Much to the pleasure of spook lovers, we are witnessing a horrifying growth in Long Beach Halloween drinks and food menus this year—more than any year previously. Bakers are getting creative. Bar managers are getting deliciously wicked with their libations.
So here’s your guide as to where to go for the decorations, the drinks, and the grub.
The Bamboo Club
What kind of Long Beach Halloween drink? The tiki one.
3522 Anaheim St.
They call it The Tremble Club, a nod to their Christmas efforts of last year dubbed The Tinsel Club. And with it, The Bamboo Club has not only created a solid’n’spooky six-cocktail menu for the witching season but decked out the space with ghoulishly great taste. (Who doesn’t want a skeleton-helmed scuba-gear-from-the-1950s statue at their Halloween party?)
Plus, the space—celebrating its fifth year of being the King of Long Beach tiki—is completely decked out in what could be the most Halloween-y vibe in the city.
Recommendations: Basic Witch and Fall of Romulus.
For Brian Addison’s full profile, click here.
The Social List
What kind of Long Beach Halloween drink? The one honoring monstrous legends.
2105 E. 4th St.
I’ve long said that The Social List is 4th Street’s great social experiment: To create a space that is both an ending point and a connector to other businesses. A neighborhood joint that happily sticks to what people like and what sells well. And it is because of that the much-loved space has lasted for a decade.
Well, that and Navarro Hospitality Group’s Beverage Director Erik Rios-Wentzky, who oversees both Lola’s locations as well as The Social List. His ability to conjure up bewitchingly solid cocktail lists has never been a secret. Whether it’s a cocktail list for the space’s remodel or a special menu for Mardi Gras, Erik’s talent has never had the chance to curtail. And his 2024 Halloween menu—expanded from six cocktails last year to 10 this year—continues to reflect that standard.
Recommendations: Lydia Beetz; Night of the Living Dead; and Morticia Addams.
For Brian Addison’s full feature, click here.
The Stache Bar
What kind of Long Beach Halloween drink? The horror movie one.
941 E. 4th St.
Stache Bar, 4th Street’s much beloved dive-meets-high-end-spirits space, helped introduce Long Beach to good liquor. But long gone are the days when Stache Bar was the only bar in the city to offer Hudson Baby Bourbon and Weller’s full-proof.
Surely, it joins many others getting in on the happily welcomed trend of Halloween menu takeovers—including those at The Bamboo Cluband The Social List—but it reflects the biggest shift at the bar in a long time. With bar manager Priscilla In building her relationship with owner Brett Gallo, the two have come to a communal understanding: The Stache deserves more love—and that’s exactly what they plan on giving it.
Recommendations: Rum Reaper; Hannibal Nectar; and Nightmare on 4th Street.
For Brian Addison’s full feature, click here.
SnoCorner
What kind of Long Beach Halloween grub? The perfect New Orleans treat.
1701 Atlantic Ave.
Three words: SnoCorner Halloween beignets. Oh yes, SnoCorner owner Ashley Monconduit—our finest purveyor of New Orleans sweets—has taken her locally famous beignets to the dark depths of utterly horrifying… Cuteness.
Even more, SnoCorner—the bright, tricolored snoball shop located directly across the street from Poly High School—is a remarkable tribute to the sweet treats of New Orleans. For Ashley, SnoCorner is more than just a sweet shop. It represents the fusion of two proud cities that shaped her—New Orleans and Long Beach—and the family legacy of Black small businesses that spans decades in the very space SnoCorner occupies.
Click here to read Brian Addison’s full feature.
Port City Tavern
What kind of Long Beach Halloween drink? The take-a-skull-mug-home kind.
4306 E. Anaheim St.
Port City Tavern, Recreation Park’s kinda-divey-but-you-can-find-Tequila-Ocho space, has prided itself on its creative cocktail menus. Owner Dylan Davis and bar manager Bradley Eston have long held the idea that those who just want a boilermaker can co-mingle with those who also want a solid cocktail that goes beyond the well.
And that is expressed spookily in their whimsical Halloween cocktail offerings and skull-tacular decorations.
Recommendations: Stay Salty; Pump Up the Yams; and Skull Crusher.
For Brian Addison’s full feature, click here.
Selva
What kind of Long Beach Halloween drink? The Colombian one.
4137 Anaheim St.
Selva—which is strangely in only its second year though it feels like it’s long been a staple—is already well known as a culinary gem under the direction of Chef Carlos Jurado: Scoring the restaurant a coveted spot on food critic Bill Addison’s annually 101 Best Restaurants list for the Los Angeles Times, Jurado’s has begun to flex his more experimental skills in the kitchen while staying true to the space’s original intent.
Their cocktail program, under Mike Borowski’s tutelage, is no exception—especially when paired with Selva’s food. Their Halloween menu stays in that lane, with drinks offering bits of cachaca, lucuma, pickled brine, smoke, and more.
Recommendations: Hostage Situation and Just Basic Enough.
Rad Coffee
What kind of Long Beach Halloween drink? The caffeinated one.
3502 Atlantic Ave.
Rad Coffee has been an Inland Empire institution since 2015, blowing up in the viral sense with their over-the-top concoctions like a blended “Cookies ‘n Scream” drink or a heart attack-inducing drink that blends four shots of espresso with cold brew and white mocha. Think of them as Frappuccinos on steroids and high fructose wonder—and in that sense, they are the perfect replacement for the lover of the inescapable corporate overlord that is Starbucks.
Having two other locations—one in Upland, another in Covina—their Bixby Knolls shop is certainly the coolest of three. Husband-and-wife team Rusty and Jade Valore took over the space that used to house Derricks in 2022 and have no signs of slowing down. Horror movie posters, concert flyer memorabilia, anything lightly macabre line the walls, making them almost the coffee spinoff of The 4th Horseman. And that’s, well, really rad.
Recommendations: The Pumpkin King.
The 4th Horseman
What kind of Long Beach Halloween grub? The metal one that also loves drag (because drag is metal).
121 W. 4th St.
With a recent expansion, ’tis the season to visit The 4th Horseman, Long Beach’s horrorcore pizzeria. And what better way than to earn your direct ticket to an uncomfortable meeting with your toilet a la the “Hellfire” pie. It’s a pizza that has been on its menu since day one and has continued to define what they do (and, simultaneously, what they don’t try to always do). This absurdly spicy pie—I have never described something as “absurdly spicy”—is a show of bacon, mozzarella, house-made ricotta, habanero, jalapeño, roasted red peppers, basil, and their locally famous Apocalyptic Sauce signed off in a pentagram.
And even they know this is a bit much: It has a blunt “no refunds” warning attached—which is why they are also offering this month’s special pizza, Black Metal. This masterful pie is kinda-not-really-spicy with pepperjack, coppacola, green bell pepper, and shallot pizza, ending with a jalapeño garlic hot sauce pentagram. For those that want to amp it up but aren’t (rightfully) comfortable with the Hellfire, asking for the Apocalyptic Sauce instead.
Oh, and did we mention they have weekly watch parties for Dragula? Hell yes they do.
Recommendations: Black Metal; Slaughterhouse Supreme; El Puerco Loco.
Baby Gee Bar
What kind of Long Beach Halloween grub? The one, well, coming soon.
1227 E. 4th St.
Following last year’s pretty solid Halloween cocktail program, one could imagine the impatience that comes with wondering what this year’s menu will bring. For that, we have to wait all the way until this Friday. And yes, I will happily provide an update.
Recommendations: Look for them coming soon…
