Congregation Ale House

Congregation Ale House
201 E Broadway Ave
Long Beach
562-432-2337

Congregation Ale House, located on Broadway, just east of the hectic and every changing Pine Ave, maybe the first gastropub in Long Beach. They opened in October, 2010 and seems have to attracted a good following. Their happy hours are called "mass" and "mass" is served up all day Monday. During mass all beer is $1 off and burgers are $6.

As you enter Congregation Ale House, you go to the cashier, place your order, both drink and food, and then find a seat. You can keep a tab open with a credit card, and a server will come by your table and bring your second round of drinks.

A bit different setup, but it helps prevents dine and dashers, which Long Beach is filled of.




Grilled rib eye and white cheddar burger, regular $8, $6 during "mass." The burger comes with roasted roma tomato, grilled onions-which I asked to leave off, arugula mixed greens, and rosemary garlic mayo, on what looked like a potato bread.

The burger was pretty good, though it wasn't that juicy, since rib eyes do not have that much fat. The burger was tender and the meat, itself, had good flavor. But the rosemary garlic mayo just overpowered the burger for me. A plain mayo, even a garlic mayo would work, but not that rosemary garlic.

The burger is fairly small but for $8, it's a decent sized burger.




I wanted to try the turkey burger $6 during mass, so I got a turkey burger with white cheddar cheese, an extra 50 cents more, and the regular toppings; roasted roma tomato, arugula mixed greens, and rosemary garlic mayo, on what looked like a potato bread. This time I left the grilled onions on.

The turkey pattie was white, like a processed turkey pattie. Not what I was expecting. The turkey pattie was a bit dry, this needed more of that rosemary garlic mayo. I was surprised the rosemary garlic mayo didn't overpower this turkey burger,but actually complimented the burger well.



Fries are $2 during mass, so I figured what the hell, order a batch and see how they are. All fries comes with your choice of two dipping sauces, I got the sweet chili sour cream and a chipotle mayo.

The fries were nice and crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. But they were short fries, like I got the leftovers or something. I know they grow potatoes much longer. The sauces were a nice touch, if you picked a good sauce. The chipotle mayo was very good, nice and creamy with a good kick. But the sweet chili sour cream, just didn't work, even mixed together.

Service at the cashier, is below average. They aren't really that friendly or welcoming. They certainly didn't tell you about any specials and didn't ask if you wanted fries with your burger.

The worst part is, around 9pm, some guy who is suppose to be a priest of burger or something starts talking to the entire bar. Well, the servers and cashiers come around and asks, can you hear that guy talk. WTF is that? They need to inform customers about this "tradition" Personally, I don't want to hear some blowhard talk about beer. I'm there to enjoy the company of my friends, not to hear somebody yelling about beer.

I doubt I would go back to Congregation Ale House. The food is slightly above average. But with the service being below average, there are other gastropubs to try.

SmoQue Barbeque-Closed

SmoQue Barbeque
5374 E 2nd St
Long Beach
562-439-4189

I was surprised to learn that another BBQ restaurant opened less than a mile east of Lucille's, on 2nd St. in Long Beach. But SmoQue Barbeque has taken on Lucille's. For those of you who like yuppie, white, suburban BBQ, this place is for you. If you like REAL BBQ, this doesn't hold up.

SmoQue is billed as a Texas style BBQ, they smoke the meats with hickory but they do not do a good job of it. The restaurant is a combination of upscale location trying to be dive, with sawdust and peanut shells on the floor.



I got the half order of baby back ribs, $17, with bacon jalapeno mac and cheese. They do not have spare ribs. The ribs has a very gritty wet rub, that had tons of chili power. The ribs maybe better, if there wasn't as much rub. But the worst part of the ribs, was it was too mushy. They had either been in the warmer or smoker for way too long.

The bacon jalapeno mac and cheese was pretty damn good. There wasn't much jalapeno, which is good, because I'm not a big fan of jalapeno but the macaroni was nice and tender, the cheese well blended and tons of nice smokey bacon. So a savory, salty, smokey dish; who wouldn't love this?

