14 Essential Seafood Restaurants in San Diego with Oceanfront Views

With 70 miles of coastline at our disposal, it doesn’t get fresher than San Diego seafood.

There are approximately 2,792 different seafood restaurants in San Diego, according to statistics that we just made up. With 70 miles of coastline in San Diego County alone, along with Baja California and the whole Pacific Northwest, San Diegans enjoy a fresh seafood bounty that our landlocked counterparts can only dream of. From sweet, ready-to-slurp oysters to yellowtail, mahi-mahi, and marlin tacos, and an abundance of crustaceans ready to be doused in butter and served with soft rolls or with market fresh veggies, our choices from the briny deep are nearly limitless. Of course, the only thing that makes a great seafood dinner even better is a great view to go with it. We’ve rounded up our favorite oceanfront spots, from Oceanside to Imperial Beach:

Garibaldi
Photo by Kimberly Motos, courtesy of Garibaldi

Garibaldi

Downtown
$$$$

Perched atop the luxurious InterContinental San Diego, Garibaldi’s speakeasy-style rooftop bar and Sardinian-influenced restaurant feels like the perfect Mediterranean escape. Local seafood is the star here, starting with Pesce Freddo #1 or #2, chilled seafood served with three sauces, or Tonno Pinsa, confit tuna with preserved lemon bianca, calabrian chili, pistachio, and bottarga flatbread. If you love our local uni, dig into a bowl of Bucatini and Bottarga with uni, Sorrento lemon, sea beans, and pangrattato. Pair it with a vibrant cocktail like the Sardinian Old Fashioned made with Longbranch Bourbon, Mirto liqueur, and bergamot bitters or something from the curated selections of Italian beer and regional wines.
How to book: Walk-ins are accepted if seating is available.

Available for Reservations
Cannonball
Photo courtesy of Cannonball

Cannonball

Mission Beach
$$$$

Cannonball’s bar has a stellar view of the beach and some of the best people watching in San Diego with the crowds that populate Ocean Front Walk. Sushi rolls, sashimi, oysters, and crab legs dominate the menu, or chow down on a big Cannonball Burrito with shrimp tempura, crab, tuna, avocado, cream cheese, cucumber, cilantro, green onions, and spicy mayo in a sesame soy wrap. The beverage menu features a handful of classic cocktails with beach-inspired ingredients, like the Mission Beach Mai Tai with white rum, pineapple, orange juice, and dark rum, local draft beers, seltzers, plenty of wine by the glass or bottle, as well as sake and Japanese whisky.
How to book: Rooftop seats are available on a first-come basis.

Harbor Fish & Chips

Oceanside
$$$$

You don’t have to look at the menu to know what’s the best-selling menu item at Harbor Fish & Chips, a family-owned mainstay that’s served Oceanside since 1969. Long, battered spears of flaky white fish and a big pile of hot, salty fries make a tempting meal, but they can also be nestled into warm tortillas and topped Baja-style with cabbage, pico, and crema. This is where you’ll want to indulge in all your fried fish fantasies, but if you prefer, they also offer grilled options simply seasoned with butter, a house herb blend, or garlic. Visit Tuesday through Friday for a buck off fish tacos, grilled plates, and samplers.
How to book: Indoor and harborside patio seating is on a first-come basis.

Floor-to-ceiling windows give everyone a view of the beach and sunset, but try to snag a coveted seat on the upper patio for the most eye-popping vistas. More than a dozen different margaritas, all made with fresh juices and premium liquors, will get the party started, along with shareable sushi rolls, seasonal oysters with exotic passion fruit mignonette, hot rock sashimi ahi, filet mignon, and surf and turf. Entrees are accompanied by thoughtfully prepared sides: Miso Glazed Chilean Seabass is perched on a bed of soba noodles, shiitake mushrooms, bok choy, kale, and Thai chile broth, while their seafood pasta combines lobster, shrimp, scallop, and mahi with smoked tomato sauce, Thai basil, and a shower of parmesan.
How to book: Walk-ins are accepted if seating is available.

