6 a.m. opening makes Boathouse on the Bay viable for early flights
This is a sit-down, local fine-dining offshoot sitting landside in Terminal 1 at Long Beach (LGB), and it runs 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. It’s pre-security, so you’re committing to eating here before TSA. Think white-tablecloth feel and $$$ pricing rather than a grab-and-go sandwich stand.
Price-wise, plan on an entrée pushing into the mid-20s to low-30s in dollars once you factor in tax and tip, which is high for an airport with only one terminal. The trade-off: this is one of the few places at LGB that feels like a real restaurant, not a quick counter. It leans into its Long Beach identity more than the generic national chains you’ll see past security after checkpoint wait times that often hit 20–30 minutes in the morning.
Menu specifics rotate, but expect seafood-forward options given the main Boathouse location in Long Beach, with a standard lineup of salads, burgers, and a couple of steak or fish plates. Coffee, basic breakfast plates, and likely an omelet or breakfast burrito cover the 6–10 a.m. crowd. Alcohol is available later in the day, and you can easily drop $15–20 per drink. If you just need a quick bite, splitting an appetizer in the $12–18 range makes more sense than a full three-course production before a 90-minute hop to Oakland or Phoenix.
Because it’s landside, timing is the big call. With security lines at LGB sometimes ballooning to 25–35 minutes around the 7–9 a.m. bank of flights in Terminal 1, you don’t want a leisurely meal running long. Figure 45–60 minutes for a seated breakfast or lunch here, then another 30 minutes buffer to clear TSA and walk to your gate, which rarely takes more than 5–10 minutes once you’re past screening.
Tip: If your boarding pass says boarding starts inside 45 minutes, skip Boathouse on the Bay and eat post-security instead; this spot works best when you’re at the airport a solid 2 hours before departure.