The corn on the cob was ok, the corn didn't taste fresh but was well cooked and wasn't drowned in butter.

Service was good, though a misunderstanding, almost led to a bad start. When I arrived, the place was almost empty. SmoQue is filled with flat screen TV's and they have a patio area. I wanted to see Georgia beat Auburn, so I asked if I could take this table and I pointed to it. But the hostess, who turned out to be my server, actually asked "How long do I expect to be?" I was like what kind of question is that? But she thought I was asking to sit in the patio, I was talking about the table in the dining room. That and the fact they asked if I needed change; something they never should ask a customer, service was fine.

I would not go back to SmoQue again. I thought the BBQ was average at best, and a bit overpriced.

Chicky Fried Chicken Broasted-Closed

Chicky Fried Chicken Broasted
5104 Long Beach Blvd
Long Beach
562-428-8605

I love broasted chicken! There is no question broasted chicken is the way to fry chicken. The inside is moist and tender and the outside is crispy. My favorite broasted chicken is Broaster Chicken in Montebello.

So when I hear about any broasted chicken restaurant, I make try to go as soon as I can. I thought the only broasted chicken was in the Long Beach area, was in Los Alamitos at Pittsburgh Broasted Chicken. But I found out about Chicky Fried Chicken Broasted and after reading a glowing review by somebody named TC, I wanted to give them a try.

Yes, Chicky Fried Chicken Broasted, is a weird name but it is broasted chicken.




I got a breast, $3.10 and a wing, $1.25. Most of the chicken is cooked to order, so expect a wait. The breast was a very good example of broasted chicken. So moist and flavorful inside and just a little crispy outside. It was also a huge piece, so the price was fair.

The wing wasn't as good. They either put too many chicken in the broaster because the outside wasn't cripsy and the inside was dry. Ok, the wing is the smallest piece but come on now, I've gone to other broasted chicken places and the wings have been great.

Service is pretty good; a nice, friendly, older couple own and run the restaurant. But you have to order a minimum of two pieces, when ordering by the piece. Kind of dumb but whatever. Something I didn't like though, was that they were selling some orders already made. I maybe easy for some people, but I want freshly made chicken, not something that has been sitting around for 20-30 minutes.

I did like Chicky but I didn't think it was anything great. I would go to Pittsburgh or Broasters before heading back to Chicky.

Kabob Curry-Closed

Kabob Curry
108 W 3rd St
Long Beach
562-495-2262

I haven't been to many Indian restaurants. Natraj Cuisine of India, is the other Indian restaurant, I've been to in Long Beach. I saw Kabob Curry while driving near downtown Long Beach and decided to have dinner there.

Located off west of Pine Ave, on 3rd St., Kabob Curry is a very casual restaurant. I thought this was counter service, but it is really table service.




I got the plain naan, $1.25. I was very impressed with this. Served hot, flakey, light, chewy, just awesome. It was huge and worth the price.



Chicken tikka, $5.99. This was awesome!!! Very well cooked, seasoned, and tender. A good sized portion for the price. Good quality chicken with onions and green peppers. My only complaint, one piece was charred on the outside. Otherwise a great dish.

Service was average. I walked in and waited in line, but was greeted and I took a seat. But they took care of the take out orders first, and I was waiting awhile for somebody to take my order. I understand that. But there was, really only one server taking care of the entire restaurant. But there was another guy who just stood there doing nothing. This lead to to very slow service.

Another thing, I didn't like was after ordering, the server asked, if I would like rice. I said is that included? She said no. This is another pet peeve of mine. Servers need to tell you if there is a charge for something. If she said "Would you like to add rice for another $2.50?" I would have no issues. But this is another example of restaurants trying to deceive customers. I've seen this happen when it comes to refilling drinks. The servers will ask young kids if they want refills, without telling parents that the refills aren't free. Servers should ask the parents, about refills for young kids.

