Seafood-Centric Water Grill Sets Downtown Debut Date

Another of Eater's Most Anticipated Openings of 2015 has set an official launch date. Water Grill will open its doors Monday, March 16 in the corner space at the intersection of the Gaslamp and the East Village which was once The Palm at 615 J Street.

Swapping steaks for seafood, the 11,000-square-foot two-level restaurant will hold 300-seats in the remodeled, nautically-inspired restaurant that will include a raw seafood bar and multiple private event spaces.

Part of the King's Seafood Company, which also runs Water Grills in downtown Los Angeles and Santa Monica, the restaurant's menu will focus on oysters, chilled and cooked shellfish and fresh seasonal fish and shellfish. The San Diego location will have an executive chef that hails from the local scene, Fabrice Poigin, who had his own bistro, called Vignola, in the Gaslamp and once ran the kitchen at Bertrand at Mr. A's.