Explore BELMONT SHORE, LONG BEACH

Charming, Relaxed, Stylish & Unique

Spend an Hour  Spend a Day

Nestled along the Coast in the southeast corner of Long Beach, Belmont Shore is a charming beachside community home to more than 250 businesses.  The owners and staff of many of these businesses are as much a part of the neighborhood as the residents.  The care and concern for the community contributes to its small town feel.

Second Street and the 15 intersecting side streets make up the business district of Belmont Shore.  This business corridor lies in the heart of the exclusive seaside community, affectionately referred to by locals as “the Shore”.  The neighborhood features beautiful Spanish style homes from the 1920s and ‘30s as well as charming beach bungalows.

A place to mingle, meet up with old friends and make new ones, 2nd Street is where familiar faces, including those of the dogs, stroll and gather outside local coffee shops or on the corner for impromptu conversations.   Residents enjoy walking to 2nd Street to take care of daily errands at the local hardware store, markets, pharmacy, post office, dry cleaners and banks, where it doesn’t feel so much like a task but an outing.  Belmont Shore even has a waterfront library with a view!

When on 2nd Street, you are bound to notice the large number of dogs cruising with their owners and hanging out on the sidewalk.  It’s no wonder ‘Dog Fancy Magazine’ chose the City of Long Beach as one of the top nine cities in the country for dogs and their people.   The most dog friendly area of the city is Belmont Shore, which has a three-acre, off-leash Dog Beach Zone and events such as the Haute Dog Howl’oween Parade on 2nd Street (just a couple of contributions by local community activist and event producer, Justin Rudd).

Whatever You Are Craving

One of the biggest draws to Belmont Shore is the seemingly endless array of excellent restaurants.  From finer dining to take out, coffee houses to pubs, and markets to sweet shops, there are almost 50 establishments to satisfy your thirst and appetite, whatever you crave.  In addition to a wide range of food and beverage establishments, the restaurants span the globe in types of cuisine.  Enjoy southern BBQ, contemporary Californian cuisine, and good old fashioned American or delve into the more exotic Indian, Thai, Lebanese, French, Japanese, and Greek. There is something to suit everyone’s taste.  The opportunity to dine al fresco on the many sidewalk adjacent patios is part of what makes Belmont Shore so special.  On the patio, diners can enjoy warm sunshine and ocean breezes while people watching. At night, dine under the stars as Belmont Shore has great weather year round.

Those with a sweet tooth can satiate their cravings at one of our bakeries, sweet shops and yogurt shops.  Amongst them are a chocolate factory that would make Willy Wonka proud, a bakery that creates amazingly gooey cinnamon rolls, a cupcake store   big on frosting and an old time candy store selling candy from everyone’s childhood.  If gelato or frozen yogurt is your weakness, they have it too!

On nights and weekends, the 21 and over crowd enjoys cocktails and live music at one of the Shore’s restaurants, sports bars and taverns.  The Shore is known for its friendly neighborhood pubs where locals connect, tunes play on the jukebox and sports can always be found on plasma TV’s.  If fine wine or martinis are your spirit of choice, you’ll find one of our finer restaurants ready to accommodate you.

A Shopping Destination

Belmont Shore is a shopping destination with more than 60 retail stores to choose from.  In addition to major retailers such as Banana Republic, Children’s Place, Chico’s, and Lucky Brand, you will find a large number of individually owned and operated shops that make Belmont Shore unique.  The charming shops carry wonderful selections of handcrafted jewelry, artwork, and home décor pieces plus clothing, shoes, books, toys and more that delight discerning shoppers. Those on the front of fashion trends know that the latest looks can be found on 2nd Street in our upscale boutiques.  You’ll even find an independent record shop that offers a wide array of out-of-the-mainstream artists and hosts in-store performances.   

At Your Service

Although Belmont Shore is known as a retail and restaurant district, service-based businesses actually make up the majority of businesses in the Shore.  With more than 30 salons and spas in just 30 blocks, there is no doubt that the people of Belmont Shore like to keep themselves looking and feeling good!  In addition to pampering yourself, you can improve your health and well being at the local athletic club, along with chiropractic, optical, pharmaceutical, and psychological services.  And for your professional and financial needs, there are four banks plus many realtors, mortgage brokers, insurance agents, etc. to serve you.

Fun Year Round

The Belmont Shore Business Association hosts 15 events for the community each year.  The events highlight Belmont Shore’s offerings and bring together merchants, residents and visitors in the spirit of having a good time.  The ‘Belmont Shore Chocolate Festival’ kicks off the event season on the first Saturday in February. During the afternoon event, chocoholics can get more than their fill with just about every kind of chocolate treat imaginable.  Another popular food-focused event is the “Chili Cook-Off” in April.  Teams vie to have the best chili in Belmont Shore, and attendees can sample the chili of every team and vote for the People’s Choice Award.  The most popular culinary event is the ‘Stroll & Savor’ series.  The two-night event can be thought of as a “taste of Belmont Shore” with more than 30 restaurants offering samples of their cuisine.  It’s a great chance to explore Belmont Shore and dine at dozens of restaurants in one night.  But food isn’t the only focus of the gatherings…the “Semi-Annual Clearance Sales,” “Arts & Craft Fair” and “Health, Beauty & Fitness Fair” offer great products and great deals.  Two of their biggest events are the “Classic Car Show” and “Christmas Parade,” both drawing upwards of 50,000 people to 2nd Street.  On the first Sunday in September, more than 600 classic cars line 2nd Street in one of the West Coast’s largest car shows of its kind.  And on the first Saturday in December, more than 100 parade entries, including floats and marching bands, proceed up and down the one mile stretch of 2nd Street during the “Belmont Shore Christmas Parade,” now in its 26th year! 

Down at the Shore

One of the great features of Belmont Shore is its proximity to the ocean.  As its name implies, the Shore is hugged by water with the Pacific Ocean to the south, Alamitos Bay to the east, and to the north by Marine Stadium.  Kitesurfers love the great ocean breezes found here.  The calm water of the bay makes for great swimming, kayaking, and boating.  The bay is also a great beach for families, where every visitor is just steps to the water on the long, curved stretch of sand.  For a romantic adventure take an authentic gondola ride through the canals of Naples with an Italian singing gondolier.

Getting Here

Belmont Shore is a short drive from many Southern California cities.  Whether you are coming south from Los Angeles or north from Orange County, if traffic permits, you can most likely get there in less than 30 minutes.  Geographically, Belmont Shore is three miles down the coast from Downtown Long Beach and just two miles up from Seal Beach in Orange County.  Making the Shore even more easily accessible is its proximity to Pacific Coast Highway and the 405, 605, 22, and 710 freeways, which are within a couple miles of 2nd Street. 

We hope you’ll visit Belmont Shore.  Whether you spend an hour or a day, you’ll be charmed by the community’s warm welcome, and you’ll be amazed how quickly the time will pass as you enjoy all that Belmont Shore has to offer your family. For more information, contact the Belmont Shore Business Association at 562.434.3066 or visit www.belmontshore.org.