Things to Do in Downtown Long Beach: 3 Places I Actually Love for Food, Drinks & Nightlife

By Jeremy Melodious · Long Beach-based creator and digital storyteller · Updated August 2026

If you're looking for things to do in Downtown Long Beach, I could give you a giant list of restaurants, bars, attractions and tourist stops.

But that is not really how I experience Long Beach.

I would rather tell you where I actually eat. Where I actually dance. Where I have stayed much longer than planned. And where a completely random night somehow turned into meeting people I am genuinely happy to call friends.

Since moving to Long Beach, I have been figuring the city out by actually living in it. Trying restaurants. Walking around Downtown. Going out alone sometimes. Saying yes to random plans. Returning to places that feel good instead of visiting somewhere once just so I can say I went.

Three places became favorites pretty quickly:

Midnight Oil. Kin Long Beach. Shannon's Corner.

They are completely different.

Midnight Oil gives me cocktails, rooms to explore and one of my favorite friendship stories since moving here.

Kin gives me Thai food, generous portions and spice levels that deserve to be taken seriously.

And the Shannon's Corner nightlife scene gives me tiki-bar energy, live music, hip-hop and apparently enough confidence to turn a night upstairs into an accidental cardio workout.

So if you want food, drinks and nightlife in Downtown Long Beach, these are three places I would genuinely recommend based on my own experiences.

Quick Answer: My 3 Downtown Long Beach Favorites

If I were planning one night around all three, I would eat at Kin, get cocktails at Midnight Oil, then finish around Shannon's Corner when I am ready to dance.

Simple.

Effective.

And very dangerous for my sleep schedule.

A Quick Note Before This Guide

This is a personal Long Beach guide, not a universal ranking.

Other people may have completely different experiences with crowds, service, food or drinks depending on the day. I formed my opinions by actually spending time at these places, then looked at current venue information and other local experiences afterward to make sure the practical details in this guide were accurate.

The opinions are still mine.

And that is exactly how I want to keep these Long Beach guides.

1. Midnight Oil Long Beach: Cocktails, Hidden Spaces and a Night I Still Remember

One of the coolest places I discovered after moving to Long Beach was Midnight Oil.

Address: 255 Long Beach Blvd, Long Beach, CA 90802

Midnight Oil describes itself as a Long Beach Bar Collective, which is probably the cleanest way to explain it. Instead of feeling like one traditional cocktail bar, it is a multi-concept experience with distinctly different spaces under one roof. Its current site includes The Apothecary, The Lagoon and Hao Peng You Hand Laundry among the experiences to explore.

My first piece of advice?

Do not assume the first room you see is the whole place.

Explore a little.

And if you see a door?

Open it.

I am not telling you anything else.

Part of the fun is figuring the place out yourself.

My Second Time at Midnight Oil Became One of My Favorite Long Beach Memories

The funny thing is that my favorite Midnight Oil memory is not actually about a cocktail.

It is about who I met.

I had only recently moved to Long Beach, and this was literally my second time going to Midnight Oil.

I went out, got very drunk, danced, chilled and wandered around without having some perfectly organized plan for the night.

Then I started talking to people.

Not networking.

Not that awkward thing where everybody exchanges Instagram handles and then never speaks again.

We were actually talking, laughing and dancing together.

That night introduced me to people who became some of the friends I am happiest to have met since moving to Long Beach.

Kennedy, Cameron, Elena — you know who you are.

I am seriously so happy our paths crossed.

When you move somewhere new, changing your address does not automatically give you a community. You still have to go outside. You have to participate. You have to be willing to talk to somebody you did not know five minutes earlier.

Midnight Oil gave me one of those nights.

I went there expecting drinks. I left feeling more connected to Long Beach.

That is what made it memorable.

Apparently, the Social Energy Is Not an Accident

Something I learned after that night actually made the experience even funnier to me.

Midnight Oil describes The Apothecary as an approachable neighborhood space built around people coming together and sharing stories. A Long Beach Food Club meetup also chose Midnight Oil in June 2026 specifically as a place where locals could try food, mingle and support a Long Beach business.

So apparently I am not the only person who walked in and thought, people actually talk to each other here.

Even better, Hao Peng You in the name Hao Peng You Hand Laundry translates to “good friends” in Mandarin according to Midnight Oil's own description.

Considering one of my favorite things about Midnight Oil is literally the friends I made there, that feels almost suspiciously appropriate.

Why Midnight Oil Works for Me

The cocktails are great, but what keeps the place interesting is personality.

There are different environments to discover, and each can change the mood of your night without requiring you to leave the building.

