Dig Into These Delicious Deals!
Long Beach. It’s home to The Queen Mary and the ever-popular antique market where you can score vintage finds every third Sunday of the month. It’s a beach town built for sunbathing and slow sipping with enviable alcoves like Belmont Shores and Bixby Knolls. It’s the halfway house between Los Angeles and Orange County, and we’re here to take a peek behind this dual citizen’s curtain. For generations, Long Beach has served as a standalone community that offers all of the luxuries of a SoCal city with ocean access, unreal eateries and happy hours that’ll make you shout, “Hallelujah!”—but without the mayhem of a booming metropolis or tourist town.
As the “SNL” skit The Californians once famously proclaimed, “All the way on the other side of the 10? That’s almost Long Beach, man!” And we’re here to tell you all about our 10 favorite happy hours in Long Beach that you’ll be tickled to travel here to test out.
Cafe Sevilla
Cafe Sevilla puts the flavors of Spain on full display in their trendy, upbeat tapas bar that also doubles as a dance floor for live flamenco shows. Evenings at this Spanish eatery kick off with an all-night happy hour on Wednesday and don’t let up on the half-priced tapas and libations until Sunday at 7 p.m. With no shortage of inventive Spanish fare, take your pick between 31 fun, unique tapas available from 5-7 p.m. on Thursdays, 4-7 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 3-7pm on Sundays. Of course, happy hour wouldn’t be complete without the tacos! Say hello to their Moorish spiced chicken, short rib and shrimp tacos, each folded into crispy corn tortillas (you can upgrade to a trio for $3 extra). Round out happy hour with $7 well drinks, $6 wines and $10 craft cocktails. The Andalusian Pear and Sevilla Margarita are surefire winners, but it’s their Oaxacan Flower that crowns Cafe Sevilla as the queen of happy hours in Long Beach!
Padre
Located in the East Village Arts District, Padre puts happy hour on the map! This Latin-American eatery specializes in local craft brews, spicy cocktails and sizzling small bites. Happy hour is daily, from 4-7 p.m. Monday-Friday and 3-6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The best part? Appetizers start at only $3! Their Takis Elote (street corn) is a house specialty, but the Yuca Fries and Padre Nachos are just as divine. Padre puts a spin on Taco Tuesday, with craft margaritas by the pitcher. Their outdoor patio is happy-hour ready with a canopy of soft twinkling lights and brightly-colored banners.
Roe Seafood
Casual yet elegant, with a seafood-forward menu, Roe Seafood is your local staple for ocean-to-table dining. With no day of the week exempt from happy hour, “dive” into fish tacos, shrimp fried rice and bougie cocktails. Try the potato wedges, ceviche tostada, or sesame chicken for under $8. Oh, and drinks come with a price tag of under $10. Their Cali-coastal dining room is constantly buzzing with daily foodie-themed events. From Steak and Martini Monday to Tiki Thursday, stop in during happy hour from 3-6 p.m. to get a taste of each!
Palapa
Tangerine sunset views are on full display as you coast along Pacific Coast Highway to arrive at Palapa in Long Beach. Located next to sister restaurant Ola Mexican Kitchen, Palapa is a breezy coastal hideaway with a Bahamian vibe. Sidle to the bar and order some bubbles and tapas before dinner, or sample a cocktail or two and stay awhile. The Smokeshow, made with Del Maguey Vida mezcal and Ancho Reyes liqueur, is a delightful way to start an evening. Let’s just say that the tequila list is expansive, and nothing says happy hour like a few 5 o’clock margs. Before you head next door to Ola for dinner, start your evening with some light bites—a half-dozen oysters if you’re feeling posh or the poke nachos if you want some raw fish with your chips. Leave the office early for deals and discounts during happy hour, which happens every weekday from 3-6 p.m. Did we mention the view?
