Locally Recommended Eateries in Long Beach
When restaurants are off the beaten path, sometimes they remain neighborhood secrets. In Long Beach, some places are so good that little things like location and/or square footage can’t stop people from going out of their way to search their well-loved dishes out. Here’s a few that are well worth the effort!
JOLIZA’S
How good is this little bit of meaty heaven? Yelp named its burrito California’s best … and burritos aren’t even their specialty! You see, Joliza’s (2233 Pacific Ave.) is best known and loved for tacos as well as a menudo that people have been known to travel to experience. Tying all of it together is a flavorful menu of meats–asada, carnitas al pastor–marinated and cooked to perfection. No wonder Yelp called it “a hidden gem worthy of being shown to the world.”
THAI CURRY PIZZA & THAI FOOD
A rather nondescript property located in a decidedly nondescript strip mall, Thai Curry Pizza & Thai Food (929 Redondo Ave.) produces pies that defy description. A gooey Tom Yum pizza bursting with spicy-sour wonder; Southeast Asian flavors arranged atop spotted crusts. All of this offered with such staples as pad see ew and papaya salad, which make for a great accompaniment to these pizza mashup masterpieces. There are a few tables inside, but most prefer to enjoy their pizzas at home.
BERTH 55 FISH MARKET & SEAFOOD
Located in a corrugated metal bungalow next to a fleet of fishing boats, Berth 55’s (555 Pico Ave.) display case shows off fresh caught and brilliantly colored cuts of fish and shellfish. You’ll find the day’s specials scrawled on a piece of butcher’s paper stuck to the shop wall near the entrance. Shrimp is always a favorite choice, whether grilled, fried, placed in a taco or in a combo with lobster. Seabass, salmon and halibut are popular grilled choices as are lobster and the clam chowder.
LA GUANAQUITA
Located not far from Poly High, this cozy Salvadorean bakery and pupuseria is well-known for serving freshly made dishes ranging from yuca frita to sopa de pata. But, of course, the headliner at La Guanaquita (801 E. Pacific Coast Hwy.) is their pupusas that are authentic and delicious. Though relatively small and out of the way, you can expect to find the place in various forms of being packed. Word gets around about food this good.
DAVE’S BURGERS
Located in a gas station parking lot, Dave’s Burgers’ (3396 Atlantic Ave.) red and white stand offers a relatively small, straightforward selection of burgers and hot dogs. From the Chubby Cheeseburger to the Cheese Dog with onions and pickles, this is the kind of food you associate with a great day out at the beach, backyard or, well, gas station–they have benches for you to use. This is timeless grub, which stands to reason since hovering over the operation is a large clock declaring it’s “Time To Eat.” Yeah it is.