I wouldn't go back to Kabob Curry because of the slow service. Food is very good. I think much better than Natraj.

Angelo's Italian Deli

Angelo's Italian Deli
190 La Verne Ave
Long Beach
562-434-1977

A small deli in Belmont Shores, Angelo's is known for their torpedo sandwich. Parking is a bit tough and there are two tables outside, but Angelo's is mostly a take out location.



I got the large torpedo, $8.99, provolone cheese, capicollo ham, genoa salami, mortadella, garlic sauce, romaine lettuce, tomato, and red onions. I hate olive oil and balsamic vinegar, so I didn't get those two items on the sandwich. The torpedo comes on a baguette, that was hard on the outside, but had a nice texture and chewiness on the inside. I would prefer a soften crust but overall I did like the baguette. All the meats were fresh and tasty but there was only a thin layer on the sandwich. Not what I expect when paying almost $9 for the sandwich. The romaine lettuce was a nice touch, adding a different texture than iceberg lettuce. But the red onions just overpowered the sandwich. Next time I would ask for no onions.

Service was OK. The sandwiches are made to order and came pretty quick. But if you want to use a credit card, they do an illegal thing, by forcing people to spend a $10 minimum. I know this because even though I paid with cash, the customer in front of me tried to use his credit card for an order less than $10.

I think the sandwiches are overpriced at Angelo's. Yes they use good quality meats but they don't put enough of the meats on the sandwich. I wouldn't go back to Angelo's

Sistahs Soul Food-Closed

Sistahs Soul Food
1782 W. Martin Luther King Ave.
Long Beach
562-591-7685

Does the address for Sistahs Soul Food, look familiar? Does the building look familiar? It should, because this is where LBQ used to be.

Right behind Pee & Gee Fish Market, Sistahs Soul Food, offers vegan friendly soul food, with a menu that changes daily. Let me explain. They do not use any salt for their cooking. Greens and beans are made without meat. Their gravies are turkey based. Sure there are items on the menu that aren't vegan friendly but if you're a meat eater and your SO, is a vegan you both can order from Sistahs!!

Call before you go to ask what is on their menu because their menu changes everyday. Saturday's is BBQ. It's not real BBQ, the meats aren't in a smoker but a grill. But they have BBQ ribs, sliced beef, and chicken. Smothered steak and chicken is a highlight for Thursday's menu.

Like LBQ, this is a take out only.



I got the lunch portion of the BBQ ribs, $7.50, with double mac and cheese. A lunch portion is three bones. Well I got way more than three bones. But a lot of the meat was overcooked and/or had been sitting in a warmer for too long. They were dry and tough.

But there were some pieces of ribs that were cooked just right. Tender, flavorful, and not much fat.

The mac and cheese was a bit dry, not a lot of cheese. But overall pretty good.

Service is great. The owner is very friendly and she wants you to enjoy your meal. She even offers you a free sampler plate, after you order. She asked me what I don't like and gave me a plate of BBQ chicken, beans and greens. Let me tell you the chicken was moist and flavorful. The beans were great, full of flavor, even though there was no meat used. The greens, which I don't usually like, was good, not bitter, tender and flavorful.

Some soul food places can make a good batch of BBQ ribs. Sistahs isn't one of them. So I won't be coming back for BBQ Saturdays. But I will come back for their soul food.

Pee & Gee Fish Market-Closed

Pee & Gee Fish Market
1002 E Pacific Coast Hwy
Long Beach
562-591-0395

While going through my pictures, I found that I did not write a review of Pee & Gee Fish Market. I'm pretty sure I went to Pee & Gee in May of 2008, right before going to Gallaghers.

Pee & Gee is located where Louisiana Fried Chicken and LBQ used to be, both have now closed.



My favorite my favorite at fish and chips place in Long Beach is, England Fish and Chips. Pee & Gee has a great lunch special, that is served all day. Three pieces of fish and 5 pieces of shrimp, fries, and a 12oz soda, for $6.95. The best thing is you get to choose what kind of fish they fry. They have red snapper, catfish, whiting, and sole. All fish and shrimp are fried to order.

