Long Beach Food Recommendations
Food enthusiasts are sharing Long Beach favorites including Black Pork (#1), Midnight Oil, Sura BBQ, and Shlap Muan for Thai. Additional recommendations include Rasila's Kitchen for chicken kheema, Lithosphere, and Grubous sizzlers. The crowdsourced list highlights the city's diverse casual dining scene.
Long Beach's culinary landscape is notably diverse, with a significant concentration of immigrant-owned restaurants offering authentic flavors from around the globe. The city is particularly renowned for its Cambodian food scene, which is considered the largest outside of Cambodia and offers a range of traditional dishes. One of the highlighted restaurants, Shlap Muan, specializes in Cambodian-style hot wings and has gained national recognition. The name "Shlap Muan" translates to "chicken wing" in Khmer, and their menu features unique flavors like "Cambodian Dirt," a lemongrass and lemon-pepper seasoning. The owner, Hawk Tea, brought his family's recipes from a previous San Francisco venture to a North Long Beach space that once housed his parents' restaurant. Black Pork, a West Long Beach establishment, offers a multicultural menu with a focus on expertly prepared pork dishes. The restaurant, situated between two bars, is known for its Latin American-inspired cuisine, including porchetta and standout empanadas. Owners Veronica Lopez and Luis Mendiola have created a local favorite by focusing on community and flavorful, well-executed dishes. Sura Korean BBQ & Tofu House has been a fixture in Long Beach for over a decade, introducing many to the breadth of Korean cuisine. It stands out as the city's only restaurant offering a grill-your-own Korean barbecue experience. Sura provides a wide variety of options, including numerous vegan and vegetarian choices, and has recently added tabletop grills to its patio for an authentic K-BBQ experience. Adding to the city's nightlife and dining options, Midnight Oil is a recent addition to Downtown Long Beach, offering a unique concept of late-night dim sum and craft cocktails. The establishment, which took over the former Rosemallows space, features an apothecary-themed bar with creative drinks and a menu of Chinese-inspired shareable plates.
