Best First Date Restaurants in Long Beach (2026)
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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.