Legends of Aviation Restaurant

As a local, drove over to the airport to check out this cool space located on the 2^nd floor, above the JetBlue/​counter ticketing areas. Was pleasantly surprised to find the mushroom burger was awesome; so were the garlic fries and fish tacos — Service was fantastic and friendly. Parking in the short term lot was only $ 2 since we were there a short time. Definitely great food if you are there for a flight, and also worth going over if you are local and an aviation fan.

On the second floor of our little Long Beach Airport, you have outdoor seating (air field view) and an indoor bar style dining area (bar included). Service was excellent and the food was good… impressive by airport standards.
In the future, I can see myself having breakfast/​lunch/​dinner here before a departure/​after an arrival, even if I’m just a chauffeur. It’s a pretty cool place, and after a long flight, who wants to be cooped up in a car? It’s your perfect way to wait for traffic to die down if you arrive at a bad time.

Waiter was super cool. If you like planes you will like this place, lots of interesting items around. Food was ok, price was ok. Finishing a review from 2010.

I’m always running late to catch my Jet Blue flight, but today there was an hour delay. I was not expecting much, and luckily I was pleasantly surprised by the food and prices here. The server was nice and friendly, and the food was good. I will definitely come back if I have extra time.
BTW, the service IS slow and our booth had ripped upholstery, but this wasn’t a big deal to me.

Get to the airport early cause service is slow in this upstairs restaurant but it’s nice to relax before a shirt flight to Vegas. I recommend the burger or the chicken to be safe. It’s quiet and there’s a huge bank of windows to watch the planes take off and land.

The seats and décor were a little shabby.
A step up from food quality of Denny’s, but comparable prices. A good dinner menu.
Service was friendly and speedy.
The food was great.
We were surprised at how good actually.
The turkey melt and apple salad were both excellent.
We would try it again.

They got great burgers here!
— located on the second floor.
— they have full bar.
— not very big inside.
— real nice view.
— The waitress was nice and friendly.
— Not too expensive.
I bought a burger, and it was delicious — comes with fries. You will be full.
I would come here again even if I wasn’t here to catch a plane.

Located above the terminal with a view of the runway, this place has the potential to be a really cool spot. Unfortunately, they spent all of their money on the new fast food joints downstairs next to the gates. Had I known those places existed, I would have eaten there. Instead, I sat in a 1950’s booth in this place. By 1950’s, I don’t mean the style… I mean the last time the seats were reupholstered. Very old and tattered. The breakfast dishes were plain and unimaginative. My pancakes were terrible. Service was pretty good but I won’t be back here.

I’ve ate here several times and had great experiences. I especially like their french fries with the grilled onions, cheese and sour cream. Super good! The wait staff are always awesome but especially this last time. I was using my cane and the waitstaff offered to carry my luggage to my table. Very kind, and always good food. I highly recommend!
–SVJ

Prior to the rest of LBC eateries being built, (which I had no knowledge of!) this was my pit stop for a before flight drink and snack. Welp, after my last experience, this will probably be my last.
Drinks are steep! $ 12-​$ 14 for a cocktail! I was okay with paying for them before, but honestly, these drinks are not mixologist drinks. Despite what they might want you to think. I had a mojito that was in desperate need of limes. My girlfriend had a strawberry lemonade that was pretty much strawberry lemonade. Where’s the booze?! For this price, they should have a little heavier hand. I mean, this is LBC airport. This isn’t some major fancy airport that can charge you that much. Let be real.
We also ordered the calamari appetizer to snack on and that was a complete fail. Overly breaded pieces that were super dry and pretty much inedible in my opinion. Our bill for 2 cocktails and a calamari appetizer came out to $ 44.
Next time, I’m eating at the Mickey D’s inside!

Not bad for an airport restaurant. What you might expect from a standard diner-​esque establishment, so nothing spectacular, but everything we got was good.
First of all, the crab/​tomato soup really was delicious… lots of large chunks of crab! Then between the three of us we got spaghetti and meatballs, a meatball sandwich, and a salad. Leftovers abound!
Our waitress was very nice and quick with the drink refills. The only downside is that the better view of the planes goes to the people sitting at the bar, which I’m sure is great if you’re alone and just want a drink, but it’d be nice if the restaurant patrons could see out the bottom half of the windows as well.

