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LONG BEACH: L.A.
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CALL! A detailed look at the nightlife in Long Beach, downtown, the Pike, Pine and Belmont Shore.
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Welcome to Nightlife in Long Beach, CA!
There is a roar down by the shore, and it's happening all over Long Beach. California's sixth-largest city may be part of the bigger whole of L.A., but there is a whole lot of action happening right here. And for the 4th, look for fireworks off the Queen Mary, viewable from on and around Marina Green all the way down to the Belmont Shore Pier. Tens of thousands of people turn out for this show. Long Beach is nearly as diverse as Los Angeles. It has a beach – a long one, and that's not just a pun – combined with a hip mentality, a population of beach-minded bar-goers, lounge lizards and younger clubbers who hang out at places on lower Pine and upper Pine downtown, as well as Belmont Shore just down the shore.
Each April, Long Beach hosts the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, 36 years and, in addition to the actual race, there are free concerts, the Miss Grand Prix girls and packed bars. There is also a college here, Long Beach State, which produces some pretty good PR people and an endless supply of fun-seeking students. Downtown Bars, Shoreline and the Pike MAP
Downtown Long Beach means Pine Ave., with its collection of restaurants, peppered with a few bars and shops. Just about every place has a patio, and diners enjoy late-night dinners that give the place a European atmosphere. This is a remarkably rare experience in Los Angeles. The city has set up wireless Internet connection on Pine, so cyber surfers can check the PubClub guide while enjoying a fresh piece of fish and a cold one.
For fun in Long Beach's Pike, follow the tiki torches. They lead to the Mai Tai Bar, which not only makes a good one but sells them in pint glasses for $4 during a special evening happy hour (8-11 p.m.). This comfortable sit-down bar with a cozy lanai overlooks the harbor just invites aloha shirts and sandals. In August it's having a battle of the DJs on Thursday nights from 7-11 p.m.
The staff has the all-important Aloha Spirit,, the crowd is among the best-looking in Long Beach and it gets younger by the hour. It is, in the words of one patron, "the kind of place where you would come for a couple of drinks after work and stay all night." The menu is primarily pupus – $5 from 4-7 nightly – is accompanied by live music and there is never a cover. The Auld Dubliner around the corner is a cozy Irish pub that's a good place for a downtown pint. We're not alone in this observation – it's where to find the waiters, waitresses and bartenders from the adjacent restaurants after midnight.
The patio at The Yardhouse in Shoreline Village is relaxing any sunny afternoon. The view of the marina is calming and while it's a bit short on socializing opportunities it serves well as a group gathering spot (do resist all temptations to order the nachos). Inside, the bar is wrapped around near endless taps serving beers from around the globe. It is not really a nighttime destination, however. Another restaurant which has a patio with a view is Gladstone's. The portions here are huge, and so is the view from the patio. It's adjacent to the Pine Ave. Pier and offers good afternoon and evening lunch, dinner and cocktailing. For live music, Blue Cafe is one of the top blues bars on the West Coast. It's where the musicians want to play.
Down in Belmont Shore (keep reading) is a spot called Shannon's Bay Shore. But now, one does not need to leave downtown to go to Shannon's for there is one right on Pine Ave. And the crowd is just as funky; this is a fun, "anything goes' place so let the hair down and check the inhibitions at the door. It's good for sports and great for drinks – a Stella beer is just $5 here!
A different kind of mood prevails on Pine at the classy sports bar Smooth's. The owner is a big supporter of the Grand Prix and has Bobby Rahal's race car hanging from the ceiling. The menu is very good and the upstairs club, Cohiba, does not have a cover charge on weekends. Long Beach also has lots of conventions and business activities. As a result, the lobby bars at the various hotels – Westin, Renaissance, Hyatt and Hilton – can be a source of lively socializing. – Downtown Dance Clubs –
For clubbers, V20 is kind of a Asia-meets-Vegas-style club. The young and largely Asian crowd crowds this large dance bar, which features sexy Go-Go dancers by the stage and at the front bar. One cool element to the place – other than the go-go dancers – is the walkway between two areas bar areas. It's a circular wood "tunnel," kind of like the moving sidewalk into Bally's Las Vegas.
On upper Pine, Cafe Sevilla looks out onto the street from an ideal perch. Its patio and lower level greets diners and, later, salsa fans.
Upstairs, Cafe Sevilla's ample space provides for plenty of dancing and drinking, and people pack in here for both. Go-Go dancers add to the aura, the DJ cranks it from an elevated booth and the place pumps. Cohiba Club, atop the Mum's, is a cigar bar disguised as an upscale dance club. While the guys shoot stick and puff up in a traditional cigar club, the rest of the crowd gets crazy on the dance floor in the next room. New club competition comes from from Ice. Located where the music venue Vault 350 was housed for many years, it's too soon to tell what its future holds. But it certainly got off to a good start with a rocking opening party. Mariposa is a hot Latino-focused club with salsa music in a much smaller venue than the clubs mentioned above; in fact it's a restaurant that becomes a hangout and dance bar on the more casual side. Wasabi is a sushi bar turned nightclub. Go downstairs for the real action – it's like an underground club. Belmont Shore Bars MAP
Along the shore is Belmont Shore, a popular place to live for young professionals who like to be fun-seeking beach bums away from work. By day, the beach is the main attraction but come sundown, the action is along Second Street. Upscale yuppie shops (the Gap), old record stores and lots of banks (for those many pre-bar ATM runs) comprise much of Second Street. It's the bars, though, that provide the entertainment. No need to get dressed up here, jeans are about as fancy as it gets. The bars are Panama Joe's (run by Sharkeez); , the traditional dive beer joint the Acapulco Inn, or "the A.I." to locals Shannon's BayShore a dive with an edge; a Euro-style lounge called Evo, the sports bar with a hot nightlife scene Legends, the relatively tame Irish pub Murphy's and the sort-of casual club Shore Ulra Lounge, which is actually a short distance away from Belmont Shore at 2nd and PCH.
PubClub.com once uysed this space for its Belmont Shore bar reviews, but has now expanded that into a separate article, which you can find right here. And we'll leave you with this jewel. A great way to start a day in Long
Beach is go a bit further South to the intersection of Pacific Coast
Highway for brunch and a beer at the Schooner or Later along
the marina. Gay Bars
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