AKI SUSHI’S HOME DELIVERY The reasons I am obsessed with Aki Sushi/Bai-Plu are infinite. Since it’s both a sushi joint and a Thai restaurant, I find myself voting for Aki in the Where to Eat? straw polls roughly five nights a week—and if I could, and my friends wouldn’t kill me, I’d gorge on edamame, potato croquets, drunken noodles, avocado rolls, miso soup and tom kha gai on the remaining two nights, too. Then again, even when my friends won’t go with me, Aki still has me covered. Three words, folks: Home. Delivery. Sushi. 1626 E Seventh St | Long Beach 90813 | 562.436.3123 // ELLEN GRILEY

ALEX’S BAR SUNDAY CHOW Line up for free Sunday chow at Alex’s like they do at every noble American institution, whether Marine mess hall or generous soup kitchen, and Alex’s gets enough hungry dudes with tattoos to match either. These are the happiest hours of the weekend—thick juicy ribs, potato salad, paper plates and drink specials to sip while you select food off a hospital gurney. On those summer evenings when they had reggae DJs going it was just about as good as it got. Show up empty; leave full and sleepy. 2913 E Anaheim St | Long Beach 90804 | 562.434.8292 | alexsbar.com // CHRIS ZIEGLER

ANGIE’S FABULOUS WEST’S RUSTIC-NESS Prospector has a cousin and she really is on the wrong side of the tracks. Chase rough-and-tumble real-deal rustic-ness at the Fabulous West, located across the 710 and across PCH from the pizza place with concertina on the roof, and inside are gnarled wood walls homey enough to get even Abe Lincoln a little sappy and bumperstickers chronicling 50 years of righteous American regular-joe-ism. Even at high noon the cowboys of right now—in leather jackets and black T-shirts—are inside sipping whiskey and listening to .38 Special. It’s a special place—the kind of bar your parents warned you about, or the kind of bar they left you outside waiting for them. 1616 W Pacific Coast Hwy | Long Beach 90810 | 562.436.2960 // CZ

BABETTE’S BAKERY’S PASTRAMI Not the big, hot hank of mystery meat other places serve, Babette’s pastrami is a spicy, lean, intelligent amount of meat laced with hot peppers, cheese, mustard, mayo, and onion if you want it. Kills you with deliciousness. 1404 Atlantic Ave | Long Beach 90813 | 562.218.8877 // THEO DOUGLAS

BAKE ‘N BROIL’S RED VELVET CAKE After you down one of Bake ‘N Broil’s excellent burgers, order a slice of red velvet cake for a perfect meal. The cake is dense, moist and only subtly sweet, with the cool tang of the cream cheese frosting balancing things out. Of course, Bake ‘N Broil also has the best pies around, so take a slice home to eat your way back to happiness. 3697 Atlantic Ave | Long Beach 90807 | 562.595.0396 // MILES CLEMENTS

BENLEY’S VERMICELLI SALAD You can’t ignore Benley’s pho, but the restaurant’s best dish isn’t the popular Vietnamese noodle soup—it’s a noodle salad. Bún starts with rice vermicelli, which is glassy and fresh and wound into a mountain of bright white. Then the bowl’s other flashes of color—the deep greens of the cucumber, lettuce and basil, the bright orange and earthy brown of the carrots and blanched shallots—are piled on top, capping the noodles. As for meats, the charbroiled pork—very near the best I’ve ever tasted—is the easy choice. Flavored with five spice and star anise, the pork is grilled to a crisp and cut into hunks so tender you can skewer them with your chopsticks. All together, Benley’s bún is one of those dishes that you’ll never get tired of—a fresh, light and filling meal that’s as addicting as any fatty fried food out there. 8191 E Wardlow Rd | Long Beach 90808 | 562.596.8130 // MC

