clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Playa Amor Is Thomas Ortega's Casual Long Beach Home for Modern Mexican

The beautiful new addition to the LBC.

If you buy something from an Eater link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics policy.

Farley Elliott is the Senior Editor at Eater LA and the author of Los Angeles Street Food: A History From Tamaleros to Taco Trucks. He covers restaurants in every form, from breaking news to the culture, people, and history that surrounds LA's dining landscape.

Following on the success of his Redondo Beach restaurant Ortega 120 and Cerritos’ Amor Y Tacos, chef Thomas Ortega decided he’d like to put something together in Long Beach. The result is Playa Amor, a love letter to approachable but compellingmodern Mexican cuisine.

The menu is a straightforward blend of tacos, larger format dishes, and cocktails based on Mexican ingredients, but Ortega views each through a modern, urban lens, which means there’s a refined sensibility and bit of playfulness with each dish. As for the space, expect a horseshoe bar and lots heavy, dark wooden tables, while colorful stars hang from the ceiling and an ocean-blue floor washes across the room. The full menu is below.

Playa Amor opens tomorrow near the Marina Pacifica complex in Long Beach. Hours run Monday through Thursday 2 p.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturdays from 2 p.m. until 1:30 a.m., and Sundays from noon until 9 p.m. Lunch and brunch service will commence in a few months.

Playa Amor
6527 E. Pacific Coast HwyLong Beach, CA

Playa Amor Menu