By Jeff Rowe
A new virtual food court for independent North Long Beach restaurants, North Long Beach Grub, officially launches today.
The restaurants featured run the gamut of cuisines, but their owners share a common heritage: they worked and saved for years to achieve their dream of owning and running their own restaurant.
COVID almost ruined them – sales for some dropped 60 percent or more — but they persevered and now these independent restaurants define and distinguish North Long Beach.
The group includes a coffee shop, an ice cream parlor and a diverse selection of cuisines with something to offer for everyone.
Combined, these restaurants offer a culinary adventure in Long Beach’s most ethnically mixed neighborhoods.
These are North Long Beach’s standout family-owned restaurants. Click on each restaurant to see pictures, a menu and more.
Black Ring Coffee – 5373 Long Beach Blvd. – 562-337-8049
Trevor Moisen and Juliette Simpkins opened their shop in summer 2017 after noticing Starbucks and other coffee shop chains had not invaded the area. (In the last few years, Starbucks has arrived.)
Moisen and Simpkins researched, saved and planned their shop for six years. Black Ring’s signature drink is Nitro-infused cold-brewed Ethiopian coffee. A blast of nitrogen “makes it smoother” says barista Jordan Galvez. Have something else in mind? Black Ring is “always trying new things,” says Galvan. Their most popular drink is whiskey vanilla latte – the alcohol is boiled out.
On the wall of the shop is the Black Ring motto: “Be kind, work hard, drink coffee.”
Bahn Thai – 5802 Downey Ave. – 562-634-4156
Three siblings own and operate the restaurant, which features menu items from South Thailand.
Thawachpol (Jimmy) Sungkamee, Panumasi (Joe) Sungkamee and Puandpatchara (Jordy) Panavaravatn took over a restaurant on the site from a family friend and opened their own restaurant in September 2019.
Chef Nawee Sungkamee works for his uncles and aunt several days a week; Joe handles the cooking on the other days.
The restaurant strives to create authentic (spicy) food; signature items are the Khua-Kling, a chicken curry, and Khanom-Jeen and Nam-Ya-Tai, fish and rice noodles.
The family also owns Spicy Sugar Thai on Broadway in Long Beach.
Boujie Crab – 1002 E. South -– 562-612-3311
Nickey McKnight grew up in New Orleans where she learned her cooking craft. After moving to California, she learned enough about finance to operate a parallel business specializing in business development programs, helping other entrepreneurs find capital and investing in real estate.
She opened her restaurant in March 2020, just in time for the pandemic closings, but Nickey developed enough take-away business to keep the restaurant going.
Her most popular dish is the crab and shrimp bowl, which includes spicy beef sausage, red potatoes and cajun corn with her signature sauce. Another customer favorite is a shrimp mac-and-cheese bowl. Her New Orlean’s-style Po-Boy sandwich comes “dressed” – ask Nickey to explain this Louisiana sandwich terminology.
The restaurant is open every day and seats diners inside and on a patio on the side of the building. Some Mondays and Tuesdays Boujie Crab is closed for private events – call ahead to be sure. Coming up: Sunday brunches.
Cajun Crab – 3253 East South Street– 562-634-0451
Melody Shin followed her culinary tastes in opening her restaurants – she likes Cajun food, the Louisiana-based cuisine that incorporates West African, French, and Spanish cooking techniques.
She said the restaurant “barely survived” COVID; now the task is to lure customers to come try her signature shrimp and snow crabs.
Melody operates another Cajun Crab in Claremont.
Casa Sanchez – 5925 North Cherry Ave.– 562-423-7386
Three generations of the Sanchez family operate this restaurant.
Pancho Sanchez and his son Eloy founded the restaurant in 1998; previously the building had been home to a buffet. Recently, a third generation joined the family enterprise – Angel. “The best part is meeting all the people,” he says.
Signature dishes are the “works” burrito and molcajete, a cast-iron bowl of grilled chicken and steak, cactus and salsa.
Business is steady throughout the day – breakfast, lunch and dinner. A banquet room can hold 40 people.
An uncle owns Casa Sanchez on Anaheim Street.
Dominguez Pizza – 6176 Atlantic – 562-256-1600
Opened in 2012 by Marta and Edgar Quinteros, who had saved money earned from their first restaurant in Carson.
Normally, Dominguez Pizza would be open seven days a week but because son Eric takes Thursdays off, the restaurant is closed that day. Edgar and Marta work every day and have not been able to find anyone to replace their pre-covid workers.
Dominguez’ signature pizza is the deluxe, which includes sausage and pepperoni. The family makes their own dough and tomato sauce, which can be purchased separately.
El Pollo Imperial – 5991 Atlantic – 562-612-3315
Oscar Ramirez arrived in Southern California from Peru in 1995 and learned the restaurant trade working at P.F. Chang, the Cheesecake Factory and California Pizza Kitchen. He saved money and opened his restaurant in 2010.
The best part of the job: meeting different people, he says, and he gets to meet many working 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day.
El Pollo Imperial’s signature dish: Lomo Saltado, marinated strips of stir-fried beef with onions, tomatoes, french fries, and other ingredients, typically served with rice.
Sal’s Gumbo Shack – 6148 Long Beach Blvd. – 562-287-9575
An office job wasn’t the dream calling Acelda “Sally” Bevans so in 2012, she gathered her savings, following her “love of cooking” and opened the restaurant. Daughter Tiffany is the general manager, sister Linda is the dessert chef, and the father of her children, Renee, is the head cook.
By fall, Sally plans to open a second Sal’s Gumbo Shack, this one in Bixby Knolls.
Teriyaki Grill – 1230 East Artesia – 562-612-1564
Rosie Haggerty opened the restaurant in January 2019 in one of the few remaining original Taco Bell buildings. The grill is the fulfillment of a dream nurtured for years working at Asian-food restaurants.
Rosie created the entire menu herself. Signature dishes are #4, the chicken and fish plate, and #7, the chicken and shrimp plate.
Chief cook is William Hernandez, who has worked with Rosie for 15 years; this is their third restaurant venture but the first with Rosie as owner.
La Guanaquita – 5344 Long Beach Blvd. – 562-984-7071
Rosa Linda Hernandez operates this Salvadoran restaurant that includes a bakery. Pupusas are a customer favorite. See a Telemundo segment on the restaurant here.
La Michoacana – 5155 Long Beach Blvd. – 562-283-3804
Sergio Villavicencio opened this ice cream shop in August 2019, following the lead of his dad who had opened a similar shop in Huntington Park years ago.
The name is derived from the Mexican state of Michoacan, where paletas, frozen fruit juice bars similar to Popsicles, were developed in the 1940s. Sergio serves ice creams and other frozen treats from recipes created by his grandfather.
The shop floor is so big that some customers have told Sergio they thought the site offered dance lessons.