Ah, underrated Long Beach restaurants—honestly, my favorite list each year I write it. And thanks to the generous support of Long Beach’s community-driven grain-to-glass distillery, Broken Spirits, the 2024 list is here.
When I first published my underrated (not necessarily the best—repeat: not necessarily the best) restaurants list on Longbeachize in 2017, it was, at the time, my most popular piece. Because of that, a testament to the fact that Long Beach’s culinary scene was flourishing.
That’s been going on for a few years now, and with it comes change. And, admittedly, the fact that this will always be incomplete because there are always more that deserve the same nod. No matter how you dice it, lists like these will always remain incomplete because there are spaces deserving of attention but aren’t listed. But this particular list is one I feel is worth celebrating.
With recent years, I have tried to create lists that feature places never featured on the list before. As a result, this year is no exception.
In no particular order, let’s talk about some underrated Long Beach restaurants….
Liv’s on 2nd
5327 E. 2nd St.
Liv’s, the oyster bar-meets-full-on seafood restaurant in the Shore, has brought something to Long Beach that has long been needed. For instance, sexy oysters. And good wine. And solid seafood. But it is oh so much more than that.
Chef Kristine Schneider—joined by owner and chef Rob White, who also just opened Hartland’s at 1900 Ocean, which is also on this list—is no stranger to the food scene. Earning her stripes at Michael on Naples under Chef Eric Samaniego, Kristine has a truly deep sense of Californian-ness attached to her food. After all, she was literally attached to the farmlands of our state up in Visalia, a place she returns to as often as she can to not only connect to her roots but the very roots of food itself.
The oysters are magical while their crudos lay umami down in pure nakedness. Like the salmon crudo. Beautifully orange, thick white lines of fat running through the slabs of flesh, Kristine lines six hefty chunks of salmon on a plate lined with crème fraîche. Rye bread crumbs, dill, Meyer lemon zest, Maldon salt, and love top it off. The result of this combination? Easily one of the city’s best representations of crudo. And the scallop version with fried squash blossom holds the same par.
It is one of those Long Beach restaurants that deserves to be uplifted more.
For the full feature on Liv’s, click here.
Pita Pitaki
3401 Cherry Ave.
Pita Pitaki’s charming, absolutely awesome owner Penelope Marangos has truly been the heart of this hidden Greek gem. As a result, it isn’t just a great Greek restaurant; it’s one of the most consistently quality Long Beach restaurants around.
Casual. Unfussy. This vastly underrated little space—definitively the most underrated Greek restaurant in the city, if not the region—serves up delectable versions of the Greek classics you love (including, no joke, the city’s best Greek salad dressing). Reasonably priced, substantially portioned, and also one of the most underrated places for sweets, Pita Pitaki has everything you want from an immigrant-owned space.
Unafraid to challenge that often bland American palate, Penelope embraces her Greekness to a depth that should be reflected by all immigrants when serving their food.
Ruta 15
1436 E. 7th St.
Ruta 15 is highly new, having been opened only a few months—but it brings a level of mariscos to Long Beach that echoes some of the region’s best spots. It also harbors the essence of a culinary tradition in Mexico that is as precious as corn itself, where seafood represents not just its people’s gastronomical talent but how Mexican people come together.
Indeed, Long Beach has had decent mariscos—with, to be frank, some of the best spots being Instagram-based, like El Pelicano Loco, or straight up birthed out of garages, like Mariscos El Garage—but our neighbor to the north has long held the trophy. There’s Holbox, and its chef, Gilberto Cetina Jr., recently became a James Beard award finalist this year. Mariscos Jalisco is one of the most robust representations of mariscos from the great west coast. El Muelle 8 opened a shop in Downey and hails from the mariscos-rich city of Culiacán in Sinaloa.
And with the closure of Cheko El Rey Del Sarandeado last year—Long Beach’s sole Sinaloa-style mariscos joint that was from Coni’ Seafood alumni—our city needs a mariscos uplift.
Ruta 15 is just that.
For the full feature on Ruta 15, click here.
Cafe Gazelle
191 La Verne Ave.
This Italian hole-in-the-wall restaurant is by no means new. It’s been around for decades—four, to be precise. What has kept the ultra-tiny space alive is its consistency and nearly never-changing menu.