That is much more interesting to me than a bar where somebody installed one neon quote on a wall and decided the concept was finished.

Midnight Oil feels like somewhere you're supposed to look around.

And despite the detail and theming, my experiences there have still felt pretty relaxed.

You can have a drink. Explore. Talk to somebody. Sit somewhere completely different twenty minutes later.

Maybe accidentally make friends.

Shout out to Midnight Oil for that one.

Who I Would Recommend Midnight Oil To

I think Midnight Oil makes the most sense if you want:

• creative cocktails

• a date-night spot in Downtown Long Beach

• interesting interiors and different rooms

• somewhere social without committing to a full nightclub

• a bar that feels like part of the night's activity rather than simply somewhere to order a drink

My biggest advice remains unchanged:

Open the doors.

You will understand.

2. Kin Long Beach: Thai Food, Big Portions and Spice That Will Humble You

Now we need food.

Kin Long Beach has become one of my favorite places for Thai food in Long Beach.

Address: 740 E Broadway, Long Beach, CA 90802

Kin describes its food as a modern interpretation of classic Thai dishes, and the current menu covers noodles, curries, fried rice, soups and other Thai favorites.

But I am not recommending Kin because I read the menu.

I actually eat here.

I have personally tried the:

• curry

• Pad Thai

• Pad See Ew

• fried rice

• Tom Yum soup

And I keep coming back.

That is usually my biggest restaurant test.

Do I voluntarily spend my own money there again?

With Kin, yes.

The Portions Make Me Happy

One of the things I appreciate about Kin is the portion size.

I like eating.

Groundbreaking restaurant criticism, I know.

But if I am paying for dinner, I want to feel like I had dinner.

I do not need six beautifully arranged noodles sitting in the middle of a gigantic plate while somebody explains what they represent emotionally.

Give me food.

Kin gives me food.

That is also why I like coming here with friends.

Order a few things. Put everything in the middle. Everybody tries a little bit of everything.

Get noodles.

Get curry.

Get fried rice.

Then somebody quietly eats most of the Pad See Ew and acts like nobody noticed.

That is dinner.

Kin Really Does Take Spice Seriously

Here is where I need to protect some of you.

If you are ordering something spicy at Kin, respect the spice.

I like spicy food.

I actively choose spicy food.

And Kin can still remind me that confidence has consequences.

Its current menu specifically identifies dishes such as Spicy Pad Thai and Spicy Fried Rice, so the heat is not just something I imagined after a dramatic bite.

If spicy food is not normally your thing, this might not be the restaurant where you suddenly decide to prove something.

You do not receive a trophy.

Nobody walks out of the kitchen and congratulates you.

Order the spice level you will actually enjoy.

You can always become reckless another day.

The Staff Is a Huge Part of Why I Keep Coming Back

Food matters, but service changes how I remember a restaurant.

The workers I have interacted with at Kin have been so kind and sweet.

That warmth is one of the biggest reasons I enjoy returning.

I also really like the environment. It feels clean, visually interesting and nice enough for a date without being so formal that dinner becomes an event you have to emotionally prepare for.

Bring friends.

Order several dishes.

Get drinks.

Talk too long.

It works.

And apparently my experience is not unusual. When I looked at other diner feedback after forming my own opinion, recurring positives included the atmosphere, friendly staff and satisfying food. The more mixed comments tended to involve service pacing when the restaurant gets busy.

Which brings me to my one warning.

Kin Can Get Busy

Kin gets crowded.

I have noticed it myself, and other diners mention the rush too.

That is not necessarily criticism. Popular restaurants become busy because people want to eat there.

But I would not show up hungry during peak dinner hours assuming you will be sitting with Pad Thai in front of you 45 seconds later.

If waiting makes you spiritually unstable when you're hungry, go during a quieter period.

Personally, I think Kin is worth planning around.

And if you are eating your way through the city too, I have also written about my Sura Korean BBQ Long Beach experience and my Fatima's Grill Long Beach review.

Apparently I am slowly turning my website into evidence of everything I eat.

I am okay with that.

Who I Would Recommend Kin To

Kin is one of my favorite recommendations for:

• Thai food in Long Beach

• dinner with friends

• family-style sharing

• noodles and curries

• people who appreciate satisfying portions

• dinner and cocktails

• spice lovers who understand the consequences of their decisions

Come hungry.

That is the main thing.

3. Shannon's Corner: Secret Island, At The Top and My Favorite Long Beach Dance Nights

Now we need to talk about one of my favorite parts of Downtown Long Beach nightlife.

The area around Shannon's On Pine is more layered than I originally realized.

