Long Beach's Neighborhood Markets
Small neighborhood markets not only offer convenient shopping when you need a thing or two but these Long Beach markets often stock beers and wines you can’t find at typical grocery stores or have takeout menus that rival local restaurants.
MA ‘N PA GROCERY
Ma ‘n Pa Grocery (346 Roycroft Ave) has been a beloved institution in the Belmont Heights neighborhood for more than 100 years. It feels like a country store, with a selection of groceries as well as a full menu featuring fried chicken, sandwiches and, perhaps most famously, its breakfast burritos and housemade jerky. Stop by for a bite and enjoy it on their garden patio out back or stroll to nearby Colorado Lagoon for a scenic picnic lunch.
MEAT & VINO MARKET
This market’s specialty is the two offerings in its name, so you could call it a butcher shop with wine, although you can also find its shelves stocked with the sorts of things that go along with meats, like seasonings and sauces. Along with premium steaks, Meat & Vino Market (901 E Wardlow Rd) offers ready-to-grill marinated meats and seafood, wines, craft beer, cheeses, and charcuterie. The carne asada marinated with red onions and oranges is especially popular.
OLIVES GOURMET GROCER
True to its name, Olives Gourmet Grocer (3510 E Broadway) caters to those with a taste for good eats. The market carries beer and wine and a wide variety of groceries, but where Olives really shines is in its menu of sandwiches, salads and entrees made to order. Try the muffuletta with salami, hot capicola, mortadella, olive salad, and fontina and provolone cheese on ciabatta bread.
EDDIE'S MARKET
Maybe you need a six pack to watch the game with friends, or you’re low on laundry detergent, or you urgently need a plate of tacos. If so, Eddie’s Market (2444 E 4th St) can help. This convenience store near Fourth Street’s Retro Row houses a kitchen that helped launch several Long Beach restaurants from pop-ups to brick-and-mortar, and currently serves sandwiches, tacos, burritos, tamales, and pozole, among other Mexican dishes.
CALIFORNIA HEIGHTS MARKET
Locals call California Heights Market (3766 Orange Ave) a neighborhood gem, and it's the place to go if you’re looking for hard-to-find beers. This market stocks more than 1,500 varieties of beer from microbreweries in its walk-in refrigerated Beer Cave (bring your sweater–it’s chilly). They also have a walk-in cigar humidor, as well as groceries, snacks, and sandwiches.