Such a great, welcoming environment!! We were so well taken care of from the second we walked in until we left. Zandra took care of our drinks and food order and was so efficient. So quick to refill our drinks and was so sweet the entire time! She overheard us talking about hot sauce and was sweet enough to bring her OWN personal bottle over for us! Can't recommend this place enough, and that's coming from a manager of a brewery myself. Definitely check these guys out! (Also great beer!!!!)
Debra B.
Tasty. Great service. Big space really nice best burger I have had in a while recommend
Nina H.
This was a great weekday night friends date! The servers were friendly and I was greeted shortly after walking in. The bathrooms are clean and everything inside looks pristine with a rustic feel. Extremely spacious and far from crowded. There are tables and bar seating throughout. My friend and I ordered the mac 'n cheese + fries to share, the veggie pizza slice, and Italian sandwich. For drinks, we got the Tango and Tropical Golden. Everything came out fairly quickly and we enjoyed the shareables (with the help of some red pepper flakes). The drinks were both so good! The flavors were phenomenal, deliciously fruity and crisp. My veggie slice was incredibly light and thin, which I was able to appreciate all the more paired with the heavier appetizers. It went down nice and smooth with the IPA. We had a great time hanging out here and the ambiance was extremely relaxing and chill. Our waiter was awesome and everyone working here seems so friendly. Apparently, they are a coffee spot in the morning? That's another adventure for another day. See you again soon, Altar!
Ashley Y.
1st of all i would like to say i REALLY wanted to try this place out, especially since i have my bday coming up. my bf had tried calling and no one ever answered. emails were even worse. We just wanted to make sure how we would go about making reservations for a party of 15. we decided to walk in, and literally the same level of "customer service" that was given while trying to contact them, was felt...because no one helped us at the brewery either! we walked allllll the way in, no one bothered to even offer a hello. we went to the bar, NO HELP. waiters walked around us, & still NO HELP or even a greeting. i really wanted to try you guys but im so sorry, the level of unfriendliness wasnt there for me, i know one customer isnt going to bother your business but damn all a girl wanted was a bday reservation for all my friends! everyone else looked really happy and it seemed like they were having a good time tho!
Mary N.
This review is for their coffee shop tucked in the back of the restaurant. I ordered an Americano and normally it's hard to pull a good shot for americanos, but their beans were so good! It was refreshing with a hint of citrus. The barista, Nathan was so helpful, he answered all of our questions and kindly suggested the best drinks. He's also friendly, and always had a smile on his face. I love trying out new coffee shops, but I will go back just for Nathan.
C. S.
Great beer, even better pizza. Love the space and the staff. All in all it's got everything I want in a brewery
Gil G.
The service and the ambiance are excellet. I wasn't super in love with any of the beers that I tried, but I would like to come back and try something else next time.
Gladys N.
My partner told me about this place and we drove 35 min in La traffic to come try it out. Very welcoming staff, i love that they sell pizza by the slice! We had a meat lovers slice and buffalo wings. My beer selection was a Mexican lager "todos los días it was nice, light, cold and crisp. This is a date night spot and a place to bring your family and friends too, or wfh lol. A lot of parking is available, there's a structure around the st that gives first 2 hours for free. If I am in the area, I'd definitely stop by for a slice.
Alex M.
This use to be the loft on pine where people would have events and weddings, so when I seen that it now had a brewery I had to go check it out. In the heart of down town long beach with such a unique store front its must try. When you walk in you see the brewery, the brick walls that add a rustic feel to it with wooden tables a bar and a pizza joint and Coffee in the back. We went for the beer! Staff was friendly. We got to talk to the manager and talk about the changes that have happened and he was very open to answering our questions since we have been to the location when it was a wedding venue. Wait staff was very helpful by giving recommendations on beer and food. That is always a plus. Beer Flight (4 Beers): Smores Ale - This beer was not on the menu. It was a beer that our server recommended . A light beer with hints of toasted marshmallow and chocolate. Out of all the beers this was my least favorite but still worth a try.You might enjoy it more that I did. Dark Rituals - A Vanilla Mocha Stout made with their own fresh roasted coffee and real cocoa nibs, and vanilla bean. Such a great beer, this was one of my favorites. As you take a drink it's coffee in the front of your mouth but a dark chocolate at the back of your mouth. Nice, rich, flavorful and goes down very smooth. A must try even if you do not like stouts. Tango - A Classic Hazy IPA using Citra hops. They add fruit puree of tangerine and Mango to the mix to provide a burst of flavor and juicy-ness. Hazy IPA is an IPA that I always look for and is a favorite of mine. This was very good and flavorful. You do get the tangerine flavor and the IPA is not overwhelming. You don't get that punch in the face of hops. Delicious! Three Pillars - This Czech Pilsner Lager is everything you would want or expect in a full-bodied light lager. They lager this beer for over 6 weeks to present a flawless, light, but hoppy craft lager for your enjovment. This is a very good light beer, crisp and refreshing and very enjoyable. After that flight I had another Three Pillars and got some an appetizer. Pretzel Bites with Beer Cheese Sauce - A salted bavarian pretzel with beer cheese sauce. Can you really go wrong with bread and cheese? I don't think so. The Pretzel had a nice outer crunch with a soft warm center. The beer cheese was amazing that we had to order another side of it just to finish the pretzels. Good appetizer to share and keep drinking. If you are around the long beach area and looking to get a drink give this place a try. I do not think you will be disappointed with their beer selections. Stay hungry my friends.
