The Breakfast Bar in Long Beach Is a Day Drinking Destination | Eater LA

"Opened in 2013 by Joshua and Pamela Beadel in a once-dingy, kitschy room next to a Travelodge, I’ve watched this Long Beach spot grow from a scrappy, hospitality-worker-focused dream into a now-iconic staple that recently celebrated its 10th anniversary. The couple drew on years in the industry to create a hangover-friendly menu and early-morning bar culture—servers wear “Day Drinker” shirts and cocktails, wine, and beer are available starting at 6 a.m.—which resonated with fellow hospitality pros and the broader neighborhood. Signature dishes include Uncle Marcee’s egg casserole (a three-generation family recipe that’s cheesy, creamy, baked to order and topped with pico de gallo and sriracha crema, with optional bacon, jalapeño, or spiced ground pork); golden, deep-fried pucks of potatoes and cheese inspired by Joshua’s mother; Love-Lee chicken and waffle sticks (a friends-inspired comfort-food riff); and the “Hung Over” pork belly skewers, a poutine-like dish with gravy-slathered fries, scrambled eggs, bell peppers, and pig candy. Fluffy lemon flapjacks read more like a creamy lemon cake that substitutes maple syrup for lemon frosting. The drinks menu (breakfast margaritas, mai tais, jelly doughnut shots and a pancake-and-bacon–style shot chased with OJ) helped the couple secure a full liquor license and cement The Breakfast Bar’s reputation; it expanded to a second location on 4th Street in Belmont Heights in 2022 and now sits alongside Long Beach morning legends like the 50-year-old Potholder and the Coffee Cup Cafe." - Brian Addison