Long Beach Airport can hardly be considered an airport with its outdoor baggage claim and portable trailers for terminals. I was advised by one of the airport staff to eat here if I had time because the cost of food was comparable with getting a pre-​made sandwich once you were past security. «More food for the same amount of money,» was what they said.
I ordered the Bbq and onion burger with fries for takeout. They just have the takeout people wait at a regular table. As it got busy on a Thursday night, I started to feel bad… so if you find yourself like me, there are seats (without tables) on the left side of the 2^nd level for you to wait for your food.
I was offered water while I waited which was nice of the wait staff. Food was pretty average though. Not bad, but pretty standard. I could prob whip up the same burger if I had a grill. But I didn’t have a grill at the airport which is why you could have found me at the Legends.

Decent wings. Decent tap selection (tower 10 ipa). Friendly staff.
Was a nice place to come for an hour while waiting for our flight.

Considering I was only looking for a place to kill an hour or two before my flight, Legends of Aviation wasn’t bad (side note: not a fan of the name…). It’s a good thing too because there isn’t much in the way of alternatives at the Long Beach Airport.
Located on the top floor of the terminal, I was really glad I was able to grab a seat before the wave of other diners showed up after me (they had to wait). The place is fairly nice and new, which is quite the contrast from the rest of the airport. Nursing a random craving for something fried (it’s like I’m pregnant!), I ordered the Chicken Tenders along with a cup of their Tomato Crab Bisque.
— Tomato and Crab Bisque…(
)
A bit of an impulse order (saw it just as I was about to hand the menu to the server), and it turned out to be surprisingly good. As in, almost great. The bisque had a nice consistency, a mild tomato flavor, and a lot more crab than I had expected.
— Chicken Tenders…(
)
Not very good. The tenders weren’t really breaded, and the batter looked overcooked, as if it had been sitting in the oil too long. The chicken was decently moist, but not much to say beyond that. They gave a fair amount of food, but honestly, I left more than half of it behind.
From what I’ve read, a lot of the food seems like it can be fairly hit-​and-​miss, but the bisque is definitely worth trying. Really though, the best thing about the place is actually the view you get of the runway. Whether you’re eating outside or gazing through the giant windows behind the bar, it’s pretty cool being able to watch the plans come and go as you eat/​drink. Certainly a nice alternative to watching the Niners lose on all of their flat screen TV’s…

This restaurant was suggested to me if I had spare time before a flight. The first thing you notice of course when you get to the restaurant is the aviation theme. It’s not uncommon in airport restaurants. We were quickly seated at a table. Opening the menu the first this I noticed was VEGETARIAN OPTIONS which I think is particularly awesome for an airport restaurant. I frankly think the only other airport restaurant I have been in which had this many vegetarian options was in New Delhi.
The beer list was ok, in the fact that it wasn’t just bud or coors, but I think they should invest more heavily in bringing in some local craft beers. I ordered a meal, the server was really quite good. The food was a little slow for an airport restaurant though. I think the meal took like a half hour to get out. We were ok because we came with an hour to spare, and it takes like ten minutes to get through the security at this airport, but if you have less than an hour before your flight I would seriously reconsider eating at this restaurant. The food was good, but I thought it was a little pricey for what we got. Though, given that it IS an airport I can’t really hold that against them. On the scale of airport food costs it was pretty fair.
I am not sure if I would go out of my way to go back to this restaurant. However on the scale of Airport restaurants it was better han almost every other airport restaurant I have been to, thus far. Given the fact that I have traveled quite a bit, that is really saying something impressive.

With 2 hours to spare before my flight, I decided to try this place instead of just eating a sandwich at the terminal gate.
I ordered Calamari to start with & Pasta Portobello with Marinara. Yes, it’s just for me… eating alone, but stuffing myself! :) Totally ok… but I’d rather eat here than at the terminal where there were less choices.

