LONG BEACH — The peninsula’s newest restaurant and bar has officially opened its doors after years of work and fine-tuning, and it’s taking inspiration from the other side of the Pacific.

If You Go

If You Go

The Sandbar

208 Pacific Ave. S., Long Beach

2 p.m. to 10 p.m. daily

Launched late last month, The Sandbar offers Japanese and Asian-inspired dishes and drinks that many locals have long been hankering for in a “modern industrial” setting. The multi-story building, co-owner Tim Harrell said, helps fulfill a broader vision that has been years in the making.

Located at 208 Pacific Way South in Long Beach, just west of Veterans Field, The Sandbar is the latest venture in the heart of downtown Long Beach for the Harrells and Swains; the two families bought the Cottage Bakery in 2020 when it was at risk of shuttering at the outset of the covid-19 pandemic, and later added Funland to their ranks as well as the vacant lots that The Sandbar and its larger food court now sit on.

For the owners, the intent from the get-go has been to try and best serve the community that they grew up in.

“We wanted this to be a great, awesome place for our locals, and that was taken into consideration the entire time that we developed this concept because we’re from here,” said Harrell. “We were born and raised on this peninsula, and we’re proud to be here and we want to give back to the community and bring opportunities here.”

The path

When the families purchased the then-empty lots in 2021, an initial plan to sell snow cones was shot down by the city. Following some back and forth, they ultimately leased out space to three food trucks with the intent of developing the lot into a food court and erecting a building that could shelter and seat customers, particularly when the weather turns.

While some details have been tweaked in the ensuing years, Harrell said the overall goal has remained the same: creating a family-friendly environment with a diverse array of dining options. The stools inside The Sandbar’s bar area is the only place off-limits for those under 21, he noted.

“Families pack their kids up at lunchtime and dinner to go try and find affordable food, and so the idea was, how can we keep the families [downtown]? Because if you keep people in downtown Long Beach, that’s gonna increase commerce,” Harrell said.

Another piece of the vision, he said, is that parents or adults can grab a drink or bite to eat at The Sandbar while the kids are exploring Funland; a massive entry door connects the two buildings.

Likewise, people who order from the food trucks — Coastal Class Crepes, The Depot Gourmet Burger Cart, and Scallywags — are welcome to enjoy it inside the restaurant or bar area. The building has two self-serve kiosks where orders can be placed for any of the three trucks, and QR codes will flash on the big-screen TVs that direct customers to a web link to place an order who will then receive a text message when it’s ready to pick up.

One of the building’s features that Harrell’s most excited about is the rooftop, particularly during the summer months when calm and clear weather is more reliable. A few ideas are being kicked around over how to best utilize the space, whether it’s putting tables up there to allow for an outdoor dining experience or installing patio furniture for groups to gather in a more social setting.

“The rooftop is gonna provide a lot of unique opportunities that I don’t think the beach has really had before,” Harrell said, adding that its development is the next phase they plan on tackling.

‘A home run’

Executive chef Harold Donahue was given free reign when work began on crafting The Sandbar’s menu, and, in Harrell’s words, “he hit a home run.”

Before moving to the peninsula a few years ago, Donahue spent five years as a chef in Seattle and eight years in Las Vegas, where he headed up the kitchen of a famed celebrity chef’s burger and steak restaurants. He’s opened and operated a dozen restaurants in his career, and has extensive experience locally at The Depot.

“[For him] to be able to train his staff while we’re still building and doing construction, I’ve been blown away by Harold’s capabilities and the way that he put a team together and got everybody on the same page along with that menu,” Harrell said. “That is one talented individual in this realm of things.”

The menu features both hot and cold appetizers, ranging from Oysters Rockefeller to ahi tuna poke to barbecued pork belly. A Dungeness Cobb salad and couscous and carrot salad highlight leafy options, with the latter mixing couscous with a carrot and ginger dressing that is topped with mizuna, carrots, cucumber, red onion and pickled ginger.

The list of entrees includes Char Siu Spare Ribs — a half rack of oven-roasted ribs that has been glazed with the Chinese-inspired, sweet and salty sauce and topped with sesame seeds — as well as grilled Dungeness crab that has been steamed and is served with a wasabi honey mustard and ponzu sauce.

Skewers also feature prominently, including eight ounces of marinated New York steak that is glazed with a black garlic yaki sauce and skewered with bell pepper and green onion. Another includes marinated chicken breast glazed with Aleppo pepper honey also skewered with peppers and onions and served with katsu sauce.

“I’ve gotten a lot of great feedback from everybody,” said Harrell, who noted that a majority of the dishes are gluten-free. “Whether it be the pork belly, the chicken or beef skewers, everybody seems to be really happy with the product that gets put in front of them.”

Dessert items are not lacking, either; the s’mores cheesecake and molten lava cake are self explanatory, while the Never Ending Sunset features a mango custard topped with pineapple lime gel and marinated watermelon spheres. The drink menu includes dozens of bourbon offerings, as well as saké, whiskey, Japanese whiskey, cocktails, wines and much more as part of the full-service bar.

The restaurant’s attention-grabber, perhaps, is its weekly sushi night on Fridays and Saturdays, something that Harrell said the community has been asking a long time for.

Hand rolled and crispy rice sushi options include spicy tuna, salmon, albacore and avocado, while six signature roll offerings vary from the PNW Dungeness Crab Roll to the Seaview Garden Roll — which includes poached carrot and daikon, cucumber, apple mizuna salad, carrot ginger puree, sliced serrano pepper, and cilantro lime vinaigrette. Sashimi and nigiri are also served.

“[Harold’s] put together a beautiful sushi menu with some items and choices, and we plan to give a sushi experience,” Harrell said. “We enjoy sushi, we enjoy that fresh seafood. I’ve been a fisherman my entire life and we love the sea and love that great quality, and we want to try and bring that to the beach and create that fun, great product that people can enjoy.”