Finally got to go here again after begging friends to accompany me. Loved this place, NOT THIS TIME!! Asked for the Prime Rib (which is my favorite) "medium cooked" Came out medium well. Not happy. Ate it anyway. My friend who is a Chef asked to take a look at the kitchen. The waitress obliged. I felt bad for our Server. The Owner was furious at her for doing so. Possibly for safety issues, who knows. Could it be the kitchen was not clean or up to code??? Employees are very disgruntled and have been for decades. Yes decades!! Maybe the new owner is not the best! I can see why and have seen this for many decades..........yes decades. I still like it here but not what it used to be. Servers are from the '60's from a local dive bar who cannot work anywhere else. The prices are still great however. I will go back with reservations. Reservations meaning should have I come here or spent a lot more and really got great service and a great meal somewhere else. Good luck trying to find a good Prim Rib anywhere anymore except where you want to pay $35+/meal.....and still good luck! There are no more relish trays that used to be provided. The dinner salads that come with the meal are very large and the soup as always is good.
Review Source:I dont get it, all these reviews, and almost nothing here on the Fried Chicken!!! Â The prime rib and steaks are great, but let me tell you, the fried chikcen is probably the best in Long Beach! Â And it's HALF of a chicken with fries for $5.99!!! Â How can that be??? It may very well also be the best deal in all of Long Beach.... (The fries are whatever, but nothing that a little salt & pepper cant solve)
Let's get some facts straight here.....
* Yes, it's a DIVE bar and you have go through the bar to get to the restaurant.
* Yes, the decor is is probably the same as when it was opened.
* Yes, it's dark, a little musty, and the bathroom could use some serious work
* Yes, the parking kinda sucks and the neighborhood is not the best
* Yes, it's a really great spot to grab a great inexpensive dinner, a stiff drink, get good service, and just be!
Now that we've got that all settled, if that sounds like the kind of place you can jive with, then run, dont walk, down to the Prospector! Â I was really only going to give 4 stars, but I had to offset all the pretentious posers who came in expecting ambiance and service like Micheal's on Naples....
Monday is my favorite day.... Prime Rib dinner for $12.99 or Fried Chicken Dinner for $9.99! Cant beat it.. Give it a shot, and when you get there, if you can hang with it, then take it to go.....
Like most said, a great dive place with really good food! Had the Early Bird ribeye and  it was delish! BUT...the bathroom grossed me out. Unclean AND the soap dispenser was all but empty. This means...the staff isn't much into washing their hands. This also means I won't go back.
I rated the food, however, so if yucky bathrooms aren't an issue, I recommend this place.
The Prospector knows what's up when it comes to serving you! delicious chiles and vegetables right off the bat, plus amazing crispy and warm jalapeño poppers as an appetizer. What I love about the Prospector is they're constantly serving you small portions so that you're always with a starter, a soup, a salad, some toast, your delicious entree, and at the very end...the perfect little teeny tiny amount of pudding- just a taste- to complete your meal. They seriously have it down to a science and its great.
Review Source:I've been going to the Prospector on and off for years. Was there with friends for Karaoke last night, and had my bag stolen from under me, with everything in it. Wallet, all credit cards and licence, Iphone, leather jacket, etc. I realised it was missing within 1 min and alerted security. We searched in and outside the bar, but it was already too late, and gone. Â He told me that many things had 'gone missing' this evening, and that he himself had his wallet stolen last week. I asked about security footage (they have a camera pointed at the stage, and one in the parking lot) he said that there would be no security cameras inside.
I returned the next afternoon to speak with the manager, who said he'd cleaned and looked through everything to no avail. He also told me that it had been a 'bad night' with many things stolen, and that these things have been happening. I asked again about security cameras, but he said there was one in the parking lot, but that I wouldn't be able to see anything. He apologised, but basically told me it was my fault. So, he is aware of the problem; that things are being stolen from his patrons, and is not taking any measures to off-set or prevent this problem, like installing more surveillance  cameras, or hiring more (or better) security guards.
I guess this is a sign of the times, but word to the wise, Don't bring anything with you to this bar if you can avoid it, security are seemingly not on top of it, as they are getting robbed themselves.
