Acapulco Inn, having initially opened its doors in Belmont Shore in 1955, is a Long Beach legend in terms of bars, sitting only behind two others—Joe Jost’s, which opened in 1924, and The Annex, which opened in 1952—as the oldest bar in Long Beach.
Well, was a Long Beach legend.
Initially reported on Yelp! by multiple patrons as having been closed, an eviction notice was posted on its window April 5. It remains unclear if the owners were simply unable to pay existing rent or if their rent was hiked to heights that were unaffordable.
The bar’s oldest owner, Don Heckman, partnered with Tracy and Dina Alcantar as well as Artistrides “Hawaiian Bob” Gascon to take over day-to-day operations over the past several years—and though ownership has changed repeatedly through the decades, the spirit of Acapulco has remained the same: pretzels, beers, and hanging out in a beach-y dive.
The Alcantars are responsible for opening up the cave-like space—pushing out the patio, opening up the dark windows, and offering craft beers to keep up with the times—but maintained its walls, layered with the flags and banners of college football teams, as well as keeping the rowdy voices a constant presence.
The Alcantars have yet to return comment for this story.