Baby squid in a white wine and garlic sauce, sauteed over being fried. Mother sauces like amatriciana and carbonara next to plates of simple angel hair with tomato and basil or gorgonzola cream ravioli. All this amid a reasonably cramped space, its white metal lattice chairs unchanged for decades, and its old-school Italian posters advertising Cinzano and Campari.
This is unfussy, uncomplicated Italian food—much like the (also underrated and appeared-on-this-very-list-multiple-times) Vino e Cucina. And it makes it one of the easily most underrated Long Beach restaurants.
SALA Coffee & Wine Bar
3853 Atlantic Ave.
Led by partners Brandee Raygoza and Derrick Montiel, SALA is an underrated gem of a space if there ever was one: Stellar coffee meets a wine bar meets a minimal kitchen that serves an equally minimal menu for the morning: a breakfast sandwich, breakfast burrito, chilaquiles, and a chilaquiles burrito.
While the breakfast sandwich is something not to be skipped—a perfect model for The Breakfast Sandwich, with bacon and a full-on McDonald’s-style hashbrown accompanying a yolky egg, cheese, and brioche—it is the chilaquiles burrito that is something rather special.
Layers of tortilla chips slathered in salsa verde line with bacon and beans to create an ode to the mighty carb-on-carb masterpiece that is the torta de chilaquiles of Mexico City. The result? A savory, hint-of-heat, textures-abound burrito that is as delectable as it is surprising.
S.T. Noodle Bar
4152 Norse Way
It is pretty wild to think S.T. Noodle Bar is nearing a decade in existence, having opened in 2015 as part of the Artesia-based Sweet Thai Cafe family of restaurants. And this is amid the pervasive amount of Long Beach restaurants dedicated to Thai food. Manaow has been included on this very list. Tasty Food to Go has also been on this list. Chiang Rai has received recognition in the Michelin guide. There are classics like Long Beach Thai Restaurant, Panvimarn, and Thai District. And relatively new spots like Kim Long and Charm Siam are rising up. And the never-recovered-from-the-pandemic space that is Star of Siam is widely missed today.
Given this saturation, it is often hard to stand out. But S.T. Noodle Bar has consistently been one of the most quality Thai Long Beach restaurants. Their calamari tower—where large rings of fried squid are hung from a metal tree—still remains one of the most dramatic appetizers in Long Beach, and things like their khao soi and spicy lime noodles are staples that are as fulfilling as they are warming.
Waldo’s Pizza
Various locations; check Instagram.
When it comes to the world of Long Beach pizza, the competition is stiff. And I mean stiff AF: From Speak Cheezy and The 4th Horseman to La Parolaccia and Michael’s on Naples to Pizza Parlor and Marlena to… Long Beach’s pizza game is on point in a way it’s never been before.
But there is a person who has largely contributed to that very growth: Waldo Stout. From L.A. legends like Bestia and Pizzerria Sei to Long Beach staples like Little Coyote (for which he created the dough that was promptly stolen by its former owners and proclaimed as their own) and Naples gem Marlena, Waldo has had his hands directly involved in making some of the region’s best pizza (and food in general).
And that is what makes having Waldo’s Pizza—now a popup, hoping to become a staple brick-and-mortar in the future—such an honor for Long Beach’s wildly strong pizza game.
For the full feature on Waldo’s Pizza, click here.
OBRA HandBakery
6240 E. Pacific Coast Hwy.
OBRA HandBakery is the undisputed king of empanadas in Long Beach. They’ve built up a decade-long patronage and online following, generating genuinely viral moments for the space.
However, the inner entrepreneurial spirit of owners Luz Torres and Chef Cesar Villarreal cannot be tamed. Despite overwhelming success, they do not want to rest on their laurels. And for any hard-working Colombian trekking to the States, that means expansion. For both of them, it is not just about searching for a suitable space; it is in their blood.
For their empanadas, they offer a variety of options, including a Cuban version, a ropa vieja-stuffed one, jalapeño with queso, BBQ pork, and a magnificently seasoned chicken curry empanada that was originally a special but has become a regular menu item. Their sweets—like the perfectly not-too-sweet almond-guava cookie cake? All made in-house on the daily and pair perfectly with their coffee offerings. The OBRA balls, massive rounds of stuffed mashed potato balls that are breaded and fried? Far superior and crispier to some in the market. OBRA’s version is also deeply savory and, perhaps best, happily oozes with melted cheese.
