The Fish Shop Encinitas — The Fish Shop in Encinitas

From fish tacos to fresh oysters the best casual and, yes, affordable seafood in San Diego has to be The Fish Shop. It’s got a nice local vibe with menu that lets you pick your fish, your seasoning, and whether you want it wrapped in a taco, a sandwich, or served on a plate or on a salad. There’s also plenty of specials but we’ll get to that, I promise.

Margarita in San Diego's Fish Shop restaurant

Before dinner cocktail, anyone? A surprisingly great margarita and lots of beers on draft as well as wine and standard beverages.

THE FISH SHOPS IN SAN DIEGO

Point Loma: 110 Rosecrans St #100, San Diego, CA 92106 | (619) 756-7778

Pacific Beach: 1775 Garnet Ave, San Diego, CA 92109 | (858) 483-1008

Encinitas: 1010 S Coast Hwy 101, Encinitas, CA 92024 | (760) 436-4665

Oceanside: Coming soon, 2025

Home of the $1.25 Oyster Night

Every Thursday at The Fish Shops in San Diego you’ll find oysters, lots and lots of oysters from different regions and all for just $1.25 apiece. You’ll typically find a half dozen varieties and I suggest instead of studying the menu that you just order some of each so you can compare them and decide which ones are your favorites.

They’ll all taste a bit different, some are smaller, some are brinier, but all are freshly shucked right there at the bar and all come with cocktail sauce and horseradish along with a minuet sauce for the asking. So many fancy restaurants no longer provide cocktail sauce for oysters which is a shame because there’s nothing like realizing you put too much horseradish on your oyster too late.

Pro Tip: Get more oysters than you think you want because the wait for them to shuck and serve can be long and you won’t want to get back in line anyway.

By the way, National Oyster Day is August 5th. But don’t worry if you missed it - it not only rolls around every year on the same date but Thursday night at The Fish Shop is always a good time to celebrate oysters. Heck, even on other days a Fish Shop “dozen” (14 oysters) is only $38, still some of the most affordable oysters in town.

San Diego’s Best Fish Tacos?

fish taco at The Fish Shop in San Diego — TKO taco at The Fish Shop

There’s a fierce argument from locals over who makes the best fish tacos in San Diego. After all, San Diego is arguably the home to the first fish taco in the US due to Ralph Rubio borrowing the recipe from a beach stall in San Felipe. Baja fish tacos are deep fried and delicious but The Fish Shop elevates it to a new level allowing you to pick your fish, pick how you want it prepared, pick your tortilla, and creating your own unique taco experience.

The fish varies depending on what’s fresh, from sea bass to opah to albacore. They even have scallops and slipper lobster just aching to jump into a taco for you.

You can also just go with their creations which I find to be not only the easiest decision but a consistently good one. I always get the TKO taco which is Mahi Mahi grilled & marinated with Fish Shop Seasoning, topped with shredded cabbage, mixed cheese, house cilantro white sauce and tropical mango salsa. At just $7.75 it’s a great deal for a gourmet taco and unlike a lot of restaurants that skimp these days these tacos are packed with fresh fish.

The complete Fish Shop Menu

And you don’t have to get tacos - the same fish with the same options can be put between two slices of really good sourdough bread for one of the best fish sandwiches you’ll ever have, complete with a side of fries. Or get it on a plate or on top of a salad, lots of choices, no bad decisions.

The Top Side Dishes at The Fish Shops

shrimp at The Fish Shop — Fish Shop Shrimp

FISH SHOP SHRIMP: Shrimp marinated in Fish Shop Seasoning, sautéed & served with chipotle aioli dipping sauce. The owner’s favorite and for good reason, juicy and plump and bursting with over the top flavor, a big win and good value at $14.75.

SEAFOOD LUMPIA: Seafood egg rolls served with jasmine rice and sweet chili dipping sauce. I love these lumpia, a real sleeper on the menu even if they don’t photograph well. OK, a bit pricey at $12 for 2 or $19.75 for four but worth every bite.

FISH AND SHRIMP AND CHIPS: They have fish and chips and they have shrimp and chips and the hack is to do a half and half order for $19.75. Hey, there’s no law against calling fish and chips a side dish.

ONION RINGS: Forget about eating healthy for a bit and just enjoy real onion rings made with real big onions, sweet and very guilty but very delicious. And another tip - you can mix half rings and half fries if you ask.

The Fish Shops in San Diego… Just go!

Next time you are in that terrible dinner debate of “where do you want to go, I don’t care, where to you want to go?” just say The Fish Shop and get a margarita, some oysters and tacos, and really you are just living that San Diego lifestyle that brought us all here and keeps us here in the first place. As a San Diego local I give The Fish Shop two thumbs up and that should be enough. Has Local Wally ever let you down?

And after dinner take a short walk to the water and here you are.

A classic San Diego sunset right down the street from The Fish Shop in Encinitas.

Visit the Fish Shop Website

THE BEST Barbeque Restaurant in La Jolla, CA: BUBBA'S SMOKEHOUSE

December 1, 2022Local WallyComment

Fall off the bone baby back ribs at Bubb’s Smokeshouse in La Jolla

at a glance:

BUBBA’S SMOKEHOUSE | 888 Prospect St, La Jolla, CA 92037 | (858) 551-4227

A casual family run BBQ restaurant in the heart of La Jolla serving “fall off the bones” ribs, tender brisket, BBQ sandwiches and burgers. A short walk to the coast for one of the tastiest picnics you’ve ever had. A La Jolla hidden gem! Open daily from 12PM to 8PM.

Co-owner Ali serves us some delicious BBQ chicken. It’s good, really good!

Where to Find Good BBQ in La Jolla and San Diego?

You don’t normally think about BBQ when it comes to dining in La Jolla. I mean, La Jolla is fancy with ocean view dining and Michelin star restaurants. Can a rack of baby backs compete? If that rack of ribs came from Bubba’s Smokehouse then the answer is a resounding YES.

Bubba’s Smokehouse makes BBQ that rivals the best in San Diego, smoked low and slow and unlike Phil’s, San Diego’s most well known BBQ joint, they don’t smother everything in sauce. Fall off the bone ribs won’t win many competitions (the best BBQ ribs retain a “bite” to them) but are certainly a winner in flavor for the majority of BBQ lovers. They were good, really good!

The big test for BBQ is always the beef brisket and beef ribs. Both of these require plenty of time and the right amount of smoke, not too much, and Bubba’s nailed it. Juicy, succulent, and extremely tender, some of the best I’ve and I’ve had plenty - it’s my go-to order all around the US whenever I go for BBQ Bubba’s passes the test with flying colors.

Giant beef rib on top of baby backs and brisket

And while the ribs and chicken are the stars here, don’t overlook their sandwiches like The Bubba, filled with pulled pork, chopped brisket, and a hot link sausage for God’s sake, all covered with your choice of BBQ sauce. Excellent burgers and homemade mac n cheese, bbq beans, and crispy sweet potato fries, people around me were even raving over the salads, which is something I’ve never heard at a BBQ joint.

Take a great rib and make it better!

While the restaurant is pleasant enough with their 50’s music vibe and friendly staff, the pro tip is to get everything “to go” and to take the short 5 minute walk over to Ellen Browning Scripps Park where you’ll find a large grassy area overlooking the ocean, the ultimate picnic spot. Spread out a blanket, hand out some napkins, and you’ll be hard pressed to find a better dining experience in all of San Diego. Save that Michelin star dining for later - let’s go get some ribs!