Did you ever rave about a place so much that you felt personally responsible for how utterly full and booming it had become? I did and do. Of course, I’m not so self absorbed to think that Viento y Agua’s success has anything to do with me, but… some days… maybe I do.
Located in the lovely Belmont Heights neighborhood of Long Beach, California, Viento y Agua is one of those amazing coffee houses that has not only managed to hold on to its coffee house bohemian coolness, but serves well made delicious drinks.
Welcoming to visitors and locals alike, you’ll find big comfy chairs, couches and standard tables all surrounded by art exhibitions that change monthly. Free wifi caters to the academic and self employed crowd. I should know… before leaving my beloved Long Beach for higher ground, I spent quite a bit of time sitting in a big chair working, while sipping on a Mexican Hot Chocolate, likely made by Tree… the lovely woman in the picture above.
Weekends and some weeknights will feature local and indie bands as well as poets and spoken word artists. Check out their calendar for the next show.
I think more then anything, what I love about this place the most is its comfortable vibe. Its a community vibe where any day of the week at any time you can come in and hang out, likely run into someone you know from the neighborhood, or meet new friends. Its friendly, inspiring and oh… did I mention the drinks?
Ok… here are my favorites:
Italian soda. Carbonated, sweet goodness with a dash of milky yum.
Blended Chai.
Mexican Hot Chocolate… on a rainy day, there is nothing better.
Another added perk to Viento y Agua? They’re an eco conscious coffee house, committed to serving the environment as well as your taste buds. Here’s a blurb from their website:
“How are we eco-conscious????
(We provide what most coffeehouses don’t 🙂
1. Glass cups for cold drinks.
2. Mugs for hot drinks.
3. Spoons to stir your coffee – imagine how many stir sticks each coffee house goes through each month. Probably A LOT! So we don’t use them!
4. We recycle, recycle, recycle with PLEASURE!!
5. We train all of our employees to be water conscious. This means we reuse left over water to water plants and are conscious when we clean our dishes.
6. We give a 10% discount to customers who ride their bikes to the coffeehouse, instead of driving.
8. We donate all of our compost to the Long Beach Gardens, so we have almost NO WASTE!
9. Come on in and you will see why… all of our employees live very green and we promote this with our service.
Get yourself to Long Beach, bring your laptop, and have a great Mexican Hot Chocolate at Viento y Agua while you get some work done. I promise you won’t regret it.
Oh… and if you see Tree… tell her Elena sends her love.
Nice post! I'll be traveling through the area soon and will make a point of stopping for chai – thanks for the suggestion!
You're welcome, Gail. Let me know what you think!
It's soooo true! I have loved this place, even before I knew anyone there! I have come to appreciate the time put into making the delicious beverages or sandwiches, but most importantly the community vibe. But because of you & yours, I have the fondest feelings about this place!
I wish i lived closer to Long Beach! Sounds like a great place to hang out for a cup o' joe!
Elena I haven't been here yet, but just by the description you wrote I am going to make it a point to go there. You have a gift with words that makes even describing coffee sound amazing.
Thank you, John from Pedro! I'm sure we must know some of the same people as I worked in the heart of San Pedro for over 10 years… Come to think of it… I know WAY too many people in Pedro! 😉 But yes, you must go. Its a great place to hang out, and a close drive for you.
Awww… I love you and can't wait to get our dinner on soon!
Oh how badly I want a Mexican Mocha in a big thick clay mug right now… I think I'll have to come and stay in the flat lands long enough to go by VyA… maybe twice so I can get a PBOC too…
Its a date, baby!
This place sounds heavenly, I'll stop by.
LL
P.S. I recently wrote about a Long Beach restaurant too – – Michael's on Naples.. It is hands down the best Italian in our area.
Elena,
This post is so delightful! Bravo on painting such a full and accurate picture. Viento is grateful to have beautiful patrons such as yourself and the many other authentic regulars that we serve daily.
It is truly my pleasure when I get to make your yummy libation!
Girl… you know you are one of my two most favorite people on this planet! And that you have mad skills behind that bar only makes life better!
Cool t-shirts, too!
Indeed!