If it feels like Kafe Neo has been on the corner of Fourth and Temple forever, that’s because it has–the place has been in construction for over a year. Understandable, however, when you consider the fact that the place used to house an auto mechanic. And though some of the building’s harsher corners still seem a bit storage unit-like, the restaurant is finally open for business.

Kafe Neo bills itself as a modern American kitchen with Greek flair. And I suppose that’s about right. The interior is clean and bright–lots of windows and sliding doors. There are a handful of flat-screen TVs (which is surprisingly the norm for a lot of new restaurants) and some local-looking art.

The food is pretty good, too–pitas and skewers and dips that are light and, well, taste like they came from a “modern American kitchen with Greek flair.”

There were a few hiccups with some food and some service, but that will presumably be worked out.

Also? Kafe Neo has a liquor license in the works.

But more on that soon enough.

Tags: First Bite, Food, greek, kafe neo, Long Beach, new restaurants