Sura Korean BBQ & Tofu House Restaurant - Long ...
621 Atlantic Ave, Long Beach, CA 90802, United States
Planning a dinner outing with your vegan friend shouldnt feel like a culinary compromise. Forget limp salads and tofu scrambles – at Sura Restaurant, vegan palates (and yours!) are in for a flavor fiesta thatll leave everyone happy and full. So, ditch the veggie burger guilt trip and head to Sura, where meat-free magic awaits.Suras secret weapon? Banchan. These free appetizers are a kaleidoscope of fermented delights, like tangy Kimchi dancing with refreshing cucumber and the smoky whisper of spicy bean sprouts. Each bite is a mini flavor adventure, proving vegan appetizers can be the star of the show. Just watch your plant-based pals eyes light up with every delicious nibble!But the main event is the Bibimbap. Imagine this: a steaming cast iron bowl cradling a vibrant rainbow of perfectly cooked rice, crisp carrots, earthy mushrooms, and emerald green spinach, all glistening with sesame oil. A fiery dollop of Gochujang sits in the center, promising a symphony of sweet and spicy.For your vegan bestie, this dish is pure magic. Encourage them to mix everything together from the start – veggies, sauces, juices – to unlock the full flavor potential. Add a drizzle of hot sauce (Sura offers a range, from mild to melt-your-face spicy!), and watch their face transform with delight. The crispy rice at the bottom? Thats the cherry on top (or rather, the caramelized crunch at the bottom), a reward for reaching the end and a testament to Suras culinary skills.Sura isnt just about delicious food; its about showing your vegan friend you care. By choosing a restaurant that caters to both omnivores and plant-based eaters, youre saying, Lets explore culinary adventures together, without compromise! And isnt that what friendship is all about?
4.5
CaliChilli - unauthentic Indian Restaurant
4111 N Viking Way, Long Beach, CA 90808, United States
TLDR: Valentines menu was fine but food & service experience did not meet the $300 price tag for 2 people with no alcoholic drinks.Dined for Valentines dinner at 8:30PM. OpenTable allowed me to choose between selecting their special Valentines Menu ($125/person + tax & tips) or regular menu when making the reservation (over a week ago). After browsing both, I opted for the regular menu since it had more things we wanted to try. Upon arrival at restaurant they confirmed they are only serving the Valentines Menu. At this point its too late to go anywhere else and it still looked delicious (plus all the reviews of the restaurant were excellent) so we decided to stay nonetheless. Overall the food was very pleasant and the quantity was plentiful. Unfortunately, the level of food, service and experience did not meet the $300 price tag (for 2 people without any alcoholic drinks other than the free flute of champagne upon seating). The location isnt exotic nor stood out but the decorations were welcoming. Restaurant was clean and the greeting at the door was very welcoming, they sat us down quickly as per our reservation time. Tables were very tightly packed hence having servers go around tables was very intrusive and often you found yourself leaning back or sideways to avoid getting arms, hands to the face. Also, no particular care was given to table organization and plates seemed to be just placed on the table where they fit, in a rush, without proper organizing or moving things out of the way. Service was a bit slow, clearing plates and cleaning table was not properly syncd with food delivery. Food presentation was good but often the food was lukewarm or simply lacked complexity. Sparkling water was delivered in glass with cheap looking red straw wrapped in paper which deteriorates from the experience. Payment took longer than expected as well.Overall I am supporter of restaurants cultivating special experiences and pushing above their regular price class for specials occasions but they must deliver in return. Ive been to many high end restaurants where dinner for 2 regularly hit $300 and they offer a level of food, drinks and experience that is far superior to this instance. I am going to give CaliChili another try, on a regular night with regular menu, to form my final impression. I believe that this special occasion as delivered works at the $150 price point but not even close for $300 for 2 people. All the pieces are there and they seem capable of delivering, just needed more attention to execution and training.
