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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.
Mama Juanes Taqueria broken into in Bixby Knolls
At 4AM on May 8, Bixby Knolls taqueria Mama Juanes was broken into. The Bixby Knolls Business Improvement Association shared the news on social media:
“This is an incredibly difficult moment for a small business that has given so much to the Bixby Knolls community. Now is the time to show up. Stop by. Order a meal. Spread the word. Rally behind them in any way you can. Every bit of support matters right now. Bixby Knolls is more than a neighborhood. It is a community that stands together. Let’s show Mama Juana’s they’re not facing this alone.”
In a rather cool show of support, Dirty Pepperoni co-owner Mikey Loco has already offered to help cover the costs of replacing the door.
Appu’s Cafe has a daily happy hour with $5, $7, and $9 deals
There’s a new reason to linger at Appu’s Turmeric Cafe between 3PM and 7PM daily: the café has launched an all-year Happy Hour menu built around cozy comfort and genuinely solid deals. For $5, guests can grab a cup of chef-crafted soup with a steaming hot chai or pair fresh Indian flatbread with chai for an easy afternoon reset; for $7, there’s the two-samosa-and-chai combo or a comforting soup, samosa, and chai trio; and at $9, things get even heartier with burritos plus hot chai, taco boxes with chai, or the standout Samosa Chaat + Hot Chai, where oven-baked samosas are soaked in garbanzo soup and layered with tamarind and mint chutneys.
HALO at Fairmont Breakers will now be open during the day on weekends
Praise the Day Drinking Gods: HALO, the rooftop bar at the Fairmont Breakers, will officially be open during the daytime on weekends. Saturday hours will be 2PM to 11PM and Sunday hours will be noon to 10PM.
“What started as Long Beach’s first and only rooftop bar centered around sunset cocktails and nightlife has quickly become a space people want to linger in long before golden hour,” said Angie Sue, Director of Marketing at the Fairmont Breakers. “We’ve added umbrellas for sunny afternoons, heaters for cooler evenings, and we’re already working on more weekend programming and pop-ups as we head into summer.”
Selva to collab with Waldo’s Pizza on May 28
It seems Chef Waldo Stout of Waldo’s Pizza just can’t stay away from Selva: After collaborating with the fine folks at Got Your Back during their residency at Selva earlier this year, he will return Thursday, May 28 to partner with Chef Carlos Jurado. The main idea? Pizza and pasta, with Chef Carlos debuting some of his upcoming pasta options and Chef Waldo slinging wood-fire oven pies.
Pro beer tip: Russian River brews are always available at The 4th Horseman
While there might be a severe dip in beer drinking across the country—and I do not want to make light of this: it is affecting nearly every craft brewer, including our own—that doesn’t mean we lack quality. And one should be reminded that The 4th Horseman is one of the few nearby locations that continually stock Russian River beers. Whether its Blind Pig or Pliney the Elder, they’re on hand.
This week? They scored STIVO Keller Pils, the brewery’s collaboration brew with Firestone Walker.
Khan’s Mongolian BBQ has officially opened
Khan’s Mongolian BBQ has officially opened after it was announced in the summer of last year. Khan’s Mongolian BBQ took over the space formerly occupied by Mitake Poke & Sushi at 3547 Atlantic Ave. and offers various serve-yourself dishes that are paid for by the pound. Here’s how Long Beach Food Scene member Erika Portillo put:
“Tried the new Khan’s Mongolian BBQ and was seriously impressed. You can pile up as much as you want, and I believe it’s only $6.49 a pound. My lunch was under $7, and I still had enough leftovers for dinner. Where else can you do that these days? The food was hot, fresh, and flavorful. They’re still new and haven’t had their official grand opening yet, so there are a few small kinks to work out with the flow and ventilation, but the team was super friendly with a great attitude. Proud Long Beach locals, and it shows.”
Ruta 15 now offers a pretty incredible lunch deal
It’s called Lunch de Carretera at Ruta 15. And it’s only $16, offered Monday through Friday from 11AM to 3PM. It includes one starter, a sandwich or a lunch plate, one side, and a foundtain drink.
Starter options include:
- Sopa de Tortilla: Tomato and smoked chili broth with chicken, crispy tortilla strips, avocado, and panela cheese.
- Crema de Elote Tatemado: Roasted corn cream soup topped with croutons and panela cheese.
- Sopa de Albóndigas de Camarón: Shrimp meatball soup with vegetables in a house broth.