Adam John Ames
This is one of the best new spots in Long Beach. The beer is wonderful, the food is good but what makes this place shine is the Staff. The nicest people you will ever meet work here. Mike the GM has hired people that make Alter one of the most welcoming place in Long Beach. Xandra and crew are so friendly. I’m happy this place exists ??Ps they serve coffee and beer early in the morning….every morning
I'm so happy Long Beach, especially downtown Long Beach, is finally becoming a bit of a proper beer destination, first with Trademark opening, then more recently, Altar and ISM, and of course, the OG craft brewery Beachwood still around the corner. All great spots, though as of right now, Id say Altar is currently the weakest of them. They did open *relatively* recently though, so I'm looking forward to smaller/more experimental beers in the future. I've tried at least tasters of basically everything they're brewing right now, and I can say, most of their beer is pretty good, but the only real *stand-out*, I felt, was the coffee stout (their coffee stout is wonderful). Overall, the beer doesn't stand out quite as much as at any of the other breweries I just mentioned, but it is still all solid, and I'm looking forward to seeing where they go with it. They definitely have the best *vibe* of them, being it literally used to be a Masonic temple. I have also tried, now, both their pizza and one of the sandwiches. The pizza is, again, solid but not exceptional - I've got no complaints, but unless I really wanted to pair pizza with a new beer they just released, or I was meeting people here for whatever reason, I'd generally probably rather have pizza from 4th Horseman, for about the same price by the slice, or cheaper by the whole pie. The pizza here is definitely made with love and care for the quality of ingredients, but 4th Horseman's are just a little more flavorful (plus their slices are a bit *wider*, as far as by-the-slice prices go.) And last weekend, I finally got around to trying their meatball sandwich, which I would say, great bread, great meatballs except for a *couple *small* pieces of gristle... and an insufficient amount of cheese, and *extremely* insufficient amount of sauce, leading to a sandwich that's still a bit too messy to eat with your hands, but also way too dry (was somewhat better after I drenched it in Tapatio, but that shouldn't really be necessary. I feel like Long Beach just doesn't know how to make a proper meatball sandwich - that is, one that basically looks like Subway's, just with better sauce, meat, cheese and bread. :p) They're also the rare craft brewery in California that also has a proper liquor license, though at the moment they aren't doing a ton with it (just basic/classic drinks with a relative handful of bottles of spirits.) Still pretty unusual for California, though. I had a solidly built old fashioned during their soft open, mainly to celebrate that I could, but I wouldn't currently *come* here to drink spirits, their focus clearly and expectedly being on the beer they make in-house. The bartender who's been there the last couple times I have been, Xandra, has been great, super friendly, definitely the sort of person I could trust to get a solid cocktail from, at least to the extent possible for the current setup (though occasionally, admittedly, somewhat *overworked*, when she's also been responsible for waiting on the whole fairly large table space by herself sometimes...)
Taylor J.