4.5
Jade Restaurant
6380-A E Pacific Coast Hwy, Long Beach, CA 90803, United States
My friend and I went here to catch up and eat what I hoped to be great food.We walked into the restaurant and I noticed that there were barely any diners there, which I thought was good. We stood there for a few minutes, which I was surprised about. 3 employees came by to tell us that someone would come to assist us soon.A few minutes after we were seated, one employee gave us glasses of water without us asking for water, which I appreciated. My friend and I were able to talk a bit until a man started singing and playing guitar. He was very talented. Our waiter was very nice. He noticed my friend and I were deep in conversation throughout our meal and left us alone after checking on us once after we got our food, which was a plus in my book. He kept walking around the tables so we just had to wait until he got back to our table to get boxes and our check.Onto the food, I ordered orange chicken and white rice. My friend got shrimp fried rice. Luckily my friend enjoyed her food. That mustve been the most flavorless orange chicken Ive eaten. I found it funny that the plate for the chicken was huge and the bowl of rice was so small. I was a bit tempted to not ask for a box for my food but I wanted to see if my roommate would eat it. Otherwise, I plan to throw away my leftovers.I feel extremely disappointed because I wanted to at least try the breakfast foods they offered during another visit. But after this experience, I dont want to be let down again.
4.3
Pick Up Stix Fresh Asian Flavors
2090 N Bellflower Blvd Suite B, Long Beach, CA 90815, United States
Went here for dinner with my husband on a Sunday night for dinner. Service was okay, but after we bagged our leftovers up is when things took a very disgusting turn. When we were getting ready to leave we noticed 3 Giant cockroaches crawling across the front of their front counter. Meanless to say we threw our leftovers in the garbage. The manager on duty was afraid of the cockroaches we found and a male employee chased the cockroaches into the dining room area to kill them. We will not be returning as a result to this location. Insects only show up when proper cleaning is not being done, since cockroaches look for food sources before they start to infest. This location needs better pest management to avoid cockroach infestations.Update: The VP of Operations Ben reached out to us and made things right, by providing us with a full refund due to our bad experience.
4.3
Tantalum Restaurant
6272 Pacific Coast Hwy, Long Beach, CA 90803, United States
Tantalum is a great Asian fusion restaurant that successfully fuses Asian dishes with Western ones to being out the best taste. All the dishes ordered my our big group of 10 were loved by all that ate them. The vegetarian noodle with tofu dish was delicious, with lots of flavors and just the right amount of spice! The desserts were all good too! Usually desserts are not strong suits for many restaurants but this one managed to make all of their desserts excellent. The drinks were incredible too! Some of them were strong but they were mixed so well that you dont really taste the alcohol and only realized that the drink was strong when you feel tipsy ?It was inside a shopping plaza so parking was ample and free.
4.5
Cyclo Noodles
4754 Pacific Coast Hwy, Long Beach, CA 90804, United States
Staff were friendly ...ordered several items ..none were Pho noodle (I never eat Pho not cooked by my mom)...since this place is mostly Cambodian, I wanted to try Cambodian food first ...pretty happy ..food good...price decent...I was pretty happy since everything was pretty good ..only thing that bothered me was the greasy lid on the condiment containers...still Ill come again...ok.came back a few more times since 2 years ago..staff still very friendly. I had an issue with my order and they corrected without any bother. Broth is a lot better. Although I think its a lot less than b4. Their spring rolls is a lot better than the sandwich shop next door (dipping sauce and actually roll both better). Came on tues. Very busy but the staff were fast. All in all. Glad this place is here in LB!So been back again..At 7:30 pm on a Friday ..Place is packed .. line out the door ..I had ordered to go over the fone ..Came in thought I would just pay and go ..But no ..I had to also wait in line to pay. Now I am not sure why management did not think to open another register for pickups especially on a busy night and when there were staff standing around with nothing to do?? Still room for improvement since the place is getting popular. Had ordered Pho a few times since last ...But still its only ok. But then I cant help it ..I have my moms pho to compare to.
4.4
Shin Restaurant
2838 E Pacific Coast Hwy, Long Beach, CA 90804, United States
We were forced to tip by our server, Yu…My boyfriend, sister, and I arrived at the restaurant at around 8:30 pm, and it relatively empty (Besides us there was one other couple there). Because it was late, we made sure to keep the table clean and stack up all the trash and plates. The food itself was good there weren't many complaints there. An issue arose when it came to paying out bill. Our total came up to about $80 for 3 entrees and appetizers. It seemed pretty reasonable so we paid for the food but didn't tip, only because we felt like we hadn't required much of our server (we were in and out within the span of about 30 minutes). When we walked out of the restaurant my boyfriend had stopped in the parking lot to tie his shoe. That's when our server Yu followed us out claiming that we did not pay our entire bill. When I asked for clarification she claimed that when you dine in there is a required service fee and that I did not pay that service fee in the form of a tip. She told me that I had paid the balance which only covered the food and not the service therefore it didn't pay everything. I've been to this restaurant pretty much regularly and I've both tipped an not tip depending on the server and how busy it is, etc. Never have I been told that I HAD to tip. If there truly was a REQUIRED service fee I'd assume that would automatically be added to my total. After explaining that to her she was adamant that I had to tip. We went back and forth for a bit but I felt so humiliated already that I went ahead and tipped, so she could leave me alone. It pains me to say cause I actually liked this place, but I definitely won't be back. I don't like being humiliated and played for stupid.
