Dirty Birds—San Diego’s mighty chicken wing empire that has never stepped outside its home base—is officially opening a Downtown Long Beach location, according to a press release from the building’s owner, Bascom Group.
Dirty Birds has signed a lease for roughly 3,000 square feet on the ground floor of the office building at 200 Pine Avenue, a six-story structure whose ground floor currently hosts Agaves on its northwest side. They opted out of the even larger 5,000-square-foot basement space that has long been attached to the ground-floor space as a speakeasy/lounge extension. (Though Paul Diamond, Senior Principal at Boscom, said, “We have had a lot of interest from bar owners to make this a speakeasy-type of club with private access from the parking garage.” Fingers crossed.)
The space is what brokers call “second-generation,” meaning it was previously built out as a restaurant. It was previously home to Octopus, a middling sushi concept that was clutch for lunch during DTLB’s pre-pandemic office boom. That was followed by the never-actually-opened Kraft & Kulture concept.
While no official opening date has been set, ownership is targeting a debut later this year.
Wait—what is Dirty Birds and what can we expect from its Long Beach location?
Dirty Birds has carved out a space that feels distinctly San Diegan. Sports-centered. Neighborhood-centric. And unapologetically centered on wings, beer, and the game on TV.
Founded by partners Jonathan Ollis, Adam Jacoby, and Fred Hollman, the brand has expanded thoughtfully rather than explosively. As the company grew, additional partners like Noli Zosa and Shawnn Silverman joined the fold. That helped scale operations while maintaining the neighborhood feel that made the original location resonate. It’s a delicate balance—growth without dilution—and one Dirty Birds has managed by embedding itself into the local culture.
Each new location reflects its surroundings: Tapping into local fan bases. Or nearby colleges. And residential pockets. In other words: spaces that crave a reliable, spirited hangout. In a city where loyalty to teams—from the Padres to college programs—runs deep, Dirty Birds has become less of a chain and more of a network of familiar rooms.
And that makes sense as to why they would want to fold their brand into the culture of Long Beach.
Why this is an important grab for Downtown Long Beach…
For Dirty Birds, the move marks its first known expansion into Los Angeles County. And for Downtown, it marks an alleviation along a street riddled with large, empty spaces:
- Starting from below Ocean Boulevard, you have the Ocean Center Building, whose entirety of ground-floor retail and commercial space has yet to be leased.
- You have the now-empty southeast corner of Landmark Square, which formerly hosted Solita and, before that, Rock Bottom Brewing.
- There’s the former Federal Bar space, which closed during the pandemic and has not been leased since.
- You have the former Harbor space, which was permanently shuttered in 2024 after owner Chris Krajecic closed the nearby and much-loved Pier 76 (which is now & Waffle).
- You have the former George’s Greek Cafe, which tragically closed after mismanagement.
- The former JP23 space, which has long been slated to become part of the Lopez & Lefty family, has seen no work.
- The former Outfitters space at 3rd Street and Pine Avenue, which has long been slated to become a sushi restaurant with minor work occuring inside.
- This isn’t to mention the former Noypitz/Wokano space at Broadway and The Promenade, which has been empty since before the pandemic. Or the former Ubuntu space…
To say this is a win for Downtown is an understatement—though we shouldn’t be cheering until we see those doors open.
Dirty Birds will be located at 200 Pine Ave.
