Brunch at Michael's Pizzeria (Long Beach, CA)

I've been meaning to try Michael's Pizzeria, but I haven't gone down to South Bay much lately.
I finally made the trek and visited the downtown Long Beach location for weekend brunch, and they had a musician playing guitar outside.

Michael's doesn't just serve pizzas, but they also have a special brunch menu, where you'll find dishes like Cast-iron baked cinnamon rolls with rosemary syrup

The cinnamon rolls are made to order, which means they are piping hot, fresh from the oven! They're mini-sized to make sharing easier and the green color for the rosemary syrup is actually from spinach (so it's healthy, right?). These are definitely great cinnamon rolls.

Cast-iron dishes are a special category at Michael's and include the Caprino e Carciofi (pesto, baby artichokes, potatoes, mozzarella, goat cheese)

I like these baked cast-iron dishes as a fun twist on the typical brunch dishes.
More for brunch: Brioche French toast, served with berries and cream ($7)

Of course, I had to try some pizza, along with a pint of their local beers on tap. Truth is, I don't normally expect much from Long Beach eateries, so I was pleasantly surprised by Michael's Neapolitan-style pizza. We tried both a white and red pie, starting with the Salsiccia (mozzarella, fontina cheese, sausage, escarole, roasted garlic, $16)

The mozzarellas are fresh made in-house and great (if you don't let it sit too long) on the un-sliced Neapolitan style crust. The garlic and sausage provided strong flavors on the white pie. We had to try the classic Margherita D.O.P. (tomato, mozzarella, basil, EVOO, $13)

This crust had a bit more char to it which I liked, and the tomato sauce is brightly flavorful.

For dessert, try the tiramisu or one of their homemade gelato. The tiramisu was good and they gave a generous portion, although I prefer mine with more coffee liqueur. The gelato was on-point.

I was pleasantly surprised by Michael's Pizzeria. I love the ambiance, both the indoor and outdoor seating and their food was good and reasonably priced. Adding to that the local craft beers on tap, Michael's is a fun place to eat and hang out with your friends - perfect for downtown Long Beach! My guitar-playing friend was apparently impressed by the musician they had as well :P

Michael's Pizzeria
210 E 3rd St
Long Beach, CA 90802
(562) 491-2100
http://www.michaelspizzeria.com/