Available for Reservations

Jake’s Del Mar

Del Mar
$$$$

The violet hour couldn’t be any more stunning than at Jake’s Del Mar, from the sun-bleached wood beams and soft-focus lighting to the sounds of crashing surf on the beach mere steps from your table. Gussied-up entrees make date night special—Togarashi Spice Crusted Ahi includes a sidecar of a sushi rice cake, French beans, umami-rich oyster and shitake mushrooms, soy butter, and crunchy pickled green papaya; or opt for Maine lobster, scallops, shrimp, and fresh fish poached in a savory saffron tomato broth, atop a crisp risotto cake. Whatever you select, don’t pass on Jake’s famous Hula Pie with macadamia nut ice cream piled high on a chocolate cookie crust and dripping hot fudge, either as a dessert or whizzed into a nutty, thick shake and topped with a float of Selvarey chocolate rum.
How to book: Reservations are recommended and can be made by calling 858-755-2002. Walk-ins are accepted if seating is available.

Available for Reservations

George’s at the Cove’s duo of restaurants, Ocean Terrace and Level 2 (the ground floor venue, California Modern, hasn’t reopened yet), both have stunning panoramic views of La Jolla Cove from nearly every seat in the house—their website even posts the time of sunset each day for your convenience. The upscale cocktail menu by Trey Foshee features all the summery drinks you’d imagine, from margs and martinis to mojitos and micheladas. Stop by at lunchtime for local yellowtail on a bed of cabbage, mango-habanero salsa, and mint crema, or a Crispy Halibut Sandwich, simply embellished with shredded lettuce, tomato, tartar sauce, or at dinner for grilled salmon, chickpeas, brassicas, garlic confit, and Meyer lemon.
How to book: Reservations are recommended and can be made online. Pre-paid, premium seating is also available for groups of one to four. Walk-ins are accepted if seating is available.

JRDN

Pacific Beach
$$$$

JRDN’s beach views and front-and-center boardwalk location make it the place to see and be seen in Pacific Beach. Must-tries include fat sushi rolls and Steamed Mussels with grilled bread, ready for dipping in chorizo, garlic, chardonnay, and tomato-fennel cream sauce, or opt for plates like Grilled Hamachi Collar, with scallion pancakes and sweet chili ponzu, or Alaskan Halibut with spring succotash, Thai basil, and sweet corn puree. Wash it down with one of their crisp, refreshing craft cocktails.
How to book: Walk-ins are accepted if seating is available.

Available for Reservations

Swaying palms, a front-and-center view of the OB Pier, and a dozen different seafood tacos make South Beach Bar and Grill a must-try for any seafood lover. Fresh yellowtail, fried oysters, grilled swordfish, and lobster sauteed in a wine and garlic butter sauce are just a few of your options, stuffed in either corn tortillas topped with chipotle salsa, cabbage, cheese, and lime crema, or flour tortillas with pico de gallo, cabbage, and white sauce. Check out their daily specials, like Taco Tuesday, when you can get most tacos for just $3.95, Patron margaritas are $7 all day, and apps are half price from 3–6 pm.
How to book: Seating is on a first-come basis.

Mitch's Seafood

Point Loma
$$$$

Mitch’s Seafood is best known for their fish tacos, made with your choice of several varieties of local fish, but they’ve got a full roster of ceviches, pokes, crudos, and cocktails, oysters to slurp and Crab Poutine to savor, plus grilled plates, fried platters, and bowls of steaming seafood stew or mussels in white wine and herbs. Nearly all the fish they serve is either caught by themselves or by fishermen they know and trust and is almost exclusively from San Diego or northern Baja waters. Order a local craft brew, grab a seat along the water and enjoy one of life’s perfect moments.
How to book: Seating is on a first-come basis.

