The Forbidden City

Awesome food, awesome and strong tasty cocktails !! The Décor is so amazing ! Came here for dinner, drinks and to see the amazing band flyer !! Was not disappointed ! This place rocks and our waiter was amazing too!

If you enjoy frozen pot stickers and egg rolls that you buy at the grocery store, then this place is for you. The fried tofu looked like a dish washing sponge deep fried and coated with soy sauce. I ordered the pot stickers and the plate was covered in oil, when I took a bite out of one, oil dripped down my chin. I could tell that they came out of a frozen bag but even then I’ve had better pot stickers from a frozen bag. The ambience was nice and quiet, right next to the water. Our server was nice and proffesional. But that won’t convince me to ever go back. You’re better off going to Panda Express and getting cheaper and better Chinese food.

So I’ve been here twice and both times its disappointing. The only good thing I can say is that their sushi is pretty good. We’ve had the sizzling beef, Mongolian beef, low menu with chicken and for some weird reason everything is always undercooked it’s soooo gross. The meets squishy and chewy. The view is nice but if your honestly going for a view might as well go elsewhere.

Ambiance: ⁴⁄₅ Stars
Food: ⁴⁄₅ stars
Service: 4.5÷5 stars
Price: ³⁄₅ stars
Lets start with the ambiance, it was around dinner time last Sunday and I gotta say it is hard to explain the ambiance. It was a relaxed environment with a unique interior (reminded me of the restaurant from the movie: Rush Hour), but at the same time the bar was chatty and full of energy. The bar wasn’t obnoxious, the people there were just loud enough to balance the quiet environment.
As for the food, we ordered Orange and Kung Pao Chicken, Chow Mein and steamed rice on the side. Now, while going to Panda Express would get you similar dishes at a lower cost, they will not be as fresh as this place. The veggies and chicken tasted fresh and the sauces were flavorful. The lo Mein was delicious as well. Now the only disappointing part was the dry steamed rice.
In conclusion, it is a bit pricey (like $ 45 for two people), especially for food that I’m used to buying for $ 10 or less. But then again the same could be said for burgers. Anyways I would return to this place and would probably recommend it to those who are looking for better but familiar Chinese food. JUST BEWARE OF THE PRICES.

Hear ye hear ye! Nothing extraordinary to say about this place. This is my first time visiting this restaurant. I came during happy hour and ordered the bento box that comes with champagne which costs me a whopping $ 12. Love it right. Let’s start with the atmosphere. This is a good sized restaurant with seating that faces the water, which is nice. I like the outside seating area in particular which features a fire pit table. Staff is very friendly. And live music in the evenings.
Now onto the food. I had the orange chicken with steamed rice, soup and I ordered salmon sashimi. This place does orange chicken well. Very sticky sweet tangy orange sauce. Perfectly breaded crispy and tender chicken. The salmon sashimi was good as well.
Why three stars? I will revisit this place. The food is well executed, just didn’t blow me away or anything. Staff is really nice and helpful. And I just adore the outside covered patio seating. Hoping when I come back I taste something that will allow me to add a star to their rating.
Take my word. Try this place out and bring your friends and family.

Ambiance/​Environment: A
Service: B–
Food: B+
Coming in, I waited about 5 minutes for someone to even address me. The staff just kind of walked around until someone finally noticed me. I sat in the patio which I liked. It has a cozy feel to it and it would be really good for a small group of people. Once I sat, it took about another 5 minutes till my waiter come by. When I was finished eating and paid, it took over 15 mins to get my change back. He was nice, however.
I ordered from the Happy Hour menu and got the walnut shrimp bento box ($ 12) and the crunchy roll sushi ($ 5). It also came with a small glass of champagne. The bento box included hot and sour soup, spring roll, rice, salad, and walnut shrimp. Everything was good but what I liked a lot was the spring roll and salad, surprisingly. The roll was crunchy and the filling was creamy, which was different, but in a good way. The soup was very fresh and crisp. The only thing that I didn’t like so much was the actual shrimp and walnut. It has an odd «sauce» on it. Kinda looked like the frosting on cinnamon rolls? It wasn’t the most appetizing. The crunchy roll was really tasty but wasn’t the most solid sushi. It was kinda breaking apart. However, the taste more than compensated.
So all together I paid about $ 18.50 and I would totally recommend recommend you not to eat as much as I did. Seriously, I’m disgustingly full lol. But overall not bad. Room for improvement, but not bad.

