This year that the phrase “like no other” has attached to just about everything—school graduations like no other, summer like no other, Halloween like no other, etc.
And so, we are set to embark on a Thanksgiving like no other. Whether that’s a good thing or bad thing remains to be seen and probably depends on your attitude. We just remember that we were once told that when times are tough it sometimes helps to “lean into it.”
So we’re going to suggest you lean in and check out 10 Thanksgiving options like no other. All of these are takeout options, most of which have to be ordered in advance. Take note of the deadlines.
Have a look, have a try and have a great Thanksgiving.
LV SEAFOOD
If you call LV Seafood Chinese Restaurant to ask if they’re open for Thanksgiving, they’ll tell you yes, and that they’re open 365 days a year (except the day a small fire damaged the attic). Locals who frequent the Lakewood Village hole-in-the-wall are big on the orange chicken. Our colleague Brandon Richardson, who lives nearby the restaurant, said his “little brother loves the honey walnut shrimp” and the “rices and noods are good.”
Right now LV Seafood offers take-out only, so be sure to check out this super handy video on where to pick up your order (it’s around the back of the restaurant).
If you’re going to order for 10 or more guests, it’s a good idea to give them a call the day before. They offer party tray specials with multiple tray sizes (half shallow, half deep, full medium and full deep) a banquet menu for special occasions (portions for 10) and dinner and lunch menus.
LV Seafood is located at 4139 Norse Way. Visit lvchineseseafood.com for more information.
THE PIE BAR
We could tell you about Pie Bar’s turkey pot pie offerings, but why not show you?
Pot pie orders must be in by Sunday. The Pie Bar is closed Monday and will fulfill orders on the Tuesday and Wednesday before Thanksgiving.
Pie Bar is located at 450 Pine Ave. To order, call (562) 444-8743, or click here.
THE HAWK
As awesome as it is, The Hawk bar is not what you normally think about when it comes to traditional, holiday food.
Fool!
The bar has come up with a holiday cocktail program that has produced nine Thanksgiving cocktails. Notice, we we didn’t say Thanksgiving-inspired, since these cocktails are not meant to conjure the idea of Thanksgiving, but are actually filled with the stuff of Thanksgiving, while still having everything you’d expect from a bar.
So, for example, the Hawk’s Green Bean Casserole actually has green bean, onions and celery in it besides gin and lemon.
Its Roasted Butternut Squash actually contains butternut squash, albeit vodka-infused.
Perhaps most gloriously, or gory, is the Hawk’s Smoked Turkey Dinner Slushee which keeps it real, pretty much to a fault. You ready? How’s about a snoot full of Mezcal, powdered mashed potatoes, turkey gravy, celery and rosemary syrup?
In all, there are nine of these little numbers that come in 16-ounce bottles that you take to-go. Each bottle costs $20, and you can get all nine for $160.
The Hawk is located at 468 W. Anaheim St. You can place your order Friday, Saturday or Thanksgiving Wednesday. For more information, click here.
HAK HEANG
This restaurant is as much a community hub as eatery. In the heart of Long Beach, in the heart of Cambodiatown, Hak Heang has long served as meeting place for celebrations and cultural events. It’s not at all unusual for local politicians to host victory parties there.
It’s also a wonderful Cambodian-Chinese restaurant, which really doesn’t necessarily distinguish it from similar restaurants in the area, but, if one is looking to feel a bit of that connection Thanksgiving is all about, there are few places better suited than Hak Heang.
OK, enough touchy, feely stuff. Let’s talk grub. The restaurant will be open on Thanksgiving. The menu is voluminous, so you can go as big or as intimate as you like. You can go traditional with some Beef Lok Lak, step it up a little with the popular Salt and Pepper Crab or just to show 2020 you will not be bowed, go straight Lobster.
There’s so many other entrees and side dishes, that it would be presumptuous of us to tell you what to get. Just enjoy, will ya?
Hak Heang is located at 2041 E. Anaheim St. For more information call (562) 434-0296 or click here.
HONDURAS KITCHEN
At Honduras Kitchen, love and respect for the Central American country are the essence of the traditional-styled eatery operating out of the 4th Street Corridor.
Their menu is an ode to Honduran comfort food, like the San Pedro Sula, a ripe plantain sliced down the middle, stuffed with ground beef, dry cheese and Honduran cream. Or their Pollo Frito, a crispy golden brown fried chicken leg and thigh served with rice, beans and salad.
Their Parrillada Hondurana is the perfect family-sharing plate, loaded with grilled pork chops, chicken, shrimp, Honduran chorizo, baleadas (that’s a flour tortilla filled with refried beans and cheese), rice, more beans, pickled onions, salad and your choice of ripe or green plantains.
But for those looking to really get into the spirit of Thanksgiving, Honduras Kitchen may be the ultimate spot. Recently, the eatery converted much of its space to collect, package and send relief supplies to the area still suffering in the aftermath of Hurricane Eta.
