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Long Beach Food Scene Intel is a series from Brian Addison that will recap food news throughout the city. This is news that needs just a quick mention, is developing, or repeated news where you might have missed the full features.
Hug Life on 4th Street shutters
Hug Life—owner Johny Tran’s third iteration of his popular, Orange County-based vegan ice cream shop—has permanently closed on 4th Street. With a sign that said nothing more than “Thank you for all your support! We are unfortunately permanently closed,” there are few details on why the space abruptly shut down.
Mooney’s Pizza taking over form Huff’s space
A new pizzeria is heading to East Long Beach later this year as Mooney’s Pizza prepares to take over the former Huff’s Family Restaurant space at 8105 E Wardlow Rd. The project is the passion of Cindy and Paul “Hal” Mooney, who aim to bring their love of pizza, craft beer, and frozen custard to the neighborhood. According to Hal, the couple is targeting a fall opening—likely October or November of 2025. Look for a more elaborate profile in the coming months.
Taste Wine-Beer-Kitchen to reopen on July 17
After hosting an array of private wine dinners at their space since shuttering post-pandemic, Taste Wine-Beer-Kitchen—the brainchild of Olive Grocer founders, owners and loving couple Erin O’Hagan and Laurie Semon, as well as Chef Brad Neumann—is ready to reopen on July 17. The much-missed Belmont Heights space will return to its California-fusion roots.
Fronk’s in Bellflower permanenly closes its doors
Frank’s—the much-loved Bellflower restaurant that has undergone multiple iterations and has been up for sale—has permanently closed its doors. Here is how owner Craig Frissinger put it on a social media post:
“This one hurts. With a heavy heart I will need to close Fronk’s. Through COVID, inflation, and every gut punch through the last 5 years we all have been through.
“It has been a daily challenge and a small miracle that Fronk’s made it this long. The reason being Thee Greatest Staff in the world. Cece, Alan, Bre, and Oscar. And my second family: Dino, Tori, Danny, Adam, and Teo. All have been with me since the beginning. And the rest, I love all my staff to death!! To everyone who pulled up for the games, the drinks, the food, the vibe — YOU were the heartbeat of this place. Whether you came for your favorite server or just needed a spot to escape for a bit… I saw you. I felt it. And I’ll miss the hell out of it.
“But I’m proud of what we built, and even more proud of the community that built it with us. Stop by tonight and let the staff know you love them. I am sure they will be here drinking Bubba Teas and Craigerz Jack n Cokes. I love what I do and I love all of you that call Fronk’s your second home. My One last round.”
ICYMI: Loquat Oysters at the Bixby Park Farmers Market serves up Long Beach’s best oysters
Meander to the Bixby Park Farmers Market and get down on the city’s best oysters.
Loquat is adorable—a fully-decked out truck that acts as an oyster bar to sit at—and insanely delicious. Beausoleils topped with caviar. Grilled Watch House Points grilled with bone marrow. Penn Coves squeezed with before being topped off with a prohok-inspired mignonette—a Washington bivalve gone Cambodian.
Plus, its owners? Damn salt of the earth.
For the full feature, click here.
ICYMI: Tanuki Curry House brings a glorious, proper Japanese curry to Long Beach
My gods, how I love Tanuki Curry House and—finally—a proper, balanced Japanese curry here in Long Beach.
And it goes beyond Chef Erwin Angeles’s 24-hour, created-across-months curry (which comes in every way imaginable, from katsu to rice to udon forms). It’s also in plates like his agedashi tofu—fried hunks of tofu in a warm dashi bath—and nasu miso—chunks of Japanese eggplant glazed in miso topped with aonori.
From the chef of Kihon, this is a Signal Hill hole-in-the-wall that wonderfully fills a gap in our food scene
ICYMI: Stuffed between two bars in West Long Beach, Black Pork is a multi-cultural food gem
Black Pork owners Veronica Lopez and Luis Mendiola have created a West Long Beach food space unlike any other. Tomahawk ribeyes on the weekends. Mussels in a warm bath of white wine, cream, and Guajillo chiles. Perfectly fried empanadas—the best in the city. A Latin American interpretation of Italian porchetta. Massive Cuban sandwiches that rival the best in the region. The finest clam chowder west of the 710 (and yes, I mean better than the almighty Chowder Barge).
With a bikini bar on one side and a dive bar on the other that opens at 6AM daily, Black Pork’s DIY-chic, definitively adorable space acts as a dichotomy for its neighbors. Their smoker stands proudly just off the sidewalk of the southern half of Willow Street, west of the 710. The aromatic plumes drive everyone from neighbors across the street to passersby in cars to head toward it, with many a vehicle heading westward busting a U-ey.
It’s proof that immigrants make our community better—undocumented or otherwise. Period.