I got the red snapper, which was fried using a cornmeal breading. Very crunchy and the fish was flavorful. I think the amount of fish, an fairly expensive fish, red snapper, was pretty good. I think all three pieces added up to a pound.

The shrimp were a bit small and had the same crunch cornmeal breading. Good but nothing outstanding.

Service is OK. Nothing great nor nothing bad about it.

Pee & Gee is a nice place but nothing special but the price. A good value but there is nothing outstanding about the food. I wouldn't rush back to Pee & Gee but if I were in the area and hungry, I would consider eating there again. But really my first choice would be England Fish and Chips.

Baba Ghanouj

Baba Ghanouj
4276 Atlantic Ave
Long Beach
562-424-4567

Every since I went to E J Malloy's, I wanted to try Baba Ghanouj, which is three to four stores down from EJ Malloy's.

Long Beach isn't a great city for Middle Eastern food. I have tried four other Middle Eastern restaurants in Long Beach; Open Seasame, Open Seasame on the Corner, Sunnin, and Magic Lamp. I wanted to see how Baba Ghanouj compared to those four restaurant.



I got the shish taouk, chicken breast skewers with hummus, garlic sauce, basmati rice and seasoned onions, $14.95. Let me let you about the hummus. Very smooth, thick paste like but not sour at all. I loved it. Too many places put too much lemon juice and turns the hummus sour. This hummus had a nice mild flavor. The best hummus I've ever had. The garlic sauce was addictive. Very bold flavor, I put the garlic sauce and hummus on pita bread, very good!!!

What didn't rank up, was the chicken. I would say the portion was average sized, not as big as it could be and not worth the $14.95 price. The chicken was dry and while flavorful, it wasn't that great.

The rice was also off. It is suppose to be basmati and it didn't look like basmati rice. Then they put a ton of different spices, including cinnamon or nutmeg, maybe both. Cinnamon and nutmeg has it's purpose and it doesn't belong on rice. And the portion was very small.

Service was good. Our server was nice and friendly and helpful.

I would put Baba Ghanouj at the bottom of all the Middle Eastern restaurants I've tried in Long Beach. I wouldn't go back.

Bai Plu & Sushi Bar

Bai Plu Restaurant & Sushi Bar
2119 N Bellflower Blvd
Long Beach
562-343-2651

To be honest I was conflicted about going to a Japanese restaurant on Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day. But then I thought about it and maybe going to a Japanese restaurant on Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, can be a tribute to the Japanese-American men who fought in the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. Takes a hell of a lot to volunteer to fight for a country, that forced your family into concentration camps.

The 442nd would become one of the most decorated units ever and proved the racist John L. DeWitt, wrong. I have talked with members of the 442nd and the most interesting thing they told me was how well they were treated by the white people of Mississippi, where the 442nd were training, at Camp Shelby. The same people who treated African-Americans like slaves, went the extra mile for the men of the 442nd, who their government considered enemy alien. The irony of race relations in America during the early 1940's.

Bai Plu is owned by the same owners Aki Sushi. If you want to get technical that location is really two restaurants in one location; sushi at Aki Sushi and Thai food at Bai Plu. This Bai Plu location has much better parking and some daily specials.

I started off with the edamame, $3.95. Nice and firm. Good quality edamame.

The specials from Sun-Thrs, until 6pm, include selected sushi for $2.99 and $6 on selected rolls, that change everyday. So I got the tuna and octopus. The sushi rice at the 7th St. location, would fall apart when trying to pick it up and dip it into soy sauce. The sushi rice here didn't fall apart. So they must be using better rice here.

The tuna has a beautiful, deep, rich red color. It was very fresh and tasty.

The octopus was the second time I had octopus. It wasn't as chewy or rubbery as the first one. But this octopus had a weird smell as if it wasn't fresh. One thing I have learned is that seafood shouldn't have a smell. That means it has turned bad.

