#100 —Try the Pancakes at Laurel Luncheonette

It's a place where stories are told, where young families bring their children to tell them tales of how their grandparents used to bring them there — where the booths evoke nearly 80 years of memories. While Long Beach has several diners, the Laurel Luncheonette and Restaurant, at 300 W. Park Ave., is a warm, short-stack reminder of home. 

Built in 1932, this family-owned business has drawn locals in for generations. Once neighbor to the Laurel Theater (now CVS), the luncheonette serves as a breakfast, lunch and dinner haven, with signature drinks, such as Cherry Lime Rikki and Chocolate Eggcream, and must-try items from hot turkey sandwiches to burgers to freshly-made omelets.     

Lines form early on the weekends, packing the front entrance area in the winter, where patrons can find every New York City-area newspaper, a cigar counter, and a candy counter, too, all of which help extend the lines outside and around the building during the summer. But once patrons sit in those pink-lined booths, greeted by friendly staff and the smell of sizzling bacon, they become enraptured in this unofficial institution of the beach town, and understand why the wait was worth it. The reasonable prices help a bit, too. 

Category: Food
Price: Reasonable
Season: Year Round
Note: Try the soup!

Stay tuned for #99 next week, same time, same place.