I love Altar Society! I come here for a few beers nearly once a week. Their pizza has quickly become my all-time favorite in the downtown area. I've tried some sides and sliders as well which all were tasty as heck. The service is always prompt and friendly, the staff works together well taking care of all guests. The vibe is a nice mix of a family friendly gastropub and sports bar. I do feel like the music they play could be a bit more modern, and less 2000s top 40. It would warm the place up a bit and give it some DTLB-character. I also wanted to take some time to acknowledge another review left in the past 24 hours regarding a barking dog. The reviewer definitely is exaggerating the situation they were describing - I know this because I was sitting nearby. The dog in question was very well trained and adorable, but barking occasionally at new people walking in. I work in the industry elsewhere, and am exhausted over dealing with people lying about service animals. Anyone can purchase a vest that says service animal, but a true service animal will not bark unless provoked or to alert the owner of a health matter. A person walking by will not provoke a true service animal into barking at them. Even if this was a real service animal in training per the review, the reviewer is lying about being told to leave. They were offered help to move to the patio *if* the dog wouldn't stop barking. Top-notch handling by the manager as he was offering an alternative that allowed every patron to continue enjoying their stay. The dog owner also harassed the server over their bosses' call and put him into an uncomfortable situation, a gross abuse of power between customer and worker. They did not leave right away at all, and the manager only spoke to them one time. He was polite and only became stern when they pushed back on him with rudeness. Don't believe every negative review you read for any establishment! I'm queer and I have only felt completely welcomed at Altar Society. Pretty shady of this person to bash a brand new, locally owned restaurant. Long Beach needs more places like this! Altar has my loyalty :)
Cameron L.
I have to say this really is a great spot to get some drinks & pizza and watch the games in downtown! Good service as well free parking in the garage on 3rd street around the corner... check it out next time you want a beer and food ! Really nice atmosphere inside good music 14-15 rotating beers on tap might just be my new go to this year
Jude M.
Our server was awesome, and the beer and food were decent, other than the pizza which wasn't great. However, the biggest issue is that we were given a ton of trouble by the manager for our service dog. She is a task trained medical alert dog and, after we were seated and she was settled just fine, we were told by the manager that the dog could not cause a "disturbance" or we would have to leave. He proceeded to tell us that service animals were trained not to bark or alert, and that we would have no choice but to leave if she did. He told us this on multiple occasions, and claimed that other patrons would be disturbed by her. There were maybe ten other people total in the entire bar, on a Friday night at peak hours, so honestly he could use the business instead of alienating customers. We were made aware that he has targeted certain dogs before, regardless of whether or not they are designated service animals, and regardless of their behavior. Something like this makes me feel like he was being discriminatory toward disability or my LGBTQ identity, since he targeted us when clearly no "disturbance" was taking place, and we made clear our dog was a task trained service animal, with a vest and even a resting mat. Despite our great server, we left early due to the manager's discriminatory behavior. Would not recommend for anyone.
Jonny the S.
Loved the dark beers in the flight I got, even the special S'more-flavored beer. The pizza was ok. The service and the vibes were awesome. Would definitely go back!
Such a great, welcoming environment!! We were so well taken care of from the second we walked in until we left. Zandra took care of our drinks and food order and was so efficient. So quick to refill our drinks and was so sweet the entire time! She overheard us talking about hot sauce and was sweet enough to bring her OWN personal bottle over for us! Can't recommend this place enough, and that's coming from a manager of a brewery myself. Definitely check these guys out! (Also great beer!!!!)
Tasty. Great service. Big space really nice best burger I have had in a while recommend
This was a great weekday night friends date! The servers were friendly and I was greeted shortly after walking in. The bathrooms are clean and everything inside looks pristine with a rustic feel. Extremely spacious and far from crowded. There are tables and bar seating throughout. My friend and I ordered the mac 'n cheese + fries to share, the veggie pizza slice, and Italian sandwich. For drinks, we got the Tango and Tropical Golden. Everything came out fairly quickly and we enjoyed the shareables (with the help of some red pepper flakes). The drinks were both so good! The flavors were phenomenal, deliciously fruity and crisp. My veggie slice was incredibly light and thin, which I was able to appreciate all the more paired with the heavier appetizers. It went down nice and smooth with the IPA. We had a great time hanging out here and the ambiance was extremely relaxing and chill. Our waiter was awesome and everyone working here seems so friendly. Apparently, they are a coffee spot in the morning? That's another adventure for another day. See you again soon, Altar!
1st of all i would like to say i REALLY wanted to try this place out, especially since i have my bday coming up. my bf had tried calling and no one ever answered. emails were even worse. We just wanted to make sure how we would go about making reservations for a party of 15. we decided to walk in, and literally the same level of "customer service" that was given while trying to contact them, was felt...because no one helped us at the brewery either! we walked allllll the way in, no one bothered to even offer a hello. we went to the bar, NO HELP. waiters walked around us, & still NO HELP or even a greeting. i really wanted to try you guys but im so sorry, the level of unfriendliness wasnt there for me, i know one customer isnt going to bother your business but damn all a girl wanted was a bday reservation for all my friends! everyone else looked really happy and it seemed like they were having a good time tho!