Shannon's On Pine is the Irish sports pub. Secret Island is the downstairs tiki lounge. At The Top is the connected upstairs music and events venue. Together, they create the broader Shannon's Corner experience in the heart of Downtown Long Beach.

That distinction actually explains why I enjoy going there.

You can have completely different experiences without making the night complicated.

Secret Island Is My Tiki-Bar Moment

I love going downstairs to Secret Island.

The official venue describes it as a tiki lounge built around Polynesian-inspired cocktails and live music, and its current calendar continues to feature live performers and themed nights.

I love the tropical environment.

I love the outfits.

I love when there is a live band.

And in my experiences, the people working there have been super chill.

It feels playful.

It feels like somebody actually committed to creating an environment rather than just putting drinks inside another dark room.

That matters because nightlife can start feeling incredibly interchangeable.

Same lights.

Same playlist.

Same people staring at their phones while trying to look like they're having more fun than they are.

I like places that feel specific.

Secret Island does.

Local conversation around the bar is not universally glowing—especially when people debate tiki drinks—but even some more critical Long Beach tiki fans still point to the live music and atmosphere as reasons Secret Island can be fun.

That kind of nuance makes sense to me.

I am not telling you it is objectively the greatest tiki bar on Earth.

I am telling you why I enjoy being there.

There is a difference.

At The Top Is Where My Dance Problem Begins

Then there is upstairs.

At The Top is where the broader Shannon's Corner experience turns into more of a nightclub and events space.

Its current nightlife programming specifically promotes DJs, hip-hop and reggaeton, and Long Beach locals also recommend it when people ask where to go dancing in the city.

This makes perfect sense to me because hip-hop is exactly what keeps me upstairs.

I love hip-hop.

And it is surprisingly annoying sometimes to go out and realize I only genuinely want to dance to one song every 25 minutes.

When the right track comes on here, I am gone.

I have had nights where I basically walk upstairs by myself and create an entire personal dance party.

No choreography.

No performance.

Nobody needs to join me.

I hear the music and start dancing.

Then another song comes on.

Obviously I continue.

Eventually I am sweating and gasping for air like I accidentally enrolled in some kind of nightclub cardiovascular assessment.

And somehow I still keep going.

I love it.

Dance has been part of my life for years, and I wrote more about why it matters to me in How Dance Shaped My Life, My Energy, and Who I Am Today.

Sometimes I love choreography.

But sometimes I just want one good song to make everything else disappear for three minutes.

Then another three minutes.

Then another.

Suddenly my shirt is soaked.

And Shannon's On Pine Still Has Its Own Energy

Shannon's On Pine itself is the Irish sports pub component of Shannon's Corner and has been part of Downtown Long Beach since 2007. Its current entertainment schedule also includes weekend DJs featuring hip-hop, reggaeton and Top 40.

So depending on the night, the whole corner can give you several completely different kinds of energy.

That variety is the point.

You do not have to turn nightlife into a complicated itinerary.

You can get a drink, go downstairs, hear live music, head upstairs, dance and see what happens.

That is enough for me.

Who I Would Recommend Shannon's Corner To

I think this area makes the most sense if you want:

• Downtown Long Beach nightlife

• live music

• tiki-bar atmosphere

• hip-hop and reggaeton

• DJs and dancing

• somewhere you can move between different environments during the same night

Just check the current event calendars before going if a specific DJ, band or type of music matters to you. Nightlife programming changes.

My Ideal Night Out in Downtown Long Beach

If one of my friends asked me to build a simple night around these places, this would probably be it.

Start With Dinner at Kin

Come hungry, order several things for the table and eat family style.

Have a drink.

Do not choose a spice level specifically designed to humble you unless that is genuinely how you want to begin your evening.

Then Go to Midnight Oil

Get a cocktail.

Explore.

Open doors.

Talk to somebody you did not arrive with.

See where the night takes you.

Finish Around Shannon's Corner

Go downstairs to Secret Island if the tiki atmosphere or live music sounds good.

Then head upstairs when you're ready to dance.

At some point, question your cardiovascular endurance.

Recover.

Continue dancing anyway.

That sounds like a very good Long Beach night to me.

What These Places Taught Me About Living in Long Beach

The thing I did not expect after moving here was how quickly certain businesses would stop feeling like pins on Google Maps.

They became memories.

Midnight Oil is connected to people I am genuinely happy I met.

Kin is somewhere I return because I know I am probably going to eat well and be treated kindly.

Shannon's Corner is somewhere I can hear music I love, start dancing and temporarily forget everything else going on in my life.

