Joe Jost's — Restaurant in Long Beach

Don't sleep on Joe's guys. It may seem intimidating because most of the clientel are older, middle-aged veterans, but it's a more diverse crowd once you get in there. Plus the staff is extremely friendly and so inviting that you will feel right at home. I never have to wait too long for a beer, even when it's jam packed. The bar has been around for like, over 80 years. The food is reminiscent of old time 40s or 50s deli, with just several different sandwiches on rye and ice cold beer. Joe's special is the favorite but if you are really feeling hungry, ask for a "Marley", which is a polish dog, pickle, and egg salad sandwich. It's probably the best sandwich ever. Their pickle egg recipe is amazing so make sure you try them. Overall I love this place, and the old time feel they bring with the bar stools lined close together and high-rise booth benches. It's cash only cats, remember to bring your green or use their ATM.

EDIT 2025: I had to drop them down to 4 stars instead of 5. Honestly the children are a tad out of control. They allow kids in the back now and it's a little too much. They run around like it's an amusement park. Today there was a woman with two toddlers and a baby strapped to her chest pounding a pint and it just looked so bad. She also took my stool for her kids even though I had my cell phone and napkins covering my beer and seat to show people it I was still using it. Talk about improper bar etiquette. A lot of people who come to this bar are not locals so they don't understand proper bar etiquette, but usually when you see a full beer being covered with a napkin or coster, it means the space is still being used. Especially if there's a cell phone there. It's a little embarrassing for people to bring such little children to a bar. If you don't have a babysitter, don't go out drinking. My best advice is to avoid the weekends these days. But this place is great on...

I first visited Joe Jost's in 1975, and even then customers were boasting that, "I've been coming here for 40 years!" It is a fun, relaxed place for the entire family. Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston filmed a scene from the bodyguard here. It is the oldest bar in Long Beach. There is a peanut roasting machine (they roast their own peanuts), a shuffle board, and pool tables in the back.

JJ first opened in the 20's as a barber shop that sold beer. But the health dept. said you can't do that. You'll get hair in the beer. So the owner said, well, I make more money off the beer, so we'll stop cutting hair.

All the original 1920's sinks, toilets, urine troths, are still there. JJ places their 20 oz. schooners in the freezer, so that when filled with beer, you taste a thin layer of ice on top. They also sell pickled eggs (made there), hot dogs (polish sausages) sliced length-wise with a dill pickle wedge inserted, and presented on rye bread with mustard. Also available are egg salad sandwiches, or liverwurst, and of course, bags of peanuts!

In the eighties, JJ was having a tough time getting customers to come to what was then a rough neighborhood. The owner, decided, since they own all the businesses on the block, solved the problem by tearing down what used to be a shoe repair shop next door. With that shop gone, JJ's turned the space into parking lot with security cameras. That move allowed customers to feel comfortable about visiting. Oh course now there is no worry about the area.

This is one of the 'special' places that only the locals know about—not the tourists. Grab the wife, and the kids (pop available), and visit a Long Beach treasure.

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I am in Long Beach 4-5 times a year, and finally decided to see what all the talk was surrounding this place. Parking is a bit tight, but I was lucky and showed up as a car was leaving around 1:30pm on a Thursday. I was surprised to see the bar area full, but there were some seats in the back. But, again I got lucky as someone left the bar as I was walking back. Even through the chaos, I was greeted by one of the bartenders before I was able to take my seat. I had heard a lot about their ice cold beer in oversized glasses called schooners. I ordered an 805, and absolutely was not disappointed. I then asked about their pickled eggs that they are famous for. They sell 3,000 of those eggs a week, according to the bartender. There were two eggs with pepper on them delivered in a paper boat container that were on top of pretzels and a few yellow chilies. The eggs were amazing! While I was at it, I also asked about their famous sandwich, which consists of rye bread, a polish sausage cut down the middle with pickle out in the cut, and a white cheese. That did not disappoint either. There were a lot of locals when I was there, and they were friendly enough. This is a cash only place, with an ATM machine available for a $1.50 fee. Overall, a great experience…and I...