Ironside Will Have a Wall of Piranhas & Live Lobster Tank

Now that Juniper & Ivy is out the gate, let's turn our attention to another hotly anticipated San Diego restaurant.

CH Projects' new Ironside Fish & Oyster is due in early April, and its defining elements were being installed when Eater paid the site a recent visit. There were glass-fronted doors whose panels will lever up to open the space to the street, just one of the custom Basile Studio design features, and from your perch at the tiled corner raw bar, which will display fresh seafood on ice, you'll be able to see Ironside's chefs assemble fresh shellfish platters and filet and slice whole fish for crudo plates.

Leigh Lacap, bar manager at the group's Craft & Commerce, will shift to this property to oversee a drink menu that includes seaside-inspired rum drinks and a considerable sparkling wine selection.

The surface opposite the bar will be dramatically covered with piranhas; think the gold skull wall at Noble Experiement, only with fish heads.

In the kitchen, exec chef Jason McLeod has a gleaming Jade range, a fish file to keep product fresh and a tank that will house live seafood, including lobster varieties from local waters and beyond. Expect whole roasted fish, steamed mussels and clams, and more, mostly sourced from SoCal seafood distributors.

Ironside will also offer weekend brunch and daily lunch; McLeod says that the daytime menu will bring another a casual, quick-service option to the neighborhood, focusing on seafood sandwiches and salads.
· Ironside Fish & Oyster [Official Site]
· All Ironside Fish & Oyster Coverage on Eater [~ESD~]