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Seafood tower at Herb & Sea — Seafood tower at Herb & Sea.

Where to Eat Seafood in San Diego

Living by the sea means we get fantastic fresh-caught seafood.

by Helen I. Hwang Updated Dec 14, 2022, 9:04am PST

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Seafood tower at Herb & Sea.

| Kimberly Motos

by Helen I. Hwang Updated Dec 14, 2022, 9:04am PST

1 comment / new

With San Diego’s close proximity to the ocean, we’re gifted with a plethora of seafood that travels from the ocean to our tables in a surprisingly short amount of time. Whatever’s in season — from lobsters and swordfish to Baja shrimp and bluefin tuna — diners here are lucky to be able to indulge in the freshest fish and shellfish. And chefs in this corner of the country are making the effort to showcase local catch on their menus as well as serving as champions for sustainable seafood.

From fish tacos to fish and chips, ceviches, seafood boils, and seafood towers, there are plenty of ways to enjoy seafood; here’s a list of casual and more formal spots to have a seafood feast. If you’re looking for the best sushi, check out our latest recommendations on Eater’s sushi restaurant map.

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Fish 101

This homegrown fish restaurant has two locations in Encinitas and Leucadia, close to prime beach locales for surfers, divers, and fisherfolk. The brand has achieved enough of a cult following to support a growing merchandise line of clothing and trucker hats with its famed fish logo. The classic poke bowl and Baja fish tacos are popular among the regulars. The kitchen likes to change it up with a seafood curry that’s worth a try.

1468 N Coast Hwy 101, Encinitas, CA 92024

Visit Website

Poke bowl — Poke bowl.

Also featured in:

Herb & Sea

Helmed by celebrity chef Brian Malarkey, the Encinitas location offers East Coast seafood favorites made with a modern California twist. Partnering with WILDCOAST, a donation is made to conserve coastal ecosystems for every “Fresh Catch” menu item ordered. Try the oak-grilled steelhead trout, crudo, or the roasted oysters and bone marrow with kale and gruyere cheese.

131 W D St, Encinitas, CA 92024

Visit Website

Seafood tower — Seafood tower at Herb & Sea.

Also featured in:

Adelaide

Chef Nick Green has steered the premier restaurant at L’Auberge Del Mar to a seafood-forward menu, highlighting the fruits of the sea close to our shores. The coastal cuisine focuses on chilled seafood and Japanese-grilled and fire-roasted dishes. The variation of oyster offerings ranges from charcoal-roasted Pacific oysters with mezcal butter to Kumani oysters on the half shell.

1540 Camino Del Mar, Del Mar, CA 92014

Visit Website

Fresh oysters on a half shell — Fresh oysters on a half shell.

Also featured in:

Hawaiian Fresh Seafood, Inc.

Hidden away in a nondescript office block in Sorrento Valley is a bustling fish market and cafe, dedicated to Hawaiian-style seafood. The seafood case has shoyu ahi tuna and garlic salmon poke, along with slabs of salmon and tuna to take home. The kitchen is open for lunch, serving steaming hot favorites like Hawaiian garlic shrimp and deep-fried ahi belly bombs from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Open in Google Maps

6491 Weathers Pl, San Diego, CA 92121

Visit Website

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Hawaiian Fresh Seafood (@hifreshseafood)

Pacific Catch West Coast Fish House

The first Southern California seafood outpost of this popular San Francisco restaurant chain landed in the Westfield UTC mall, serving up wild-caught and sustainably-raised seafood. With a focus on fish, customers can order pokes, ceviches, sushi “tacos,” and fish burgers like the popular Viet Hot Fish. More San Diego locations are in the works.

4575 La Jolla Village Dr Suite 1160, San Diego, CA 92122

Visit Website

Sushi tacos with seared ahi tuna, Pacific yellowtail, and spicy salmon — Sushi tacos with seared ahi tuna, Pacific yellowtail, and spicy salmon.

Sandpiper Wood Fired Grill & Oysters

This casual seafood establishment in La Jolla Shores is the recent offering from the team behind George’s at the Cove. Featuring oysters and Baja fish tacos with heirloom blue corn tortillas, executive chef Marty Fay has introduced new dishes that include Cajun-style peel ‘n eat shrimp and chitarra puttanesca with albacore, tomato, capers, and olives. Pop in during the happy hours that stretch into the weekends for wood-fired Snake River trout and a free dozen oysters with a bottle of champagne, accompanied by stunning views of the sunset.

2259 Avenida De La Playa, La Jolla, CA 92037

Visit Website

Baja fish taco — Baja fish taco.