This review is for their coffee shop tucked in the back of the restaurant. I ordered an Americano and normally it's hard to pull a good shot for americanos, but their beans were so good! It was refreshing with a hint of citrus. The barista, Nathan was so helpful, he answered all of our questions and kindly suggested the best drinks. He's also friendly, and always had a smile on his face. I love trying out new coffee shops, but I will go back just for Nathan.
Great beer, even better pizza. Love the space and the staff. All in all it's got everything I want in a brewery
The service and the ambiance are excellet. I wasn't super in love with any of the beers that I tried, but I would like to come back and try something else next time.
My partner told me about this place and we drove 35 min in La traffic to come try it out. Very welcoming staff, i love that they sell pizza by the slice! We had a meat lovers slice and buffalo wings. My beer selection was a Mexican lager "todos los días it was nice, light, cold and crisp. This is a date night spot and a place to bring your family and friends too, or wfh lol. A lot of parking is available, there's a structure around the st that gives first 2 hours for free. If I am in the area, I'd definitely stop by for a slice.
This use to be the loft on pine where people would have events and weddings, so when I seen that it now had a brewery I had to go check it out. In the heart of down town long beach with such a unique store front its must try. When you walk in you see the brewery, the brick walls that add a rustic feel to it with wooden tables a bar and a pizza joint and Coffee in the back. We went for the beer! Staff was friendly. We got to talk to the manager and talk about the changes that have happened and he was very open to answering our questions since we have been to the location when it was a wedding venue. Wait staff was very helpful by giving recommendations on beer and food. That is always a plus. Beer Flight (4 Beers): Smores Ale - This beer was not on the menu. It was a beer that our server recommended . A light beer with hints of toasted marshmallow and chocolate. Out of all the beers this was my least favorite but still worth a try.You might enjoy it more that I did. Dark Rituals - A Vanilla Mocha Stout made with their own fresh roasted coffee and real cocoa nibs, and vanilla bean. Such a great beer, this was one of my favorites. As you take a drink it's coffee in the front of your mouth but a dark chocolate at the back of your mouth. Nice, rich, flavorful and goes down very smooth. A must try even if you do not like stouts. Tango - A Classic Hazy IPA using Citra hops. They add fruit puree of tangerine and Mango to the mix to provide a burst of flavor and juicy-ness. Hazy IPA is an IPA that I always look for and is a favorite of mine. This was very good and flavorful. You do get the tangerine flavor and the IPA is not overwhelming. You don't get that punch in the face of hops. Delicious! Three Pillars - This Czech Pilsner Lager is everything you would want or expect in a full-bodied light lager. They lager this beer for over 6 weeks to present a flawless, light, but hoppy craft lager for your enjovment. This is a very good light beer, crisp and refreshing and very enjoyable. After that flight I had another Three Pillars and got some an appetizer. Pretzel Bites with Beer Cheese Sauce - A salted bavarian pretzel with beer cheese sauce. Can you really go wrong with bread and cheese? I don't think so. The Pretzel had a nice outer crunch with a soft warm center. The beer cheese was amazing that we had to order another side of it just to finish the pretzels. Good appetizer to share and keep drinking. If you are around the long beach area and looking to get a drink give this place a try. I do not think you will be disappointed with their beer selections. Stay hungry my friends.