Then I got the yellowtail, $4.50. This was fresh and tasty.

I then decided to try the rolls that were on special for $6 each.

I got the crunchy roll and the red dragon roll. The crunchy roll is normally $8.99, comes with shrimp tempura, avocado, asparagus, and topped with crunchy flakes and eel sauce. The shrimp tempura part of this crunchy roll was fine. But the avocado and asparagus part of this was mushy, not fresh, and ruined the flavor and texture of this roll.

The red dragon roll had spicy tuna, cucumber topped with tuna, avocado, masago and onions. Again the avocado was mushy and not fresh. But this was better than the crunchy roll.

Service at the sushi bar was very good. The sushi chefs, who are Thai, were nice and helpful and quick. The servers were always there to refill drinks.

Honestly I wasn't that impressed with the Bai Plu. Too many things, like the octopus and avocado, weren't fresh at all. Sure the special prices are great but I'm not giving up freshness for a discount price. Not sure if I would go back.

Berth 55 Fish Market and Seafood Deli

Berth 55 Fish Market and Seafood Deli
555 Pico Ave
Long Beach
562-435-8366

I had been meaning to go to Berth 55 but just really didn't have the chance. But I thought I would take advantage of no traffic during the Thanksgiving weekend and gave Berth 55 a try. I know I have been in Long Beach a lot recently but I was having dinner with the hottie at Lucille's BBQ and then trying Buono's Authentic Pizzaria that she told me recommended, and since Berth 55 closes at 6pm everyday, it would be tough to make it there before they close during a non holiday week.

When I'm having fried fish and shrimp, I am always comparing places to England Fish and Chips. Berth is more like Fisherman's Outlet and Pan-Pacific Restaurant where they sell fresh seafood and fried seafood items. At Berth's they will cook fresh seafood for you, at a price, about $2 more than the raw price.

Anyways I got the fish and shrimp plate, $7.10, that came with fries. They use a good quality fish, red snapper but the portions are small, I bet both pieces didn't weigh half of the cod from England Fish and Chips. The fish was warm, not hot, so it was sitting under a warming lamp. England Fish and Chips are cooked to order. The batter had a decent crunch but nothing good. The red snapper was pretty moist and flavorful.

The plate came with five small pieces of shrimp. The shrimp were warm, again not cooking to order but sitting under heat lamps.

Service is good. The guy at the register is nice and helpful.

Compared to England Fish and Chips, Berth 55 doesn't compare. Compared to Pan-Pacific Restaurant and Fisherman's Outlet, Berth 55 is about the same; decent prices, small portion, food that sits under heat lamps. I wouldn't make a special trip to any of them and would pick another place before going back. But if I was in the area, I may go back.

Buono's Authentic Pizzaria

Buono's Authentic Pizzaria
401 W Willow St
Long Beach
562-595-6138

While having dinner with the hottie last night at Lucille's BBQ, she talked about the great pizza at Buono's Authentic Pizzaria. So I decided to give the Buono's on Willow a try, they have another location on Ocean in Long Beach and the original location in San Pedro. This isn't too far from England Fish and Chips. Would fish and chips and pizza go together?

Honestly I don't think of Long Beach as a great pizza place. I have reviewed a places in Long Beach like diPiazzas, Z Pizza, Ristorante daVinci, a couple places on the Stroll and Savor, and Smooth's Sports Grille, but all of them have been average at best.

I had a coupon, from Buono's website, for a two topping medium pizza for, $11.49, with tax the total came to, $12.61; regular price $13.49. I got pepperoni and Canadian bacon. This was a fairly big pizza for a medium sized, 12 inches, with a medium crust with lots of cheese and toppings. They don't cheat you with amount of toppings and cheese at Buono's. I thought the pepperoni was pretty salty. I did like the Canadian bacon side though. There was a lot of cheese and well cooked Canadian bacon. Good stuff.