For the full feature on OBRA HandBakery, click here.
Joliza’s
2233 Pacific Ave.
It made sense when Yelp!—the ever-nauseating, when-will-it-die rating site that often brings out the worst in online reviewers in terms of shitting on small businesses—named Joliza’s burrito the best in California.
While it spurred a brief, impossible-to-get-into frenzy with lines stretching down Pacific Avenue for blocks, there is no doubt that the burrito lives up to the hype: Savory as hell, filled to the brim with protein, rice, beans, onion, and cilantro, these hefty sacks of comfort define everything one wants from the almighty burrito. But since then, the love for Joliza’s—despite remaining wildly consistent and even more wildly affordable—has dropped on the hype meter to a mere murmur, even amid the constant conversations in my food group.
My personal fave? Cabeza, a rare offering that I feel should be more accepted as Americans still tend to steer clear from offal of any sort (which leads to a waste that I find unforgivable but alas, I shall steer clear of the pulpit). Creamy, slightly greasy, and flavorful, this burrito is easily one of the best in the city.
Black Pork
1916 W. Willow St.
Nothing makes me happier than celebrating Westside or North Long Beach food. And with Black Pork, this Westside joint has quickly built up a name for itself as it fuses Latin American flavors with barbecue.
Husband-and-wife team Luis and Verónica Lopez run a tight ship as they save up for a much-needed beer and wine license—and it is that tight ship that even makes the lack of beer with their braised short ribs worth it. Their guacamole con puerco, where slabs of braised’n’fried pork belly are used as chips to dip? It is a savory bomb worth every calorie.
A burger stacked with both melted cheese and fried cheese. Decadent? Yes. Then it’s just for the ‘Gram? Not really, because it works. As does their eclectic menu, where empanadas and nachos sit next to Korean barbecue plates and porchetta.
Sideburns
941 E. 4th St.
Sideburns was originally birthed out of its neighboring The Stache Bar, whose food program was birthed out of its short-lived presence with Chef Melissa Ortiz. And since taking on Ortiz’s very minimal bar menu—a stellar Chicago dog here, some even more stellar cheese curds there, a chili cheese fries option—Sideburns has expanded into an all-out burger joint that has an array of the classic in many forms and, in many ways, taken a step away from Ortiz through the work of Chef Thomas, the skinny’n’loquacious burger master who you will find masterfully cooking some ten burgers at once.
Through Thomas’s oversight, the burger menu has expanded into a variety of definitively excessive, solidly over-the-top burgers (along with classics like The Tailgate and The Works that should not be dismissed).
Mushrooms? Covered. Arugula and burrata with the aptly named “Italian Stallion” label slapped on it? Solid. The aforementioned “Works”? Damn near perfection. Just your simple smash burger? Done. A take on the Monte Cristo where they deep-fry the whole damn burger? Yes, that actually exists.
Sideburns is a little side piece gem for patrons at The Stache—and, in all honesty, a gem for all of Long Beach.
Osaka Story
4905 E. 2nd St.
Osaka Story swiftly and quietly took over what used to be the Goyen Sushi space on 2nd Street in Belmont Shore. The woman-owned business led by Ryeo Na Kim (고옌바이어), or Reyna as some call her, has altered the interior of its previous tenant, making it delightfully more feminine and welcoming with bright pink lights and an already growing patronage one month in.
The quality of tuna? Solid as they bring in the whole fish to fillet themselves.
Here’s how Long Beach Food Scene member Dawne Anne Iannaci put it: “I have lived in Long Beach since 2009 and I have tried so many sushi places in Long Beach, and I can tell you that Osaka Story is by far the best sushi place I’ve ever ever had in Long Beach. Everything was super, super fresh! Service was everything you could ever have dreamed. The ambiance has a romantic touch to it, and pop hits are playing. Everybody needs to know about the new fabulous sushi place in Long Beach.”
Hartland’s
1900 Ocean Blvd. (inside the lobby on the second floor)
Restaurateur and chef Rob White just announced he would be taking over the former Plunge space at 1900 Ocean with a new concept. And since its debut in the Long Beach food scene—complete with utterly gorgeous views of the coastline—Hartland’s remains one of the most underrated Long Beach restaurants around.
