Mum's Restaurant
Restaurant
Info
Considered a milestone in the redevelopment of Pine Avenue, Mum's Restaurant is a distinctive and spectacular collection of fine dining, entertainment, and hospitality located in historic downtown Long Beach, California. It is currently celebrating its 13th year anchoring Long Beach's restaurant row. Owner, John Morris, left Mother England to settle on the sunny shores of California in 1973. In December of 1979, he opened the hugely successful landmark sports bar, Legends, in the Belmont Shore area of Long Beach. Legends was the first sports bar to show sporting events via satellite. Morris actually bought the first satellite that the company produced. Intrigued by private development plans for the Pine Avenue and Promenade areas of the city, Morris decided to establish a restaurant where the focus would be on fine cuisine, good service, and sophisticated ambiance. After three years of planning, negotiating, designing, and renovating, John Morris opened the doors to Mum's - named in honor of his mother - in February of 1988. Mum's opened as an upscale restaurant specializing in the cuisine of Northern Italy, including gourmet pizzas from wood-burning ovens. Live big band music and jazz were offered from the earliest days inside the chic dining room and outside stylish patio. As Morris put it, "People's expectations were so low in those days that we were able to blow them away from the start." As a result, people came from around the block and around the world to see and be seen at Mum's. To this day, it is no surprise to find yourself sitting next to a famous TV personality at dinner and enjoying a cigar and cocktails in the Cohiba Cigar Lounge next to a renowned race car driver during Toyota's Long Beach Grand Prix. Never satisfied with the status quo, Morris has built a career of pushing the edge of the envelope. For example, Mum's was the first restaurant in the area to feature an open kitchen where patrons could observe the chef's artistry. The airy, smart interior and the sidewalk patio also raised the bar in design for restaurants that followed. Such innovative ideas such as Cohiba's Cigar & Billiard Room and the Sushi Bar demonstrate Morris' sensitivity to the public's constantly changing needs and desires. In 1992, Mum's expanded to the 7,500 square foot second floor space of an adjacent building and opened CLUB COHIBA with live music and dancing on weekends. The additional space provided one of the few large, non-hotel banquet facilities in the city that was capable of accommodating up to 1,000 guests. Club Cohiba's floor is the same wood from the ballet hall that originally occupied the second floor of 110 Broadway in downtown Long Beach. The floors of Club Cohiba create a light, airy atmosphere which compliments the German walnut moldings along the walls, framing the windows, and supporting the full bar. John Morris obtained the beautifully preserved German walnut from the Jergen's Building on Ocean Avenue in Long Beach. The Jergen's Building was home to the prestigious Grisham, Vanderberg, Knott, and Conway Law Firm. This law firm occupied the penthouse in the historical Jergen's Building in the 1930's. The Martini Lounge, also known as Small Cohiba, opened in Club Cohiba in 1993 with a huge selection of expertly made specialty martinis. The Martini Lounge was renovated to incorporate historical wood moldings very similar to Club Cohiba. The wood in the Martini Lounge was originally used in the Pacific Coast Club of Long Beach. The Pacific Coast Club was built in 1926 and its facilities included a hotel for its club members. For many years, the Pacific Coast Club was the center of many social and professional gatherings. The wood fostered a warm, inviting environment and the small mythical characters, also carved out of wood, enticed curiosity and excitement for many club members. The building was condemned in the 1970's and demolished in the 1980's. It was at this point, that John Morris gained possession of the finely crafted wood that now lines the interior walls of the Martini Lounge. Morris then repieced the wood in order to perfectly line the room. The small stone gargoyles sit perched throughout the lounge, thoroughly enjoying their new home. Cohiba Cigar & Billiard Lounge opened in 1994 as the area's first spot to offer fine cigars in a club-like, social setting and today is still the only place in Long Beach that you can drink a finely concocted martini and smoke a cigar indoors. Cohiba Cigar & Billiard Lounge is truly rich and masculine in atmosphere and setting. With plush leather couches, a full humidor room and walls lined with rich French Walnut, Cohiba sets the mood for every interaction whether it be a professional meeting after work or a social encounter among friends. The French walnut was imported from France in 1927 and carefully crafted for the library in the Buffum's House of Long Beach. Morris obtained the wood from the developers who demolished the Buffum's House and had it carefully positioned in Cohiba Cigar & Billiard Room to create a lavish atmosphere. During the summer of 1999, Mum's remodeled its roof top to create the "Roof Top Terrace." Mum's had provided roof top patio dining ever since Club Cohiba opened in 1992, but it was purely seasonal. The Roof Top Terrace now has a full bar, several plush booths, and an incredible view of downtown Long Beach. On Fridays and Saturdays, you can enjoy live salsa music and dancing under the stars. The Roof Top Terrace was remodeled to maintain the 1930's decor of the rest of Club Cohiba. The Roof Top Terrace is the site of our monthly cigar and wine dinners. All of the rooms in Club Cohiba can be reserved for private banquets. You may reserve just one for your private event or you may reserve the entire club depending on your needs. Mum's Restaurant and Club Cohiba would be pleased to accommodate any of your personal or professional needs.
Industries / Specializations
RestaurantMap
144 Pine Avenue , 90802 Long Beach