Schooner or Later Cafe in Long Beach CA

Over the weekend I headed down to Long Beach to check out the travel show. Having not spent much time in Long Beach I headed over to TVFoodMaps to see what restaurants were recommended by some of the best food shows on TV. From this list I narrowed it down to Schooner or Later which is right on the water in Long Beach. Here is the video from Diners, Drive-ins and Dives if you want to see what the place is all about, then read on for my review.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAb-LG2YuRA

The Location

This place really does have a near perfect location. It is located right on the water and has access to the docks where you can peruse the boats while you are waiting for your name to be called; and yes, it really does have specific parking for your boat if you want to cruise up on the water instead of the land.

There is plenty of parking and seating for you to wait in while they are preparing your table. Online there were horror stories about how long the wait was but when we were there on a Sunday afternoon it was about 15 minutes. The atmosphere is very relaxed as well. They have plenty of outside tables, a sit down bar inside and a jukebox if you want to get the party started.

The Food

Obviously the reason to come to a place that was featured on the Food Network is the food and Schooner’s does not disappoint. The highlight here is the breakfast foods which range from the strange, a marinara omelet, to the beautiful, a Belgium with fresh fruit. Check out the menu here. The main dish they serve here though is called “The Mess” which is described as

“This world famous, local tradition is a tasty blend of chopped ham, onion, and bell pepper grilled with 
hash browns and eggs.  Topped with melted Cheddar cheese. Served with sourdough toast. “

This is what I ordered (with avocado) and let me tell you it was fantastic. I only ordered the half size when I went and I wasn’t even able to finish it. Amie ordered the aforementioned Italian omelet which  was “Mildly spiced Italian sausage and Swiss cheese topped with zesty Italian sauce and  sour cream” and it was surprisingly good as well. I say surprisingly because I did not expect to like that one as much as I did, but would now recommend it as well.

The Prices

The prices were reasonable for a good breakfast like this. I believe our total was less then 25 dollars which is a bargain for how great the food was.

I would highly recommend Schooner or Later and would love to hear other comments below if you have been here to check it out. Get directions below.