Service was pretty good. The young guy taking my order was nice and friendly. Buono's has about eight booths and the back room has another 6-8 tables.

Buono's is one of the better pizza places in Long Beach. Though I wasn't impressed with the pepperoni, I would go back and order other toppings. Even without the coupon, the prices are pretty good. I debated about creating a link for Buono's website but I haven't created links to other restaurants websites, so I didn't want to start now. I doesn't take much for people to do their own search and typing in Buono's Long Beach and finding their website site.

Lucille's BBQ-Long Beach

Lucille's BBQ-Long Beach
4828 E 2nd St
Long Beach
562-434-7427

I know I said I wasn't impressed with the Lucille's BBQ in Brea. But the hottie I went to Famous Dave's Pitt BBQ and Jaybee's BBQ with, wanted to try Lucille's BBQ in Long Beach. So we went to the 2nd St. location.

As with many other restaurants in these tough economic times, Lucille's BBQ has a special menu. They are offering smaller portions Sun-Thr. from 4pm until close. I wasn't that hungry and I wanted to try something different than their terrible spare ribs. So I got the spare ribs and tri tip combo, $12.95, with mac and cheese.

The ribs were again terrible, almost burnt, no smoke flavor, small, fatty. They just don't do a good job on spare ribs. But the tri tip was great. Well smoked, tender, flavorful, and just wonderful.

The mac and cheese was ok but tasted too much like a massed produced item, maybe even from a box. Nothing special about this.

Service was good. Our server was nice and friendly and we got our food quickly.

I wouldn't go back to Lucille's BBQ unless the hottie wants to go back. Even though the tri tip was great, I go for good spare ribs and I have never gotten good spare ribs from any Lucille's.

diPiazzas Resturant and Lava Lounge

diPiazzas Resturant and Lava Lounge
5205 E Pacific Coast Hwy
Long Beach
562-498-2461

After having dinner with the hottie on Thursday at Wurstküche, she told me about a pizza place in Long Beach that had live bands playing. So I couldn't pass up spending more time with the hottie. So I decided to go. They had a $5 cover charge for the band. Not a good start because I just wanted to try the pizza. But hey, wouldn't you want to be with the hottie?

diPiazza had a special deal, $5 for the 10in., one topping pizza. So I got a pepperoni. The pizza wasn't hot, maybe warm. But was pretty good. Not the best pizza but not bad either. The pepperoni was a bit salty. There was a ton of cheese on the pizza. The crust was a medium thickness crust, decent, nothing great.

Service was bad. It took forever to get somebody to take my order. Then it took forever to get the order. Then the pizza arrives warm. Not good.

I wouldn't go back to diPiazzas Resturant. The food is very average and the service is terrible. If the hottie didn't invite me, I wouldn't have gone. I'm not into seeing bands and things like that, so the band almost like wallpaper to me. But most of the people, seemed to enjoy the bands.

The Beach Club Sports Bar-Closed

The Beach Club
5755 E Pacific Coast Hwy
Long Beach, CA 90803
562-494-7593

After I saw my BALTIMORE RAVENS start their SUPER BOWL VICTORY TOUR, I went to Pepperdine to see their tribute to the heroes of 9-11. At great cost and effort, Pepperdine placed 3,000 flags on their campus. Most of the flags, as you can see, are American flags but there were flags of every nation who lost a citizen on September 11th. In the pictures, I tried not to include any flags of pussy countries like france and canada. I wish those pussy countries, canada and france, would have the courage their citizens, who died on 9-11, showed. This tribute is very moving. I believe the tribute will be there until Friday Sept. 18th. If you are driving on PCH in Malibu, you can't miss this moving tribute.

The Beach Club is a sports bar that replaced Pete's at the Beach. I went to The Beach Club to watch my BALTIMORE RAVENS start their Super Bowl Victory tour. Of course my BALTIMORE RAVENS beat the crap out of the KC Chiefs.