Our server Daniel, is quite frankly the reason I’m giving 2 stars instead of the absolute fail ZERO stars that I intended to. He was a very attentive, polite, good-​looking, patient server who should be working in a place that better suits him and where he can double, if not triple his tips working with better caliber customers.
This is the 2^nd and last time I will step foot inside these doors and hopefully the owner will put his drink down and read what people are REALLY saying about his restaurant. With all the other fantastic places in the area, he needs to step up his game.
I made a reservation for 4 people and specifically asked for a quiet table by the water, as my boyfriend and I were taking his parents out to eat and wanted to impress them. 2 words… EPIC FAIL!!! The person who took the reservation could’ve and should’ve mentioned that on this night, there wouldn’t be any quiet tables available because there would be a live band playing nothing but God-​awful 80’s cover tunes. And not even the good 80’s music, we’re talking like Huey Lewis and the news type shit. BARF! With that brought all the people that miss their clubbing days and want to re-​live those carefree nights, you know, like the 50+ old divorcees that wear entirely too much makeup and smell like terrible floral perfume mixed with cigarettes and aqua net.
Just our luck, the only table available was right next to the band where I was immediately deafened and when they brought our drinks over in plastic cups w lids on them I about lost it. I approached the hostess who seemed to not really hear me, as she just smiled. Then I spotted the owner and when I approached him and relayed my disappointment, he offered me a bottle of wine which I politely declined, followed by a request for a new table which he motioned to the hostess to take care of.
We still couldn’t hear each other and didn’t really speak throughout the meal so it ended up being a huge waste of money and time. Oh and the food was mediocre, at best.

This spot is a little tricky to find, well at least the entrance. We had a party of nine for a birthday, and were seated out on the patio. Our waiter was not on top of his game that was for sure. It took a long time to get in a drink order, let alone just to get the drinks. We were making sure the next time he came by we would order everything so we would not have to wait another 20 minutes.
Luckily the food came out fairly quickly, though I was not impressed by their food at all. It just seemed like regularly old American Chinese food that I could get at one of those small shops for half the price. I will have to say I did enjoy the sushi rolls that were ordered, they were rather delicious. Our waiter never came to check on us, nor did he come to see if we needed refills. We had to flag down another waiter so we could actually get some.
So 2 Stars, mainly for BAD SERVICE and the food is mediocre at best. That’s my story and I am sticking to it.

Highly disappointed last night with the service. Need to speak to the owner before I write further. I like to frequent this establishment due to the location/​vibe.

I’m giving this place 3 stars because the drinks are cheap. That’s pretty much all I liked about it. Sat at the sushi bar and the sushi chef working behind the counter was not very friendly at all. He seemed annoyed that me a friend were there.
Ordered the minced chicken lettuce cups and edamame. The lettuce was wilted, and the «chicken» smelled like fish! What?! I’ve never had that happen at ANY restaurant that I’ve been to. Had one bite and was scared I was going to get sick! My friend (who likes this place) also had a bite and spit it out! Stuck with the edamame.
If I got invited to go here for drinks I would eat beforehand. Plus on the cheap drinks, way negative on the fishy, chicken wilted lettuce wraps. YUK!

We came here to celebrate Carolyn C’s birthday (aka Elites UYE Great Night of Celebrations — I already uploaded my pics and wasn’t going to reload them), and there were a lot of us. But the cool thing about UYEs is that you get to meet yfs you don’t normally meet. For example, I met Charisse B and Kenny G, and became friends w/​Mary Ann C and Sylvia S (holla — LOL)!
I was hangin wit my crew Clees and Huy T. We shared a couple of sushi rolls, baos, beef, chicken, and fried rice. In addition, we had several bottles of cold sake, Azn pear sake, and warm sake (courtesy of Van D). None of the food was very memorable, because it is like Wokcano: Too many different types of Azn foods in one place. However, we didn’t come here for the food, but for the ambiance and service.
Regarding the ambiance, it is very nice. You walk in and there is a main bar, and to your right is a sushi bar. To the rear is a band area, and other peeps were dancing up a storm. But we were outside, and there is a fire pit and big communal space for a party — And boy, did we party. There was plenty of room for photo ops, walking around, and a side area for smokers: 5 Stars. The service was very good. I was impressed by the staff’s ability to handle a large party. Our food came out quickly, and our separate bill was handled appropriately. The staff could have been more proactive on drink orders, but the bar was only a step away, and it was easy to get your own drinks: 4 Stars.
I would come back for a large party, but not for the food. Maila H throws the best parties, and if you are lucky enough to get invited, do come: You won’t be disappointed. And who knows, later you might get to attend one of my signature afta parties — ROTFLMAO!!!

