SteelCraft Outdoor Urban Eatery Opens in Bellflower

Tuesday June 17, 2019

By Brian Hews and Tammye McDuff

It has been almost two years since Bellflower City Council approved plans for SteelCraft to open their third shipping container retail park at Bellflower Boulevard and Oak Street.

SteelCraft is an outdoor urban eatery set in a communal dining environment, completely constructed from repurposed shipping containers. The development is estimated to generate $50,000 in annual sales tax and an additional $22,000 in annual lease revenue. Moreover, these eateries will add approximately 64-120 jobs to the Bellflower community.

This past June 13, SteelCraft held the official opening to the delight of many residents. “We are excited to welcome SteelCraft and its rapidly growing reputation as a unique dining and social experience into Downtown Bellflower,” said Mayor Sonny Santa Ines, “it has taken us awhile, but this niche retail establishment adds delicious home-grown fare to Bellflower’s growing renaissance and reputation as a desired destination.”

“What’s special about Bellflower is they have this wholehearted trust in our team to search far and wide to bring exciting new eatery establishments to the area. That creative liberty is something we value in a partnership and we are eager to get started,” said Kim Gros, founder of SteelCraft.

Activated spaces have been allocated for family friendly [and pet friendly] entertainment, kids play area, games, a stage for live music and murals by local artists. The permanent wood barn-like shade structure is reminiscent of the City’s farm and dairy history.

Bellflower’s new neighbors include Ten Mile Brewing, a family owned and operated brewery out of Long Beach. The name Ten Mile Brewing comes from the Kings Canyon National Park where the family has owned a cabin and been vacationing for several generations.

Ten Mile’s Citrallenial brew.

Solid Coffee Roasters roasts their own beans and is committed to making sure that people experience the delight of drinking good coffee that hasn’t been sitting for weeks on store shelves. In addition to providing unique beverages, they have created a business model that allows any organization or company to make their own branded flavor.

Solid Coffee’s Guatemalan beans.

With coffee comes Cassidy’s Corner, creating bagels, their own cream cheese blends and “bagel bombs,” like a donut hole but infused with all sorts of creamy goodness. Locals know Cassidy’s Corner well from their store in Lakewood where they consistently have lines out the door for their homemade bagels and Acia bowls.

Cassidy’s bagels are worth the wait.

The Standing Room is a burger/sandwich place offering soft shell crab and short rib burgers and of course, garlic parmesan fries. The Standing Room began by selling homemade burgers out of a tiny space in the back of a liquor store in Redondo Beach. The incredible burgers earned a cult following where the store had quite literally, standing room only.

The Standing Room’s legendary short rib burger.

Not your ordinary chicken place, Fritzi Coop calls itself the home of naked fried chicken. Their signature sandwich is triple-battered buttermilk fried chicken goodness with house-made pimento cheese, lettuce, tomato & sliced pickles.

Fritzi Coop’s signature sandwich.

Adding to the array of food fare is Pholanthropy, a Vietnamese concept built to promote the welfare of others through donation to good causes while enjoying delicious bowls of pho.

Bahn Mi sandwich at Pholanthropy.

Long Beach Creamery handcrafts ice cream delights, focusing on local, organic ingredients to create their signature flavors of ice cream like roasted strawberry or blueberry donut.

Long Beach Creamery’s ice cream is delectable.

PRIME by Shenandoah is a concept built on the sturdy foundation of a local comfort food restaurant. Shenandoah opened over 30 years ago on Naples Island in Long Beach. The name PRIME comes from their use of the most prime ingredients, sourced locally and responsibly through farmers markets and small independent purveyors. PRIME uses only compostable, sustainable plastics and recycled paper in order to leave as little impact as possible on the environment.

Prime by Shenandoah’s Panzanella salad

Finally the Off Duty Wine Bar will guide you to a stellar wine pairing, no matter what your meal. With their rotating selection of wines, they have something for everyone. Off Duty Wine Bar is the perfect spot for an after work wine down with the crew, or a date night dining al fresco under the stars.

SteelCraft Bellflower is located on the corner of Bellflower Blvd. and Oak St. at 16500 Bellflower Blvd., Bellflower, CA 90706. SteelCraft is dog- and family-friendly with regular events and programming available to the community. Free City-provided parking is available throughout Downtown Bellflower. Visit www.steelcraftlb.com for our parking guide, vendor hours, and calendar of events page.