{"id":482348,"date":"2026-10-02T03:58:44","date_gmt":"2026-10-02T03:58:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/482348\/"},"modified":"2026-10-02T03:58:44","modified_gmt":"2026-10-02T03:58:44","slug":"broken-spirits-abruptly-closes-in-downtown-long-beach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/482348\/","title":{"rendered":"Broken Spirits abruptly closes in Downtown Long Beach"},"content":{"rendered":"

Broken Spirits\u2014the distillery and barbecue joint that took over the former Portuguese Bend space in 2024<\/a>\u2014has officially closed. After its last dinner service on Wednesday, Sept. 30, Thursday will mark the day staff privately say goodbye and receive their final paycheck.<\/p>\n

\u201cI gave it my all, Long Beach,\u201d said co-owner Isaias Hern\u00e1ndez. \u201cAt this time, I sincerely feel that this is a moment to honor everyone who has come out to support us\u2026 Thank you for the memories. For my family and me, it was completely worth it. From taco throw-downs<\/a> to themed dinners<\/a>, we are damn thankful. This isn\u2019t goodbye; this is see you soon.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"brokenBroken Spirits Distillery as it was readying opening back in 2024. Photo by Brian Addison.<\/p>\n

After losing one of its leaders, Broken Spirits struggled to pick up their spirits.<\/p>\n

The Broken Spirits family suffered a huge loss with Isaias\u2019s brother, Juan, who died earlier this year. Helping found the Smoke & Fire brand that put the crew on the SoCal food map, leading to the creation of Villains Brewing, Craft, and most recently, Broken Spirits, Juan was an essential cog in the space\u2019s identity.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cJuan was more than a business partner,\u201d former co-owner Josh Benthrem said earlier this year. \u201cHe was a brother, a true friend, and the driving force who believed deeply in this vision before it ever came to life. He was the one who pushed, encouraged, and helped turn Smoke and Fire from an idea into reality.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"JuanJuan Carlos Hern\u00e1ndez Chiprez, co-founder of Smoke & Fire, the start of what would eventually birth Craft, Villains Brewing, and Broken Spirits. Courtesy of the Hern\u00e1ndez family.<\/p>\n

It was here that Isaias pins the problems: A lack of centeredness, a slowing patronage, and an ever-present monthly rent that felt heavier with each passing quarter.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s difficult when your spirits are completely on the bottom run and, on top of that, rent makes up a huge portion of your costs and the landlord isn\u2019t interested in a conversation about amending that,\u201d Isaias said. <\/p>\n

\"\"Isaias Hernandez of Broken Spirits. Photo by Brian Addison. <\/p>\n

Broken Spirits, ironically, took over a previously short-lived space, briefly mending DTLB\u2019s constantly changing business facade\u2026<\/p>\n

When Portuguese Bend shuttered in early 2023<\/a>, the loss extended beyond another restaurant closing. Long Beach\u2019s first grain-to-glass distillery had gone dark. And with it, it left behind a space\u2014and its investors\u2014built around the possibility that our city could make its own spirits. Broken Spirits\u2019 arrival gave that possibility another chance.<\/p>\n

The crew behind Smoke & Fire and Villains Brewing brought a distinctly different sensibility to the address<\/a> at 3rd Street and The Promenade. With Isaias, local Josh Bentrem, and Isaias\u2019s brother, Juan Hern\u00e1ndez, helping shape the venture, Broken Spirits paired the infrastructure of a working distillery with the group\u2019s barbecue roots. Its ambition was straightforward, if not an outright mirror of Portuguese Bend\u2019s hopes: Give people a reason to come for dinner. Stay for a cocktail. And become familiar with unique spirits made right here in Long Beach.<\/p>\n

\"brokenThe \u201cUp in Smoke\u201d halal platter from Broken Spirits Distillery. Photo by Brian Addison\/Visit Long Beach.<\/p>\n

The space\u2019s initial distiller, Massimiliano \u201cMax\u201d Stecca<\/a>, brought an unusual advantage to the opening. After his former workplace, Santa Ana\u2019s Blinking Owl Distillery, closed, he bought back barrels of the spirits he had produced there, allowing Broken Spirits to debut with aged offerings already in stock. (Most newly minted distilleries, including Portuguese Bend, start off with gin and vodka because aging isn\u2019t required for things like whiskey; Broken Spirits was able to skip this loophole.) That included aged aquavit and whiskey, giving the new business a connection to years of distilling work before its own doors had opened.<\/p>\n

The redesign gave the space its own personality, too. Early plans paired dark tones with copper and gold details, geometric mirrors, and booths surrounding the bar. Josh, a Long Beach resident, offered a succinct explanation of the name in Longbeachize\u2019s first-look coverage: \u201cWe\u2019re all pretty broken, and we love our spirits.\u201d There was humor in it, certainly, but also an acknowledgment that opening something new often means working through what came before.<\/p>\n

\"brokenFormer bartender Stephen Ramos makes a drink at Broken Spirits. Photos by Brian Addison.<\/p>\n

Broken Spirits attempted to evolve to sustain itself\u2026<\/p>\n

As the business evolved, the team realized that the distillery identity could overshadow an equally essential part of the operation: the kitchen. In 2025, they began emphasizing the name Broken Spirits Barbecue & Distillery, putting the food front and center in the introduction. That summer\u2019s push included $9 slider lunch combos, $15 bowls, and a $35 four-course Long Beach Food Scene Week dinner\u2014specific offerings that made affordability part of the conversation surrounding the space.<\/p>\n

Listening to the neighborhood has also changed how the kitchen operates. In April of 2025, Broken Spirits announced that its beef and chicken offerings had become halal<\/a>, responding to requests from diners, including customers drawn to nearby Ammatoli. That decision illustrates how restaurants along The Promenade can benefit from paying attention to one another: A neighboring restaurant\u2019s audience can reveal an opportunity to welcome more people through your own doors.<\/p>\n

\"longOver 300 people attended the Long Beach Last Call 2026 kick-off party at Broken Spirits in DTLB. Photo by Brian Addison.<\/p>\n

That evolution has included difficult conversations. Isaias has publicly acknowledged concerns about consistency<\/a>, and in February of 2026, following his brother Juan\u2019s death, he described a renewed commitment to seasonal Californian barbecue and a more focused kitchen. The distilling program remained central, with rum, whiskey, vodka, and gin featured in the planned tastings for Broken Spirits\u2019 Long Beach Last Call kickoff. But the team\u2019s stated priority was making the food more dependable while honoring the barbecue foundation Juan helped build.<\/p>\n

Broken Spirits Barbecue & Distillery was located at 300 The Promenade N.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Broken Spirits\u2014the distillery and barbecue joint that took over the former Portuguese Bend space in 2024\u2014has officially closed.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":482349,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[41082,189016,171506,131,133,132,944],"class_list":["post-482348","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-long-beach","tag-barbecue","tag-bars-cocktails","tag-dtlb","tag-long-beach","tag-long-beach-headlines","tag-long-beach-news","tag-restaurant-closures"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/482348","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=482348"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/482348\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/482349"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=482348"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=482348"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=482348"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}