These are the 10 best restaurants in the Long Beach neighborhood of Bixby Knolls.
Bixby Knolls sits directly south of the North Long Beach border and is chiefly known for its small-town appeal. It’s a primarily suburban neighborhood with one major artery, Atlantic Avenue, serving as the heart for locals to gather, shop, and dine. It also encompasses the Los Cerritos neighborhood, where many legendary movie homes (such as the Ferris Bueller house) are located, in addition to the nearly 180-year-old historic Rancho Los Cerritos.
All these elements add up to a seemingly idyllic, family-oriented, and sleepy region of the city that often gets overlooked in the broader Long Beach conversation.
However, things are changing. With the introduction of many new restaurants, this neighborhood is quickly becoming a dining destination to rival its neighbors in Downtown Long Beach, Belmont Shore, and Retro Row.
Here are the 10 must-try restaurants in Bixby Knolls.
Jongewaard’s Bake n Broil
The BnB, as locals call it, is a nearly 60-year-old establishment that has served as a neighborhood hub since the start. It's a family-owned and operated restaurant that dishes up many quintessential American recipes, which have remained unchanged since the opening. Though popular for breakfast and lunch, they shine when it comes to their savory and sweet baked goods.
Quiche, fruit pie, cake, muffins, and more trigger nostalgia with every indulgent bite. The rich and creamy chicken pot pie is especially tasty. Its buttery and flaky crust hides a roux beneath it that effuses the essence of poultry through large chunks of white chicken meat, sliced carrots, and vibrant peas dispersed throughout. And don’t forget a side of soup, as their French onion is the best in the city.
3697 Atlantic Ave. Long Beach, CA 90807. Closest transit lines and stop: Long Beach Transit Lines 61, 101, and 103 - "Atlantic/37th."
Dutch’s Brewhouse
This is the neighborhood gastropub to know, serving up frigid pints of Shiner Bock and local craft brews alongside a collection of Midwestern and Tex-Mex-inspired bites. Here, you can unabashedly call your cheese dip “kay-so” and chow down on a Frito pie—a bag of Fritos topped with Texas chili, cheddar, onion, jalapeños, and sour cream.
Oddly enough, they are also known for their pizza, of which the Spicoli is a favorite. Topped with beer-infused chicken, bacon, jalapeño, cilantro, mozzarella, provolone, kettle chips, sriracha ranch, and a squeeze of fresh lime, this munchies-spirited pie fits perfectly alongside a cold one. Only thing missing is some tasty waves and a cool buzz to be fine.
4244 Atlantic Ave. Long Beach, California 90807. Closest transit lines and stop: Long Beach Transit Lines 61, 101, and 103 - "Atlantic/Carson."
Hironori Craft Ramen
Ramen spots are a dime a dozen in Long Beach, spanning the full range of noodles, from cheap eats to artisanal execution. Michelin-mentioned Hironori falls on the latter end, with delicate yet chewy noodles swimming in meticulously crafted broths, including the gentle shoyu and luscious sesame miso vegan.
The tonkotsu ramen, its star dish, has a broth that is simmered for over 24 hours, resulting in an oily elixir that coats your tongue in pork-rendered flavor. We also recommend the spicy cold dipping noodles, pork chashu bao buns, and crispy rice with spicy tuna.
610 E. Carson St. Long Beach, CA 90807. Closest transit lines and stop: Long Beach Transit Lines 61, 101, and 103 - "Atlantic/Carson."
The Merchant
This quaint coffee shop is a neighborhood favorite, usually packed to the gills with locals from adjoining streets. What makes The Merchant so special is all the pastries, are baked in-house, the cinnamon rolls being its headliner. They’re soft, pillowy. and covered in a thick, sugary glaze. As for other noteworthy items, make sure to give the guava cream cheese pastry a shot. You won't be sorry.
4121 Long Beach Blvd. Long Beach, CA 90807. Closest transit line and stop: Long Beach Transit Line 51 - "Long Beach/San Antonio."
Nonna Mercato
This city's bakery and pastry scene is genuinely one of the best in the region, accommodating dough masters such as Gusto, Colossus, and the Long Beach Bread Lab.
Nonna Mercato is the newest to the scene, offering up a French-Italian-style of bakery to the mix. They perfectly execute croissants, sourdough loaves, and scones, amongst other things, with their passion fruit kouign amann being the highlight. The sugar-laminated layers of this pastry shatter with the slightest pressure, giving way to a deluge of tart and floral passion fruit curd.