BOUCHEES BISTRO’S MINI BURGERS You’ll find Bouchees on Long Beach Boulevard in what once was Pickle Nickel Pizza, a space now remodeled to fit Bouchees’ fancier tastes. But Chef Tony Zervas is of the opinion that even people stepping off the Blue Line deserve great food—and what’s great at Bouchees is its selection of tiny burgers. It’s best to build your own, so pick through the restaurant’s long list of ingredients to create things like a mini ahi tuna burger with applewood bacon and a lemon-caper aioli. And if all of Bouchees’ burger possibilities don’t make you feel like you have a six-figure income, try the cupcakes or the parmesan herb French fries (with homemade ketchup). 515 Long Beach Blvd | Long Beach 90802 | 562.951.8222 // SARAH BENNETT

BROADWAY DONUTS’ CHOCOLATE AND MAPLE BARS Growing up, there was a store called Jax Market that had a donut shop attached to it that made the best and freshest donuts ever. That same freshness can be found across the entire selection of tasty treats at Broadway Donuts—however, there’s just something about the way your teeth sink into the Chocolate and Maple bars that’ll keep you coming back. Just enough icing, just the right consistency, and, just so you don’t feel too guilty about it, they taste closer to a baked treat than a fried one. Enjoy and just keep telling yourself that. 1200 E Broadway | Long Beach 90802 | 562.432.6595 // ALEX ROMAN

BROADWAY PIZZA’S LUNCHTIME SLICES TO GO Hard to chop out single specifics for heavy contender Broadway Pizza—delivery hours that validate even the worst insomniacs, a real-deal neighborhood feel that gets cooks automatically sliding the usual to the regulars, and pizza that, at first bite, threatens to push Canadian out of the top slot. But besides the garlic twists—as killer cold as hot—Broadway is the best because of how much they’ll do for the customer. Anything you want, you get fast and probably better than you expected—full strips of bacon, nubs of garlic, fresh rings of sausage and big curls of onion stacked on a single slice almost too big to fit in its box. Excellent. In fact, at the very beginning, they served slices too big to fit the boxes, and you’d carry them down the street with crust and corners dripping grease right on the sidewalk. That was absolutely too good to last—but everything else still good is still there. 120 E Broadway | Long Beach 90802 | 562.901.9690 // CZ

CANADIAN PIZZA’S “ETHNIC” PIZZAS There’s nothing Canadian aboot it, so don’t get your hopes up—Dudley Do-Right isn’t going to trot up to your front door and hand you a maple leaf-shaped pizza. Don’t bother asking what makes the pizza Canadian, either—the restaurant pretends to have no idea what you’re talking about. Instead, accept the fact that you’re going to get an amazing and cheap pizza delivered by a guy who speaks broken English. If you truly want that “authentic” Canadian experience, put on some Kids in the Hall and enjoy the fact that Canadian Pizza is kinda-sorta bringing the Great White North to your living room. 1241 E Fourth St | Long Beach 90802 | 562.980.7605 // SB

EGG HEAVEN’S OATMEAL Perfection at the margins of Egg Heaven’s specialty—while the Queen Maria and the Ximeno are some of the most heroic local breakfasts going, Egg Heaven has a quiet sideline in excellent eggless options. The biscuits and gravy are a must-order side (substitute them in for tortillas and toast) and the built oatmeal is a must-order main course. There are fancier oatmeals in town and a swamp of worse messes. But Egg Heaven’s built oatmeal provides the basics at their best: thick oats, crumbly clumps of brown sugar, stacks of walnuts and raisins and something extra-special on top—“Hey, can I get some more of that stuff?” my friend asked the waitress once. “You mean butter?” she said. Perfect! 4358 E Fourth St | Long Beach 90804 | 562.433.9277 // CZ

FERN’S RANAE’S DELICIOUS COZY Local legend has it that a gal once asked Ranae to mix a drink that tasted like magic and tiny horses—and she nearly did! (Bar was out of blueberry schnapps, I hear.) Me, I once made the wise decision to ask Ranae to fix me up somethin’ to wash the Sapporro/sushi/sake stank right out of my mouth—and she did! Meet Delicious Cozy, a frothy, fruity (coconut/pineapple-ish) concoction that glides down your throat and triggers whatever membrane it is in your brain that makes a person go, “Ahhhhhhhh.” Fern’s Cocktails | 1253 E Fourth St | Long Beach 90802 | 562.436.2123 // EG

