A&J seafood shack
Seafood restaurant · Long Beach ·
Garlic shrimp, lobster, beef stick sandwiches, Khmer sausage
Garlic shrimp, lobster, beef stick sandwiches, Khmer sausage
"The seafood-focused sibling to Phnom Penh Noodle Shack, A&J is a tiny takeout stand in a Long Beach strip mall. While we like their straightforward crab legs, shrimp boils, and grilled oysters, the best dishes here have some Cambodian influence. For example: the salt & pepper shrimp tossed in fried garlic, jalapeños, and enough lime juice to make a margarita jealous. Our top pick is the crispy salmon, cut into tender fried chunks and served with mango salsa and sweet tamarind sauce. Keep in mind that seating here consists of stools on a wraparound patio facing a busy intersection, so most people take their food to-go." - brant cox, sylvio martins
"It’s incredible how much food is produced from the small but mighty A&J Seafood Shack. Owner Vannak Tan’s 280-square-foot stall prepares a slew of Cambodian fusion dishes using family recipes spanning from Phnom Penh to Oahu’s North Shore: Wok-fried lobster and crab, fantastic beef stick sandwiches, grilled Khmer sausage, and Cajun seafood boils are just some of the many draws. Savor it all in the parking lot in front of the shack, which has some counter space and a couple tables set up outside its takeout window." - Mona Holmes
"One of the best dishes at A&J Seafood Shack in Long Beach contains no seafood at all. A menu mainstay since day one, the beef stick sandwich starts with a toasted hoagie roll filled to maximum capacity with fatty and flavorful lemongrass-scented beef, carrot and green papaya slaw, cucumber spears, cilantro, and jalapeños. A rich and spicy sriracha mayo spread, along with a mellow hum of chargrilled smoke, ties the whole package together." - Mona Holmes
"A&J is a tiny to-go window in a small strip mall parking lot about a mile away from Phnom Penh Noodle Shack, which happens to be run by the same family. As much as we love that spot for noodles, this place is our go-to for all things Cambodian seafood: salt & pepper shrimp, grilled oysters, and fresh spring rolls. You’ll technically be sitting outside on the wraparound patio facing a huge intersection, but you'll feel like you're steps from the sea. Our top pick is the crispy salmon, tender fried chunks that come with mango salsa and a sweet tamarind sauce." - garrett snyder
"On the corner of Anaheim and Obispo, the edge of Long Beach’s Cambodia Town, Vannak Tan is wokking up spectacular Cambodian-inflected dishes. The unmistakable scent of garlic wafts from the 280-square-foot stall at all hours. After passing the reins of Phnom Penh Noodle Shack in Long Beach and Rice String Noodle Shack in Cerritos to his siblings in 2019, Tan and his wife, Manika, opened A&J Seafood Shack in 2020. Drawing on family recipes and street food traditions from Phnom Penh to Oahu’s North Shore, the diverse menu transports diners to far-flung destinations with pitch-perfect flavors. The house-special lobster, wok-tossed with aromatics, is hacked into manageable bits for easier eating. The Hawaiian garlic shrimp channels the food trucks dotting Oahu’s coastline. (It’s served with fresh pineapple slices and is one of the restaurant’s best-sellers.) The turf side of the menu features grilled beef baguette sandwiches, deeply redolent of lemongrass, along with sour and smoky Khmer sausages served over steamed white rice. — Cathy Chaplin, former senior editor" - Eater Staff
