Long Beach Airport Food Map: Small Airport, Big Appetite

Long Beach Airport is small enough that finding your gate rarely becomes an adventure. Finding lunch, however, takes a little more thought. Do you want a proper meal, or are you in a coffee-and-cinnamon-roll situation?

Fortunately, Long Beach Airport food goes well beyond packaged sandwiches. Both concourses have local favorites, from tacos and burgers to Greek dishes and seafood. The trick is knowing which side serves what, and whether you’ve got enough time to eat before your flight.

How the LGB Food Map Works

At Long Beach Airport, you won’t need a bedsheet-sized map to find lunch. There’s one passenger terminal, a shared security checkpoint, and two concourses, North and South. Between them is an open-air garden with seating and fire pits. You can eat in the California sunshine there instead of staring at another blank wall.

The restaurants have a local streak, too, with Long Beach businesses serving much of the food. The selection even earned LGB a Best U.S. Airport for Dining award in a USA Today readers’ poll. And while the two concourses are close together, checking your gate before choosing where to eat means fewer unnecessary steps. Your feet may have already walked enough for one day.

North Concourse: Tacos, Burgers, and Greek Food

The North Concourse has plenty for flyers who want more than a pastry. From breakfast burritos to Greek dishes and freshly grilled burgers, most cravings have an answer here. And yes, there’s plenty of caffeine for anyone who considers it a food group.

• If coffee comes first, Sheldrake Coffee Roasting shares a counter with Sweet Jill’s Bakery from 5:45 a.m. to 4 p.m. You can pick up a coffee and a pastry in one stop, which is especially handy when you’re in a hurry.
• Craving something Mexican? Taco Beach Cantina serves tacos, burritos, and nachos from 6 a.m. A breakfast burrito is easy to eat with one hand. The kitchen closes at 4 p.m., but the bar stays open until 7 p.m. or until the last departure.
• For a burger fresh off the grill, Long Beach Burger Bar opens at 9 a.m. Just check the line before ordering. A made-to-order burger may be worth the wait, but your flight won’t necessarily agree.
• Greek food comes courtesy of George’s Greek Cafe, open from 10 a.m. For a lighter bite, 4th Street Vine Wine & Beer Bar serves drinks and small plates from 8 a.m. Both beat the usual grab-and-go sandwich.

For last-minute snacks, 562 Experience sells ready-to-eat bites, souvenirs, and everyday items. It’s a useful fallback when the clock is too tight for a kitchen order.

South Concourse: Coffee or a Proper Sit-Down Meal

The South Concourse has fewer choices, but you can still grab a quick breakfast or settle in for something longer. The menu even comes with a bit of local history.

• Early flights call for coffee and something sweet, with Sheldrake Coffee Roasting and Sweet Jill’s Bakery opening at 5:30 a.m. A Belmont Shore favorite since 1987, Sweet Jill’s makes cinnamon rolls from family recipes, complete with generous frosting. Just mind your boarding pass.
• If you can linger, Boathouse on the Bay serves seafood, steak, sandwiches, and shareable appetizers from 6 a.m. It’s a good choice when you’d rather eat at a table than balance a plate on your knees at the gate.
• If your flight is getting close, the South Concourse’s gift and news shop has packaged snacks and basic necessities. It won’t replace lunch, but it’s better than heading to the gate hungry and hoping the airline has more than pretzels.

Restaurant hours refer to the terminal concessions, not their original neighborhood locations. Check the latest information in LGB’s official Shop & Dine directory.

What to Eat When the Clock Is Ticking

At LGB, finding food isn’t the hard part. Figuring out whether you have time to eat it is another story. Having 20 minutes before boarding is very different from having 20 minutes before takeoff. That matters most when the kitchen still has six orders ahead of yours.

If you’ve cleared security with only 20 minutes to spare, stick to something ready to grab. With 45 minutes, you can order something freshly prepared, as long as the line is short. Ask how long your order will take before paying, and listen for gate announcements even at a small airport.

An hour and a half gives you room for a proper sit-down meal, perhaps even dessert. Whatever the clock says, confirm when your flight leaves before settling in. The real challenge at LGB is knowing when to put down the fork.

Before You Leave LGB Hungry

For such a small airport, LGB gives hungry flyers a surprising number of decisions to make. North or South? Something quick or a long sit-down? And does a roll count as breakfast if it has more frosting than bread? That’s between you and your appetite.

If you’re heading to Long Beach Airport, leave enough time for security and a bite before boarding. Once you’re through, find your gate and pick whatever looks best. Still, missing your flight over a cinnamon roll would be a rather expensive breakfast.