South of Nick’s Mexican Kitchen + Bar Long Beach

South of Nick’s Mexican Kitchen + Bar Long Beach is an upscale Mexican restaurant in Long Beach from chef/owner Omar Gonzalez. The confirmed basics are straightforward: upscale Mexican cuisine, smart-casual dress, and about $45 per person. That frames the restaurant as polished and intentional while giving diners the essentials: cuisine, dress, and approximate spend.

The rollout is specific: opening-week dinner service begins at 4:00 PM on June 22, 2026, before the restaurant shifts to daily lunch and dinner service at 11:00 AM on June 29, 2026. For planning, treat opening week separately from the regular schedule; the first week centers on dinner, not the ongoing daily lunch-and-dinner pattern.

Upscale Mexican cooking is the reason to go

The clearest appeal is the upscale Mexican focus under chef/owner Omar Gonzalez. The signature dishes are Seafood Enchiladas, Shrimp Taquitos, Chilean Sea Bass, El Jefe Burrito, and Birria Tacos. Together, they point to recognizable Mexican dishes at a more refined price point, presented within the restaurant’s upscale positioning.

Those confirmed dishes help first-time diners plan without guessing at the full menu: Seafood Enchiladas and Chilean Sea Bass point toward seafood, Shrimp Taquitos and Birria Tacos keep tacos and taquitos in the mix, and the El Jefe Burrito provides a burrito option within the Mexican focus. The list gives enough shape to understand the restaurant’s core direction without overstating what has been confirmed.

For a first visit, think in lanes rather than one note. A group can lean seafood, stay with tacos and taquitos, include the burrito, or mix the listed signatures. That makes the restaurant fit different Long Beach dining plans, whether the priority is seafood-forward ordering, handheld favorites, or a broader spread. The appeal is less a tasting-menu format or documented service style than the stated upscale Mexican identity.

Who should book it, and who should keep it casual

At about $45 per person, South of Nick’s Mexican Kitchen + Bar Long Beach sits in a polished but not ultra-formal lane. The smart-casual dress code supports that middle ground between everyday dining and a more formal night out, without positioning it as a confirmed fine-dining or tasting-menu venue. The available information points to a considered meal that does not need to feel rigid or ceremonial.

It is especially relevant for diners who want upscale Mexican cooking in Long Beach and are comfortable with the stated price point and dress code. It makes sense when the goal is Mexican food with a more refined frame rather than a purely casual stop. Diners seeking only the fastest or most casual option may want to compare it with other Long Beach dining rooms, especially if speed, simplicity, or a lower-key setting is the priority.

This page should not promise specific service formats, seating arrangements, dietary accommodations, accessibility features, parking details, takeout or delivery, or a beverage program, because those details are not in the provided record. If they matter, confirm directly before you go. For broader Long Beach planning around the meal, Pearl’s local guides cover restaurants, bars, hotels, wineries, and experiences.