Review #99/​365
This was a special event planned by Maila H to celebrate Carolyn C.‘s birthday. It was the outside patio reserved for Elites… well I’m not an Elite yet though, but I guess I was lucky to be included in this event.
I’m not sure if this place has another entrance, but we entered through the side. It’s pretty nice inside. Like I said, we had the back patio reserved so it was nice to have the area all to ourselves. Total invited was about 40 guests of people with Unilocal accounts.
Overall, I think the staff did pretty well considering the chaos of orders, pictures, and what-​not. I know some people complained because their food took long to arrive, they were forgotten to get their orders taken or whatever.
As far as the food I sampled…
Orange Chicken– It was a bit pricey for my taste. I think something like $ 17 – 18. The upside though was that it was seasoned well and the meat was chicken breast. (4 stars)
Calamari: This was an appetizer we ordered to hold us over while we waited for the guest of honor. It was good. From a taste perspective… (3.5 stars)
Mongolian Beef– it was tasty also. (4 stars)
Curry fried rice: I didn’t order this but was able to taste it. It was a little too spicy for me, but I could see how people would like it. (3 stars)
Sangria– it was good. (4 stars)
Saki– it was
was a shock. I told my friends it tasted like beef soup. Not for me.

I first came across Forbidden City a few years ago when I escaped from friends and Barnes and Noble to try and see the water. I walked around the plaza, then down, then around the corner, and then another corner, and there it was. This secluded restaurant at the bottom of the plaza that had a prime location right on the marina. I didn’t eat there that day, but I remember thinking, «They have such a bomb spot!»
Last week we had a large party (40 – 45 people) hit up Forbidden City on a Thursday night and the restaurant was extremely accommodating and pleased to have us. They set up extra tables in their outer room (which has a prime view of the water and flat screen TVs at the same time) and took care of the little things like making sure our waters were filled and not charging us a cake cutting fee while serving everyone.
The service here is 5 stars. The servers were always checking on us, the manager, who was very friendly and warm, came out every 30 minutes or so to make sure we had everything we needed. Because we had given advance notice, he even arranged for a drawing from the local playhouse for multiple tickets to see the musical «Singin’ in the Rain.»
Everyone arrived at different times and ordered at different times, so the food came as it was ordered, not all together at once. They have sushi along with chinese dishes. Peking Duck? Steamed Dumplings? Chirashi? Sizzling Beef Plate? Yes, yes, yes, yes. My only regret was not ordering the Peking Duck and the Shrimp with Walnuts.
They have very generous pours, my Forbidden Sangria came in a huge glass. They have a full bar along with wine, beer and sake.
They do have live music and I saw some ladies line dancing and jammin’ in the other room.
The thing I love the most is that they can house large parties with ease. Ever tried to plan birthday or friend reunion dinners, been promised a reservation for 15 people weeks before, only to arrive at the restaurant the night of and be told by the manger or hostess, «I don’t have you down, plus, we don’t take reservations on certain days, whoever talked to you on the phone should have known that.» Seriously, that is the worst. You won’t have that problem here because they appreciate their customers. If you have an issue dining with Terracotta Warriors, well, that’s a you problem, because they are all over to guard your food!
A big thanks to Forbidden City for making our night a fun one!