Also featured in:

El Pescador Fish Market

This landmark fish market began with the sale of shrimp cocktail and a lemonade for a buck in 1974. Since then, El Pescador Fish Market has expanded its offerings from more than just shrimp cocktails. Check out the market display cases for culinary ideas to dish up at home or partake in their popular kitchen menu. The El Pescador (Dungeness crab, shrimp, and smoked salmon) can be ordered on sourdough bread or in a salad and don’t miss the “burro” of the day, a seasonal seafood burrito, currently featuring chargrilled lobster with drawn butter.

5014, 634 Pearl St, La Jolla, CA 92037

Visit Website

Fish case

Also featured in:

Crab Hut

Cajun seafood is the specialty of this popular restaurant with locations in Convoy, Mira Mesa, and downtown, which features combos of crawfish, shrimp, snow crab, clams, and more in Louisiana-style seafood boils that are carefully cooked with a variety of sauces and seasonings.

4646 Convoy St #106a, San Diego, CA 92111

Visit Website

Seafood boil with lobster, crab and corn — Seafood boil with lobster, crab and corn.

Also featured in:

Jasmine Seafood Restaurant & Express

It’s not that uncommon to have tanks of live lobsters and other seafood in Chinese restaurants so the chefs can grab your dinner choice, drop it directly into the wok, and cook to order. The beloved Convoy Street spot emphasizes high-quality seafood for popular Chinese dishes, like sauteed lobster noodles with ginger sauce, honey-glazed walnut shrimp, and sweet and sour rock cod fillet.

4609 Convoy St Ste. A 1/2, San Diego, CA 92111

Visit Website

Chinese Rock Cod Fish at Jasmine Seafood Restaurant & Express — Chinese Rock Cod Fish at Jasmine Seafood Restaurant & Express.

Also featured in:

The Fishery

A longtime favorite of seafood aficionados in San Diego, the Fishery focuses on sustainably caught and in-season seafood. Its parent company, Pacific Shellfish Seafood Company, was founded by a commercial fisherman, who expanded the business into a wholesale distribution company, fish market, and this Pacific Beach restaurant. One menu staple is their Salt Spring mussels served in a green curry with Chino Farms basil and cilantro, served with toast from Wayfarer Bakery to soak up the broth.

5040 Cass St, San Diego, CA 92109

Visit Website

Salt Springs mussels in a green curry with Chino Farms basil and cilantro — Salt Spring mussels in a green curry with Chino Farms basil and cilantro

Also featured in:

Mabel's Gone Fishing

One of the best newcomers this past year, Mabel’s has won accolades as Eater San Diego’s Restauranteurs of the Year and Eater’s 15 Best New Restaurants across the country. Co-owners Chelsea Coleman and Rae Gurne have taken seafood to a new level, leveraging SoCal’s bounty and adding an Iberian riff. The menu is constantly changing, but highlights have included bay scallop crudo, Pacific sea snails, and swordfish schnitzel.

Open in Google Maps

3770 30th St, San Diego, CA 92104

Visit Website

Interior of Mabel’s Gone Fishing restaurant — Interior of Mabel’s Gone Fishing.

Also featured in:

It's Raw Poke Shop

This small Hawaiian “island-style” shop that’s been in its Ocean Beach location for six years is run by a cousin and two brothers whose family has a longtime poke shop on Oahu. The varieties of poke include furikake salmon and spicy tuna, along with rotating specials like kimchi ahi and sesame tako.

Open in Google Maps

3112, 4991 Newport Ave A, San Diego, CA 92107

Visit Website

Poke platter with salmon and tuna

Also featured in:

Chef John's Fish & Chips

Nestled in Lemon Grove next to a local brewery, Chef John certainly does make the best fish ‘n’ chips in the county, mastering the taste of the signature batter and frying method of London’s chippies. With high-quality dishes cooked to order, there are no shortcuts taken. The calamari and tempura-style shrimp are also delicious.

8047 Broadway, Lemon Grove, CA 91945

Visit Website

Fish and shrimp platter — Fish and shrimp platter.

Pete’s Seafood and Sandwich

Bostonian Pete DeCoste himself is manning his own restaurant, making sure the North Park establishment lives up to New England standards for seafood. The lobster roll is served chilled, Maine-style with light mayonnaise. The shrimp pobboy sandwich is bulging with Baja shrimp and fish and chips are made with flown-in Atlantic cod.

