Long Beach Waterfront Restaurants: A Local's Guide to Dining on the Water

Updated May 2026 · Written by the team at Boathouse on the Bay

Long Beach has 11 miles of shoreline. Most of it isn’t where you want to eat dinner. This guide covers the six spots that actually pull off “waterfront restaurant” — what makes each one different, who they’re best for, and how to lock in a patio table this weekend.

We’ve been on Alamitos Bay since 2014, so this comes from a real perspective: who we send our cousins from out of town to, what we recommend for a date night, where to brunch on a Sunday morning. Boathouse on the Bay is one of these restaurants. We’ll lead with us, but we’ll tell you about the others fairly — the goal is that you eat well, not that you eat with us.

Best overall: Boathouse on the Bay

If you’re picking one waterfront dinner this month and don’t want to overthink it: come here.

What makes it work: Boathouse is the only Long Beach waterfront restaurant with automated retractable blinds running across every window — the patio, the bar and lounge, and the main dining room. Translation: bay-front dining works year-round, in any weather. November wind off the bay? Blinds drop, patio heaters stay on, dinner doesn’t move. July afternoon glare? Blinds drop on the sun side, the bay breeze becomes the only thing you feel. Rainy evening? You stay dry, the boats still glide by. Most “waterfront” patios in Long Beach are open-air — fine for the four perfect-weather weeks per year, frustrating the other 48.

The view: Alamitos Bay marina, due west. Sunset comes in directly off the water, hits the boats, lights up the patio for the 30 minutes around golden hour. We’re at 190 N. Marina Drive — the only restaurant on this list that’s actually on the marina, not next to it.

The kitchen: seafood, sushi, prime steaks, and oysters. A few specific orders worth knowing about:

• Breakfast Sando ($21) at weekend breakfast — scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, cheddar cheese, and garlic herb aioli on a warmed butter croissant, served with crispy potatoes.

→ Hosting a group? Private events — birthdays, rehearsal dinners, corporate dinners, or full patio buyouts. Inquire here.

→ Curious about brunch on the bay? Read our Best Brunch in Long Beach guide.

→ Coming in summer? Check the dates for our annual Big Bang on the Bay Fourth of July fireworks viewing.

FAQs

What's the most romantic waterfront restaurant in Long Beach?+

For a quiet, conversation-friendly date night with a sunset over the water, Boathouse on the Bay's all-weather patio is the highest-rated by locals — bay light, weekend live music, retractable blinds for any weather, kitchen that takes time. For a "Queen Mary in the background" celebration, Queensview Steakhouse atop Parkers' Lighthouse is the call.

Where can I have brunch on the water in Long Beach?+

Three spots: Boathouse on the Bay (Saturdays and Sundays, 10:30 AM – 2 PM, on Alamitos Bay), Roe Seafood (Sundays from 10 AM, garden patio with no actual water view but great food), and Claire's at the Long Beach Museum of Art (Saturday-Sunday 9 AM–3 PM, plus Thursday-Friday 11 AM–3 PM, on the Pacific bluff). Each is a different geography. Full breakdown: Best Brunch in Long Beach.

Which waterfront restaurants in Long Beach take walk-ins?+

Most do during weekday afternoons. Boathouse holds a portion of the patio for walk-ins Tuesday through Friday, plus the bar most nights. Saturday and Sunday at sunset, every patio in town fills — book ahead.

Where can I see the sunset from a Long Beach restaurant patio?+

The Alamitos Bay restaurants (Boathouse, Tantalum) catch the bay sunset cleanly — sun goes down due-west over the marina. Parkers' / Queensview catch a different angle with the harbor and Queen Mary silhouetted. Claire's at LBMA gets the ocean sunset directly. If you want the most-photographed sunset table in Long Beach: reserve a patio table at Boathouse.

Where's the best live music with a waterfront view in Long Beach?+

Two real options. Tantalum runs six nights a week (acoustic duos plus weekend DJs) — the volume is up, the room is lounge-y. Boathouse runs Friday, Saturday, and Sunday on the patio year-round, expanding to nightly except Monday in summer — quieter, dinner-paced, sunset-anchored. Parkers' has Thursday-night live music 5–8 PM. Boathouse Live Entertainment schedule lists the current lineup.

Are these restaurants kid-friendly?+

Boathouse, Roe Seafood, and Claire's welcome kids — especially at brunch and weekday dinner. Queensview and Tantalum lean adult-oriented, especially after 8 PM. Parkers' is fine across the board.

What's the dress code at Long Beach waterfront restaurants?+

All upscale-casual. Patios run more relaxed; interior dining rooms slightly dressier at dinner. None require jackets. Boathouse leans toward "you'd wear this to a nice friend's house for dinner" — not formal, not beachwear.

What about parking?+

Boathouse has its own lot at 190 N. Marina Drive — easiest of any restaurant on this list. Tantalum has valet Thu/Fri/Sat. Parkers' / Queensview share the Shoreline Village paid lots — fills up after 6 PM Friday/Saturday. Belmont Shore (Roe) is street parking and a 5-block walk most weekends. Claire's has free Bluff Park lots (Pacific Ocean side) — easy mid-week, busy weekend.

Where we are

Boathouse on the Bay • 190 N. Marina Drive, Long Beach, CA 90803 (562) 493-1100 • office@boathouseonthebay.com

Get directions • Hours & location

Open for dinner Tuesday through Sunday • Weekend brunch Saturday & Sunday until 2 PM • Happy Hour Tuesday – Friday, 4–6 PM • Live music on the patio Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights — nightly except Monday in summer

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This guide is written and maintained by the team at Boathouse on the Bay, a waterfront restaurant on Alamitos Bay in Long Beach, California. We’ve been serving the bay since 2014. The honest evaluations of other Long Beach waterfront restaurants here are based on first-hand visits, public menus, and conversations with our regulars who eat around town. We update this guide quarterly to keep timing, pricing, and recommendations accurate.

Last reviewed: May 2026. Suggest a correction or add a restaurant: office@boathouseonthebay.com.