C Level

Harbor Island
$$$$

Both restaurants in the Island Prime/C Level duo have some of the most beautiful views of the San Diego skyline, harbor, and bay in the city, but C Level is open for both lunch and dinner, along with a more casual atmosphere and a great happy hour from 3:30–5:30 pm Monday–Friday. You could easily make a meal out of starters like luscious butter-poached lobster in a sherry-spiked bisque, fat PEI mussels steamed with pinot grigio, chorizo, and caramelized onion cream; a pile of Old Bay-spiced peel-and-eat shrimp; or chilled platters of oysters. Mains range from Hawaiian ahi and salmon poke bowls to lobster and fontina BLTs to pan-seared sea bass, Nordic Blu salmon, and an assortment of shellfish in a creamy marinara over linguini. Try to save room for dessert, the Potted Brownie Banana Split, a fudgy brownie crowned with peanut butter ice cream, dulce de leche, and bruleed bananas.
How to book: Walk-ins are accepted if seating is available.

Available for Reservations

Ketch Grill and Taps

Portside Pier & Point Loma
$$$$

Both locations of Ketch Grill and Taps have outstanding ocean views; Portside Pier has lovely sunset vistas, especially from the second story deck, while Point Loma’s serene harborside location soothes with bobbing sailboats against the glittering skyline. Ketch of the Day is a solid choice—there’s usually two to three varieties to pick from that can be grilled or fried, then added to a salad, folded into a taco, stuffed into a sandwich, or ordered as a plate. Sweet, chili-glazed salmon comes with a hearty kale and bacon hash, and locally caught, seared big-eye tuna tops yellow curry cauliflower and sweet sake mushrooms.
How to book: Seating on a first-come basis. Point Loma will take reservations for groups of six or more by calling 619-814-8080.

Located at the Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego, Sally’s Fish House & Bar has panoramic views of the harbor, Coronado Bay Bridge, and skyline, plus some of the best people-watching in the city. Day drinking options run from classic to Instagram-famous; the Ultimate Bloody Mary comes with spikes of crab leg, blackened shrimp, and olives, but don’t count their wine list out. Stacked with California favorites, there’s more than 20 selections available by the glass. Grilled Mahi Tacos, dressed Baja-style, and Seabass Fish and Chips are local favorites, along with the seasonal SoCal Crab Club, a soft shell crab layered with crab salad, pancetta, and avocado, lightly dressed in chipotle caper remoulade, and nestled between slices of brioche. Bonus: The patio is pet-friendly, and complimentary self-parking is available in the Grand Hyatt San Diego garage for three hours with validation.
How to book: Walk-ins are accepted if seating is available.

Available for Reservations

Serẽa

Coronado Island
$$$$

Whether you’re on the multi-level patio or in the raised main dining area, everyone gets a million-dollar view at Serēa, located at the iconic Hotel del Coronado. Chef Jojo Ruiz, a James Beard Smart Catch Leader recipient for his commitment to sustainable seafood practices, selects the freshest catch from coastal California and Baja waters, then serves it whole, flash-fried or wood-grilled, in beautiful chilled or smoked towers, and in composed dishes like Seared Market Tuna with Marcona almond, red flame grapes, golden raisins, and ajo blanco, or Grilled Local Swordfish accompanied by marble potatoes, English peas, and green olive salsa verde. Pair your dinner with something from their cellar, nearly 20 selections are available by the glass or glass-and-a-half.
How to book: Walk-ins are accepted if seating is available.

Available for Reservations

Tin Fish

Imperial Beach
$$$$

It doesn’t get more seaside than Tin Fish, located at the very end of the Imperial Beach Pier, completely surrounded by water. Fish and chips are their best seller, lightly buttered cod, dredged in Tin Fish’s secret breading mix (they call it “Gold Dust”), then fried golden brown and delicious, alongside crisscut fries and slaw that hits just right. Salmon lovers can find steaky, meaty cuts grilled or fried in meal-sized salad plates, platters with fries, and slaw, tacos, burritos, and sandwiches, but that goes for almost every type of seafood they sell, so your options are practically endless.
How to book: Indoor counter seating and outdoor patio/picnic tables are available on a first-come basis.

Mary Beth Abate is a San Diego-based freelance writer by way of Chicago and Los Angeles. Her hobbies include yoga, pickling and fermenting stuff, reading cookbooks and drinking fabulous gin. Keep up with her experiments @MaryBeth_Abate.