3382 30th St, San Diego, CA 92104

Visit Website

Fried shrimp sandwich

Mitch's Seafood

Overlooking a working fishing harbor, this friendly, casual restaurant features fresh-caught seafood from the local waters off of San Diego or Northern Baja. Lines often wrap out the door and seating is limited around the patio terrace. Try the crab cakes, grilled fish tacos, or the old standby, beer-battered fish and chips.

Open in Google Maps

1403 Scott St, San Diego, CA 92106

Visit Website

Point Loma Seafoods

Look for the fishing boats that are moored out the entrance of the long-established seafood market and restaurant. The fishmongers here deal directly with commercial fishermen to bring sea bass, tuna, and swordfish to the seafood cases and the kitchen for on-the-spot meals. The fish and chips and spicy swordfish sandwich with house-made tartar are popular favorites.

2805 Emerson St, San Diego, CA 92106

Visit Website

Full fish case

Also featured in:

Ironside Fish & Oyster

This dedicated seafood restaurant in Little Italy is breathtakingly decorated as if you stepped into a Gilded-Age ocean liner. With a new executive chef who grew up on the north shore of Massachusetts, Danielle Van Steen is now leading the kitchen, adding her personal flair to dishes like bone marrow with tuna tartare and sesame smoked trout, along with Ironside classics like lobster rolls and octopus a la Plancha.

1654 India St, San Diego, CA 92101

Visit Website

Seafood selection — Seafood selection.

Also featured in:

Sally's Fish House & Bar

Anchoring the downtown Manchester Grand Hyatt with views of luxury yachts moored in the marina, Sally’s Fish House was recently recognized by Surfrider Foundation for being an ocean-friendly restaurant. Gather around a firepit for al fresco dining. A seafood tower includes king crab legs, poached shrimp, and a cold-water lobster tail. Other options included a blackened swordfish sandwich and SoCal crab club, made with softshell crab and crab salad.

1 Market Pl, San Diego, CA 92101

Visit Website

Seafood tower — Seafood tower.

Serea Coastal Cuisine

Led by James Beard Smart Catch Leader and executive chef JoJo Ruiz, Serea’s dedication to local, sustainable seafood is admirable. The fine-dining restaurant at the Hotel Del Coronado boasts a two-tiered patio with majestic views of the Pacific Ocean and palm trees. Slurp down oysters from the East Coast, West Coast or Baja. Freshly caught whole fish is wood-grilled or flash-fried and deboned tableside. Splurge on a grande platter of shellfish, including Maine lobster and Mexican blue shrimp, served wood-roasted or ice cold.

1500 Orange Ave, Coronado, CA 92118

Visit Website

Wood-grilled fish grilled over an open fire, seasoned with olive oil, lemon, and sea salt — Wood-grilled fish grilled over an open fire, seasoned with olive oil, lemon, and sea salt.

Also featured in:

TJ Oyster Bar

This casual Baja-style seafood joint got its start in Bonita in 2002 and has expanded to two additional locations in Bonita and Chula Vista. The fish tacos are a must-try. The battered rock shrimp appetizer, aguachile, and smoked tuna fries are also highly recommended.

4410 Bonita Rd, Bonita, CA 91902

Visit Website

Also featured in:

Karina's Mexican Seafood

The local Mexican seafood restaurant enterprise has been in the business of making seafood with a south-of-the-border twist for over 40 years. With several locations in Chula Vista, Gaslamp, Encinitas, and India Street’s Restaurant Row, customers can find an array of ceviches, including their popular shrimp ceviche with cucumber and avocado in a green chile sauce. Try their Puerto Nuevo-style lobster and don’t forget to order tequila from their wide selection.

89 Bonita Rd, Chula Vista, CA 91910

Visit Website

Shrimp ceviche with cucumber in green chile sauce.

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Fish 101

1468 N Coast Hwy 101, Encinitas, CA 92024

This homegrown fish restaurant has two locations in Encinitas and Leucadia, close to prime beach locales for surfers, divers, and fisherfolk. The brand has achieved enough of a cult following to support a growing merchandise line of clothing and trucker hats with its famed fish logo. The classic poke bowl and Baja fish tacos are popular among the regulars. The kitchen likes to change it up with a seafood curry that’s worth a try.

1468 N Coast Hwy 101, Encinitas, CA 92024

Visit Website

Poke bowl — Poke bowl.

Herb & Sea

131 W D St, Encinitas, CA 92024

Helmed by celebrity chef Brian Malarkey, the Encinitas location offers East Coast seafood favorites made with a modern California twist. Partnering with WILDCOAST, a donation is made to conserve coastal ecosystems for every “Fresh Catch” menu item ordered. Try the oak-grilled steelhead trout, crudo, or the roasted oysters and bone marrow with kale and gruyere cheese.

