Blue Water Seafood Market and Grill

You know that you’re in for a treat when people are standing in line out the door of a restaurant on a rare stormy, blustery San Diego day waiting to place their order for some of the freshest and best seafood in town.

Blue Water Seafood Market and Grill is just as the name implies—a seafood market where you can purchase a variety of fresh items to take home, and a restaurant where you can enjoy a meal. If you choose to dine in, you’re reminded that “this is not a fast food restaurant” and that every meal is prepared to your specific order, so your patience will definitely be rewarded.

You can be quite creative in how you enjoy your fish. You step up to the counter and first choose what type of fish you want grilled; then you select your marinade; and, lastly, you select whether you want your fish in a sandwich, on a salad, on a plate (with jasmine rice and a side salad); or in a taco. Blue Water also features beer from the local craft breweries (Ballast Point being the most prominent on the menu), as well as wines and soft drinks.

Your patience will be rewarded when your food is delivered to your table. Every ingredient is fresh and the fish was grilled to perfection. We opted for seared Ahi fish tacos; a lemon-butter Mahi Mahi salad; and a blackened Red Snapper salad. Each was amazing in its own way. Blue Water will turn even the reluctant seafood diner into a fish-lover. However, if you’re truly not a seafood enthusiast, there’s little on the menu for you. They do have some chicken tacos, chicken strips, and a grilled cheese sandwich on the kid’s menu, but that’s about it.

I’ve been to Blue Water twice now and have had different experiences in terms of how long it took to get through the process. The first visit was around 2 p.m. on a weekday, and we had virtually no wait to order our food. This most recent visit was around 1 p.m. on a Friday, and the line of people waiting to place their order was out the door. It took about 35 minutes for us to get to place our order, but it was well worth the wait. The staff is friendly and they have a system worked out to make sure that you’ll have seats in their small dining room or on their patio by the time you get to the head of the line. Once seated, we never felt rushed to get out for the next guests (although politeness dictates vacating your seat sooner rather than later so someone else can enjoy their experience).

If you want to taste some of the best fish in San Diego, explore Blue Water Seafood & Grill. You won’t regret it.

What You Need To Know

Location: 3667 India Street, San Diego, CA 92103

Hours:

Mon – Thurs 11 a.m.–9 p.m.
Friday 11 a.m.–10 p.m.
Saturday 11:30 a.m.–10 p.m.
Sunday 11:30 a.m.–9 p.m.

Cost: $5–$27 per entree, plus beverages

Phone: (619) 497-0914

Website: bluewaterseafoodsandiego.com

Tips: Parking in the neighborhood is metered street parking with a 2-hour limit. You’ll probably want to pay for the full two hours if the restaurant appears to be busy.