FROSTED CUPCAKERY’S CHOCOLATE CUPCAKE Frosted Cupcakery definitely subscribes to the cute, gourmet dessert trend, but that doesn’t take away from the quality of its cupcakes. Try the seasonal varieties when they’re in (pumpkin, cinnamon spice and others in the fall) but otherwise stick to the basics and order the carrot or the chocolate with vanilla buttercream—decadent enough to satisfy, small enough to avoid any guilt. 195 Claremont Ave | Long Beach 90803 | 562.987.1080 // MC

JAY BHARAT’S DOSAS Jay Bharat is just a blip in the blocks-long drag of Little India, but it’s a tasty one. The snack shop serves up the typical Indian sweets and treats, but also the best dosas around. The crepes are crispy, but not brittle, the potato-and-onion filling pairs perfectly with coconut chutney. Take it easy with the spice and rip through a dosa or two before you wash it all down with a mango lassi. 18701 Pioneer Blvd | Artesia 90701 | 562.924.3310 // MC

JOE JOST’S PABST BLUE RIBBON How can you beat a stuffed buck head, beer-can airplanes, Marmion’s original roasted peanuts, a vintage snooker table and PBR at arctic temperatures—all at the oldest bar in town? Impossible. 2803 E Anaheim St | Long Beach 90804 | 562.439.5446 | joejosts.com // TD

LA MUSE CAFE’S HANGOVER CURE Long Beach’s bars are the best around—fiendish places that pour you lethal highballs with mixers splashed in for no other reason than color—but the next best thing about our city is doing breakfast the next morning. You can ride your bike, take the Passport, or walk (mind-blowing, I know) to most of the great breakfast spots. And you’d be wise to head to La Muse. There, you can order mimosas, a superb latte and one of the most delicious crepes in town. Take a seat in La Muse’s garden patio, a courtyard shadowed by the historic Cooper Arms building, and let your hangover disappear. 455 E Ocean Blvd Ste 12 | Long Beach 90802 | 562.432.1965 // CHESNEY HIGGINS

LONG BEACH PIZZA CO.’S PESTO PIZZA There are zillions of pizza joints here, so many times the slices we eat are based on somebody else’s opinion. Thing is, you can’t necessarily go by popular opinion, because what one person swears by another person has sworn off. Enter Long Beach Pizza Co.’s Pesto Pizza. It has mozzarella, artichoke, pesto sauce, feta and tomato, which when combined literally melt in your mouth. The crust reminds me of a cracker—in a good way—and is perfect for rolling around in the excess sauce. If that doesn’t sell you, try this; I don’t even like three of the ingredients and still can’t live without it. 3430 E Broadway | Long Beach 90803 | 562.439.5936 // AR

THE MADISON’S FAIRYTALE BAR Class stacked so high they need a ladder to inspect the top, or to grab you some top-shelf liquor that’s way up by the ceiling collecting ice crystals. Old bank building the Madison is a background scene from Gatsby and you yourself can be the no-name extra in tasteful earth tones arguing about presidents with strangers. A fairytale bar for fans of the smart set, and for all the writerly types who like to rest elbows on solid wood. 102 Pine Ave | Long Beach 90802 | 562.628.8866 | themadisonrestaurant.com // CZ

MVP’S TIGER WOODS It’s named after a golfer, but it’s a burger the size of a boxer’s fist. MVP has a roster of some of the best snack-shack fare south of the 405 with a monster turkey burger leaner than beef and without that weird, ghostly petting-zoo taste you get from places where they pre-fab all the meat. MVP’s Tiger Woods matches up with all tuff-guy burgers (shy only up to maybe Pasadena’s Pie and Burger) and it’s that little bit healthier, too. Get it with a half-order of Cajun fries unless you are the prophesized one who can finish a full-order and, in which case, deliver us from the coming darkness. 3701 E Fourth St | Long Beach 90804 | 562.439.0809 // CZ