This is one of the best new spots in Long Beach. The beer is wonderful, the food is good but what makes this place shine is the Staff. The nicest people you will ever meet work here. Mike the GM has hired people that make Alter one of the most welcoming place in Long Beach. Xandra and crew are so friendly. I’m happy this place exists ??Ps they serve coffee and beer early in the morning….every morning
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
I'm so happy Long Beach, especially downtown Long Beach, is finally becoming a bit of a proper beer destination, first with Trademark opening, then more recently, Altar and ISM, and of course, the OG craft brewery Beachwood still around the corner. All great spots, though as of right now, Id say Altar is currently the weakest of them. They did open *relatively* recently though, so I'm looking forward to smaller/more experimental beers in the future. I've tried at least tasters of basically everything they're brewing right now, and I can say, most of their beer is pretty good, but the only real *stand-out*, I felt, was the coffee stout (their coffee stout is wonderful). Overall, the beer doesn't stand out quite as much as at any of the other breweries I just mentioned, but it is still all solid, and I'm looking forward to seeing where they go with it. They definitely have the best *vibe* of them, being it literally used to be a Masonic temple. I have also tried, now, both their pizza and one of the sandwiches. The pizza is, again, solid but not exceptional - I've got no complaints, but unless I really wanted to pair pizza with a new beer they just released, or I was meeting people here for whatever reason, I'd generally probably rather have pizza from 4th Horseman, for about the same price by the slice, or cheaper by the whole pie. The pizza here is definitely made with love and care for the quality of ingredients, but 4th Horseman's are just a little more flavorful (plus their slices are a bit *wider*, as far as by-the-slice prices go.) And last weekend, I finally got around to trying their meatball sandwich, which I would say, great bread, great meatballs except for a *couple *small* pieces of gristle... and an insufficient amount of cheese, and *extremely* insufficient amount of sauce, leading to a sandwich that's still a bit too messy to eat with your hands, but also way too dry (was somewhat better after I drenched it in Tapatio, but that shouldn't really be necessary. I feel like Long Beach just doesn't know how to make a proper meatball sandwich - that is, one that basically looks like Subway's, just with better sauce, meat, cheese and bread. :p) They're also the rare craft brewery in California that also has a proper liquor license, though at the moment they aren't doing a ton with it (just basic/classic drinks with a relative handful of bottles of spirits.) Still pretty unusual for California, though. I had a solidly built old fashioned during their soft open, mainly to celebrate that I could, but I wouldn't currently *come* here to drink spirits, their focus clearly and expectedly being on the beer they make in-house. The bartender who's been there the last couple times I have been, Xandra, has been great, super friendly, definitely the sort of person I could trust to get a solid cocktail from, at least to the extent possible for the current setup (though occasionally, admittedly, somewhat *overworked*, when she's also been responsible for waiting on the whole fairly large table space by herself sometimes...)
I love Altar Society! I come here for a few beers nearly once a week. Their pizza has quickly become my all-time favorite in the downtown area. I've tried some sides and sliders as well which all were tasty as heck. The service is always prompt and friendly, the staff works together well taking care of all guests. The vibe is a nice mix of a family friendly gastropub and sports bar. I do feel like the music they play could be a bit more modern, and less 2000s top 40. It would warm the place up a bit and give it some DTLB-character. I also wanted to take some time to acknowledge another review left in the past 24 hours regarding a barking dog. The reviewer definitely is exaggerating the situation they were describing - I know this because I was sitting nearby. The dog in question was very well trained and adorable, but barking occasionally at new people walking in. I work in the industry elsewhere, and am exhausted over dealing with people lying about service animals. Anyone can purchase a vest that says service animal, but a true service animal will not bark unless provoked or to alert the owner of a health matter. A person walking by will not provoke a true service animal into barking at them. Even if this was a real service animal in training per the review, the reviewer is lying about being told to leave. They were offered help to move to the patio *if* the dog wouldn't stop barking. Top-notch handling by the manager as he was offering an alternative that allowed every patron to continue enjoying their stay. The dog owner also harassed the server over their bosses' call and put him into an uncomfortable situation, a gross abuse of power between customer and worker. They did not leave right away at all, and the manager only spoke to them one time. He was polite and only became stern when they pushed back on him with rudeness. Don't believe every negative review you read for any establishment! I'm queer and I have only felt completely welcomed at Altar Society. Pretty shady of this person to bash a brand new, locally owned restaurant. Long Beach needs more places like this! Altar has my loyalty :)
I have to say this really is a great spot to get some drinks & pizza and watch the games in downtown! Good service as well free parking in the garage on 3rd street around the corner... check it out next time you want a beer and food ! Really nice atmosphere inside good music 14-15 rotating beers on tap might just be my new go to this year
Our server was awesome, and the beer and food were decent, other than the pizza which wasn't great. However, the biggest issue is that we were given a ton of trouble by the manager for our service dog. She is a task trained medical alert dog and, after we were seated and she was settled just fine, we were told by the manager that the dog could not cause a "disturbance" or we would have to leave. He proceeded to tell us that service animals were trained not to bark or alert, and that we would have no choice but to leave if she did. He told us this on multiple occasions, and claimed that other patrons would be disturbed by her. There were maybe ten other people total in the entire bar, on a Friday night at peak hours, so honestly he could use the business instead of alienating customers. We were made aware that he has targeted certain dogs before, regardless of whether or not they are designated service animals, and regardless of their behavior. Something like this makes me feel like he was being discriminatory toward disability or my LGBTQ identity, since he targeted us when clearly no "disturbance" was taking place, and we made clear our dog was a task trained service animal, with a vest and even a resting mat. Despite our great server, we left early due to the manager's discriminatory behavior. Would not recommend for anyone.
Loved the dark beers in the flight I got, even the special S'more-flavored beer. The pizza was ok. The service and the vibes were awesome. Would definitely go back!