It’s a celebration of the simple done well: The burger is anything but basic, layered with quality white cheddar, shreds of romain, thick ass pickles, a good ol’ aioli, and a rightfully seasoned seven-ounce angus patty. A wonderful chef’s salad, where layers of succulent turkey are paired with thick squares of salami, slivers of bitter Swiss cheese, plenty of avocado, croutons, and a (thank the gods) vinaigrette. And the turkey club at Hartland’s? No exception: Buttered’n’browned sourdough slices are stuffed with thick tomato slices, almost as thick bacon, plenty of turkey, and a nice multi-level arrangement of Swiss cheese with a nice little sliver of avocado.
For the full feature on Hartland’s, click here.
La Chancla
990 Cherry Ave. #102
They go by many names: tacos de guisado, tacos de cazuela, tacos mañaneros… But the one thing that unites them is the fact that the meats or veggies stuffed in the tacos are all stewed in singular cazuelas, pots that are traditionally earthenware but have shifted to metal tins as the growth of food trucks and fast-casual restaurants spread. We’re talking birria, chile verde, tinga de pollo…
In Long Beach, there weren’t any taquerias dedicated to the almighty tacos de guisado—but this hole-in-the-wall space, tucked into a tiny strip mall at the southeast corner of Cherry Avenue and Tenth Street, has offered not only a solid introduction to these tacos locally but a wonderfully unpretentious, warm, vibrant atmosphere to enjoy them in.
And given the massive hype surrounding Guisados opening a Long Beach location earlier this year, this spot deserves love as the OG guisados space.
For Brian Addison’s original piece on La Chancla, click here.
The Vintage LBC
4236 Atlantic Ave.
The Vintage LBC comes off as a cheese shop—and indeed, it is. But it is much, much more than that. Owner Vanessa Harmon—along with her chef-slash-general manager Allison Porzner—have crafted a stellar bistro. wine bar, and cheese shop that’s a great place to get down on wines’n’cheese. A definitive space for salads’n’sweets. And, of course, a great place to buy cheeses, tinned fish, bread, crackers, accoutrements, and other market goods.
The absurdly creamy, dreamy “Cheesy Beak”? A creation of Vanessa’s that melds D.O.C. fontina and aged gouda with Burnin’ Beak habanero jelly between two slices of Nonna Mercato’s sourdough. This masterful grilled cheese is a savory-meets-sweet concoction made for cheese lovers.
The perfectly French “Ham & Cheese” sandwich? A creation of Allison’s where layers of Rosemary ham meet thick cuts of gruyere. A toasted Nonna Mercato baguette is slathered with Dijon mustard, and French butter, the ham, cheese, arugula, cornichons and mewonderful slices of French radishes are then layered on and finished with a house-made lemon vinaigrette.
And don’t get me started on the wedge salad, one of the city’s best salads. Using Rogue Creamery’s stellar Smokey Blue Cheese—a cheese, mind you, cold smoked over burning hazelnut shells—as a base for the house-made buttermilk dressing, it is a BLT lover’s dream of a wedge.
For the full feature on The Vintage LBC, click here.
Ají Peruvian Cuisine
2308 E. 4th St.
Peruvian food has never been shortlisted on my underrated Long Beach restaurants lists: El Pollo Imperial was on the very first one and Casa Chaskis followed up on the 2019 edition. But Ají—now having served the community for a decade—has yet to be featured and that is a crime to Peruvian cuisine.
This Peruvian staple steered away from the casualness that defined El Pollo Imperial and brought with it the idea that Peruvian food deserved to be served with a sense of elevation. And this is with Lima natives and husband-and-wife team Chef Mitto Barriga and Rosita Wang at the helm.
Chef Mitto has primarily kept the menu traditional, his legion of followers ordering hefty amounts of lomitos and chaufa—and rightfully so. Among the first to offer staples like tacu tacu—where rice and beans are combined to create a cake of sorts that is crisped on the outside—and antichucho—delicate bits of beef heart on a skewer—the classics are where it’s at.
One of their most comforting dishes is a Peruvian classic: ají de gallina. In this dish, shreds of chicken and chunks of yellow potato are layered between rice and a hefty, creamy yellow gravy. It is warming, devourable, and simply delicious.
For the full feature on Ají Peruvian Cuisine, click here.
