Welcome to our reader-sourced series of affordable meals around Long Beach.
If you missed our first two lists detailing cheap local breakfast spots, you can read Part 1 here and Part 2 here. For this list, we moved on to lunch and got three suggestions from our Eat See Do newsletter subscribers.
If you have more suggestions of local spots offering meals that fit every budget, please email them to [email protected].
Bixby Classic Burger (4001 Orange Ave)
This Bixby Knolls burger shack comes to us from Jen M. for its “excellent food, great prices [and] substantial portions.”
For under $12, one can easily arrange a classic lunch.
Burgers start at $6.50 with the choice to upgrade to a combo for $10.75 that comes with fries and a drink.
Bixby Classic Burgers also sells hot dogs and corn dogs for the same price ($5), plus chilli cheese fries for $8.50, a chili cheese dog for $6 or a chili dog for $5.50.
On its secret menu (displayed on a sign outside the restaurant), one can order a four-patty burger called The Big Bixby for $12.
That’s a lot of beef for not a lot of bucks.
Bixby Classic Burger is open every day except Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Jongewaard’s Bake N Broil (3697 Atlantic Avenue)
This cheap lunch suggestion came in from Alison R., who called the half sandwich special at this longtime California Heights restaurant “the best deal I’ve found.”
She wrote: “The price has gone up to $14.95 but it’s still a bargain for the quality. Half a deli sandwich, choice of soup or salad, and a slice of cake or pie (I opt for a slice of the lemon lush).”
Jongewaard’s also has daily bakery specials. (Today, there’s a pastrami sandwich or a reuben sandwich available for $14.50 each).
Fun fact for any baseball fans: This place was started in 1965 by Roger and Carol Jongewaard. Roger played catcher at Poly High, was signed by the Milwaukee Braves in 1954. He returned to Long Beach after his playing career ended and was driving a bread delivery truck when he noticed a “for sale” sign at one of his stops, according to his obituary in the L.A. Times.
He bought the restaurant later that day and opened the restaurant “with his wife, Carol, who was a superb baker,” according to the obituary.
Jongewaard went on to become a longtime baseball scout for the Seattle Mariners.
During his tenure with the New York Mets and the Mariners, he advocated for Darryl Strawberry, Ken Griffey Jr., and Alex Rodriguez to each be selected No. 1 overall in the draft.
Strawberry and Griffey each went on to make the Hall of Fame, while Rodriguez ranks fifth all-time in home runs with 696.
Jongewaard also scouted Ichiro Suzuki when the future Hall of Famer played in Japan.
Jongewaard’s Bake N Broil is open every day from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Tracy’s Bar & Grill (5511 E Spring Street)
This special offered exclusively on Mondays comes in from Alan G., who recommended a “$4 burger or $4.50 cheeseburger” from Tracy’s Bar & Grill near the intersection of Spring and Bellflower.
“Add a half side of fries and the bill is $10,” Alan wrote.
The rest of the week, burgers range from $9.50 to $16.95.
Tracy’s also offers a variety of soups, salads and sandwiches, all for under $16.
As we wrote about previously, its hot dog menu holds historical significance.
Tracy’s adopted its hot dog menu from an old local eatery, “The Hot Dog Show,” which served “doggies” named for different dog breeds in the 1950s and ’60s on Broadway in Long Beach,
The Dachshund comes with sauerkraut and dijon or regular mustard for $12.75. The Chihuahua for $13.95 comes smothered in homemade chili, cheese and onion.
Tracy’s Bar & Grill is open every day except Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.