THE OBSERVATION BAR’S VIEW If it weren’t such a chore to find, the Queen Mary’s Observation Bar would be the hottest spot in town. In fact, the only problem with the place is getting there (check that, the problem isn’t getting there, it’s getting home from there). The bar is usually filled with a mix of hotel-type drunks and Long Beach locals looking to try something different. But what brings everyone together is the view. There isn’t a more picturesque scene than what lies outside the Observation Bar’s window: the calm ocean, downtown’s well-lit skyline—it doesn’t get any better. 1126 Queens Hwy | Long Beach 90802 | 562.435.3511 // JIM HALL

O’CONNELL’S HOT NUTS O’Connell’s is a secret bar of sorts—best during the day, when no one you know will see you get sloppy off those cheap, delicious Bloody Marys, but pretty great at night, too, especially when the stars align and every song that floats out of the Internet juke is totally what you would play next. Insider tip: saddle up with a pitcher of Hef at the table closest to the bathrooms—and the little candy machine filled with nuts. You might not normally like your nuts this way (bar nuts being uniformly gross, I know) but thanks to a small red light located inside the machine, these nuts are warm. As in hot. Eat a few, drink another pint, and repeat until the phrase “Hot Nuts” has you spilling off your seat. 2746 E Fourth St | Long Beach 90814 | 562.433.5068 // EG

PALETERIA LA MEXICANA’S POPSICLES Paletería la Mexicana’s frozen treats come in two distinct varieties: juice-based fruit pops in flavors like cantaloupe, strawberry and tamarind, and milk-based pops that come in horchata, coconut, vanilla and the like. Both usually have bits of fruit embedded in the pops and ultimately taste much better than their chemically based American counterparts—so good you’ll wish you grew up in a different part of town. 1864 Pacific Ave | Long Beach 90806 | 562.591.4366 // MC

THE PIKE’S FISH AND CHIPS Every bite of the Pike’s fish and chips is perfect. You focus first on the filets of sole, still delicate and flavorful in their light beer-batter shells. Then there are the chips: crisp half-circles dusted with just the right amount of salt. It’s not just the fish and chips that makes the Pike the best place to eat and drink, however—it’s everything on the menu. 1836 E Fourth St | Long Beach 90802 | 562.437.4453 // MC

POOR RICHARD’S COCKTAILS’ MODERNE BARTENDERS Neighborhood watering holes are draining away just like the actual neighborhoods themselves—the future is a CityPlace, where we live above Foot Locker and drink alone surrounded by stucco in the dark—but Poor Richard’s is the kind of duck-in-and-say-hi place that a whole community can swing from. Swooping moderne ceiling and smiling moderne bartenders serve standard fare with rare hospitality. Everybody doesn’t know your name, but they’ll tell you theirs and then clink glasses. 6412 E Stearns St | Long Beach 90815 | 562.596.0882 // CZ

POTHOLDER’S BREAKFAST BURRITO Another standard, but the Potholder does it best—beans, egg and cheese in a flour tortilla with avocado, salsa, sour cream on top and various meats if you’d like to stretch your breakfast burrito towards lunch, too. Somehow they match everything to complementary consistency and temperature, instead of the usual uniform mush you sometimes find elsewhere. It unrolls into America’s truest continental breakfast—salsa on the side and you’re set. 3700 E Broadway | Long Beach 90803 | 562.433.9305 // CZ

RED ROOM’S DAYNA’S BLOODY MARY Dayna is an angel and her Bloody Mary is pretty forgiving, too—good thick mix and a garden on top, and the horseradish swimming underneath waiting to kick. It’s like she spent some years coming up and learning the technique just like all those who came up alongside her, and then suddenly she put it all together in her own special way—if you couldn’t drink it, it would be a song that everyone knew. 1229 E Fourth St | Long Beach 90802 | 562.432.4241 // CZ

STARLING DINER’S POLENTA POTATOES Breakfast sides are sometimes kind of dubious—cold, floppy steak fries or flat and oily hash browns or blocky little potatoes dotted with unspecified confetti or who knows what kind of bad neighbors are going to be inviting themselves into your morning after? But Starling’s polenta potatoes elevate everything else on the plate: one smooth scoop that’s fresh and gentle and healthy and hot and worth eating before everything else. 4114 E Third St | Long Beach 90814 | 562.433.2041 // CZ

