Dinner at The Fishery Restaurant in Pacific Beach

We’ve been fans of The Fishery Restaurant in Pacific Beach for a over a decade so it’s high time I tell you why. This list of reasons is actually quite long.

It’s a restaurant but also sustainable fish market. In addition to selling some of the nicest looking fillets and shellfish you’ll see around here, they do have prepared items like smoked fish that will rock the socks off your bagel and what I firmly believe to be the best ceviche in San Diego.

I order whole poached salmon from The Fishery’s catering menu when I host luncheons because it’s great value for what you get and people love it. But, in researching this post I also learned that they can send you home with a New England Clam bake, seafood barbecue and more to prepare at home.

Because we are in the habit of stopping into the market and phoning in to-go orders, my husband and I decided to actually go in and enjoy an early dinner on the patio–which is dog-friendly but we left ours at home.

I even decided to forgo a ceviche order because, well, I’d picked it up for myself earlier in the week. We shared everything we ordered. And, I should note that though there are year-round staples on the menu, most of it changes with the seasons.

Appetizers (Pictured Above)

These items are more or less always on the menu, which is why I’m able to pull the exact details. The ahi tuna poke is simply amazing and one of my favorite dishes in town, next to the ceviche.

Crab Roll  

snow crab, cucumber, avocado, tempura flakes, wasabi and pickled ginger ($10)

Ahi Tuna Poke

ahi, cucumber, avocado, soy sauce, sesame, chili, cilantro ($15)

Main Course

My husband likes to order dishes we can’t normally prepare well at home. Maine scallops are so easily over-cooked and these were melt-in-your-mouth perfect. Not to mention, our version had a bacon and corn hash (!!!) that was simply amazing. Here is the version available now.

Seared Maine Scallops 

root vegetable puree, pickled chanterelles, frisee, herb vinaigrette ($30)

And, then we ordered an old standby that never, ever fails (sorry, forgot to take a photo)…

Alaskan Cod & Chips

french fries, coleslaw and tartar sauce ($14)

Dessert Course

I had to eat it all by myself since my husband isn’t a dessert guy. Darn. My dessert sampler had the molten cake, mint chip ice cream and a vanilla pudding of some sort. Here’s what it is now.

Dessert Sampler 

molten cake, key lime pie, mint chip ice cream ($6)

Wines at The Fishery

Our server recommended an excellent Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand’s Marlborough region. The wine list isn’t extraordinarily long but it is deliberately chosen to pair well with dishes on the menu. We have always been really pleased.

Bottom Line

The Fishery is also a family-friendly San Diego restaurant. We’ve never asked for or have been presented with a kids menu so I can’t speak to that. Because we typically share our dishes, my daughter nibbles on the crab roll, a small cup of clam chowder and whatever vegetable side I order.

You absolutely get what you pay for at The Fishery, which is why we keep going back. Have you been lately?

The Fishery
5040 Cass Street
San Diego, CA 92109
(858) 272-9985

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