I realize that people get stuff stolen all the time, that this is apparently something we have to accept, and I take full responsibility for not keeping a better eye on my things. Just wanted to write a review as a cautionary tale. Judging by the amount of items that were stolen, and how quickly they went missing its obvious that thieves are coming here, and have targeted people to nick their belongings, and management is aware of this issue and not doing much to prevent it from reoccurring.
DON'T LET THIS HAPPEN TO YOU.
Side note: We've deduced that my friend was 'roofied' or drugged there about a year ago. An isolated incident, but scary and unpleasant to say the least. Again, not holding the bar responsible, but people should be aware of what to look out for.
I am upgrading my review of the Prospector...This place is old school and outstanding. Â I love the relish tray and bread. Â You will be stuffed by the time you hit that, the salad (simple no veggies), the soup, and definitely go with a steak. Â Let me say that again....go for a steak (or prime rib). Â The steak also comes with a throwback aluminum foil baked potato. Â Fortunately for me I had my metal fillings replaced a few years ago...so the foil did not scare me. Â Finished dinner off with some complimentary butterscotch pudding...WOW, what a meal.
The mediocre reviews, I do not get it. Â This is not Ruth's Chris's but that is what makes it awesome. Â The steaks are as good as any in town. Â The prime rib melts in your mouth. Â
The bartenders are heavy handed. Â If you can drive after 2 or 3 cocktails, you better stay away from the roadblocks. Â The bar looks like is full of folks without licenses that live within walking distance. Â I'm not hating, just sayin'.
You seat yourself as you walk in through the bar, sticky menus and a Relish Dish, Yes I said Relish Dish...NO!!!
And a Large Marge from PeeWee Herman looking waitress came towards us and scream "ARE YA READY?".
Unless you're looking for old school diner that's dark and old with a western truck stop look, the 80's tacky baseball pictures kind confused me and the air conditioner turned off and on throughout the meal blowing on our food and making it even colder.
The daily specials are the cheapest thing on the menu, you get a hospital size soup thrown at you with a basket of packaged saltines and they don't know what Medium Well steak is, Hello (NO PINK)
My husbands Diamond Jim Brady Prime Rib for $15.99, had more fat on it then bloody red meat and it was Cold, the baked potatoes were warmer then our meat was and the garlic toasts were cold...to top it off at the end of your meal you get a little place 1/4 cup of lemon pudding with a dollop of whipped topping...
I can't believe my husband made me cancel his birthday reservations at At Last Cafe because someone told him this place was better...Um! I don't thinks so.
We won't be back to The Prospector.
Not horrible. Not great. I'd go again, because the employees and the patrons seem very nice. It's definitely more of a local bar feel than a restaurant feel. Even the restaurant side is dark and sort of bar-like. I've never eaten here, but I've come twice; It is in my neighborhood.
Wish that the jukebox wasn't insanely expensive. 2 credits is $1 and the average song is 2 credits, which means to hear one song you pay a buck. Totally a rip off. Some songs are 3 credits. Hopefully your taste in music isn't too bourgeois.
The first time I visited it was to see a friend's band play. I think I stayed a short time and then left, but it was brimming with people. Popular local dive-ish spot. I should mention that bars are not my scene, so I'm not sure any bar would get more than a 3.5-4.0 from me.
One of my all-time favorite dive bars in Long Beach and if you know Long Beach (which is full of dive bars) you know what a great compliment that is! Â Cheap and VERY STRONG drinks, a lively atmosphere and great live local bands make this one of the most fun venues in Long Beach. Â And for those not into the live music scene, they also have karaoke on certain nights. Â Great central location for those who like to pub crawl or bar hop.
Review Source:I go to this place for drinks and occasionally for a band that is playing. The drink prices are good and the guy bartender makes a killer old fashion. I went for food for the first time yesterday and they have the worlds biggest pieces of calamari. They have four pieces of fried chicken for like $6. Little Laura was our server and she was very friendly. WE We're totally "that group"showing up right before closing but she still got us some tasty treats which was awesome. These are the kind of places i love Long Beach for.
Review Source:This place is a "Hidden gem" here in the Long Beach area.I LOVE their Food. Especially the French Dip is out of this world.... Grilled n butter'd bread, fresh meat, bomb Creamy horse radish. This place is just on point and I can't get enough of it's delicious, savory food.
I'll be Back & Back again!