Since the game was early, I had breakfast at The Beach Club. I decided on a Beach Club omelete, $9, with bacon, sausage, ham, onions, tomatoes, mushrooms and cheddar cheese. This omelete came to me, warm, not even hot. As if it was sitting under heat lamps for a long time. The omelete was ok, nothing great, about a Denny's level omelete. The inside of the omelete wasn't fully cooked, like eggs over easy, which I hate. There were a few pieces of bacon and sausage and plenty of veggies. But there was nothing outstanding about this omelete. I wouldn't order this again.

I sat at the bar and service was good. The female bartenders were both nice and friendly but sitting at the bar means they are bartenders, not servers. So they were busy making drinks, they don't always remember to go get food orders. I'm 100% sure that my omelete was sitting under heat lamps for at least 5 minutes. Beach Club needs to hire food servers/runners to bring out food.

Since the Traitors weren't playing until Monday night, this was a good crowd of people. Though the crowded lacked intelligence since many people go to that glorified JC, Cal State Long Beach. I swear I heard a Cal State Long Beach student say "I is a student at Cal State Long Beach." while watching the game today. Nice education they offer at Cal State Long Beach.

I would go back to Beach Club but I won't order breakfast and/or order from the bar. Somebody order some calamari as I was leaving and it smelled wonderful!!! The next time I go, I may order the calamari.

There are three other sports bars in Long Beach, Legend's and Smooth's, and Yankee Doodles, but I think Beach Club is the best because parking is free and plentiful, something the other three sports bars are NOT. Beach Club has all HD flat screen TV's and a clear view of the TVs. While the breakfast fare isn't that good at Beach Club, the burgers and other bar food looks great.

Joe Jost's

Joe Jost's
2803 E Anaheim St
Long Beach
562-439-5446

Joe Jost's is one of the oldest bars in Long Beach. Known for it's ice cold beers served in schooners, roasted peanuts, pickled eggs, and sandwiches.

I got the Joe's special, $2.95, which is a polish sausage sandwich with pickle, cheese, and mustard on rye bread. The sandwiches are premade, so don't expect a hot polish sandwich, as you can see the cheese wasn't melted. The sausage is decent, with a decent flavor. The rye bread is surprisingly fresh and good, I know a lot of delis that should use this rye bread. But overall this sandwich isn't as good as a Wienerschnitzel polish sandwich. I don't touch those pickled eggs.

But they do have a great root beer on tap, Surf City Root Beer!!! I knew it was going to be good when a great smell hit my nose, when I lifted up my mug. Ice cold, great taste, refreshing root beer. Next time I go, I'm brining ice cream to make a root beer float!!

Service is good. The bartenders are nice laid back people. Look, this is a dive bar that serves ice cold beers, though they don't have PBR anymore just some crap Busch beer. So I'm not expecting great food. But a nice place to hang out.

EJ Malloys

EJ Malloys
4306 Atlantic Ave
Long Beach
562-424-5000

There are two EJ Malloys in Long Beach, one on Broadway and this location on Atlantic in the Cal Heights area of Long Beach. I'm not a fan of Mick bars but Malloys is more of a regular sports bar.

They have good food. I got the bacon cheeseburger with their gorgonzola fries, $9.95 and $1 extra for the gorgonzola fries. They ask how you want the cheeseburger cooked, I asked for medium rare and it was a bit undercooked. The burger is a half pound of beef with lettuce and thousand island dressing. The bacon had been sitting under a heating lamp. I thought the burger was pretty good, nothing great, but worth the price more for the quanity than the quality of the burger.

The gorgonzola fries are great. They are the waffle fries topped with gorgonzola cheese sauce and green onions. A nice combination of flavors with the seasoned waffle fries and tartness of the gorgonzola cheese.

Service is actually pretty good. The bar was packed because of it being Friday and I sat outside because the hottie I was having dinner with wanted to smoke. But the server came by our table and was nice and friendly.

EJ Malloys is a good place to watch a game, grab a beer and have some pretty good bar food. I would go back again though I may not order another burger.