STEAK-O-RAMA’S TAKE-OUT Steak-O-Rama delivers a classic steak-out setting—wood, leather, a little fire; those are serving suggestions dating back to the first cow they cooked up in a cave—but Steak-O-Rama also delivers their classic steak direct to certain Long Beach doors, obsoleting almost every other mobile food solution. They show up with so many sacks of steak—the specialty medallions, plus sides and reinforcements—that you can just about hear the guy’s spine hiccup when he sets down the chow. Costs about a large pizza, but sustains so much longer. 5201 E Second St | Long Beach 90803 | 562.987.3951 // CZ

SUNNIN’S HUMMUS It’s hard to pick through all the Mediterranean restaurants on Second Street, but if you’re looking for hummus, head to Sunnin. The restaurant’s chickpea puree is a smooth and creamy dream that you’ll find yourself applying to anything and everything you order. If you need more proof, know that this hummus is so delicious that the chef won’t even share the recipe with her mother. Consider yourself lucky that you get to eat it at all. 5110 E Second St | Long Beach 90803 | 562.433.9000 // DAVID STELZMULLER

TACO BEACH’S PINE AVE SURPRISES Unlike just about every other place on Pine Avenue, Taco Beach actually feels like a bar. Considering the area, drinks are fairly cheap and the wait is never too long. Plus, wastoids get free chips and salsa to wash down those oat sodas. There are television screens tuned to some sporting event (perfect to cry away your Lakers woes) and surprisingly nice bathrooms. The only problem with Taco Beach is the noise level when there’s a live band around. But I’ve been behind that problem just as often as I’ve been confronted with it, so I don’t have any room to complain. 211 Pine Ave | Long Beach 90802 | 562.983.1337 // JH

TACOS SAN PEDRO’S CARNE ASADA BURRITO Tacos San Pedro’s carne asada burrito is deliciously utilitarian, a nearly thigh-sized meal filled with nothing more than seasoned hunks of beef, diced onion and a bit of cilantro. But that’s the way it should be—no rice to fill you up, no lettuce or cheese to waste space. A lot of burritos are measured by their size, but Tacos San Pedro ultimately picks quality over sheer girth, fulfilling every man’s fantasy with one amazing burrito. 11962 Carson St | Hawaiian Gardens 90716 | 562.496.2709 // MC

TAQUERIA LA MEXICANA’S TORTAS Tortas are usually afterthoughts at most taco stands, but Taquería la Mexicana does the colonial sandwich justice: perfectly charred rolls wrapped around tender cuts of meat, lettuce, tomato, avocado. Spoon on some salsa and it’ll make for one of the best sandwiches you’ve ever had. 3270 E Fourth St | Long Beach 90814 | 562.433.6389 // MC

TRACHT’S POT ROAST Never mind that Tracht’s is an LA spin-off and that the place is still just a few months old—it’s already the top fine dining spot in the city. The restaurant has a long list of American favorites—thick-cut steaks, crab deviled eggs, dark, rich puddings—but the best is the pot roast, a sizable hunk of beef slow-cooked until it nearly falls apart under your fork. Add to it a side of Tracht’s stuffed Japanese purple yams and you’ll have one of the best meals you can buy in the city. Finish it up with a cocktail and the greatest chocolate pudding. Ever. 111 E Ocean Blvd | Long Beach 90802 | 562.499.2533 // MC

THE V ROOM’S MORNING PICK-ME-UP Only ever cruised by the V at night? You’re missing out. Stumble over at 8 or 9 am some sober morning and party in reverse: throw a little Skynyrd in the juke for C.J. behind the bar, order a Bloody Mary (or better yet, an Orange Crush) and have yourself the merriest daytime drinking you’re likely to squeeze out of Long Beach. 918 E Fourth St | Long Beach 90802 | 562.437.4396 // EG

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