Black Pork Verified listing

Black Pork owners Veronica Lopez and Luis Mendiola have created a West Long Beach food space unlike any other. Tomahawk ribeyes on the weekends. Mussels in a warm bath of white wine, cream, and Guajillo chiles. Perfectly fried empanadas—the best in the city. A Latin American interpretation of Italian porchetta. Massive Cuban sandwiches that rival the best in the region. The finest clam chowder west of the 710 (and yes, I mean better than the almighty Chowder Barge).

With a bikini bar on one side and a dive bar on the other that opens at 6AM daily, Black Pork’s DIY-chic, definitively adorable space acts as a dichotomy for its neighbors. Their smoker stands proudly just off the sidewalk of the southern half of Willow Street, west of the 710. The aromatic plumes drive everyone from neighbors across the street to passersby in cars to head toward it, with many a vehicle heading westward busting a U-ey.

And for newcomers, it is likely that the patron next to you is a regular. In my case, a group of friends who have turned the spot “into a weekly ritual. Been through their whole menu and I can tell you this: There’s nothing even mediocre about a single item. Even their brunch is incredible.” It reflects Veronica and Luis’s passion and dedication in a way that doesn’t happen regularly in West Long Beach.

For Brian Addison's full feature on Black Pork, click here.