The 908
“Created in Long Beach for the people of Long Beach” is the slogan of this industrial-chic, all-American eatery offering happy hour from 3-6 p.m. Monday through Friday, which includes $4 off all appetizers and specialty cocktails and $2 off well drinks, wine and draft beer. Located between Nancy Meyers adjacent neighborhoods, Bixby Knolls and Lakewood, The 908 is a great spot for an afternoon date with your beau or a girls’ happy hour in Long Beach. The restaurant is tucked in the Long Beach Exchange (LBX)—a hip center with all kinds of businesses (think breweries, retail shops, workout studios and more). This is a primo spot to chill, cheer and chug with their large selection of crisp cocktails, including So Much Drama, a vodka-forward drink with hints of thyme, peach and fresh raspberries, or Purple Rain, a lemony gin drink with an Elderflower kick. There are plenty of seasonal snacks and sips to try out, while their staple menu highlights include the monstrous 32-ounce tomahawk ribeye, furikake-crusted seabass and the sunburst tomato pasta with heirloom and cherry tomato confit, white wine, garlic and shallots.
Ammatoli
As the late, great Yellowcard once said, “There’s a place off Ocean Avenue where I used to sit and talk with you.” Okay, fine, it’s Ocean Boulevard, but you get the point. Ammatoli is a Mediterranean mecca that’s just a stone’s throw from the beach and is serving up some happy hour super deals like their buy one, get one 50% off bargain—buy any entrée and get a second one for half off. They have beer and wine for $2 off, but the real steal is their mezzas, which are a smorgasbord of Middle Eastern finger foods made for dipping and devouring. The ambiance is clean and serene with natural elements like vines hanging from the ceiling and ceramic arches housing cultural relics. This is a great spot to sit solo at the bar or grab your gals and a few bottles of wine and kibbitz over kibbeh. Oh, and you cannot leave without getting at least one bit of the walnut baklawa with orange blossom syrup—trust us on this one. This Long Beach happy hour is from 3-5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
The Attic
What are you doing from 4-6 p.m. today? Nothing? We’re heading to The Attic on Broadway! Offering a daily happy hour in Long Beach that consists of $8 biscuits and beignets, $10 short rib poutine, a $13 Mac & Cheetos dish that is exactly what it sounds like and a variety of other sinfully satiating Southern delicacies, The Attic is the place to tantalize those taste buds while taking advantage of the early-bird bargains. We love the happy hour Old Fashioned, which is as classic as it comes, or opt for the Eastside, a spa-like refresher with gin, cucumber, mint and lime.
The Ordinarie
There’s nothing ordinary about this Promenade pit stop. Hosting happy hour Tuesday-Friday from 3-6 p.m., patrons can enjoy $2 off all drinks and appetizers, which means a bite and a bev for less. Who doesn’t love that? Try something new with their Peachy Keen cocktail, featuring black tea whiskey, cream sherry and peach jam. As for apps, look no further than the white cheddar and scallion popover with honey truffle butter. Need we say more? Throw in some chicken pot pie bits and maybe a mac and cheese and you have all the makings of a good time.
Saint + Second
You can’t pass Saint + Second without doing a double-take because it is just that trendy looking. It’s so suave that they call it social hour instead of happy hour, and it falls from 3-6 p.m. Monday through Friday. This classy establishment is serving up some serious eats with pork belly lettuce cups, baba ghanoush and flatbread and fresh-cut truffle fries. For $16, you can even get a half dozen East Coast oysters on the half shell if you are really looking to put out a vibe. Pair it with a False Alarm—a mezcal grapefruit cocktail garnished with black lava salt—and you’ll be in business.
Panxa Cocina
It’s no secret we are big fans of Panxa Cocina! This Belmont Heights haunt offers upscale Latin American cuisine with a twist that is just elevated enough to make any other Taco Tuesday menu seem boring. Their happy hour in Long Beach is reserved for the bar or outdoor tables only and takes place Wednesday through Saturday from 3-6 p.m. Cool down with a ceviche tostada or heat things up with some totopos or chicken chimichangas. The $4 street tacos are too good of a deal to pass up, and drink specials range from $2 off signature cocktails to $8 off pitchers of margs. We dare you to try the $17 Road Runner special, which consists of a 16-ounce Modelo, a shot of tequila and a taco. Feels like a well-rounded meal to us, no?
