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Long Beach Food Scene Intel is a series from Brian Addison that will recap food news throughout the city, both news that needs just a quick mention or repeated news where you might have missed the full features.
Burger staple Hamburgers Nice partners with Baby Gee Bar for one-day-only event
I mean, what else is there to say? I owe a lot to both of these entities: Hamburgers Nice and Baby Gee Bar are not just two things that have long supported my work but two things I deeply respect in the food world. (Shout-out to Baby Gee for, yet again, hosting my Industry Appreciation Party for Long Beach Food Scene Week.)
And come this Sunday, the pair of some our best—Jairo Bogarín of Hamburgers Nice and Gianna Johns of Baby Gee—will be taking brunch to entirely new, boozey levels.
Baby Gee Bar is located at 1227 E. 4th St.
Shlap Muan is expanding its hours
Lovers of the city’s best wings rejoice: North Long Beach staple Shlap Muan will be opening up on Mondays and Tuesday from 11:30AM to 7:30PM starting, Monday, Aug 19.
When I first wrote about this tiny-but-mighty wing shop in North Long Beach for Eater LA, the story was an ode to the symbiotic relationship between the Cambodian community and Long Beach: Owner Hawk Tea had to balance many things while being raised in his parents’ North Long Beach Chinese-American restaurant—his Chinese ethnicity, Cambodian culture, American citizenship, search for self…—but ultimately, it was his eventual take over that very restaurant that has proven to be his most fulfilling endeavor to date: Eschewing the majority of the space’s old-school menu and rebranding as Shlap Muan (“chicken wing” in Khmer), Tea has created a mini-wing empire that honors everything about his multi-cultural life—especially the Cambodian side.
Shlap Muan is located at 2150 E. South St.
Cyclops Coffee opens in East Long Beach
Cyclops Coffee has officially opened inside the complex that is home to Beach City BBQ and The Interlude at the northeast corner of Clark and Atheron Avenues. Long Beach Food Scene member Courtney Flores was one of the first to try it: “I treated myself to a lavender cold brew this morning and it was absolutely delicious! They have exccellent, quality coffee and couldn’t be nicer people. I’m so happy they’re in the neighborhood. Be sure to stop by and enjoy a great cup of joe.”
Ficklewood—the first cidery in Long Beach—permanently shutters its doors
Ficklewood—Long Beach’s first formal cidery—has permanently closed up shop following an announcement on their social media.
“Unfortunately, the unprecedented challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted our business, and despite our best efforts, we were unable to achieve the sustainability needed to continue,” they wrote.
The space went up for sale earlier this year and follows a string of closures, most recently Seabirds Kitchen and Michael’s Downtown.
Jan’s Health Bar is moving—albeit slowly—toward opening its first Long Beach location
Nearly one month aftering sharing a construction update on its first Long Beach space, Jan’s Health Bar is inching toward opening as construction continues. One of Orange County’s most successful and championed businesses, Jan’s Health Bar, has expanded into six locations across the county—and will cross the Orange Curtain for the first time when it opens near Loynes Drive and Pacific Coast Highway in East Long Beach. Plans were announced back in March of 2024.
ICYMI: Long Beach’s first Wild Fork Foods grocer to open Aug. 28; grand opening is Sept. 25
Exotic meat lovers rejoice: alligator, ostrich, bison, rabbit… These are just a few of the some 500 varieties of frozen meats and seafood—flash frozen at some -40 degrees to reduce crystallization—that will be offered by Wild Fork Foods. It will be opening its first Long Beach location on Aug. 28 and host a grand opening Sept. 25 inside the former Ruby’s space at the southeast corner of 2nd Street and Pacific Coast Highway.
Click here for the full feature.
ICYMI: Long Beach vegan staple Seabirds Kitchen to permanently shutter Sept. 8
This isn’t just a loss for the vegan community but the entire food scene of Long Beach. Major, major bummer… Chef Stephanie Morgan—like her counterpart, Chef Soozee Nguyen over at The Wild Chive—treated vegan food with the quality and care it deserved.
Click here for the full article.
ICYMI: Last weekend to celebrate Long Beach Food Scene Week 2024
Long Beach Food Scene Week 2024 is reaching its end as it runs until Aug. 18. The ten-day celebration of our city’s food culture will feature the city’s best restaurants, as over 60 spaces have confirmed their participation for the second year of the annual event.
