Jason Witzl knew a lot of local eyes would be on him when he opened Ellie’s on the corner of Second Street and Orange Avenue in Long Beach, the location of the beloved neighborhood staple At Last Cafe, which closed earlier this year.

“It’s a ton of pressure. We opened the restaurant very quickly. At Last Cafe closed on a Sunday, we came in on a Monday and opened 30 days later,” said the 33-year-old Whittier native who opened his new restaurant with wife Alexandra Witzl. While At Last had a hometown diner feel with spruced-up classic comfort food raging around $8-$13, Ellie’s is more upscale with white tablecloths and pastas ranging from $14-$17. Yet Witzl knows comparisons are inevitable.