Driving up and down PCH and finally located this spot in the same plaza/​lot as Gelson’s and Best Buy. Plentiful of parking and a beautiful side view of the Marina, let alone a grand stairway entrance welcomed by a water fountain. Went down to the LBC for an awesome birthday bash that was set up by my sissy from another missy, Maila H. for yours truly! =)
As I walked in, I thought to myself «what a beautiful restaurant!» with a bar in the middle and surrounding tables, you get a perfect view of the marina. I can only imagine what this place looks like during sunset. It makes for a great date night, get together, or simple dinner venue. There was even a live band playing! We made our way through the restaurant and into the open air patio section which was reserved solely for our party of 50+! WOW! What an accommodation! Plenty of tables and open space to move freely and get a chance to mingle and converse with people. Really nice layout.
I really appreciated the staff and their hospitality. They work well together as a team and made sure to tend to any of our requests or needs, alerting one another if someone needed to place an order. We tried the steamed dumplings (just like gyoza, in my opinion), pork fried rice, and their forbidden chicken (how clever!). All of which tasted okay but definitely a few notches above your typical Chinese food joint. Their menu offers a wide variety of Asian fusion dishes for you to enjoy. I think there’s something for everyone here, everyone ranging from picky children to picky adults!
What I really appreciated about this restaurant that made my experience special was the attentiveness of the staff and manager. They really made sure we enjoyed and catered to our needs. They strive for customer satisfaction! What topped the night off was a raffle of 3 sets of tickets to a musical from the manager himself! How cool is that?! Also, that live band I mentioned earlier sang Happy Birthday to me! What joy!
Overall an excellent venue, especially for large parties. Forbidden City, you have gained another fan! Keep it up!

Don’t worry you don’t have to travel all the way to China for this Forbidden city, it’s right here in Long Beach. China was a really long drive so I was thrilled it was just a hop, skip and a jump for me!
I was excited to try this place. Not only because of their Asian fusion style cuisine, but because the chef who is from Beijing, and assistants graduated from the National Chef of China. Talk about getting authentic Chinese food! However I was most excited about the location. This restaurant is right on the water with a beautiful view, my kind of eye candy.
My beautiful friend Maila also a fellow Unilocaler threw a UYE (unofficial Unilocal Event) here for the gorgeous Carolyn’s for her birthday. We had a group of 50 people and they were able to accommodate us with the whole back area patio. The seating was perfect with the unique ambiance of a fire pit in the middle of the table, red drapes that lined the walls, and lights to match. They also made the seating area a place that was easy for everyone to talk to in the entire group. Also giving us a great view of the canal. Perfect place if you need a venue for a big group!
As for the food, I ordered the miso soup, and chicken fried rice. They both were delicious. Everything came out hot and fast. I also tried the lemon chicken and sushi rolls which didn’t disappoint!
The service was excellent from start to finish. I am always pretty impressed when I get amazing service when they are dealing with a large group of people, and we had 50!
They also had a live band inside with a little dancing going on with a full bar. So when it gets too cold outside you always have an option to sneak inside.
A big thank to Maila and the owner who did an awesome job coordinating everything together to make sure it was all perfect. They really made sure we were well taken care of!

I recently went to Forbidden City for a Birthday celebration. Until then, I had never even heard or known of this Fusion Asian Restaurant. Forbidden City is located in Long Beach off of PCH. It’s in the same center as Tantalum and Acapulco.
Upon entering the restaurant, I was immediately greeted by the hostess who directed me to the outside patio area where my party was located. I took quick notice of the beautiful décor. The useage of red and black tones gave a very welcoming feel. The live band added even more to that feeling.
The patio was very spacious and sitting not too far from the water released a cool and comfortable breeze.
We ordered a variety of different entrees and all reasonably priced. The food was impressive and the service was great.
I’m glad to have been introduced to Forbidden City. I can’t wait to go back!

