Best First Date Restaurants in Long Beach (2026)
Published · Updated
The 2026 first-date pick in Long Beach is Bo-Beau Kitchen + Roof Tap on Pine Avenue. Editorial runners-up: The Boathouse on the Bay, Chez Bacchus, Ammatoli, Chiang Rai.
Twenty-one Long Beach rooms sit in our directory. Six carry a first date — the table interesting enough to talk about and forgiving enough if the conversation stalls.
Six Long Beach Tables for a First Date
Bo-Beau gives you two first dates at one address on Pine Avenue: a tufted-leather bistro downstairs with a fireplace, and a rooftop with fifty-plus taps under marquee lights. Start on the roof for a drink, move down for dinner if it's going well — the built-in second act is the point. The test dish is the steak frites with cognac shallot cream. Book the downstairs room on OpenTable; the roof takes walk-ins. The most flexible first-date room in the city.
The Boathouse sits on Alamitos Bay Landing with every table facing open water — boats, the bay, the kind of view that does the talking on a first date. The menu is premium steak, fresh oysters and sushi, played straight. Book a window table on OpenTable a week out and request the water side explicitly. The raw bar is the order to share early. For a first date that wants a wow without a tasting-menu commitment.
Chez Bacchus, at 743 E 4th Street in the Arts District, was voted Long Beach's Best Fine Dining in the 2025 People's Choice — a partnership of sommelier John Hansen and chef Danny Le, formerly of Napa Rose. The four-course seasonal tasting is the evening's architecture, and the wine pairing is the reason to let Hansen drive. Book direct; the room is small. For a first date confident enough to make the meal the event.
Ammatoli — 'my aunt' in Arabic — is Chef Dima Habibeh's Levantine room downtown, where mezze and fresh-baked pita turn a first date into a long, easy graze. The beet hummus alone earns the table. The front patio buzzes, and the sharing format keeps the conversation moving when a plated dinner might stall. Book on OpenTable or walk in early. For a first date that wants flavour and a low-stakes, hands-on table.
Chiang Rai cooks the Northern Thai food most Long Beach menus skip, on Anaheim Street — the Chiang Rai Local Food section is the point, and it's Michelin-recommended for it. The room is plain; the cooking isn't. Order off the regional section and share. It takes near-term tables more easily than the waterfront rooms, which makes it a good weeknight first date. For a date that bonds over food neither of you has had before.
555 East has been Southern California's most talked-about steakhouse since 1984 — a dark-wood room with a live piano at 555 E Ocean Boulevard and 600 bottles behind it. It's the statement first date: USDA Prime, a booth, a martini. Book on OpenTable and ask for a booth, not the bar. The dry-aged ribeye is the test of the kitchen. For a first date you've already decided is worth the full production.
How to Book
The waterfront rooms go first — book The Boathouse on the Bay and 555 East a week out on OpenTable for a weekend table, and request a window booth at the Boathouse, a booth (not the bar) at 555 East. Chez Bacchus is small, so book it direct early. Ammatoli and Chiang Rai take near-term weeknight tables.
Sunset at the Boathouse for the view; 7:30pm at Bo-Beau so you can start on the roof. A weeknight makes the harder rooms easier and a stalled date shorter — Tuesday or Wednesday is the first-date operator's slot.
Frequently Asked Questions
The 2026 editorial pick is Bo-Beau Kitchen + Roof Tap on Pine Avenue, because the rooftop-to-bistro move gives a first date a built-in second act — a drink upstairs, dinner down if it's working. For a water view, The Boathouse on the Bay on Alamitos Bay; for a confident fine-dining date, Chez Bacchus in the Arts District.
Ammatoli downtown is the easy, low-stakes first date — Chef Dima Habibeh's Levantine mezze and fresh pita make a hands-on sharing table that keeps the conversation moving. Chiang Rai on Anaheim Street is the other relaxed pick, cooking Michelin-recommended Northern Thai in a plain room, and it takes near-term weeknight tables more comfortably than the waterfront rooms.
The Boathouse on the Bay has the best water view, with every table on Alamitos Bay Landing facing open water — request the water side when you book. Bo-Beau's rooftop on Pine Avenue trades the bay for marquee lights and the downtown skyline, and 555 East offers no view but a classic dark-wood steakhouse room with live piano instead.
Budget a mid-range bill at Ammatoli and Chiang Rai (the $$ band), a step up at Bo-Beau, The Boathouse and Chez Bacchus ($$$ for bistro, waterfront and tasting respectively), and the top end at 555 East, a $$$$ steakhouse where USDA Prime and a 600-bottle list push the tab. A first date needn't be the most expensive option to land.
Book The Boathouse on the Bay and 555 East about a week ahead on OpenTable for a weekend table, and reserve Chez Bacchus directly as early as you can — the room is small. Bo-Beau, Ammatoli and Chiang Rai take near-term and weeknight tables more easily, and a Tuesday or Wednesday makes every room more flexible.