Clive and Brandon Barwin opened the first Bushfire Kitchen in Temecula in 2012. (The former of which has his two sons, Oliver and Alex, working directly with the company.) With Clive facing health issues, his doctor ordered him to take on a gluten-free, keto-focused diet. And with and cousin and chef Brandon able to accommodate, Bushfire Kitchen was ahead of a curve yet to come.
“Gluten-free has always been at the center of our ethos,” Alex said. “My Dad’s world kind of changed when he changed his diet because of health issues—so the menu changed with it. Besides the mac’n’cheese and the empanadas, everything on our menu can be modified to gluten-free.”
This is not to say one can’t indulge. There are, as mentioned, mac’n’cheese and empanadas, from beef and chicken to an empanada of the month. And there are also an array of burgers, from bacon’n’avocado to a Peri Peri chicken burger…