Uptown

North Long Beach is home to parks, gardens, a food hall, and many popular restaurants, including several that celebrate southern cuisine. Bordered by the cities of Carson, Compton, Paramount, and Lakewood, it is also home to the Michelle Obama Neighborhood Library and Uptown Business District.

UPTOWN BUSINESS DISTRICT

The Uptown Business District is an 18-block corridor along Atlantic Avenue and Artesia Boulevard that includes about 140 businesses. The organization works to commission public art, abate graffiti, clean up trash, host networking events, and promote businesses in the area.

Dining

(particularly New Orleans) North Long Beach’s restaurants will satisfy your cravings. Try the Texas-style brisket and tender pork ribs at Robert Earl’s BBQ (703 E Artesia Blvd). Visit Sal’s Gumbo Shack (6148 Long Beach Blvd) for Louisiana gumbo, crab and shrimp boils, po’ boy sandwiches, or a catfish dinner. J. Looney’s (5204 Orange Ave) offers New Orleans-style comfort food like shrimp and grits or smothered pork chops, and The Boujie Crab (1002 E South St) serves southern seafood with Cajun seasonings.

cuisines from around the globe. Popular eateries with international flavor include Aguas Way (5248 Long Beach Blvd), known for refreshing aguas frescas and full menu of Mexican favorites. Shlap Muan (2150 E South St #105) is a Cambodian restaurant that specializes in chicken wings featuring ingredients like five spice and lemongrass. El Pollo Imperial (5991 Atlantic Ave) serves classic Peruvian dishes like lomo saltado and has been frequented by former Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia, who was born in Peru.

Uptown Commons, a food hall constructed from repurposed shipping containers. There you can find Shootz (6600 Atlantic Ave. Unit A), a Hawaiian BBQ restaurant specializing in dishes like kimchi butter katsu chicken. For a caffeine fix, Black Ring Coffee Roasters (5373 Long Beach Blvd) roasts its own coffee on site in small batches. Try the Baby Yoda Latte mixing matcha with their Mexican mocha syrup.

GARDENS & AGRICULTURE

The neighborhood’s agricultural roots are reflected in the community gardens and urban farms that remain in the area. The Growing Experience (750 Via Carmelitos) is a community garden and urban farm located in the Carmelitos Housing Development. Currently operated by the nonprofit MAYE Center, the farm provides produce to the Carmelitos Senior Center through a weekly farm stand and offers job training as well as educational and wellness programs for seniors and youth.

YMCA North Long Beach and the Michelle Obama Neighborhood Library (5870 Atlantic Ave), which also features The LearningLAB with free classes and programs every week and a Family Learning Center for drop-in homework help and other learning resources for kids and adults. Organic Harvest Gardens (6751 Atlantic Ave) is an urban mini-farm where students can learn about gardening and food production. Master gardener and Chef Rod Dodd hosts farm-to-table dinners there throughout the year.

Parks

The largest park in the area, Houghton Park (6301 Myrtle Ave) boasts sports facilities, a playground, and a skate park built in 2004. It also has a teen center, senior center, and afterschool programs. DeForest Park and Wetlands (6255 DeForest Ave) is located along the Los Angeles River and previously served as a flood control basin. In the early 2000s members of the public campaigned to restore the land to a nature area. Today, the park is a wildlife habitat featuring native plants, nature trails, and interpretive signage. Other park amenities include sports facilities, such as futsol courts and a sand volleyball court.

Nearby Neighborhood

Bixby Knolls

A few miles north of downtown, the Bixby Knolls neighborhood beckons.