Harbor Fish & Chips

Simple layout, lots of food choices, kids like it. Food is fair, not the greatest but not bad.

This place has grown on me. Classically styled massive slabs of fish fried consistently to a dark golden brown. Inside the fish is moist, tender and flakey. Some here have complained about thick breading, lack of seasoning, blah blah blah. but that’s the point. It’s nothing fancy here. two shakes of salt, splash of malt vinegar or squeeze of lemon, depending on my mood. just delicious. Prices are on the high side here, but they have daily specials to stretch your dollar. Deal we like is always on the menu, four pieces of fish for about $ 15, add a side of fries for $ 3.50 more, feeds 2 – 3. Fries are pretty standard. clam chowder is decent. slaw and beans could be better. Their fish taco is tasty and huge, a meal in itself.
Patio is so relaxing in the evening with a great view of the harbor. dining room has a fun fishy family-​friendly feel. Harbor Fish and Chips has been here 40+ years for a reason. Hit it up.

Very good fish and chips I specially like the grilled fish platter chowder is good. Location is right at the Harbor and the owners and people that work there are nice

Perfect location! Quick service,
relaxing atmosphere with good food and huge portions. We had the fish and chips along with clam chowder. Neither of us had any complaints. Both the kids had chicken and fries, those were great as well. We frequent the harbor and beach quiet a bit since moving here. I anticipate this is a place we will come often.

Ordered the Tuesday special. $ 11 +tx.
Includes 2 pieces of fish, soda, and either french fries, coleslaw, or beans.
The fish was tasty. I’ll eat there again.

MMM, if you like greasy food, this is the place to go. I was planning a nice little lunch at the waterfront eatery. I order the Thursday’s Special… 2 Fish Tacos with Fries. $ 12,00 and a drink.
Well the portion was very large. But large does not necessarily mean good. The deep fried fish (Probably Talapia) had absolutely no taste. I tried to pull the ½ «layer of breading of the fillet, but that didn’t help. What saved the dish was the fries. Thank you for that.
If you like greasy, this is 5 starts… If you like tasty aromatic food, this place is a 1 star… My advice to the Chef: Reduce the portion size to something more sensible and add some spices… thanks guys.

A really cool place for fish and chips.
I got the good old standard fish and chips.
The fish was good but I found it too greasy.
Coleslaw was good. Fries were standard but good.
Next time I’ll get the fish tacos.

Unbelievable!!! So good ! Fish sandwich with fresh Alaskan cod
A dream. Can’t wait to go back; just so sad I ordered only one

I came and tried the fish and chips here in the Harbor. It was Awesome! :) the food was fresh and the service was great! By far one of the best places i have been to for food and fun! :)

Saw the mixed reviews, but decided to give it a try.
Had the Small fish and chips. Opted for the sweet potato fries. Also, half a small bowl of clam chowder.
The fish was really greasy and bland.
The clam chowder was kind of disappointing. I can honestly say that I’ve had clam chowder from a can better than this. It looked more like curdled milk, all lumpy.
The sweet potato fries were good though. If I had known any better, I would have just ordered fries and enjoyed the view of the pier.

I feel a little torn on my review of this place. For starters if I could give them 3.5 stars I would. Every time we head to San Diego we make sure to stop and get fish n chips. It is one of our favorite spots and the view is really beautiful. But the last time we went for some reason it wasn’t as good as the other times we have gone. The fish was a little bland and greasy but it wasn’t horrible. It is still better than most fish n chip places and we will most likely keep stopping by here but I just hope it only gets better and not worse.
Will keep you all posted…

Here is a list of reasons why this place gets one star from me:
1. The grilled fish served to me was obviously frozen and then grilled, how did I know? IT WAS STILL HALF FROZEN.
2. either someone took a huge dump in a bowl and mixed it around or that was the clam chowder.
3. Chicken burger had the thinnest slice of chicken known to man, it should have had gold sprinkled on it for the price they sold it to me for. It tasted like nothing. Condiments were scarce.
4. Fried one piece of fish had enough oil to give an eliphant a heart attack.
5. The fries tasted horrible, they can’t even fry a potato correctly and you can tell they tried multiple times with the ones they gave me.
Way better places to eat nearby, at least they serve something etable.
If you like the food here I feel bad for your extremely limited palate.