So, when you go to pick up their hearty offerings for Thanksgiving, which you’ll have to do the day before, consider bringing with you some clothes, canned food, non-perishables, diapers, blankets, tools—anything you can give, even your time, as there are volunteer opportunities still available.
Honduras Kitchen is located at 1909 Fourth St. To donate to the restaurant’s relief GoFundMe, click here. You can check out volunteer opportunities, here.
HOF’S HUT
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If a tryptophan-induced food coma truly is your thing—hey, maybe it’s best not to be fully conscious when that overzealous family member starts prying into your love life—a wholly traditional Thanksgiving meal from Hof’s Hut could be the ticket to a satisfying holiday. And while this listicle is an attempt to break tradition, we’re adding Hof’s anyway since we know that locals have “very strong feelings” about the Long Beach staple.
Who wouldn’t? The restaurant actually offers a taste of Thanksgiving year-round under their Home Cookin’ menu (see the Rotisserie Turkey Breast with apple almond stuffing, turkey gravy and cranberry sauce for $17.99; wow, yum) so it’s a no-brainer that Hof’s Thanksgiving Dinner menu is worth considering.
With pre-orders served cold and ready to heat for four to six people, you could even fake like you made the whole meal yourself once your family arrives, and isn’t living a lie what the holidays are all about?
Of course, you could just own it, because it’s been a tough year. Heck, maybe order the $99.99 family meal all for yourself to “share” over a Zoom call with friends and family who’ve elected to stay at home. (Elections. Yet, another reason to celebrate remote.)
Hof’s Hut is located at 2147 N.Bellflower Blvd. To order, call (562) 597-5811 or click here.
5000 PIES
There are plenty of reasons why 5000 Pies might the perfect spot to indulge this Thanksgiving. Their deep dish pizza is a stellar nod to the Chicago-styled staple. The restaurant has always operated under a to-go business model, so you’ll be making good decisions by staying home for the holiday.
The pizzeria not only offers savory pies, but sweet ones also. For Thanksgiving, their special selection includes Maple Dark Chocolate Pecan, Sweet Potato Cheesecake, Pumpkin and even some take-and-bake apple pies.
But, keep in mind, you’ll need to place your order by Nov. 21 for pick up on Wednesday, November 25th between 2 and 7 pm. If one of your family members has an unnatural distaste for the doughy delicacy, there’s also chicken wings and sandwiches to choose from.
At this point, you likely don’t need anymore convincing, but what’s also so special about 5000 pies is their mission. Owned and operated by Becky Teter and her husband John, the pastor of Fountain of Life Covenant Church, 5000 pies has become a place to work for former gang members, locals in need of a job and those trying to better their lives. It’s pizza with a purpose.
5000 Pies is located at 2064 Santa Fe Ave. For more information, including a list of their menu, click here. Place an order by calling (562) 901-0615.
OI ASIAN FUSION
Having only emerged in the North Long Beach dining-scape about three months ago, Oi Asian Fusion, operating out of Uptown Commons on the corner of Atlantic Avenue and Artesia Boulevard, has been attracting customers with their Asian fusion grub.
The entire menu is a treasure trove of Filipino mainstays such as Adobo and Tapsilog, enjoyed in a rice bowl or bun. Aside from a hearty nod to Japanese fried chicken, or Karaage, most of the other notable Japanese and Korean influences are celebrated in their sides, toppings and flavor choices.
Now, like most, the restaurant will not be open for Thanksgiving. That being said, you can pick up your meals the day before and request that your meats and sides be packaged separately for easy reheating. Plus, why not help out a local eatery with incredible food, as they try and make it through the rest of 2020.
Oi Asian Fusion is located at 6600 Atlantic Ave. You can check out their menu by clicking here. Or call to place an order at (562) 423-2000.
EJ’S PUB
The Bixby Knoll’s stalwart is offering a traditional Thanksgiving meal “kit” complete with turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy… yeah, we’re not really focusing on that one.
No, we’re going to suggest EJ’s “Irish” Thanksgiving which features, among other things, four to five pounds of slow-braised corned beef brisket, grilled Irish banger sausages, mashed potatoes with Jameson gravy and herb roasted brussel sprouts.
The traditional and Irish Thanksgiving feeds four to five people and the deadline to order either is Saturday, Nov. 21 by 5 p.m. The kits include reheating instructions.
EJ’s Pub is located at 4306 Atlantic Ave. To order, call (562) 424-5000 or email at [email protected]. For more information, click here.
FUEGO AT HOTEL MAYA
If you have to go pick up your Thanksgiving meal, we can’t think of many places prettier than Fuego at the Hotel Maya.
The restaurant’s patio dining room has a panoramic view of the Long Beach skyline and shoreline. It’s pretty stunning. The food ain’t bad, either.
Fuego’s “feast” features cocoa roasted turkey breast, brioche mushroom stuffing, sage gravy, whipped Yukon gold potatoes and so on.
All-in-all, a kind of stepped up version of the traditional meal. Plus, that view will really make you grateful you live here.
Hotel Maya is located at 700 Queensway Dr. To order, call (562) 481-3910, or click here.