L'Opera

the following criteria: accommodating to small groups (there were only 25 of us); didn't require us to buy out the restaurant, or a portion thereof; was open for lunch, (most of the establishments I had my eye on were only open for dinner); available on a month's notice. Apparently, that was a tall order because I kept coming up empty and was about to give up when I came across L'Opera. Turns out, though technically only open for dinner, the restaurant takes group reservations for lunch. As a result, my small party of 25 pretty much had the restaurant to ourselves. (There was another party in the cellar downstairs, though if we hadn't been told about it in advance, we never would have known.) Both the staff and the food are superb. Justine was really easy to work with leading up to the event, and the waitstaff took really good care of us on our special day. Our guests all commented on how good the food was, and our cake exceeded my expectations. I'll admit I was a bit nervous commissioning them to make our cake. I mean, I pretty much just sent them an inspiration picture and indicated my flavor preference. There was no cake tasting, no flipping through a portfolio of what they've made in the past. I just trusted them, and they totally delivered. It's been months since we were married, and I kid you not, on more than one occasion my husband has wanted to dig into our cake in the freezer ahead of our anniversary. It was that good! Excellent service, delicious food, beautiful venue, and great location in Long Beach. Whether you're planning a small wedding like mine, or a 100+ person event, do yourself a favor and book L'Opera!

gest criteria when we searched Long Beach for a rehearsal dinner venue was to have a private area that could seat at least 40 people. We needed an intimate space where people could give toasts/speeches. We also did not want to just have a basic hotel/bland ballroom. We also wanted to show our guests a 20 minute slideshow created by the groom for our parents and family- so we needed a screen and music. I believe we looked into and inquired at probably more than 10 other venues (The Federal Bar, 555 Steakhouse, King's Fish House, 4th and Olive, Bo-Beau, Saint & Second, James Republic, La Traviata, Cafe Sevilla, etc). The private room was the hardest thing to find but L'Opera had it! They also helped us out with setting up a screen and projector. And their prices were extremely reasonable. We made our own custom pre-fix menu. I personally had a handmade beet linguine with crab pasta that I inhaled. I heard the filet and salmon dishes were also great. By the end of the night, we were surprised with an Opera singer who definitely made the night. I think our group was the last ones in the restaurant and we stayed past closing. Despite that, the staff was extremely nice about politely nudging us out. There was no rush whatsoever. I have only 2 critiques: 1) The projector - it was extremely small and took some fidgeting to set up but it eventually worked. I wish that went more smoothly but that's the gamble with technology and not necessarily anyone's fault. 2) The other event in La Scala- could not be helped and we knew going in this was a possibility. We had the Cellar which is adjacent to La Scala. The entrance to La Scala is the Cellar... so naturally, all of the La Scala guests were kind of walking through our rehearsal dinner. It really wasn't that big of an issue though because by the time we really started the speeches and toasts, they were leaving. It worked out. Overall, our rehearsal dinner was one of the best parts of our wedding weekend and I am so glad we finally found Justine at L'Opera. I would highly recommend L'Opera.

lot of out of state guests, so location was important. We had about 50-60 people in the La Scala/Wine Cellar room downstairs. The room was gorgeous! For our purposes, I didn’t need to order any other flowers/decoration. The staff at L’Opera have always been wonderful every time we have had dinner there. They were equally so as we planned our event. Throughout the entire process, we mainly worked with Justine. She was extremely prompt in her communication with us and highly professional. All of our questions were answered clearly. She was more than happy to work with my husband on a custom menu, pricing, and made appropriate suggestions for food/beverages. This was important because we had many guests with food restrictions. Prior to booking I visited a couple times in person to take a look at the space, and the staff was happy to accommodate me at a busy time. The actual event was absolutely wonderful. The space provided a very intimate setting, which was a nice change during our busy, multi-day, and multi-cultural wedding. L’Opera provided a choice between round or rectangular tables, a printed menu, and there was a built-in bar/bartender in the room. The staff was highly professional and friendly to everyone. The food was great as usual. Our menu allowed guests to choose between a few appetizers, main dishes, and there was a gorgeous plate of desserts for each table to share. Everything was perfect and on time. It was truly a special part of our wedding we will never forget. Thank you so much!

ns and saying yes to anything I asked. There is no question that they wanted to make sure I was happy. Anything that I asked for the evening of, they handled. They were willing to accommodate all the special dietary requests that night (and there were several). Guests were mostly from out of town so this was within walking distance of the hotels and the bride and groom's friends loved that when we walked out of the restaurant at the end of the night there was an active night life scene they could enjoy. For decorations all I did was order costco garland to run down the center of the long tables and and a whole bunch of stemmed floating candle holders- it looked beautiful. Could not have asked for an easier evening that came off beautiful. We did do the higher end set menu with the filet mignon option, and the steak was perfect. Don't skimp on the food- just go with the high end, it will impress. This was a great way to kick off the wedding weekend.

opera singer singing in the restaurant! Our guests had a wonderful time and we will definitely be going back! Whether it's for a special event or just a nice dinner, we definitely recommend L'Opera!