Shabu Shabu Restaurant Fills Vacant Retail Space In Belmont Shore

The owners of California Shabu Shabu, a Japanese restaurant chain where customers cook their own food in boiling pots of water seasoned with kelp, plan to open a new eatery in Belmont Shore.

Located at 5242 E. Second St., between Legends and Peets Coffee & Tea, the fourth installation of California Shabu Shabu is scheduled to open this summer, likely in August, said owner Ash Chan. The Second Street location was formerly a shoe store.

The original California Shabu Shabu opened 15 years ago in Fountain Valley, Chan said. We believe in Belmont Shore and I just moved here, to Belmont Heights. We are so excited to open our doors in the center of Second Street and Belmont Shore.

Chan said it has taken several months to renovate the space and transform what once was a retail store into a venue with a kitchen and dining room.

The biggest problem was engineering and the repairs that needed to be done so that we could install the proper ventilation and equipment for this to be a restaurant, Chan said. Its probably been about eight months of work, maybe more. We are really hoping to be open in August.

Meanwhile, the business owner is applying for a beer and wine license and completing the restaurants design, which includes brick facades, wall murals, window frame television mounts and a modern, industrial style that mirrors the industrial history of Long Beach.

Derek Burnham, city planning administrator, said permits have been issued for construction of the restaurant. Although the restaurant is taking the place of a retail storefront, he added that the owners have worked with the city to ensure that parking will not be impacted.

Parking is always complicated in Belmont Shore, Burnham said. Using typical zoning code calculations for parking requirements, he explained that because California Shabu Shabus dining area will be considerably smaller than the former shoe stores total square footage, no additional parking spaces would be required.

Restaurants need to have more parking per square foot than retail spaces, but restaurant square footage is based on the dining area only, whereas retail parking requirements are based on total square footage.

If we keep the dining area small enough, then the business really cannot accommodate extra patrons, he said. This has been typical for other buildings in the area that have gone from retail to restaurant space.

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Shabu Shabu Restaurant Fills Vacant Retail Space In Belmont Shore