Missed out on Brian Addison’s Favorite Things of past? We got you covered—just click here.

Too many years back, I wrote a very self-indulgent listicle that was about so-called “essential” Long Beach dishes; dishes that I loved and could depend on as long as that place existed—and I wrote it because there’s something so elemental and useful about a specific great dish at a specific place. It was less about some grander proclamation than it was about, “This is just great food.” (I’ve done a much more comprehensive, similar list since then.)

And after a year of not doing such lists, I want to return to it. Not some grand list of “essential dishes”—that is too hard of a burden to put on a restaurant: You better have this and you better have it all the time. But for now, in this moment, I am happy to share some of my favorite things.

In other words: Why not just own the moment? Without further ado, here are the favorite things I’m eating right now…

Tartare sando from Olive & Rose

255 Atlantic Ave.

For the entirety of its inaugural outing, Olive & Rose was relegated to night hours with a (stellar) dinner-only service. That, in turn, left much to the imagination as what the space would encompass in during the day. After all, the entirety of its west-facing wall can open to the attached hotel’s pool and inner plaza. It opened mid-autumn and then rolled into the winter months, further making one wonder what a gorgeous spring day would be like.

Now, with the warmer months ahead and a newly minted lunch menu that feels SoCal in every best way possible, the experience of Olive & Rose is a distinctly new one. And the fact that Chef Philip Pretty has a steak tartare sandwich makes it all the better. Wonderfully tart with bits of salt thanks to potato chips lined inside, it’s a shockingly light take on what is a cuisine classic.

Prohok kteh from Crystal Thai Cambodain

1165 E. 10th St.

Crystal Thai Cambodian is, in nearly every sense, the public-yet-home kitchen for Cambodian food in Long Beach. Your Cambodian friends will tell you this is where they go when they want to feel the warmth of their heritage’s home cooking without having to exert the effort to do so themselves. Serving the Cambodian and Long Beach communities for over 15 years, it is unabashed in its embrace of traditional Cambodian cuisine.

While I’ve long exalted the virtues of their nom p’jok or their samlor machu kreung or their beautiful whole fried catfish, deeper cuts like their prohok kteh often get pushed to the wayside. This salt-bomb-in-the-best-way-possible is a hyper-savory, umami-layered mixture. The description of prohok kteh has, at the heart of it, two things: ground pork and fermented fish paste known as prohok in Khmer. And for some, it might sound strange but in all frankness, it’s a salty wonder of a dish. Slap a scoop atop cabbage with bits of cucumber or African round eggplant, squeeze some lime, and it is worth passing around the table.

Carciofi salad from Mangiafolie

2306 E. 4th St.

Chef Paul Reese’s vegan-venture that is Mangiafoglie is attempting to create classic Italian food through a vegan lens. Imitating cream sauces. Re-creating meatballs and sausage. Offering some of the best vegan cheese in the city atop their pizzas. But Mangiafolie shines best when it lets the quality of the space’s vegetables shine bright on their own, like their carciofi salad.

A garlic-saturated, citrusy creation, this is the salad one could easily have multiple times a week and never tire. Peppery arugula meets chunks of cherry tomato and garbanzo beans, while artichoke hearts layered in olive oil and lemon offer a beautiful brightness.

Salsiccia e funghi pizza from Due Fiori

2708 E. 4th St.

For Waldo Stout—the man behind Waldo’s Pizza and who used to be at Marlena—his lead role at the newly minted Due Fiori represents a full-circle moment, especially as the menu has him return to an early love: dough. “Watching my mom and grandmother make these beautiful flour tortillas made me realize one significant thing,” Waldo told me in 2024. “My hands were made to touch dough.” Due Fiori represents Stout’s love of flour, kneading, and the specific alchemy that makes dough magical.

His pizzas? Hearty and Sicilian in inspiration, these cheese-cooked-the-edge rectangles are wonderfully crafted—especially his newly minted wonder. Sausage, mushrooms, and bits of fresh oregano sit atop a layer of bechamel and mushroom duxelle under cheese. The umami from the mushrooms with the creaminess of the fat from the sausage and bechamel, create one of the city’s best pizzas.

For Brian Addison’s full feature on Due Fiori for Eater LA, click here.

Ube drinks from CoffeeDrunk’s collaboration with Gemmae

2701 E. 4th St. | 913 E. Wardlow Rd. | 4374 Atlantic Ave.

CoffeeDrunk has quickly become a staple in Long Beach, with three locations spread across the city since its birth mid-pandemic. One of the defining characteristics of owners Matthew and Breezy Church are their dedication and care for the surrounding community. Understanding that working within a silo is anything but productive, the pair have been constantly involved in community events and collaborations.

For Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, they’ve partnered with the Westside Filipino gem that is Gemmae for ube drinks that are beautifully colored and happily sippable. My personal fave? The ube match.

Look for the full feature on CoffeeDrunk in the coming days.

Missed out on Brian Addison’s Favorite Things of past? We got you covered—just click here.

Editor’s note: This article originally has an incorrect address for Due Fiori; it has since been corrected.