If it was possible to leave a 10 star review, I would!
Forbidden City is an Asian fusion restaurant with a unique dining experience. With it’s upscale décor and an elegant ambiance, it’s in a class of it’s very own.
When I needed to book a venue that would accomodate 50 plus guest, I knew Forbidden City would be the perfect location. After meeting with both owners of the restaurant and discussing my party plans, it confirmed I hit the jackpot with this venue.
To say the owners went above and beyond on the day of our event would be an understatement. The restaurants entire patio dining area was closed off from the public to allow our huge group to party in private. They catered to our every need, even allowing us to choose what music we wanted played on the outdoor speakers and what channel to watch on the outdoor plasma television. As if that was not already more than enough, our party was provided with it’s own wine bar setup for our convienance.
Throughout the night, a variety of Asian dishes were served including Roasting Peking Duck, Sizzling Beef in Forbidden Sauce, French style beef, Crispy white fish, Steamed lobster, Ginger and scallion crabs. Plenty of our party ordered off their extensive sushi menu which included 12 regular hand or cut rolls and 22 speciality Forbidden Rolls. Everything looked and smelled delicious. Entrée prices ranged from $ 10.00 to $ 41.00 and sushi prices ranged between $ 3.00 to $ 14.00. The prices very affordable for their quality of food. Most guest looked extremely pleased and satisied.
Torwards the end of our celebrations, the owners personally Thanked us for dining at their establishment and in their appreciation, gifted us with three pairs of Musical tickets valued at $ 120.00 each. Unbelieveable.
I cannot say enough good things about Forbidden City. A restaurant that goes above and beyond, out of their way to assure their guest are all satisfied, is worthy of great praise.
Thank you Forbidden City for the phenomenal service and amazing dining experience. It was an honor.

Last night I attended an event held at The Forbidden City with 50+ Unilocalers. I can easily say The Forbidden City was the perfect location to hold such an event.
First of all, this place is a Hidden Gem. It’s located in Long Beach off PCH near Tantalum and Acapulcos.
They specialize in Fusion, Chinese and Sushi.
The interior is beautifully decorated with several items imported directly from China. The patio area in which we sat, has a firepit, large TV and speakers. It’s spacious and a perfect place to enjoy a drink while watching the Sunset.
The food is good, the prices are fair but mostly the service is exceptionally great! Forbidden City is the perfect location whether it be a casual dining experience or a party celebration. I would highly recommend this place to everyone!
Five stars for Forbidden City

If zero stars was ever an option…
I’m sitting within the patio area of this establishment as I compose this review and I’ve literally watched dish after dish be presented before me to fellow Elites dining alongside myself.
The sad… make that DEPRESSING thing is that we’re celebrating July birthdays, inclusive to my own and all that I ordered was a gaht dayum salad! I was 4^th to arrive and 2^nd to order. This experience is deplorable!
I finally managed to flag down a server, grant it we’re currently occupying the entire patio area… and my salad… after half an hour of waiting… magically appeared!
^ ^ Withered doesn’t even begin to describe the abomination that was presented before me with the server’s overzealous high hopes I’d be consuming it.
Need I say, it was sent back to the kitchen faster than a tax return — -???
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UPDATE:
I’m unable to UPDATE due to my review being too new: In either case, here it is.
The owner was made aware of my «situation» and agreed to comp” an entrée’. Fellow Elites suggested I order the lobster, but not wanting to gauge the place, I simply ordered the Szechuan beef.
GET THIS: It arrived in less than 5 minutes; piping hottt! What the hell was up with the 30 minute salad hold up then??? Did they have to fertilize the lettuce?
Fed up, I requested a box AND my tab but not before the server decided to use the $ 50 I’d handed him to conveniently tip himself. What the phukkkk?! Did you think that glass of Cab– was so stiff I wouldn’t notice I was being screwed!!!
Message to my fellow Elites: Clearly UYE events are a subliminal message to servers that they can «come up» on additional rent monies from your patronage when you are «seemingly» preoccupied.
OF COURSE I brought it to his attention upon exiting and he quickly tucked his tail between his legs and refunded my monies. #douche! I really do think that the owner, who I found to be quite pleasant, should be made aware of crap like this transpiring within her establishment. She deserves better.
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I live around the corner from this place and its become evident why I’ve never paid it any mind.
The answer is clear.
A timely served meal here is incontestably FORBIDDEN.

I’ve always wanted to go to this place. Secreted little hideaway on the water. I finally made the effort after a show at the Carpenter Center.
Parking was horrendous! We had to park in the Whole Foods parking lot and walk over. Once we arrived, we were met with smiles and welcomes from the staff. It was a huge place. It has tables next to the bar, tables next to the sushi bar, a large lobby with chairs next to the sake bar, and lastly an indoor patio with indoor heaters, where you can see the water best.
We ordered family style, of course. We got two meats: one chicken and one seafood. We got two vegetables: string beans and broccolini. We got rice and potatoes. Everything was good except the potatoes and string beans and chicken.
Great physical venue, but not worth going back.