After Hours:	Shorehouse Café	Japanese:	Kinokawa, Sushi of Naples
American:	Lasher’s	Mexican:	Super Mex, Baha Senora
Appetizers:	Tantalüm, Casa Vino	Patio Dining:	Claire’s, Yard House
Barbecue:	Johnny Rebs	Pizzeria:	NY Upper Crust, Buono’s
Breakfast:	Coffee Cup Café, Two Umbrellas	Rest. w/ View:	Skyroom, Claire’s
Brewery:	Belmont Brewing Company	Romantic:	Café Piccolo, Four Olives
Burgers:	Cicsco’s Burgers, In-N-Out	Seafood:	King’s Fish House
Chinese:	PF Changs	Sports Bar:	Smooth’s
Coffee Shop:	It’s A Grind, Portfolio Café	Southwestern:	Chipotle, Lucille’s
Comfort Food:	Bake & Broil	Steakhouse:	555 Steakhouse
Continental:	Holiday Inn Airport	Thai:	Tantalum, Phuket Thai
Deli:	Modica’s, Angelo’s	Vegetarian:	Open Sesame, Enrique’s
Dessert:	La Creperie	Wine Bar:	Casa Vino, Delius
Eclectic:	Bono’s	Business Meeting:	Daily Grill
Family:	Hof’s Hut	Celebration:	Wasabi
French:	Frenchy’s Bistro	Happy Hour:	Panama Joe’s
Greek:	George’s Greek Cafe	Ladies Lunch:	Vintage Tea Leaf
Indian:	Kamal Palace	Sunday Brunch:	Queen Mary
Italian:	Nino’s, Café Piccolo

With two locations, George’s even has a bus to pick people up! My editor likes the Pine Street venue better, while my best friend likes the 2nd Street location. Either way, we’ve got a winner! The “in crowd” loves George’s (especially the ladies), and even though there is no order to our list, I listed George’s first because so did you! Big smiles deliver big taste at both ends of town with patio dining and authentic flavors that satisfy Greek gods and Long Beach locals alike. If you have to wait for a table, have a Greek beer (or three, like I did). Congrats!

Talk about a well-kept secret. The building it sits in is anything but flattering. But once inside, you will forget what country you’re in, let alone the building. The décor and the top-notch service in this “loger avec aucune vue” make Frenchy’s a class act. And for you oenophiles, you will be splashing around Riviera style in rich cuisine and wine from a menu as proud as the French themselves. Start with a bottle of Pommard En Brescul Jean-Luc Joillot Bordeaux and end with a crème brule so you can truly experience “Viva La France.”

Real restaurateurs never quit! Just ask Nino, who has been running his family-owned restaurant with his culinary trained father since July 1958. The menu covers all of Italy, but without a doubt celebrates the Neapolita style in its pizzas, raviolis, and, in Nino’s own words, “the best lasagna ever.” Located in the 3800 block of Atlantic Avenue, this unpretentious, reasonably priced, and satisfying ristorante came in under the radar to surprise us all...except Nino.


...“like being invited to a friend’s comfortable home for dinner.” That is the motto Ray and Lynn Lasher live by as they nightly transform their home on Broadway to serve regional American cuisine. Cranberry glazed meatloaf, prime steak, Atlantic salmon, and even award-winning New England clam chowder are establishment favorites. A VIP club, private room, parking, catering, parties, gift certificates…they have and do it all. Why? Because this is America!

There is no better restaurant with a view in all of 562! When you dine here, you are dining in the same room as Hollywood royalty. Established in the 1930s, this art deco space in the sky has catered to Liz Taylor, Cary Grant, Errol Flynn, and Clark Gable. So live it up and bring a date because in addition to making our list of favorites, The Sky Room was also voted one of the most romantic restaurants in the United States.

Locals, including myself, simply refer to it as “the 5.” This is a true blue American steakhouse! Relax at the rich wood bar for a cocktail or sit near the piano and order from the 800+ wine list as you wait for your filet “black & blue Pittsburgh style.” Let’s face it, the 5 is Steak City, and you are the mayor! In my “never humble” opinion, by steaks alone, the 5 has no competition within our city limits. If any of you want to challenge that by buying me dinner somewhere else, save your money. Mine’s on the 5.


I never watch sports, and yet I have been to Smooth’s a dozen times. The chairs in the bar are super comfortable in case you have a big athletic butt like mine. The prices are great, the girls are hot, the beer is cold, and you won’t miss a game on one of the innumerable flat screens. Unlike most divey sports joints, this place is clean with class and style, but still remains true to the sports fanatic with greasy finger foods. So bring your crew, come downtown, chill with a cold one, and find out what makes this place so smooth.

What is the one thing Adulfis Busch and Pete Coors don’t have? A brewery on the beach! But we do! The BBC brews and serves its own beer right on site. The beer snob, the patio snob, and even the appetizer snob will all be in heaven at this flavor-rich beer joint. Sitting on a slight bluff with a view of the pier (some days Catalina), you are reminded with one sip and one glance why you live in Southern California. Cheers!

A downtown darling with seafood fit for royalty is King’s. The fresh crab is as good as you can get on the wharf in San Francisco – I know, I lived there! The smiley, energetic staff is ultra welcoming and greets both the locals and the tourists with the same convivial flare. King’s has a full bar, two outside patios, and a menu with everything that swims or crawls under the sea. Sam and Jeff King truly made this place “tutto mare” and deserve this honor.


The food here is great, but who cares with a patio that overlooks the Pacific Ocean. Don’t worry if you get cold. A waiter will bring you a cozy blanket to wrap yourself in as you are wrapped in panoramic views of the coast, wispy palm trees, lazy beachgoers, and the historical museum that houses this hotspot. This is a great date spot, meeting place, or breakfast getaway. There is something oh so soothing about dining above the water, surrounded by art and culture. See for yourself.

I have been eating at this “other well-kept secret” since 1985, when my then-wife worked here as a waitress. This local favorite has been a leader in serving YUM for 42 years and counting! Daily cakes and pies like coconut, German chocolate, and even old-fashioned numbers like “red velvet” are just for starters (or finishers). The only reason you should not eat here is because you will be so full it will hurt. Salads, sandwiches, omelets, and much more leave me singing, “Yum, yum, yum in my tum, tum, tum!”

You knew this would make the list. How can you argue with a place that has a mob so big waiting to get in that it blocks me from walking my dog past the front door? This award winner will tickle your taste buds and, if not, the Veuve Clicquot will! As you consume your crepes (and they’re not just for dessert), you are surrounded by colorful French murals, ornate décor, clinking silverware, and background music. The service is not pretentious nor hurried, and you might even see Patrick, the avantgarde owner sitting outside noshing on his own fare. Yeah, he’s French too.

So if I were a restauranteur reading this article, I would ask two questions: 1) Was my establishment mentioned? And 2), if not, how can I get my restaurant mentioned next year?

You will never see an eatery appraisal in any other Long Beach publication like our Dining Awards because this is not about advertising dollars; it is about the public. The public has voted, without persuasion or prejudice or a gun to their heads, and have come up with the best of the best that Long Beach has to offer in 2007.

So, to those restaurateurs who don’t see their names here today, you have one year to win, woo, and wow the mouths that explore the Long Beach dining scene. And if you can do that, when the public speaks through us next year, I will have no choice but to write about your restaurant. For now, this list of winners has done what every chef and restaurant owner aspires to do—leave a good taste in our mouths.