The Wild Chive is probably the crown jewel in Long Beach’s vegan food scene. Even in the early days when it was a popup at the farmers market, the line was consistently long and no one cared. The food was that good. It’s the kind of place where you can bring your most resistant carnivore friends, and they’ll come away saying, “Huh, maybe I could go vegan.” (Photo is the Chive BLT: bacon, avocado, grilled cheese, marinated tomato, arugula, and roasted garlic-chive aioli on Texas toast.)
Proof of their popularity is the fact that they opened their brick-and-mortar restaurant at the height of the pandemic and were still wildly successful. They’ve had to start requiring reservations for weekend brunch. (RBG’s portrait on the wall is saying, “I think the notion that we have all the democracy that money can buy strays so far from what our democracy is supposed to be.”)
Plus they are two blocks from the beach, so no matter how packed the weekends are you can take your to-go order down to the sand.
And getting food to-go is what I usually do. Some of my favorite Wild Chive entrees are their specials. This is the Breakfast Banh Mi (tofu scramble, bacon, ham, cucumber, pickled veggies, fried shallot, chive aioli, and cilantro on a French roll).
The Pickle Fries: beer-battered pickles with fresh dill and roasted garlic-chive dip.
I’ll be honest, except for the specials, I feel sort of “meh” about a lot of the Wild Chive’s regular menu options (so greasy), but the notable exception is the Grilled Burrizo. I love the Grilled Burrizo. When they don’t have it I feel lost, rudderless, purposeless. I’ll call Nene and complain that I don’t want any other burrito, I want THAT burrito. It’s probably my favorite entree of all the types of food at all the restaurants in all of Long Beach. Sure it’s just potatoes and tofu like all the other vegan breakfast burritos, but it’s GRILLED potatoes and tofu with a SMOKY CHIPOTLE AIOLI dipping sauce, and that makes all the difference. (The burrito has tofu, soyrizo, kale, roasted peppers, sweet onion, and herb potatoes, and it’s wrapped in a flour tortilla, grilled, and served with smoky chipotle aioli.)
My dad is also a Wild Chive fan. His go-to is usually the chicken and whatever they’re serving with chicken that day (waffles, French toast, etc.).
Again with the specials, which are usually excellent. This is the biscuits and gravy.
And they have French Quarter Beignets served with a jam-style strawberry dip.
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