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The New Americana Restaurant
Rating Details »
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good for:
- Breakfast
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
15 reviews for The New Americana Restaurant
Update:: It seems like this place is under new management with a new name...
If you're looking for a decent local diner, look no further. An old style "greasy spoon" joint., the Americana looks like something straight out of a Tarantino movie. There is a counter for you to slide up to and have some breakfast on the quick or plenty of tables inside, if you have some people with you. A definite old-school feeling to the decor, down to the Elvis and Marilyn Monroe stained glass window watching over you while you eat.
The food is decent. Nothing super fancy here. The burgers are good but they can be a bit on the greasy side. I save this place for hangovers: nothing like a big greasy burger for lunch to soak up all the booze from the night before.
The only issue here is the service. It's EXTREMELY hit and miss. Sometimes, they are on top of it and your food is out quick and hot. Other times, it seems like someone is sleeping in the kitchen. The waitresses are all very personable and nice but your food may take a long time, even if you phone ahead.
Still, a decent burger joint to stop by for lunch if you're in the Long Beach area. I hear they have decent drink specials all day, too.
I used to live on 1st& Lime, so Americana was practically a Von's parking lot away from my house.
I dined at this place on 2 occasion's before I decided to NEVER EVER come back. The first time, I received good service form the older gay guy. The second time, I came in sat down at the counter to place my To Go order and was COMPLETELY IGNORED. I even smiled at the waiter behind the counter to get their attention and not a damn "Hi" or "I'll be right with you", not a damn sign of 'I see you waiting patiently and I'll be right over to serve you' was given. Keep in mind I was one of 2 people sitting at the counter. The other person was eating already. So, naive me still didn't get the hint until 5 min later when a white guy walks in just as I did, sits down, and is greeted. Order taken and all.
I was fuming with rage! But, I walked out of there and took my business to the Long Beach Cafe, where they 'Welcomed my kind'
Screw AmeriKKKana!
I have been wanting to try The Americana since it re-opened. I never had any desire AT ALL to go to this place before. It always had homeless people hanging around and it just looked like a run down dump. It sure has changed!
There is a nice outside seating area with umbrellas. Inside is pretty roomy. When I went we sat at the counter. We both ordered burgers. The burgers were so good! We both loved them! The waitresses were both so nice and there was a tall gentleman waiter that was super nice too.
We were too stuffed to order any dessert. They also have a pretty good selection of beer. I like The New Americana and will definitely go here again.
My boyfriend and I decided to come here for our weekly "date night" after we were informed that they offered $5 pitchers of PBR. I didn't really know what to expect based on the outdoor and indoor appearance of the restaurant.
I was pleasantly surprised to find that not only was the food delicious, but the service is exceptional! There were two waitresses on the floor and they were both incredibly attentive. As soon as you walk in you're greeted with a friendly "Hello" from both servers and the owner (or whom I believe to be the owner). They offered us a booth in the front of the restaurant and described all of the specials. We decided on a Cheeseburger and the Spaghetti and Meatball special. The burger was awesome, and the Spaghetti was pretty good as well.
The table next to us had been waiting awhile for their food, so their server offered them a round of free drinks on the house. AKA- they actually care about your dining experience! Hard to find in LA county.
I was pleasantly surprised by this place and have every intention of coming back in the future!
They get 1 star for being close to my house. And that's about it for the good things.
Now for the badness, of which there was a lot. We ordered 2 very simple egg breakfast plates and it took almost an hour to get to our table... and it was cold. There was a large party ahead of us, but an hour is a bit much.
Our server also didn't really communicate with us at all, even though we were constantly making eye contact with her in a failed attempt to get a refill on cofffee (which was also sub par, but it's not their fault).
I thought since this place had been redone or so I was told, that it would be a good experience. I left annoyed and hungry -my eggs were WAY undercooked but it took so damn long to get the food I didn't dare send it back!
I would not reccommend The Americana to anyone.. for any reason. It's not even that cheap! I would actually say it's pretty expensive considering the slow service and dicy ingredients.
Okay for breakfast, dinners are not that great. They refer to a lot of menu items as home made, but I truly question that. Hamburger patty was definitely the preformed frozen kind. Service is very very slow, and our meals came to the table at significantly different times. The staff is super friendly, I do believe they want to please the customer with good food and service - just cant quit pull it off.
Pro: $1 beers (only one kind, not sure what) all day long as long as you order something to eat.
Some of the best corned beef hash I've ever had, pancakes that don't break your wallet (your basic plain short stack is 3 bucks) and have the option of strawberries on top, and really friendly service. Also if you come at breakfast they give you miniature glazed muffins for free that are absolutely delicious, and it's clear they're really nice to the needy.
Biscuits and gravy taste so homemade you expect mom to nag you about getting a job.
FURTHERMORE the stained-glass Elvis, Satchmo, Judy Garland, ETC are completely awesome, and the notes under them actually do match their most famous songs. Plus, mysteriously, just to make this place more all-American, half the women inside at any given time kinda look like Bettie Page (my friends agree!). It's magic I swear.
