Broken Spirits—the distillery and barbecue joint that took over the former Portuguese Bend space in 2024—has officially closed. After its last dinner service on Wednesday, Sept. 30, Thursday will mark the day staff privately say goodbye and receive their final paycheck.
“I gave it my all, Long Beach,” said co-owner Isaias Hernández. “At this time, I sincerely feel that this is a moment to honor everyone who has come out to support us… Thank you for the memories. For my family and me, it was completely worth it. From taco throw-downs to themed dinners, we are damn thankful. This isn’t goodbye; this is see you soon.”
After losing one of its leaders, Broken Spirits struggled to pick up their spirits.
The Broken Spirits family suffered a huge loss with Isaias’s brother, Juan, who died earlier this year. Helping found the Smoke & Fire brand that put the crew on the SoCal food map, leading to the creation of Villains Brewing, Craft, and most recently, Broken Spirits, Juan was an essential cog in the space’s identity.
“Juan was more than a business partner,” former co-owner Josh Benthrem said earlier this year. “He was a brother, a true friend, and the driving force who believed deeply in this vision before it ever came to life. He was the one who pushed, encouraged, and helped turn Smoke and Fire from an idea into reality.”
It was here that Isaias pins the problems: A lack of centeredness, a slowing patronage, and an ever-present monthly rent that felt heavier with each passing quarter.
“It’s difficult when your spirits are completely on the bottom run and, on top of that, rent makes up a huge portion of your costs and the landlord isn’t interested in a conversation about amending that,” Isaias said.
Broken Spirits, ironically, took over a previously short-lived space, briefly mending DTLB’s constantly changing business facade…
When Portuguese Bend shuttered in early 2023, the loss extended beyond another restaurant closing. Long Beach’s first grain-to-glass distillery had gone dark. And with it, it left behind a space—and its investors—built around the possibility that our city could make its own spirits. Broken Spirits’ arrival gave that possibility another chance.
The crew behind Smoke & Fire and Villains Brewing brought a distinctly different sensibility to the address at 3rd Street and The Promenade. With Isaias, local Josh Bentrem, and Isaias’s brother, Juan Hernández, helping shape the venture, Broken Spirits paired the infrastructure of a working distillery with the group’s barbecue roots. Its ambition was straightforward, if not an outright mirror of Portuguese Bend’s hopes: Give people a reason to come for dinner. Stay for a cocktail. And become familiar with unique spirits made right here in Long Beach.
The space’s initial distiller, Massimiliano “Max” Stecca, brought an unusual advantage to the opening. After his former workplace, Santa Ana’s Blinking Owl Distillery, closed, he bought back barrels of the spirits he had produced there, allowing Broken Spirits to debut with aged offerings already in stock. (Most newly minted distilleries, including Portuguese Bend, start off with gin and vodka because aging isn’t required for things like whiskey; Broken Spirits was able to skip this loophole.) That included aged aquavit and whiskey, giving the new business a connection to years of distilling work before its own doors had opened.
The redesign gave the space its own personality, too. Early plans paired dark tones with copper and gold details, geometric mirrors, and booths surrounding the bar. Josh, a Long Beach resident, offered a succinct explanation of the name in Longbeachize’s first-look coverage: “We’re all pretty broken, and we love our spirits.” There was humor in it, certainly, but also an acknowledgment that opening something new often means working through what came before.
Broken Spirits attempted to evolve to sustain itself…
As the business evolved, the team realized that the distillery identity could overshadow an equally essential part of the operation: the kitchen. In 2025, they began emphasizing the name Broken Spirits Barbecue & Distillery, putting the food front and center in the introduction. That summer’s push included $9 slider lunch combos, $15 bowls, and a $35 four-course Long Beach Food Scene Week dinner—specific offerings that made affordability part of the conversation surrounding the space.
Listening to the neighborhood has also changed how the kitchen operates. In April of 2025, Broken Spirits announced that its beef and chicken offerings had become halal, responding to requests from diners, including customers drawn to nearby Ammatoli. That decision illustrates how restaurants along The Promenade can benefit from paying attention to one another: A neighboring restaurant’s audience can reveal an opportunity to welcome more people through your own doors.
That evolution has included difficult conversations. Isaias has publicly acknowledged concerns about consistency, and in February of 2026, following his brother Juan’s death, he described a renewed commitment to seasonal Californian barbecue and a more focused kitchen. The distilling program remained central, with rum, whiskey, vodka, and gin featured in the planned tastings for Broken Spirits’ Long Beach Last Call kickoff. But the team’s stated priority was making the food more dependable while honoring the barbecue foundation Juan helped build.
Broken Spirits Barbecue & Distillery was located at 300 The Promenade N.