I've definitely had some good times at the Prospector. This bar is one of the best places I've gone to for karaoke, with most of the bar's patrons joining in if you pick a good song. And they don't really have a "stage" area, so you can just walk around and sing. Kinda nice to not have the whole place staring at you. There's also a couple really awesome regulars on karaoke night (I'm looking at you, guy who always sings "Semi-Charmed Life" like it's a hardcore song).
As far as the Prospector being a dive... I don't know about that. I mean, hipsters (I'm sure I'm lumped into that demographic) love dive-y bars, so I think that kind of makes this place cool... Not that it takes anything away from the totally dive-y atmosphere the Prospector exudes. And it's not just hipsters that like this place. On weeknights there seems to be a pretty diverse crowd, with weekends being a mostly younger set.
So come out, drink some cheap-ish beers and sing along to some bad karaoke-ers so they don't feel so bad about their friends pressuring them up there.
Got breakfast here today during lunch.
The biscuits are soft and  yummy. Not salty or hard as a rock.
The pancakes are better than IHOP any day of the week. Â IHOP doesn't even close.
Service wasn't too shabby either. Â Got my refills in a timely matter and etc. Â A+ for service. Â
Would come back again when I'm in the area, I know the area is pretty "shady" at night time.....the Popeyes Chicken across the street has bullet proof windows that you can see from outside looking in.
The area is still considered part of South Central Long Beach....I'm serious.
The Prospector is truly an 'old school' restaurant. A throwback if you will to time when restaurants did things right. And The Prospector is still doing it 'right'!
Tell me where else can you go and get a 'relish' plate, soup AND salad, bread, and a nice little desert of chocolate pudding along with all the food that comes with your dinner/meal? Throws hands up in air and gives up.
I give up because I don't know of any other place.
I've been coming, though not regularly ever since I moved away from Long Beach, for many many years. Last evening I enjoyed a wonderful meal of prime rib, Bonanza English Cut, w/shrimp with a very  good and dear friend of mine, who had the same thing. This was the first time she had been here. I had told her all about the place and the second we walked in she was like, 'Oh man, this place is soooo cool." I knew she would like it. And she did!
We ordered a couple of martinis right off, and they came back quickly and we gave the waitress our order. Out came the relish tray. Then our soup. Oh the broth was so good but we really didn't eat the vegetables because I told my friend you have to save room for your main course. Then out came the salad and finally our main course. Everything was so delicious, just perfect. Â We had another martini to 'wash down' out last bites with.
When the bill came my friend snatched up quickly before I could get my hands on it! She was so surprised how inexpensive the check was for two meals like this especially including the drinks! She kept saying, "We're coming back here, we're coming back here." Oh yeah, she liked it.
A special shout out here to the wait staff. Extremely friendly and very attentive. Just how attentive you might ask? An elderly gentleman was seated across from us shortly after we arrived. Our waitress sat down with him several times before , while taking after taking his order and chatted with him. You could tell that he was a long time customer. One could only surmise that he keeps coming back because of a thoughtful and caring wait staff that actually takes the time do things like that. That deserves a big kudos!
I'm a huge fan of this place, I like the Western decor, although if you don't it really doesn't affect the food at all :)
I haven't really been to the bar, but the food is not only priced very competitively, but it tastes great. Â I love their selection and you get a TON of food with their dinners. Â It's really an awesome value.
Absolutely my favorite dive bar in Long Beach.
Key phrase here folks: Â It is a dive bar! Â Lol.
Don't go in expecting gourmet food and an upscale bar area. Â Frankly, you won't find it! Â
But for a dive bar, it's a great one! Â Drink are stiff and very affordable. Â The diner has cheap and great food. Â It also gets a real good karaoke crowd. Â I've only been here about three or four times but I had a blast every single time.
Fridays are karaoke and Saturdays live bands.
Long Beach land mark since the 60's!
Yes, its a dive!
Yes you have to walk through the bar to get to the restaurant!
Yes, it's diner food, not gourmet! (instant potatoes, canned gravy, all the good stuff!)
If you have high expectations you will be sadly disappointed but if you go with the attitude that only true Prospector patrons have, you'll keep coming back!
Relish plate, cup of soup, salad, bacon wrapped fillet minion, mashed potatoes with gravy, garlic toast and an ice cold 24 oz. Pabst = less than $20.00
Yes! less than $20.00!!!
Don't miss the steak and lobster special for $18.00 with all the trimmin's mentioned above!
