Nigel's — Restaurant in Long Beach

I'm giving them this rating with the expectation things will get better and this is just opening jitters.

The owner - at least I think the man running around in the pink blazer was the owner. He was looming a bit too much for my tastes, but maybe that's me. Be welcoming, but also if you have employees unloading product in the dining room during service, maybe you should be helping so that doesn't have to happen?

The waitstaff - why on EARTH would you put them in full white? please get them out of white pants. They were nice though. Brit was great. I do think the kitchen is a bit slow though.

The menu - why is everything beets, asparagus, and truffle? Can we change up the menu, please? something that doesn't have one of the three for an app that's under $16? Please! The chicken piccata was good, definitely cooked in butter, and could have used more lemon; not enough acid to brighten it up. The fries are wonderful. Served with garlic aioli, but ask for the chili aioli from the chicken sandwich for dipping. Creme brulee was also yummy. A bit thick on the sugar, but it wasn't burnt. I got the NA spritzer and it was very good. Guava was perfect.

The vibe - There's a lot of booze being consumed and with that you get loud patrons. This is not a quiet experience so don't expect that. It is a beautiful place and I hope that it stays beautiful.

Bonus points: the wrap around wicker chairs are fat people friendly. Thanks for that accident allyship in...

My oh my! Every dollar spent here is worth it. Our expectations were exceeded… we are definitely coming back for dinner! Walked in & were sat right away. Our server Britt gave us a great experience so sweet. She is great with recommendations. We started off with fried deviled eggs & gosh I could eat those every day. We shared a Grand Ahi Tuna salad & got the Truffled Mushroom Risotto. The risotto doesn’t come with meat so I almost chose the Chicken Picatta but Britt recommended I add a meat of my choice to the Risotto so I can have what I like. I went with grilled chicken & it was delicious!! Not a bite left. To wash it down, I got a delicious Mini Mule mock tail. It was so sweet & I loved the ginger beer. As we were enjoying our meal, Nigel the owner was walking around greeting tables & personally invited all tables on a boat tour to see the jelly fish after we finished eating our lunch. What an experience. We loved it— definitely coming back to try their steak! We hope this place thrives & grows. Can’t wait to come back for a...

Taking into account it was a very busy Saturday night, we still felt very forgotten. Our waitress Michelle took our drink order only to come back 5 mins later to ask if we wanted anything to drink. We reminded her she already took our drink order. We ordered our food and it took about 10 more minutes after having to ask again for our drinks. I won't say it was worth the wait but the Don't Give Me Lip and the Leah's Spritz were very good.

Food was OK at best for the price. My burger was well done when I asked for medium but still wasn't bad. Fries were bland. My wife's Ahi Tuna Salad was just OK. The mac and cheese was the real star here but they didnt give us any additional plates or utensils to eat it with.

Overall probably a better drinking spot than restaurant date night...