131 W D St, Encinitas, CA 92024

Visit Website

Seafood tower — Seafood tower at Herb & Sea.

Adelaide

1540 Camino Del Mar, Del Mar, CA 92014

Chef Nick Green has steered the premier restaurant at L’Auberge Del Mar to a seafood-forward menu, highlighting the fruits of the sea close to our shores. The coastal cuisine focuses on chilled seafood and Japanese-grilled and fire-roasted dishes. The variation of oyster offerings ranges from charcoal-roasted Pacific oysters with mezcal butter to Kumani oysters on the half shell.

1540 Camino Del Mar, Del Mar, CA 92014

Visit Website

Fresh oysters on a half shell — Fresh oysters on a half shell.

Hawaiian Fresh Seafood, Inc.

6491 Weathers Pl, San Diego, CA 92121

Hidden away in a nondescript office block in Sorrento Valley is a bustling fish market and cafe, dedicated to Hawaiian-style seafood. The seafood case has shoyu ahi tuna and garlic salmon poke, along with slabs of salmon and tuna to take home. The kitchen is open for lunch, serving steaming hot favorites like Hawaiian garlic shrimp and deep-fried ahi belly bombs from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Open in Google Maps

6491 Weathers Pl, San Diego, CA 92121

Visit Website

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Hawaiian Fresh Seafood (@hifreshseafood)

Pacific Catch West Coast Fish House

4575 La Jolla Village Dr Suite 1160, San Diego, CA 92122

The first Southern California seafood outpost of this popular San Francisco restaurant chain landed in the Westfield UTC mall, serving up wild-caught and sustainably-raised seafood. With a focus on fish, customers can order pokes, ceviches, sushi “tacos,” and fish burgers like the popular Viet Hot Fish. More San Diego locations are in the works.

4575 La Jolla Village Dr Suite 1160, San Diego, CA 92122

Visit Website

Sushi tacos with seared ahi tuna, Pacific yellowtail, and spicy salmon — Sushi tacos with seared ahi tuna, Pacific yellowtail, and spicy salmon.

Sandpiper Wood Fired Grill & Oysters

2259 Avenida De La Playa, La Jolla, CA 92037

This casual seafood establishment in La Jolla Shores is the recent offering from the team behind George’s at the Cove. Featuring oysters and Baja fish tacos with heirloom blue corn tortillas, executive chef Marty Fay has introduced new dishes that include Cajun-style peel ‘n eat shrimp and chitarra puttanesca with albacore, tomato, capers, and olives. Pop in during the happy hours that stretch into the weekends for wood-fired Snake River trout and a free dozen oysters with a bottle of champagne, accompanied by stunning views of the sunset.

2259 Avenida De La Playa, La Jolla, CA 92037

Visit Website

Baja fish taco — Baja fish taco.

El Pescador Fish Market

5014, 634 Pearl St, La Jolla, CA 92037

This landmark fish market began with the sale of shrimp cocktail and a lemonade for a buck in 1974. Since then, El Pescador Fish Market has expanded its offerings from more than just shrimp cocktails. Check out the market display cases for culinary ideas to dish up at home or partake in their popular kitchen menu. The El Pescador (Dungeness crab, shrimp, and smoked salmon) can be ordered on sourdough bread or in a salad and don’t miss the “burro” of the day, a seasonal seafood burrito, currently featuring chargrilled lobster with drawn butter.

5014, 634 Pearl St, La Jolla, CA 92037

Visit Website

Fish case

Crab Hut

4646 Convoy St #106a, San Diego, CA 92111

Cajun seafood is the specialty of this popular restaurant with locations in Convoy, Mira Mesa, and downtown, which features combos of crawfish, shrimp, snow crab, clams, and more in Louisiana-style seafood boils that are carefully cooked with a variety of sauces and seasonings.

4646 Convoy St #106a, San Diego, CA 92111

Visit Website

Seafood boil with lobster, crab and corn — Seafood boil with lobster, crab and corn.

Jasmine Seafood Restaurant & Express

4609 Convoy St Ste. A 1/2, San Diego, CA 92111

It’s not that uncommon to have tanks of live lobsters and other seafood in Chinese restaurants so the chefs can grab your dinner choice, drop it directly into the wok, and cook to order. The beloved Convoy Street spot emphasizes high-quality seafood for popular Chinese dishes, like sauteed lobster noodles with ginger sauce, honey-glazed walnut shrimp, and sweet and sour rock cod fillet.