After a frantic trip to SoCal for a work deadline, I was relieved to arrive at the airport early to unwind at this airy sanctuary on the second floor, above check-​in. You can take the stairs or follow the signs to the elevator for those with luggage in tow, or if you just don’t feel like climbing.
Legends has 3 mini-​levels, two for regular dining, and one for the bar. I opted for the bar with a view of the planes taking off. Large windows, plasma screens, high ceiling and also an outdoor dining area. If you have the time, it’s a great place to relax and fuel up, rather than wait in the cramped boarding room.
Menu includes burgers, pastas, sandwiches, salads, breakfast, a kids menu; I was happy to see a lot of vegetarian options and a good wine and beer selection. I had the Southwest veggie burger with tortilla chips and salsa. My burger was okay ~ standard veggie patty + salsa, nice soft, toasted bun, good chips.
Tip 1: Since Legends is located pre-​security check, be sure to allow time to get through the security check post meal.
Tip 2: The lobby in front of the restaurant has the airport’s history on display.
I love this Legend-​airy retro airport!

What is it nowadays? They used to say show up about three hours before your scheduled flight time. Being a person who doesn’t fly on a daily/​weekly basis, I still have no idea how early I should show up to fly.
Promptly, my wife and I showed up at the airport two hours before take-​off (I heard that domestic is about two hours). Lo and behold, we were able to check ourselves and our bag in within 30 minutes and were holding boarding passes in our hands. What now.
The second floor of this airport is where the entrance to the Legends of Aviation is.
Expectedly, this place is always busy. Upon entering the restaurant, you are greeted with a panoramic view of the LGB’s runways through a large window panels. Then, like an amphitheater seating area, curved rows of levels go down towards the large glass window where the bar is located.
I agree with the other reviews — the food isn’t the greatest ever. HOWEVER, it is above expectation for an airport restaurant food. It is amazing. If I lived closer to LGB, I might go here every now and then to eat and watch the planes take off and land.
Weary travelers make up the majority of the crowd here, along with a few business professionals at the bar. The staff is super friendly — as if they know that we all are kind of pissed and/​or tired from traveling. Smiling faces, great service, and pretty-​darn-​good food makes all that crap melt away and that’s very much appreciated to a weary traveler.
For domestic flights, LGB will always be my choice. Even though I don’t have to, I’m still gonna show up about two hours before take-​off just so I can grab a bite and have a beer before I leave.

Legends of Aviation has a primo spot to snag business from wayward travelers and pit crews alike! This ultra convenient restaurant was my immediate destination when we got to LB airport over a hour before boarding. Good thing too since I haven’t flown since I was 14. Let’s booze up, shall we?
The layout is fairly open with a nice gig going on with the large windows overlooking the landing strip. YES, I immediately spotted the bar! I think I’ll be having myself a few cocktails while I’m here to get toasty for my LOOOONG flight to Vegas, LMAO!
Let me open up that menu… looks like their offerings are similar to your good ‘ol neighborhood diner except it’s a little slim on the selections. No problem, the variety somewhat makes up for it. After skimming through we didn’t really see anything that jumped out @ us so we got soup & salads all around and an order of garlic cheese fries for the table. Can’t go wrong, right?
Food wasn’t bad but it wasn’t really good either. The crab tomato bisque was okay. I’d prefer a more «sour» tomato taste versus the sweet notes it had. I guess you can blame it on the imitation crab The salad was a simple side salad with your choice of dressing. Fries needed a little more garlic and actual cheese (not a sprinkle of prepackaged shredded parm) to do that dish justice. We sure did eat most of it though.
I wasn’t impressed with the food. My husband that doesn’t cook can do better. As for the service, WHAT SERVICE? We needed refills and some TLC. Surely, they were out of that the day we went in. Nonetheless, I’m sure I’ll be back since its the only place to grab some descent hot grub on the premises. Show me some more love the next time I’m there Legends of Aviation!

Long Beach Airport is by far my most desirable ports to fly out of and into. AND it is home to one of my favorite little retro diners up on the second floor of the airport. Great little view of the landing strip too!
Love coming here and grabbing some breakfast before me and the Hubbie take off.
The two-​egg breakfast is just perfect. I like my eggs poached, give me the sausage patties over the bacon, rye toast, and fresh fruits (instead of hash browns (that’s ok, Hubbie ordered this we shared some). Good amount of food, but not too much.
For as packed as this place can get, the service is pretty darn good.
Bön Appetit and Happy Jetsetting!