4.3
WaBa Grill
41 The Paseo, Long Beach, CA 90802, United States
On a hot day after the Midsummer Scream Convention, I was convinced to eat at this place through peer pressure. The inside looked like a bus station kiosk. The staff looked pressed and miserable. Nobody looked happy to be there. It was perhaps 2 degrees cooler than outside. Nothing like lukewarm death to stoke your appetite.I ordered the shrimp bowl for about three extra dollars than the standard $8+ bowl. I figured the quality would rise with the price. I was wrong. The rice was not fluffy, it was like confetti: dry and limp. This is a sin in Asian anything.. Forget fusion if you cant even get the Asian right. The shrimp might as well have been boiled with no seasoning. In fact, Im convinced thats just how it was prepared. It went down like old chewing gum. No sign of the protein touching a grill by the taste. Might as well microwave it. My partner ordered the ribeye with vegetables. The ribeye was ok according to him, but the veggies were inedible. They were raw like in a salad. I tried them myself and spit it back out over the rice he didnt eat and brought it to the counter to complain. Insult to injury, they only offered to cook new vegetables. I simply let them, then threw out the food in contempt. Your meal wasnt satisfying, Sir. You offer a refund or a replacement. I spent $30+ and even pre-tipped. Ill NEVER eat at Waba Grill again based on this experience.
4
Poke & More
2292 E Carson St, Long Beach, CA 90807, United States
A Hawaiian mom and pop shop located in a plaza where the Ralph's and La Fitness are at! located in Carson St, serving very local dishes from the islands while adding a few from the Philippines to showcase both sides of their heritage!What we got:First we had the inari poke- these little bean curd pockets of deep fried tofu, rice, topped with spicy mayo and garnished with roe and scallions is a dynamite of all flavors and is honestly my new favorite thing!We also got tofu poke but with crab meat because we love seafood, but of course for all our vegetarian/vegan friends you can ask to customize your poke to your preference!Next the tuna sisig in a sizzling plate is a homage to Filipino cuisine, and as a Filipino myself I loved this dish so much!They also proudly serve Huli Huli chicken which is Hawaiian chicken barbecue with that pineapple, ginger and soy sauce marinade. Perfectly sweet and refreshing, I think everyone needs to get this!Lastly we got the crispy spam musubi cos it won't be a Hawaiian feast without spam!Service is also fast and everyone is so welcoming and accommodating!
4.4
The Cajun Crab
3253 E South St j101, Long Beach, CA 90805, United States
Went on 08/26 my wife and i, we have been here many times. Really great food and perfect seasonings. However today was a REALLY BAD experience. We order King crab legs, and shrimp. They took well over 30min with the order. I was looking for the waitress to flag her down after waiting patiently. When i seen her going to another table and grabbing 2 bags of food and running back to the kitchen with the owner. After 2min. She is coming back to our table with our food. As the waitress pulled out our food from the container she was bringing it in. I asked her if that was the same food she had gotten from the other table she got a bit nervous and she the said no. I then replied i seen you and the owner grabbing it from the other table. She then replies that it was not. She got more nervous. Not only was not as hot as usual but there was crab meat missing.(empty shell). Then she proceeds to say i will go talk to the boss. I said ok. Then i was a bit upset, so then i got up and decided to ask the other table what had happened if they had gotten the wrong food and they said yes. I told them what just happen and they coud not believe. And said who does that!??. So then i went for my wife and went to the front desk and talked to the owner. And she lied and said that she was just being informed of the situation. When I clearly seen her, and the waitress picking up my food the from other table. She offered to make a fresh. I said you could have done that the 1st time when the other customer touched my food before giving it to me. However lying about just finding out was a big NO-NO! For me. I told her i wanted my money back i didnt even want to hear her bs anymore. Be extra careful here....?
4.2