Some Good Places to Eat in Long Beach

This is NOT an exhaustive guide to Long Beach restaurants, just a highly selective and subjective list of some places that I think are worth visiting.  --Jeff Cohlberg

Outdoor eating:
    Belmont Brewing Company – 25 39th Place (off Ocean Blvd.), at the foot of the pier, with an outdoor patio overlooking the beach.  They have several varieties of their own beer, along with very good food at very reasonable prices.  Reservations a good idea on weekends. (562) 433-3891
    Yard House – in Seaport Village, on Shoreline Drive, overlooking the marina.  180 beers on tap, plus good food.  You may have a long wait on a weekend – best to avoid during the Grand Prix.  (562) 628-0455
    River's End Café, 15 1st Street, Seal Beach (562) 431-5588 – At the edge of the sand at the foot of First Street in Seal Beach (at the end of the parking lot).  Very casual.  
    Schooner or Later:  241 Marina Drive, overlooking the Alamitos Bay marina.  Lunch only. (562) 430-3495
    Acapulco: At the north end of the Marina Pacifica mall.  A good chain Mexican restaurant with some outdoor seating overlooking the water.  (562) 596-3371
    Also many of the restaurants in Belmont Shore have sidewalk seating.

Slightly upscale but worth it:
    L'Opera (Italian), 101 Pine Avenue (downtown).  Really good.  (562) 491-0066
    Frenchy's Bistro (French), 4137 E. Anaheim St. (Anaheim is one block above 11th St.) Excellent food and good wine list.  494-8787
    Christy's (Italian), 3937 E. Broadway.  Cozy, romantic neighborhood setting, excellent food.  (562) 433-7133.  Run by Sonny Bono's daughter.  Her other restaurant, not so upscale, and sort of mixed California cuisine/Italian, is Bono's in Belmont Shore (4901 E. 2nd St., (562) 434-5901).
    Michael's Ristorante (Italian), 5620 E. Second St. (Naples island) – reputedly the best restaurant in Long Beach

Other general recommendations:

     Lunch:  
        Babette's Feast, 4621 E. 2nd (Belmont Shore) (562) 987-4536.  A bakery restaurant.  Great for salads and sandwiches on freshly baked bread.

     Dinner:  
        At Last Café, 204 Orange Avenue (562) 437-4837.  A tiny neighborhood café.  Serious cooking at unbelievably low prices.  Reservations essential.
        King's Pine Avenue Fish House – 100 W. Broadway (at Pine) (downtown) (562) 432-7463.  Excellent fish restaurant with a covered open-air patio.
        Tantalum, north end of Marina Pacifica mall next to Acapulco (562) 431-1414.  Excellent Cal-Asian fusion.  Nice view of the water.

Ethnic restaurants:     

     Brazilian: Green Field Churrascaria, 5305 E. Pacific Coast Highway (562) 597-0906 – for serious carnivores

     Cambodian: Long Beach has the largest Cambodian community outside Cambodia, with the Little Phnom Penh area running along Anaheim Street between Alamitos Avenue and Junipero Avenue.  Ask which dishes on the menu are Cambodian style.
        Crystal Thai Cambodian Cuisine, 1165 E. 10th Street (562) 591-7636
        Sophy's Fine Thai and Cambodian Cuisine, 3240 E. Pacific Coast Highway (562)494-1763
        If you absolutely must find a more hardcore "authentic" restaurant with an almost exclusively Cambodian clientele, you can try Hak Heang (2041 E. Anaheim) or Siem Reap (1810 E. Anaheim).

    French:  
        La Creperie, 4911 E. 2nd St. (Belmont Shore) (562) 434-8499.  Good crepes, and OK French platters at low prices.

    Greek:
       George's Greek Cafe, 5316 E. 2nd (Belmont Shore) (562) 433-1755 and 135 Pine Avenue (562) 437-1184

    Indian:
        Kamal Palace:  At the far south end of Marina Pacifica mall, on the lower level past the movie theater (562) 493-0255.  Great Indian food.

    Italian:
        La Parolaccia Osteria, 2945 E. Broadway (562) 438-1235.  Very good neighborhood Italian restaurant.

     Japanese:  
        Sushi of Naples, 5470 E. 2nd St. (Naples) (562) 434-1122 – really excellent sushi and Japanese seafood
        Japengo, 5325 E. 2nd St. (Belmont Shore) (562) 433-0221 – also very good

     Korean:
        Café Sura, 621 Atlantic Avenue (562) 495-7892.  Long Beach's first Korean restaurant.  A tiny place with a limited menu, but quite good.  Their specialty is tofu soup with a bright red chile base – try the combination tofu soup.
 
     Lebanese: Three options, all close to each other in Belmont Shore, all good
        Magic Lamp, 5020 E. 2nd (562) 987-3080
        Open Sesame, 5215 E. 2nd (562) 621-1698
        Sunnin Lebanese Café, 5110 E. 2nd (562) 433-9000

     Mexican – a couple of places offering more than the usual tacos and burritos:
        Enrique's, 6210 E. Pacific Coast Highway,  in the mini-mall at the corner of Loynes and PCH (562) 498-3622.  An excellent family-run Mexican restaurant serving Guadalajara-style food.  Find out why people line up every night to get in.
        Los Compadres, 3229 E. Anaheim (562) 961-0061.  Another place with an unusual and varied menu.  Try the quail molcajete.
        La Concha, 2612 E. Anaheim (562) 438-9499.  A true hole-in-the-wall joint, no atmosphere, but great food.  Their specialty, Carne en su Jugo Estilo Guadalajara, is to die for.

     Spanish:
        Alegria at 115 N. Pine Avenue (downtown) (562) 436-3388 has both tapas and full-size Spanish entrees.

     Thai (Long Beach has lots of good Thai restaurants; these are just a few of the best):
        Thai Gourmet by Sri Maya, 4722 E. Second St. (Belmont Shore) (562) 438-5838  Long Beach's newest Thai restaurant.  Delicious and creative cooking.
        Star of Siam, 2109 E. Broadway (562) 439-1564, very good food including some unusual fish dishes
        Tiny Thai, 4152 Norse Way, (562) 421-2207  One of the best Thai restaurants anywhere.  North of the airport off Lakewood Blvd. near Carson St.

     Vietnamese:
        Number Nine, 2118 E. 4th St. (562) 434-2009.  On the up-and-coming stretch down the street from the newly refurbished Art Theater.  An excellent noodle restaurant.