Malainey's Grill & One Hell of an Irish Bar — Restaurant in Long Beach

5 Stars – A Hidden Gem with a Sunset Blues Surprise!

Drawn in by the sunburnt sign like a moth to a flame, we found ourselves wondering—was this prime waterfront spot still in business, or had we stumbled upon a ghost bar with an incredible view? Curiosity got the best of us, and thank goodness it did!

Nestled right next to the always-packed Ballast Point Brewery, Melainey’s was wrapping up their popular Sunday brunch when we walked in. Our mission? Find an outdoor patio. Much to our surprise, there was plenty of open seating—right on the water, no less! With pints of Smithwick’s Red (because, of course, when in an Irish bar…), we made ourselves comfortable for some top-tier people-watching. Between the sailboats capsizing in the marina and the endless entertainment of watching people attempt to park Duffy boats (some more successfully than others), it was pure waterfront comedy.

If I had one minor wish, it’d be for barstools that are a few inches taller—Shorty over here had to sit on my legs to get a proper view. But hey, small price to pay for such a killer spot!

Just when we thought we were wrapping up, our super sweet server casually mentioned that we had to come back at 6 PM for the Six Pigem live blues show. We figured, why not? So back we came, and WOW—this place had completely transformed. What was once a laid-back patio scene had turned into an elbow-to-elbow, standing-room-only, blues-infused party. The taps were flowing, the music was incredible, and the whole place had this electric energy that only happens when great people, great drinks, and great vibes collide.

Needless to say, next time, we’re reserving a table in advance. Melainey’s, you’ve officially won us over. A sunset blues fiesta we didn’t know we needed, but now can’t wait to...

On June 21st there was a party of 22 of us that went here for dinner. When we walked in we were the only people there except for maybe a couple of people at the bar. We all ordered our food and as time went on it got busier. The food was taking forever to come out but everyone in our party got their food.....except for my family. We were sitting there, and sitting there, and sitting there. We noticed that other tables that had come in after us were also getting their food. After almost an hour of waiting, the waitress comes over and tells us "your food will be out shortly." After waiting another 20-30 mins and still seeing other tables get their food, I told the waitress to cancel our order and that we had been waiting over an hour for our food. By that point we had only had a water, my husband ordered a beer and my son had a soda. When I told the waitress to cancel our order She wasn't apologetic or anything. We were all ready to leave and people in our party were paying their bills. The waitress handed me a $9.59 bill for the beer and the soda we had ordered. I handed it back to her and told her I wasn't paying for it. Usually I'm a pretty understanding, patient person, especially when I know a restaurant is busy and we have a large party. But when we ordered there was no one in the restaurant, when other tables that came in after us were getting their food while we were still waiting for ours, and the waitress was not sympathetic to what was going on and handed me a bill, I was done. I will never go back...

It took awhile to be acknowledged here after I walked in and sat myself at the bar. The bartender was a slender women and she was super sweet. The wait I had may have been due to a medical emergency that someone had right out in front of the bar because I overheard the bartender talking about it. However, I ordered appetizers and beer and I have to say that I’m throughly impressed with the quality and portion size! I thought it was a tad pricey but after seeing how much food you get for the cost it was 100% worth it. The fried zucchini was fried to golden brown perfection! The lettuce wraps could have been better, the chicken was super dry and the lettuce tasted dirty like it wasn’t washed properly. After I got my food it was a hit and miss with the customer service but overall I had a great experience. I’ll definitely come back again when I want some amazing bar food and drinks. The only thing I would recommend is to update the decor. This bar has so much potential and they could truly draw in huge crowds if they did a huge makeover. The location is prime too! I truly hope to come back one day and see it at its...