Fish Market Restaurant

My husband took me out here for our weekly date night and I was unimpressed. Our waitress did not seem to care at all about our visit and the food just seemed less tasty. Not awful but not what I am used to here! more

We have had reasonably good experiences at the Fish Market in the past (in SF Bay area), but not this time. We made a reservation at the Fish market in San Diego for a party of 16 people while on vacation with our family. The reservation was made directly with the manager due to size of the party. We showed-up 5 minutes early, waited in line to speak with the Maitre-D, who put her hand up and looked away from me as I finally got to her. I patiently waited for her to give me the time of day, informed her of our reservation, and was told that they don't take reservations (lie number 1). She directed me to the more expensive Top of the Market Restaurant. I went upstairs, and the Maitre d' upstairs told me that I do not have a reservation upstairs, but the Fish Market downstairs indeed takes reservation for parties of 8 or more (the truth). I went back downstairs, and confronted the Maitre d' there, who then said they never received the reservation (lie number 2). We verified that the phone number we called was theirs, but she still denied that they ever booked a reservation for us. I later found out that this maitre d' was probably the same manager that took our reservation. I believe she either tried to cover-up for her mistake, or didn't like our racial profile. They offered us seating upstairs in the more expensive restaurant. Seeing that I have a hungry party ranging from age 2 to 72, I was forced to take this option (was this their scheme all along ?). The upstairs staff was reasonably friendly, and sat us at two tables. Table one received all their food, kids and adults, well before table two, so we asked to speak with the floor manager upstairs. This woman was not only not apologetic (although she did say that the waitress apologized to HER !?!!!), but confrontational. All in all, we spent about $600 to enjoy the worst attitude and service I have experienced in a long time, probably ever. Oh, and the food was uneven and only fair overall for the price. I contacted them via their website more than a week ago, and have received absolutely no response. Zilch! This whole episode still irritates me so much, that I'm writing my first ever negative review of a restaurant. more

This is a great place for seafood, a little expensive, but very good. \r \r There is usually a line of people out the door, but we went for lunch and it wasn't that bad. I usually ask for fresh fish when I go places, but everything here is fresh.\r \r I recommend these guys. \r more

The view of the harbor was great. Service was great as well. The drinks (Rhode Island Iced Tea) were watered down and tasted like Kool-Aid. The swordfish was bland and a very thin cut for $30. My wife had only a salad and appetizer and still our bill was over $100 including only one drink each from the bar. We don't understand the rave reviews and we were very disappointed. We had a much more superb meal for $15 dollars less at a five-star restaurant the next evening. Pros: The view is wonderful. Cons: Poor quality seafood and WAY overpriced. more

if you're all about a restaurant with a view, this place is a stunner. if food is important to you, you'll be better off eating elsewhere (perhaps in nearby seaport village?) since you don't get what you pay for here. we had the smoked fish appetizer- very salty since they serve the platter of various smoked fish with their own garlic toast, garlic prawn pasta- mostly pasta and very dry, clam chowder- traces of clam but mostly white soup, and mexican prawns- these are gigantic but rubbery in some areas and undercooked in others and they were not sweet. most entrees start at about $40-$50, the portions are average (at least from what i saw at neighboring tables). we had their cobbler dessert- nothing special and quite expensive at nearly $11! parking is horrible and valet service is usually overwhelmed- so much so that they stop taking cars. Pros: view Cons: food, parking more

My raw oyster combination platter was delicious and tasted of the ocean. Also, the restaurant’s location... more

My raw oyster combination platter was delicious and tasted of the ocean. Also, the restaurant’s location is awesome. It's wedged between the USS Mi... more

We went with a group of 4 for restaurant week. We had an amazing table out on the terrace area, and the views are just amazing. We has the tombo, the crab cakes and some hamachi sushi, and it was all pretty good. Not fabulous, but pretty good. And the views and old-school, comfortable, service-oriented ambiance was worth it. Pros: Cool views and ambiance Cons: OK food more

Their dishes are decent if not a tad overpriced, but their back patio overlooking the bay is awesome. It's really not all that fancy of a place but they have good seafood. The cloth napkins are somewhat weird for a place thats so heavily reliant on dishes you have to eat with your hands. I once asked a waitress for some paper towels and were brought some from the bathroom; but hey, it worked. You don't need to dress up or anything. It's just a bit pricey. Pros: seafood, views, valet parking Cons: pricey more