Terry and Chris (Owner-​Managers) thanked another reviewer who shared that, «Harbor was their favorite…» I’d sincerely like to make Harbor our «fav» too. But on our first visit, we experienced some food issues.
I honestly believe Harbor F&C’s is most usually a solid 4 – 5 star water-​side food experience. We’ve been to the Oceanside marina, shops and restaurants over the years. But this was our first visit to Harbor. It was Sunday afternoon, November 1^st.
My wife and I have, over the past few years, visited as many fish and chip restaurants as we could while traveling the Western US on business. From the Pacific Northwest to SoCal, we’ve hit a reasonable number of fooderies, «known for their fish and chips.» I put these fish and chip retailers into two categories, based on service-​style. (1) Fast Food Order at Counter (both franchise and privately owned) and (2) Sit Down w-​Table Wait Service. I’d say Harbor is in the middle, with order at the counter take a booth, pick up your order at the counter. It’s not a franchise location.
So, a few years ago, I started a «fish and fish & chips» Unilocal list; and haven’t added to it lately. I’d prefer to add Harbor after a revisit. My list is at:

Best thing about Harbor for me?
* Perfect location in the Oceanside Marina area. We ate inside, at a nice large booth. But might try the patio or outdoor walkway seating next time. (hoping there is a next time).
* Smiling counter attendant… who acknowledged my wait, (not that long), and actually looked at me during the ordering transaction. Even the cook, through the kitchen-​pass, gave us a smile! Good vibes.
* Plenty of condiments. Each table has its Tabasco, salt-​pepper and malt vinegar. And there’s a «Condiment Bar» where you get your tarter sauce, ketchup, lemon, plastic ware and a few other goodies. It’s a clean, well managed area.
* Menu is varied… not just fish and chips, and prices are fair. Most notable, the fish and chips options include ordering one, two or three piece combos. We took the two-​piece at $ 12.
* I respect the history of this restaurant-​business. The fact that they’re still around, after over 50 years, says a lot!
Room for Improvement… at least from our first visit?
* I anticipated a 4 – 5 star experience based on Unilocal reviews. But while our service experience was a solid 4 for a «fast food style location», our fish & chips orders were a disappointing 2 stars.
* Our fish filets looked large, but were much more fried breading than fish? One filet was OK. But the other three had long and thin cod filets, SM size, banging around in an XXL breaded jacket. Plus, the breading was oily… suggesting low-​oil fryer temperature. They were busy, so maybe the volume going through the fryers lowered the temp?
* French fries suffered from the same overly-​oily-​limp symptoms of what could also have been «low oil temperatures.»
* There’s somewhat limited space between the counter and front wall. I’m absolutely sure management/​ownership knows this… and were there a way to «open it up», they would. But it did get a bit «tight» when I tried to leave my inside table and get to the soda machine and the condiment-​bar. I wonder if a «next-​up line» setup has ever been considered… for both the obvious reason and to try and control the location of the line.
Being around food and beverage retailers, (specialty coffee industry), I respect locations that strive for that near-​impossible 100% consistent food-​service level. And in my opinion, the great fish «and» great service experiences are usually far and few between. But we have experienced a few. For a Fast-​Food-​Sit Down style restaurant, I really like Harbor. But I’d like to know that our «low-​fish weight per filet» and «slightly oily fish and chips» order was not the norm. I’m sure it isn’t… but again, that’s what we experienced. Maybe «better luck next time?»

First thing I have to say is the best Fish n chips I’ve ever had and this is why:
First of all, the LOCATION is at a very nice place.
It’s right on the harbor over looking the shore and all the boats. It’s a very nice place to eat on nice sunny morning or even right when the sun sets.
The FOOD
I ordered The Sampler which basically came with a fried fish, fried shrimp, fries (sweet potato fries optional), coleslaw, and clam chowder (with crackers). I literally had a sample of almost everything they served, hence the title. lol
My first impression was WOW because the portion and the size of the fried fish was HUGE. I’m talking about as long and thick as your forearm huge. The taste was just so good and what I love is that they offer a plentiful amount of condiments on the size you could add to your food such as tarter sauce, malt vinegar, mayo, ketchup, cocktail sauce, you name it. Previously living on the island of Oahu in Hawaii, I haven’t had a fish n chips meal as great as this in a long time. The best part about this is that it was all for $ 13 and it was definitely a bang for your buck.
Most definitely will be back for more!