I love this place!
P.S.
They also make a stiff damn cocktail too!
DON"T MISS OUT!
A total dive. Probably has been here forever - but you know what? Food was kinda nice! What a surprise. We were greeted with a relish plate - cool veggies and pickles to get the droolz going. They serve decent steak at a good price (less than $20). They have baked potato (that i looooooove) fish (with lots of lemons because I love lemons) and each entree is served with soup, saltines, salad and a kinda unusual but refreshing lemon custard at the end of the meal.
Let me just put it this way. Its I a dive, been here forever. Unpretentious is a perfect word. Perhaps it could be redubbed the Unpretentious Prospector. Whatever the name is; it works.
After a first visit driven by Yelp reviews, I'm signed up as a fan. I love the divey vibe of this establishment. The layout consists of a classic sports bar set up with a myriad of TV's for viewing a variety of sports simultaneously and an adjacent stage for midweek karaoke and live music on weekends. In addition, a larger separate dining area services those seeking a more traditional dining setting. The menu focuses on classic steakhouse offerings with a few vegetarian selections as well.
My experience: ribeye steak entree with salad, soup, fully dressed spud, g-bread , two house martini's and tip for $33.00 out the door. One hell of a bargain if you ask me! If great food and service in a chill environment is your thing, then this spot is a must stop sometime.
Hit the prospector last night for Valentine's (where else ya gonna get a good filet dinner for $13?!?!?!), and what a shock! The first time we went, you could have fired a shotgun thru the place and not hit anyone (hell, you could have used a grenade and missed everyone there....) For Valentine's Day, though, apparently everyone in LB and environs hits the place. Fortunately, we didn't have to wait long and the food was still good (not great, but good) and cheap.
Jamie ordered the chicken fried steak and all I'll say is don't bother. The filet was good again and the service, despite their being swamped, was fast, friendly, and flawless.
Still, VERY highly recommended!
I like it.
A while back, my friend M. told me we should check this place out (we were running errands and happened to be on 7th St.) as she used to go here several years ago. Â Good call on her part.
Bar is your tiny little dive, but has a certain kind of charm. Â Dining area is through a couple doors. Â Decor reminded me of some roadhouse from another decade.
I opted for the porterhouse and M. had the Monday prime rib special. Â Got the plate of peppers/radish/celery and a couple beers. Â M.'s prime rib was dry, but a mention to the waiter got that sorted out quickly (not even two minutes). Â My steak was OK; not spectacular but fairly priced (I should've had the mashed potatoes or veggies, don't ask my why I ordered fries).
Service was spot-on, waiter apologized for the prime rib. Â Parking is a bit tricky (welcome to 7th St.) and they have daily specials. Â $39.50 for dinner and beers, sans tip.
When I bought the Groupon for this place, I saw the word "Steakhouse", checked the star rating on yelp real quick (4 stars! Yay!), and immediately thought this was going to be  fancy shindig. I was totally wrong. However, my fellow yelpers were right - this place is good!
It looks skanky from the outside. I'm talking, down n' dirty dive bar type of skanky. Been around the block a few times skanky. Spray paint everywhere skanky. It's and old building and very weathered inside. But that's not what we went there for. We went for the food. And they were right on the money in that category.
Prices are awesome, seriously. Ballin' on a budget like me? Fear not! I got a huge lobster dinner for $16! Boyfriend had the porterhouse for about $15. Oh and ALL dinners come with salad AND soup, as well as a fully loaded baked potato. omgomgomg YUMS! They even give you this cute little relish dish before you meal - peppers, celery, radishes, pickles etc. I have no complaints on the food - everything was super delish.
Service was also awesome. We were given a table right away and the bus boy continually kept our drinks filled. Our waitress was kickass and didn't even flinch at the sight of our Living Social voucher. Often times, when we have a discount voucher, we get sub par service. So happy that this was NOT the case here. Service was great.
The only reason why I'm deducting a star is because of the super divey atmosphere. I'm not tryna be a snob or anything, but there was a group next to us that was....well, a bit ghetto fabulous. Lots of cussing and being loud plus some sexually explicit interactions with the waitress that was just not what we wanted to see while eating dinner (they should have been over at the bar side of the place).
Tempted to go back because of the food, but hesitant because of the atmosphere. However, if you LOVE dive bars, this place is for you!
