El Barrio Cantina—4th Street’s much-loved, Mexican-centric, SoCal-inspired bar and restaurant—is bringing on what owner and Chef Ulises Pineda-Alfaro calls “what the community needs.” It’s a return to open doors at lunch. Happy hour every day of the week, including weekends and all day on Tuesdays. It includes tons of items under $10 and nearly every single hearty dish being under $15. And for a space with parking across the street, it is a gem for Long Beach in more ways than one.
“Talking to other restaurateurs, I understand we’re not the only ones hurting—it’s citywide,” Ched Ulises said. “And that also means the customers are hurting. Their wallets are strained. And we need to find ways that make them comfortable to come in and dine with us. Because at the end of the day, we’re as much a part of their home as they are to ours.”
El Barrio’s ‘recession lunch’ is a smart move in a world dominated by often unreachable food costs.
In the world of $100 bagels and $85 calzones, whom food is for becomes a question important to those who can’t consistently afford the seemingly endless uptick in the costs of eating out. And Chef Ulises recognizes that “end of the day, choosing to eat out or not will always be about the financials for most.”
Like many restaurateurs, Chef Ulises has had to deeply limit hours, both operationally and on the labor side. Many spaces across the city remain largely closed on multiple days a week, especially on Mondays. And while some groups of restaurant-saturated spaces have opted to stay open seven days a week in hopes of luring daytime and late-night traffic, keeping daytime hours have proven hard across the board.
Even bars with the now unattainable-unless-you-inherit-it liquor license that allows 6AM open times have largely not returned to doing so, from the Gayborhood staples to dives across the city like Crow’s. (One of the few exceptions? The Reno Room.)
“Add to that the anxiety of the election, I know me and the people I am closest to sense a recession coming on, unfortunately,” Chef Ulises continued. “And we thought: Fuck it, let’s just open up for lunch and give the customer the best value for their buck. At the end of the day, we’re here to stay as part of the community and city.”
So when, exactly, does this ‘recession’ menu run? And what’s on it?
El Barrio Cantina‘s happy hour runs Monday through Friday from 11AM to 5:30PM, with Tuesdays having All Day Happy Hours. Saturdays and Sundays? 3PM to 5:30PM.
And when it comes to items, there is plenty to brag about. There are half-dozen Blue Point oysters for $6 and served with a cilantro red yuzukosho mignonette. $3 chips and salsa. Crinkle loaded fries for $6. $2.50 tacos. Wings that are six for $9. Chorizo, chicken, tinga, or squash stuffed quesadillas for $9.
There are $5 tostadas ranging from pulpo to shrimp to vegan to aguachile. There’s even a 6-ounce Wagyu burger with fondue cheese sauce and fries for $14. And there’s an 8-ounce ribeye serving of fajitas for $20 (and that by far the most expensive thing on the menu).
I don’t know what else you need to know: Go. And let’s return the Long Beach food scene into a vibrant lunchtime destination.
El Barrio Cantina is located at 1731 E. 4th St.