They are also a pastaio, hand-making pasta on-site, and preparing traditional recipes with it, such as tonnarelli alla carbonara or mafaldine Bolognese during your dine-in experiences.
3722 Atlantic Ave. Long Beach, CA 90807. Closest transit lines and stop: Long Beach Transit Lines 61, 101, and 103 - "Atlantic/37th."
Rasselbock
Bixby Knolls is known even more for its beer than its food, with an impressive roster of craft breweries, beer-themed festivals, and a double-decker bus tour that stops at every beer spot in the neighborhood on rotation. Rasselbock is a beer haven from the owners of L.A.'s Wirtshaus, serving imported a long tally of esteemed European beers alongside your typical German fare and the occasional bacon burger. If you’re a fan of sausages and schnitzel and schwarzbier, this is definitely the spot for you.
4020 Atlantic Ave. Long Beach, CA 90807. Closest transit lines and stop: Long Beach Transit Lines 61, 101, and 103 - "Atlantic/Carson."
Sala Coffee and Wine
Sala makes coffee and wine aficionados feel at home, offering a selection of curated drinks from the morning through the early evening. Despite a primary focus being coffee and wine, it has a full kitchen that slings hefty bites, including avocado toast and sandwiches for breakfast, and ceviche and burgers for dinner.
Allow us to direct your attention to the chilaquiles breakfast burrito, packed with salsa verde, freshly fried tortilla chips, cotija cheese, pickled onion, cilantro, bacon, over medium eggs, and beans all wrapped up in a Mejorado flour tortilla. It combines two tortilla-based breakfast items (chilaquiles and the breakfast burrito) into one soggy, crunchy, astonishing abomination that keeps you going back for another bite.
3853 Atlantic Ave. Long Beach, CA 90807. Closest transit lines and stop: Long Beach Transit Lines 61, 101, and 103 - "Atlantic/Roosevelt."
Sushi Nikkei
Due to colonization, global trade, and mass emigration, Peruvian cuisine has become intimately entangled with Spanish, Italian, West African, Chinese, and Japanese cultures, creating a unique environment for organically occurring fusion cooking. In particular, the sushi of Peru evolved from the first Japanese emigrants who settled there during the early 1800s and adopted local ingredients and techniques to make a wholly different cuisine.
Sushi Nikkei descends from this specific culinary circumstance, molding together sushi that has bolder flavors than its vastly more subtle Japanese cousin. Easily the best sushi experience in the city, expect smoky, spicy, and citrusy elements to play together on your palate.
3819 Atlantic Ave. Long Beach, CA 90807. Closest transit lines and stop: Long Beach Transit Lines 61, 101, and 103 - "Atlantic/Bixby."
Thunderbolt Pizza
East Coast transplants love to lament the lack of “good pizza” in the greater Los Angeles area, assuming that most pizza joints around here have too many frills. Thunderbolt straddles that frilly line, too, but the pizza here is so good, especially when drenched in hot honey, that the East Coast can kiss off if someone doesn't approve.
Thunderbolt's crust is very similar to a New York slice, providing nice bite. If you get pepperoni, it curls and crisps up into tiny cups. You can also hang out at Ambitious Ales, the brewery next door, and have your pies delivered directly to your table as you enjoy some of the best beers in town.
4085 Atlantic Ave, Long Beach, CA 90807. Closest transit lines and stop: Long Beach Transit Lines 61, 101, and 103 - "Atlantic/Carson."
Wood & Salt Tavern
Wood & Salt Tavern is the go-to spot for a date night dinner. It serves a variety of chef-driven, seasonal eats that include wood-fired meats, seafood, and handmade pasta.
The tagliatelle bolognese has ribbons of pasta with an al dente bite, dressed in a meaty medley of beef, pork, and veal ragù. Overall, a delightful dish.
For those who aren’t afraid of whole fish, the grilled dorade is also delectable, topped with olive tapenade and resting on a bed of Sicilian-style caponata. The flesh of the fish is dainty, pairing well with the salty punch of the tapenade and bright and earthy caponata.
4262 Atlantic Ave. Long Beach, CA 90807. Closest transit lines and stop: Long Beach Transit Lines 61, 101, and 103 - "Atlantic/Carson."