That is how a city becomes personal.

You return somewhere and recognize somebody. A restaurant starts feeling familiar. A random conversation turns into a friendship. Streets that used to feel new slowly become part of your routine.

Eventually you're not just visiting Long Beach.

You are living here.

I wrote more about that feeling in Why Moving to Downtown Long Beach Changed My Life.

That has probably been my favorite part of this whole move.

The Best Things to Do in Long Beach Are Not Always Tourist Attractions

If you search for the best things to do in Long Beach, you're naturally going to find major attractions, beaches, waterfront destinations and famous landmarks.

Those absolutely have their place.

But I think there is another way to understand a city.

Eat somewhere local.

Walk down a street you have not explored.

Find a bar with personality.

Hear a local band.

Dance even if you came alone.

Talk to somebody.

Order something you have never tried.

Let the night become something you did not plan.

I felt that same sense of participation during Long Beach Pride 2026.

One of the things I continue to love about Long Beach is how easily food, nightlife, music, creativity and human connection can overlap here.

That is the Long Beach I want to keep documenting.

Not a version where every restaurant is automatically a “must-visit hidden gem” and every night is somehow life-changing.

The actual version.

Places I really go.

Food I really eat.

Nights I really remember.

People I really meet.

My 3 Downtown Long Beach Favorites Right Now

If you only remember three things:

Midnight Oil

Go for cocktails, creative environments and the fun of exploring a place that reveals itself as you move through it.

Kin Long Beach

Go hungry, bring friends and please respect the spice.

Shannon's Corner

Go when you want options—Shannon's On Pine for the pub, Secret Island for tiki-bar and live-music energy, and At The Top when you are ready to dance.

Are these the only good places in Long Beach?

Obviously not.

I have barely started.

That is part of the fun.

I want to keep documenting Long Beach as I genuinely experience it—restaurant by restaurant, neighborhood by neighborhood, event by event and random night out by random night out.

You can explore more of the places I have tried in my Long Beach restaurant reviews or browse everything I write through the Jeremy Melodious Blogs.

For now?

Midnight Oil.

Kin.

Shannon's Corner.

Kennedy, Cameron, Elena — still very happy I met you guys.

And Long Beach?

I think we are getting along pretty well.

— Jeremy Melodious

Downtown Long Beach FAQ

What are some fun things to do in Downtown Long Beach at night?

My favorite current combination is dinner at Kin Long Beach, cocktails and exploring the different spaces at Midnight Oil, then nightlife around Shannon's Corner. Depending on the night, Shannon's Corner can include the Shannon's On Pine pub, live music and tiki atmosphere at Secret Island, or dancing upstairs at At The Top.

Is Midnight Oil Long Beach worth visiting?

Based on my experience, yes. Midnight Oil is especially fun if you like creative cocktails, different themed spaces and bars that feel like something you explore rather than simply somewhere you sit. It is located at 255 Long Beach Blvd, Long Beach, CA 90802.

Is Kin Long Beach good for Thai food?

For me, absolutely. I have personally eaten curry, Pad Thai, Pad See Ew, fried rice and Tom Yum soup there. I especially like the portions, friendly staff, atmosphere and the fact that it works well for sharing several dishes with friends.

Is Kin Long Beach spicy?

It can be. I enjoy spicy food and still think Kin deserves a warning. If you are sensitive to heat, order the spice level you actually enjoy rather than automatically choosing the hottest option.

What is Shannon's Corner in Downtown Long Beach?

Shannon's Corner brings together several connected Downtown Long Beach experiences. Shannon's On Pine is the Irish sports pub, Secret Island is the downstairs tiki lounge with live entertainment, and At The Top is the upstairs music, events and nightlife venue.

Where can I dance to hip-hop in Downtown Long Beach?

At The Top is one option I personally enjoy around Shannon's Corner, and its current nightlife programming specifically includes hip-hop and reggaeton. Shannon's On Pine also advertises weekend DJ programming that includes hip-hop, reggaeton and Top 40. Check their current calendars before going because music programming can change.

About Jeremy Melodious

Jeremy Melodious is a Long Beach-based creator, dancer and digital storyteller documenting the restaurants, nightlife, culture, people and experiences that genuinely become part of his life in the city.

Rather than approaching Long Beach like a traditional travel writer checking destinations off a list, Jeremy writes from the perspective of someone actively building a life here—returning to restaurants, exploring neighborhoods, meeting people and sharing the places that become part of his actual routine.

Explore more Jeremy Melodious reviews, read Jeremy's Perspectives, or browse the complete Jeremy Melodious Blog.