- Traditional Ensalada Caesar: Grilled romaine lettuce with traditional Caesar dressing, garlic croutons, and Parmesan cheese.
Sandwich options include:
- Choripán Mexa: Melted Oaxaca cheese topped with Mexican grilled chorizo, roasted jalapeño, fresh pico de gallo, cotija cheese dressing, and habanero ash oil.
- Pepito de Rib Eye: Grilled rib eye steak sandwich layered with refried beans, sliced avocado, and roasted tomato salsa.
- Camarón Al Pastor: Grilled shrimp marinated in pastor spices, served with charred pineapple, fresh pico de gallo, and creamy cilantro dressing.
Lunch plate options include:
- Tilapia al Pastor Asado: Grilled tilapia marinated in achiote and dried chili adobo, served on cilantro rice.
- Tilapia al Limón: Grilled tilapia finished with garlic butter and fresh lime, served on cilantro rice.
- Pescado Empapelado: Baked fish wrapped with tomato, carrots, and bell peppers, served on cilantro rice.
- Pechuga en Salsa Roja con Papas: Chicken breast simmered in traditional tomato sauce with potatoes, served on cilantro rice.
- Pechuga en Crema de Chipotle: Chicken breast in a creamy chipotle sauce, served on cilantro rice.
- Pechuga en Crema de Poblano con Rajas y Elote: Chicken breast simmered in creamy poblano pepper sauce with roasted poblano strips and sweet corn, served on cilantro rice.
And sides include:
- Frijoles Negros: Black beans
- Papas Fritas: Golden fried potatoes.
- Zanahorias Baby a la Plancha: Grilled baby carrots.
- Ensalada Caesar: Caesar salad.
Pickle Banh Mi opens jealousy-inducing drive-thru in Anaheim
Pickle Banh Mi—Long Beach’s king of the mighty bánh mì—has opened a jealousy-inducing drive-thru location in Anaheim. Taking over the former Rally’s at 10642 Katella Ave., this marks the brand’s first drive-thru and an always-deserved round of applause for any business that has made a home in Long Beach, expanding.
Now, can we just find you a drive-thru in Long Beach, Pickle? I’ll happily assist.
Tanuki Curry House to vacate Signal Hill, move to Long Beach Exchange
Long Beach’s sole space dedicated to the mighty Japanese curry will move from its Signal Hill home into a proper Long Beach space: The Hangar at Long Beach Exchange. “Our Signal Hill lease expired earlier this month, but we are on a month-to-month agreement,” said owner and chef Erwin Angeles. “So, we’ll keep it open until we are ready to move into the hangar. We are shooting for the end of May for an opening.”
ICYMI: Californio Chocolate brings the world of Mexican cacao to Long Beach
I have your first look at what is one of the coolest concepts to come for the sweet-toothers of Long Beach: Californio Chocolate, a shop coming to Zaferia that focuses on the magical world of Mexican cacao.
Chocolatier and Mexico native Eduardo Ponce, like many West Coast Mexicans, had no idea of Mexico’s rich history attached to chocolate. Across the past five years, he has explore the the three pillars of cacao production in Mexico—the great states of Tabasco, Chiapas, and Oaxaca—and wants to bring that world to Long Beach.
When it opens, you can expect more than bars. Eduardo wants the space to explore the strengths of other parts of Mexico’s culinary identity. Coffee. Churros. Heirloom atole. And, of course, hot chocolate.
For the full feature, click here.
ICYMI: Long Beach allows food to be sold out of home kitchens. Here’s what that can look like.
It’s called a Micro-Enterprise Home Kitchen Operation, or MEHKO. And they just became legal in Long Beach, allowing people to do a ton of food-focused business right out of their homes. Lunch or dinners for pickup. Offer pre-ordered meals. Run small pop-ups from home. Build a catering-style business. Test restaurant concepts before opening a brick-and-mortar space.
I got your look at what a Long Beach MEHKO restaurants could look like when permitting opens this summer. It’s called Steak Freaks. And also, an attempt at a balanced discussion surrounding the support and criticism behind such operations.
For the full feature, click here.
ICYMI: Bubu’s is a Mexican immigrant’s thank you to the Long Beach food industry
I just loved writing this. The fine people of Mexico always have a special place in my heart—and Chef Jesús García de la Cruz and his family are no exception.
The owners of the hole-in-the-wall space on Orange Avenue that is Bubu’s Restaurant, he makes food that is unpretentious in all the right ways, made to order, and somehow feels nostalgic—whether or not you’ve had the privilege of being welcomed into a Mexican household’s kitchen.