I think it's safe to say that Long Beach is its own little world. And it's a world I would like to explore more deeply. It was a fruitful expedition last Friday when I stumbled into the Prosector with a ragtag group of yelpers, community managers, birthday boys and other fun-loving folk to get our jollies on with some good ol' fashioned karaoke.
I can't tell you too much about the night. What I can tell you is that there was a painting of a giant gaucho, girls handing out wooden coins good for some Sailor Jerry spiced rum, lots of stiff drinks and mysteriously colored shots, and what I can definitely tell you that the combination of these things led to such a fun night that people in our party who swore that they would never, ever sing karaoke got up there and did their thing (albeit during my set but hey, I'm no stage hog).
The KJ is nice enough to tell you when you're on deck to sing, and there is a fancy wireless mic on hand so that you can bust a move while singing your tune. Oh, and before you get all excited, they don't have 'Raspberry Beret' in their catalog so you can just forget about that. But they do have 'Little Red Corvette' if that makes you feel any better.
The Prospector isn't exactly the type of place I frequent regularly, but I knew I was home the minute I stepped in the door. Here's to you, Long Beach!
The Prospector...
... where drunken karaoke happens, twice weekly.
... where hallucination shots happens.
... where 60 year old grizzled servers right out of the movies happens.
... where a 70-year old karaoke DJ (KJ) wearing a cowboy hat proclaims he has a black belt in karaoke happens.
... where a one night stand happens to our friend.
... where said one night stand turns into regular booty calls.
... where said booty calls evolve into a secret relationship that our friend won't admit to.
... where this relationship eventually turns into a marriage.
The Prospector...
... where after-work happy hour happens...all the way 'til last call.
... where walking in on a Saturday night could either be the funnest or the most awkward night of your life, depending on whether the crowd is the usual hipsters in their 20's or if it's a birthday party for a senior citizen.
... where cab companies assume we're calling from when we need a taxi at 1:45am.
... where, if you forget your credit card and come to pick it up the next day, and you realize you didn't tip enough, the owner takes one look at you and says, "That's ok, you look like you'll be back here soon enough."
... where Yelpers come post-CMYE and proceed to massacre a beloved Smiths song.
... where you wonder if that guy singing the country song is THE Prospector.
The Prospector... where good times happen - just hope you can remember it the next day.
I can't sing.
No really, I can't. But somehow whenever a little thing called alcohol enters the equation and sanity gets 86'd, I seem to think I can belt out a tune with the best of them. The other night was one of those nights.
After a fun little yelpy shindig at Tracht's, the idea of continuing the party came up (yelpers? continuing the party? no way!). Since I can count the number of times I've been to Long Beach on one teensy hand, I thought it best to leave the destination of further partyment in the hands of the locals. The Prospector was the joint.
As soon as we pulled up and I saw the hokey sign, I got excited. I love me some hokey dive bar goodness. Upon entering, there were a few barflies, who had no idea the yelper mayhem that was about to unfold on their chill Wednesday night.
Can I get you a drink?
Yes, please.
Are you gonna do karaoke tonight, Stephy?
Um, no, doubt it.
Can I get you a drink?
Yes, please.
Hey, Stephy, do you want another drink?
Hell yeah!
Hey, are you gonna sing tonight!
Hell yeah!
(This of course would have been the time to cut myself off. Newp)
You're up...
Youuuu keeeeep sayin' youuuu got something for meEEE.. something youuuu call luuuuhhhhve but confess.... HA!
Ugh.
To anyone who's ears I offended, I deeply apologize. We can blame too much vino, a deviled egg for dinner and Effin Cherry and Cokes for that. Oh, and I guess you can blame me too. :)
It's a dive bar with a little extra country honkey tonk diveness. Oh, and karaoke. Lots and lots and lots of karaoke. And cheap drinks, which of course just end up spawning even more karaoke.
I also partook in tonight's yelper madness at the Prospector and lemme tell you, I didn't even get up on stage, but as of this moment my voice is completely nonexistent. You know you're still having a good time when you lose your voice just from cheering and singing along.
Definitely a good spot to bring some friends and have one of those nights that is forever memorable just because of the random shiz that happens - like finding out that yelpers can actually avoid sounding like dying cats when belting their hearts out. Too bad I can't say the same for myself....
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