Long Beach’s newest neighborhood bar, The Hare, just opened on Broadway with a mission to bring people together for drinks and a good time.
When BLACK, the last bar that occupied the space, closed in April, Joshua Beadel — who owns The Breakfast Bar with his wife Pamela — jumped at the chance to start something new.
“I’ve always looked for different opportunities [in the bar industry], because there’s good money in alcohol, and being a businessman, I wanted to open a bar that was kind of more fun with music and a different energy than a sit-down restaurant like we have currently,” Beadel said.
With their experience, the couple was able to move quickly, soft-opening The Hare in May just before Pride, and — on Sept. 5 — hosting a grand opening.
Beadel recruited Melissa Almeraz, whom he knew from his bartending days at Hamburger Mary’s, to be the general manager and head bartender at The Hare. Almeraz has worked as a bartender on Broadway for years, and she is the co-owner of the Belmont Shore brunch restaurant Let’s Yolk About It.
“If I was going to take over a bar on Broadway, I knew I needed Melissa involved,” Beadel said.
At The Hare, Beadel wants to “level up the bar scene,” creating a space that’s more than just a bar.
“We’re trying to give people an experience when they come in and be a place where the community can gather around food and cocktails to share life events,” Beadel said.
They make everything they can from scratch, from the pizza dough to the syrups for drinks, which is something Beadel says makes The Hare stand out.
“We put a lot of love into our food and a lot of care into the detail of what we create,” he said.
They offer a variety of pizzas at $25 for a 12-inch or $30 for an 18-inch, salads ranging from $10 to $15, and appetizers such as chicken wings or fried brussels sprouts for $13.
The Hare also prides itself on being a welcoming space for everyone.
“We’re a representation of the neighborhood,” Beadel said.
Long before The Hare opened, its building on the corner of Broadway and Hermosa Avenue had been the gay bar Paradise Bar & Grill. When Paradise closed in 2018, people felt they had lost a critical space in the LGBTQ+ community where they really felt at home. The Hare wants to be that welcoming space again.
Beadel said he has had customers come in with tears in their eyes as they thought about what Paradise meant to them and how The Hare brings them the same comfort. One man shared that he met his husband there when it was Paradise, and now, when they come to The Hare together, they feel at home.
“We take a lot of pride in that because we want it to be a space that is welcoming, no matter who you are, that you can come in and be yourself,” Beadel said.
The Hare, 1800 E Broadway, is open Monday through Thursday from 3 p.m. to midnight, Fridays from 3 p.m. to 2 a.m., and Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 2 a.m.