555 East American Steakhouse, located at 555 E. Ocean Blvd., has been serving Downtown Long Beach since 1983.
Voted by Long Beach State students as the “Best Place to Blow Your Whole Paycheck,” the award-winning steakhouse prides themselves on cooking customers’ steaks to perfection.
The restaurant has an assortment of different options, such as hand-cut filet mignon, prime sirloins and ribeye, New York strip steak and rack of lamb.
Featuring USDA Prime Steaks, 555 East dry ages their own beef for 30 to 90 days and butchers it in-house daily. Daily cuts of steaks are available for purchase by the ounce.
Besides steak, 555 East offers a variety of other choices on their menu as well, serving drinks, appetizers, soups & salads, pasta, chicken, seafood, side dishes and dessert.
555 East is on the more expensive side, averaging about $55 for a 12-ounce steak and up to $23 for an appetizer. They do not offer a student discount.
Despite the prices, its traditional steakhouse atmosphere combined with its premier wine list provides an experience like no other for customers looking to treat themselves to a night out.
Abel Mercado, an employee at 555, shared how something that really makes the restaurant stand out amongst others is its management and customer service.
“I’ve worked at several other restaurants and the management wasn’t good, but here they always treat us with respect and check in to see how we’re doing,” Mercado said.
The restaurant has received high praise throughout its time in business as well, holding a 4.5 out of 5-star rating on Yelp.
Morgan Palmer, a returning customer at 555 East, shared how she is satisfied with the service at the restaurant every time she comes in.
“555 Steakhouse has never failed to impress me,” Palmer said. “Our server here is always great, the food is high-quality, and the restaurant offers a really nice ambience that you can’t get at many other places in Long Beach.”
According to Mercado, at 555 East, customers are the top priority. They even have a wall towards the front of the restaurant to prove it.
“On this wall we have little plaques hung up to commemorate our regulars and show appreciation for their loyalty to our restaurant,” Mercado said. “We even have some wines on display for them.”
The restaurant offers both indoor and outdoor seating, private rooms and side bar seating. Reservations are highly recommended.
555 East is open Monday through Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. and Sunday from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.
The restaurant is about five miles away from CSULB, which is around a 17-minute drive.
For more information, visit their website.