4609 Convoy St Ste. A 1/2, San Diego, CA 92111

Visit Website

Chinese Rock Cod Fish at Jasmine Seafood Restaurant & Express — Chinese Rock Cod Fish at Jasmine Seafood Restaurant & Express.

The Fishery

5040 Cass St, San Diego, CA 92109

A longtime favorite of seafood aficionados in San Diego, the Fishery focuses on sustainably caught and in-season seafood. Its parent company, Pacific Shellfish Seafood Company, was founded by a commercial fisherman, who expanded the business into a wholesale distribution company, fish market, and this Pacific Beach restaurant. One menu staple is their Salt Spring mussels served in a green curry with Chino Farms basil and cilantro, served with toast from Wayfarer Bakery to soak up the broth.

5040 Cass St, San Diego, CA 92109

Visit Website

Salt Springs mussels in a green curry with Chino Farms basil and cilantro — Salt Spring mussels in a green curry with Chino Farms basil and cilantro

Mabel's Gone Fishing

3770 30th St, San Diego, CA 92104

One of the best newcomers this past year, Mabel’s has won accolades as Eater San Diego’s Restauranteurs of the Year and Eater’s 15 Best New Restaurants across the country. Co-owners Chelsea Coleman and Rae Gurne have taken seafood to a new level, leveraging SoCal’s bounty and adding an Iberian riff. The menu is constantly changing, but highlights have included bay scallop crudo, Pacific sea snails, and swordfish schnitzel.

Open in Google Maps

3770 30th St, San Diego, CA 92104

Visit Website

Interior of Mabel’s Gone Fishing restaurant — Interior of Mabel’s Gone Fishing.

It's Raw Poke Shop

3112, 4991 Newport Ave A, San Diego, CA 92107

This small Hawaiian “island-style” shop that’s been in its Ocean Beach location for six years is run by a cousin and two brothers whose family has a longtime poke shop on Oahu. The varieties of poke include furikake salmon and spicy tuna, along with rotating specials like kimchi ahi and sesame tako.

Open in Google Maps

3112, 4991 Newport Ave A, San Diego, CA 92107

Visit Website

Poke platter with salmon and tuna

Chef John's Fish & Chips

8047 Broadway, Lemon Grove, CA 91945

Nestled in Lemon Grove next to a local brewery, Chef John certainly does make the best fish ‘n’ chips in the county, mastering the taste of the signature batter and frying method of London’s chippies. With high-quality dishes cooked to order, there are no shortcuts taken. The calamari and tempura-style shrimp are also delicious.

8047 Broadway, Lemon Grove, CA 91945

Visit Website

Fish and shrimp platter — Fish and shrimp platter.

Pete’s Seafood and Sandwich

3382 30th St, San Diego, CA 92104

Bostonian Pete DeCoste himself is manning his own restaurant, making sure the North Park establishment lives up to New England standards for seafood. The lobster roll is served chilled, Maine-style with light mayonnaise. The shrimp pobboy sandwich is bulging with Baja shrimp and fish and chips are made with flown-in Atlantic cod.

3382 30th St, San Diego, CA 92104

Visit Website

Fried shrimp sandwich

Mitch's Seafood

1403 Scott St, San Diego, CA 92106

Overlooking a working fishing harbor, this friendly, casual restaurant features fresh-caught seafood from the local waters off of San Diego or Northern Baja. Lines often wrap out the door and seating is limited around the patio terrace. Try the crab cakes, grilled fish tacos, or the old standby, beer-battered fish and chips.

Open in Google Maps

1403 Scott St, San Diego, CA 92106

Visit Website

Related Maps

Point Loma Seafoods

2805 Emerson St, San Diego, CA 92106

Look for the fishing boats that are moored out the entrance of the long-established seafood market and restaurant. The fishmongers here deal directly with commercial fishermen to bring sea bass, tuna, and swordfish to the seafood cases and the kitchen for on-the-spot meals. The fish and chips and spicy swordfish sandwich with house-made tartar are popular favorites.

2805 Emerson St, San Diego, CA 92106

Visit Website

Full fish case

Ironside Fish & Oyster

1654 India St, San Diego, CA 92101

This dedicated seafood restaurant in Little Italy is breathtakingly decorated as if you stepped into a Gilded-Age ocean liner. With a new executive chef who grew up on the north shore of Massachusetts, Danielle Van Steen is now leading the kitchen, adding her personal flair to dishes like bone marrow with tuna tartare and sesame smoked trout, along with Ironside classics like lobster rolls and octopus a la Plancha.

1654 India St, San Diego, CA 92101

Visit Website