I just moved within walking distance and plan to come over and over and over.
Full Disclosure - I went a few months back. I had read positive reviews. It's near the crib. Thought I'd give it a try.
Pros- Great and friendly service and terrific homemade salsa, great prices, lots of character
Cons - Desperately understaffed and food was just okay- no diamond in the rough experience for me.
The food's all right, just what you'd expect. When I went there they didn't have much of a selection, but they'd just re-opened so maybe it's changed.
What struck me was the service--our waitress was totally sweet and even comped an appetizer for us because they thought our entrees were taking too long (we hadn't even complained!)
A little weird: she asked us if we didn't like everything because we had stuff on our plate left over and we were forced to doggy bag it for fear of insulting them.
Clientele is interesting, you get the people who were obviously attracted by the ridiculously low prices, as well as the hipsters (nothing attracts hipster like grit and this is as gritty as it gets in the Arts district).
An extra star for the weird, kitschy stained glass windows.
Heaven on my block! Good, inexpensive food with outdoor seating. A cold 99 cent Pabst to go with the good, fresh, and not too fancy food. I noticed the chips in the nachos looked and tasted like they were made up fresh in the kitchen. On the menu are interesting variations of diner food, like The ALT -avocado, lettuce, and tomato. Wheat bread with a huge slice of avocado on each half. Yummy.
The full moon right over Von's was the clincher, The Americana Restaurant is my new favorite non-greasy greasy spoon.
Inside the restaurant it looks and smells like Mel's Diner, and the friendliest staff. What a delight!
Americana is great as long as you stick to the good stuff!
The pizza is pretty nice, especially at $6 for a large cheese! Sure beats Little Cesars! The chicken fried steak is also good, any burger, excellent french toast and waffles as well. The dinner is just meh - not bad but nothing special. Avoid the pancakes unless you're going to drench them, they're pretty rubbery, and as someone else said, the muffins are to die for!
Sitting on the patio can be entertaining, as local crazies love to stop and have a few words. The service is definitely slow, but I have to say it's steadily improved from their re-opening. All in all a good, friendly spot.
I have driven by this spot as long as I've lived in the LBC and had no desire to enter. Now that it is "new" we felt we had to give it a chance. I certainly wouldn't have if the reviews here didn't impress a real change. We stopped in for breakfast.
Our waitress was so sweet and attentive, she brought us samples of the mini muffins and was just very pleasant. My friend D had some sort of meat skillet, he seemed happy. My hubs had corned beef hash and it was a huge serving, and he thought it was really good. I had a breakfast special with pancakes, sausage, the works. It was all cooked to perfection.
No line, no wait on a Sunday at peak brunch time. I suppose with the word out that will change, but I am really happy to find yet another spot to grab breakfast that doesn't have a 45 min wait. We will be back.
I drive by this restaurant everyday on my way home from work. Was downtown for the Soundwalk and thought I'd try it out.
The place has gone thru somewhat of a makeover, yet still retains its retro, funky charm. The Angus burger I ordered was amazing. The soup, perfect! Prices were reasonable. We even received a complimentary order of fried cheese sticks! (careful, they come out HOT!!! LOL. Sorry about the burned lips Brett)
On Fri and Sat nights they have live entertainment.
If you are downtown and want an affordable meal in a cool, diner environment, check them out!
I was sitting at home one Sunday morning and got a serious craving for some runny eggs and hash browns, and The New Americana Restaurant jumped out. I have been there once before since they remodeled and had an O.K experience but figured I would give it another try. Well if you have dined here before you would know that it is a diner and you will be eating diner food. Feeling like I needed a little grease after a long night of drinking I went there with corn beef hash on my mind but, ended ordering the Americana light. Wow, it ended up to be a surprisingly good choice. Two eggs poached (a little over done for my liking), fresh sauteed spinach, a couple of turkey sausage, fresh COLD fruit bowl (awesome) and piping hot crisp English muffins. It was REALLY good, that's coming from a deep fried "anything" lover. My girls eggs Benedict was one of the best I have had in Long Beach and done just right....chalk one up for back of the house. As for the service it was mediocre if even that, but I was not in a rush so I let it slide. I will definately be back soon and try some dinner items.
Oh yeah, if I wasn't so pickled from the night before I would have hung out under one of there outdoor umbrella tables and pounded some $1 beers (allllllllll day long happy hour) and took in the Long Beach street show.
The Surfing Chef
The Americana Restaurant has been closed since Jul 31st, 2006. Since then its new owners have invested a lot of time renovating it with additions such as a whole new kitchen and cooking line insuring the most sanitary conditions, refinished floors, remodeled bathrooms, and as everyone has noticed, a newly remodeled front, decorated with stained glass windows, as well as designer colors and a vibrant and energetic new patio. The New Owners and Crew had their soft opening on this 4th of July 2007, Grand Opening pending completion of menu updates, and so on other details. Come by and visit.
