After 7 years of serving affordable vegan food on 4th Street, Seabirds Kitchen is closing

Seabirds Kitchen, the longtime all-vegan restaurant in the North Alamitos Beach neighborhood, will have its last day of service on Sept. 8.

Seabirds shared a heartfelt goodbye on Instagram last Wednesday, expressing gratitude for the staff and customers that have sustained it over the last seven years.

“We’ve loved being a part of your celebrations, your everyday meals, and your lives,” part of the statement read. “The connections we’ve built with you will always hold a special place in our hearts.”

Originally opened in August 2017, owner and chef Stephanie Morgan attempted to keep the restaurant on Fourth Street near Bonito Avenue afloat by listing the location for sale in January.

Morgan said the decision to close was not made lightly, but rising expenses paired with a decline in sales lingering after the pandemic led to her decision to shutter the eatery.

“I always wanted Seabirds to provide food that was accessible, not like high-end stuff,” Morgan said. “The end goal was always to change people’s minds about what a plant-based meal and experience could be.”

The priciest entree on the menu today is the $20 BBQ Burger. Morgan said that’s almost double what an entree cost when Seabirds first opened in Long Beach.

Instead of raising prices, sacrificing food quality or cutting back on labor, she chose to close, Morgan said.

The 11-year-old Costa Mesa location will remain open, just under 20 miles away.

Lizzie Gill, who was having lunch with her friend Erika Govea Friday afternoon, made the over-70-mile trek from Redlands to eat at Seabirds one last time.

Gill began coming to the restaurant 5 years ago. Her favorite item is the gluten-free purple taquitos, she said.

“We have to support our mom-and-pop restaurants,” Gill said.

After moving to New York to pursue a career in financial service, Morgan quickly shifted gears when she switched to a vegan diet.

Nearly two decades ago, she couldn’t find many vegan-centric restaurants and decided to take the cooking into her own hands.

“Vegan at the time was not very popular,” she said.

Morgan moved back to Orange County, where she was born and raised, and got her old boss to invest in a vegan food truck that she opened up with her homemade recipes in 2010.

Eventually, she turned enough profit to open her flagship store in Costa Mesa in 2013. She moved to Long Beach not long after and discovered there weren’t many places for vegans to dine.

“I felt that Long Beach needed better food,” Morgan said. “I felt like it needed to exist in this community.”

She found the location on Fourth Street because her boyfriend-turned-husband lived nearby on Sixth Street and Alamitos Avenue.

Karen Ochoa, of Compton, stopped in the restaurant for the first time on Friday afternoon. She said she was looking for a place to meet a friend for lunch and came across Seabirds Kitchen.

Ochoa ordered the Seabirds’ $19 Beets Me Burger — which was featured in the NY Times — containing a house-made beet, shitake and chia patty.

The Zippy Fries, featuring vegan cheese and grilled ancho mushrooms, are also a fan-favorite for $14.

Morgan said she has spent the majority of her time at the Long Beach location over the last seven years. She had this parting message:

“Support the restaurants that you love,” Morgan said. “I know it’s hard, but if you can go, dine in instead of ordering online.”

Seabirds Kitchen, at 975 E. Fourth Street, will have its last day of service on Sept. 8. It is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, except for Wednesday when it is closed. On Saturday and Sunday, it’s open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

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