La Condesa de Oaxaca
146 W. 10th St.
Not since Oaxaca Mio closed over 15 years ago when they were happily planted at the northwest corner of 10th Street and Orange Avenue has Long Beach seen a space formally dedicated to Oaxacan food—until La Condesa de Oaxaca opened at the southeast corner of 10th Street and Pacific. The newly minted space offers up some massive tlyudas, along with multiple moles, including negro, amarillo, and verde.
Matriarch Sara named the place “condesa” because she believes—and rightfully so, I might add—that Oaxacan food should be treated like royalty. Given the woman gets up early every day to prepare the food by hand at the space, it seems she likes to treat her business as royalty as well. Family-owned, with deeply complex flavors in an uncomplicated environment, La Condesa de Oaxaca brings some much needed regional Mexican cuisine to the Long Beach food scene.
Bixby Classic Burger
4001 Orange Ave.
It is clear which burger giant Bixby Classic Burger is trying to mimic with its affordable burger, secret menu, and play on animal-style fries. But Bixby Classic Burger is better than that massive burger chain—if not solely because this joint actually makes really good friends, including some stellar chili cheese fries.
And owner Raul Roman? A damn sweetheart. Check out the great video from Jesse Lopez at The Grunion when it first opened.
La Casa de la Baleada
625 E Artesia Blvd. Unit A
The flourishing of Latin American food beyond the dominant confines of Mexican food has been wonderful to witness—albeit that growth coming in very slowly. Even better? To witness it grow in North Long Beach thanks to the addition of La Casa de la Baleada, which took over the short-lived, much-hyped La Super Birria space.
We all know the king of Honduran food in Long Beach—Honduras Kitchen, featured on my first underrated list—but don’t skip out on La Casa. There are stellar versions of Honduran enchiladas, where fried corn tortilla rounds are topped with ground beef cabbage, tomato, salsa, avocado, and hard-boiled egg slices. Tajadas con carne. Pastelitos, empanada-like creations stuffed with meat and then slathered in cabbage, crema, salsa, and avocado.
And, of course, the mighty baleada. When it comes to Latin American food, there is something particularly rich and wondrous when it comes to the mighty, carby fluff that are flour tortillas—and if you’ve had the beauty of seeing someone make them by hand, masterfully stretching out dough to create perfect rounds, you are reminded how something so simple can be so worthy of the hype. The baleada is such a creation—and it’s quite good at La Casa de la Baleada.
Beachwood Distilling
3630 Atlantic Ave.
Beachwood Distilling is taking cocktails to a different level in Long Beach—and for that sole reason, deserves a spot on this list. Co-owner Gabe Gordon, along with his longtime business partner and master brewer Julian Shrago, have decided to make everything in your glass in-house on every level the space is capable of.
Yes, that Negroni you’re sipping on? You’re not drinking a highly branded gin or Campari. You’re drinking Beachwood gin and, yes, Beachwood “Campari.” And don’t think Gabe and his crew didn’t dive into the absurd details of concocting this OG spirit. Campari—invented in 1860 by Gaspare Campari in Novara, Italy—and many other aperitivos get their distinctly beautiful red color from carmine dye, derived from crushed cochineal insects.
The food? There are solid burgers, including a great play on a Western Bacon Cheeseburger that includes a stacked short rib patty, cheddar, muenster, fried shallots, dijon, house-made barbecue, sweet’ n’ spicy pickles, jalapeño, and a ton of love. There’s a hefty fried chicken sandwich that is as messy as it is delightfully savory.
But the absolute joy? I know this will sound oddly bland, but it’s their house bread that was imported from their Huntington Beach pizzeria. This beautiful puff of yeasty perfection comes with a drizzle of olive oil and Maldon salt, bubbling black pockets dotting its outer edge. With some roasted garlic, this is a damn near perfect snack—especially with one of their happily boozy’n’sweet tiki concoctions.
For the full feature on Beachwood Distilling, click here.
For previous versions of my listicle, Underrated Long Beach Restaurants:
Brian, thank you for recognizing some of my favorites that lie above the 405 freeway!
ST Noodle Bar serves THE BEST Boat Noodle. I always ask for pork instead of beef. They know my order before I sit down…and a glass of their fine Malbec.
Aji on Fourth Street has the best causa trio. Hard to believe cold mashed potatoes could be so delicious.