"The patio at Union has all the charm of a sculpture garden—if a sculpture garden hosted weekly DJ sets. That’s precisely why this fusion restaurant inside the art gallery Compound is our favorite outdoor dining space in Long Beach. The menu riffs on Filipino entrees like garlicky pancit and pork kare kare, but other dishes pull inspiration from all over the map (branzino with nam jim, or cumin-spiced, dry-aged ribeye with golden raisin chili paste). The best approach is to snack and drink with friends in the courtyard, especially before strolling the art installations and ordering a nightcap at the bar inside the gallery." - nikko duren, brant cox, sylvio martins