There is something very right about eating fish and chips while watching sailboats bob in the harbor. I can’t imagine a better spot to grab a classic than Harbor Fish & Chips.
Located on the south side of Oceanside harbor, this restaurant fits perfectly its role. They have a good amount of seating with both outdoor and indoor tables equally available. Parking was easy on a summer weekday afternoon but I can imagine might be a challenge on a weekend. The interior is decorated is lots of old local nautical items: pictures of local waterfront icons and mounted trophy fish.
I ordered the Captain’s Special which had 2 pieces of fish and two shrimp. To say it was huge would almost be an understatement. I was not prepared for how large the pieces of seafood would be. Each piece of the fish could have made a meal by itself and the shrimp were double normal size. I got fries to complete the picture. The food arrived hot and crisp. The batter was tasty and complimented both fish and shrimp. Probably the only shortcoming was the fries which became soggy fairly quickly resting under the hot seafood. I tried both their house tartar and cocktail sauces. The cocktail sauce was good but the tartar sauce was excellent. It was milder than most which I found complimented the fish better than most.
Next time I visit, I will know to bring a friend to share or order something smaller…

Ok, I had to give this 3 stars only because the expediter is amazing. He is young but watch this blondie call your order and tell everyone thank you and to enjoy their meal. He will do great things some day. I walked in and then out but after my Mom wanted to grab a taco and a beer here, I obliged. The fish taco was huge! I did have a bite and the flavors and sauce were so good. I don’t eat fried so this isn’t really a good place for me. Everything is fried, fish, pickles, zucchini/​I would have had oysters but they were not on the menu. The place is rocking and super busy, they get the food out slowly and we waited for her taco for about 10 mins. Not the cleanest place i’ve seen either. The station where you get your sauce, ketchup and utensils is a mess.

Okay — for starters, this place IS IN a tourist trap — just like every other restaurant in the Harbor, so if previous reviewers dinged this place for the line or the «busy-​ness», that’s because it is almost ALWAYS busy. It’s just that good!
There is outdoor seating where you can see the harbor, the boats, lots of seagulls and the occasional seal! The indoors ambiance gives Peter Benchley and «Jaws» a run for their money! There is lots of historic information about shark fishing a long the Southern California coast — which is pretty cool to read. As for the replica fish and sharks, well… it does keep the little ones occupied!
I usually get the fish sandwich and my husband usually gets the 3 piece fish meal — which is really a meal! The portion sizes here are definitely worth the price (which I know some reviewers mentioned before — but you do get what you pay for here)!
Customer service is always above par, despite how busy this place gets. I mean, think –Black Friday sales at Nordstrom every day! The line often goes out the door, but again, it’s worth the wait.
I have gotten the occasional piece of fish that had a little too much grease on it, but that was on a rare occasion, overall, this place wins hands down for any of the fish & chips places that we’ve tried on the coast!

Very busy here in a Sunday afternoon. The area is amazing with an amazing view inside and out. Beach/​fishing attire inside and great harbor view outside. There are tables just outside that are closed off to the busy walking traffic and there are tables closest to the water that are slim pickings and you have tons of people walking behind you constantly. It’s still a great seat and I prefer to sit closest to the water. The tables outside fit about 6 – 8 and there are also some other tables that seat 2. You may end up sharing a table with people if you are a table of two sitting at the larger tables.
Customer service is amazing despite how busy this place always it. They have a lot of options and their portions are HUGE. The fish they use for the fish tacos is the same fish they use for their fish and chips. Very large crispy strips. They did not have any sort of salsa for their tacos though. One taco and fries should fill most people up perfectly. Their fries do not have great flavor and they needed some salt which is at each table.
They have malt vinegar, cocktail sauce, tarter sauce, ketchup, lemons, and a few other condiments for whatever you prefer. Pepsi products are sold here. We spent about $ 26 for a 3 piece fish and chips and 2 tacos with fries. All very greasy and fried and worth it. We walked to the end of the harbor after we ate so we didn’t feel as stuffed as we should have.
There is free parking in the large lot close to the main harbor area and there is 2 hour parking just next to the area as well. The 2 hour parking lot is always full and you will definitely have to wait a little for a spot to open.
They accept credit cards here and their menu is well lit and easy to read. Give this place a try for your next cheat day meal.

Darn, I really wanted to write a great review for this place. I’ve been here in the past but it’s been years since. My mum really wanted to come here for Mother’s Day and we thought it was an awesome idea. First of all, I have absolutely no complaints about the view, it’s literally right on the water. The inside has some cute fishermen’s décor and it’s clean.
The five of us came here all wanting fish n chips, including myself. Of course me being me, I had to ask if there was any dairy in the fish batter. The man at the register very kindly went to the back and brought me out the ingredients label for the batter, yes there’s dairy! Fellow intolerants, keep this in mind! So I got the grilled fish plate, it sounded delicious as he described it as being seasoned with paprika, lemon, and salt.
Our number was called out very quickly which was great! Unfortunately, the food was not :(everyone got the battered fish except me. My mum also saw they had clam strips and was really excited to try them.
The fish was heavily battered and greasy. The grilled fish I ordered, so so SO bland. I had to drench it in vinegar, salt, and lemon and it still was not hitting the spot. My mum tried my fish too and struggled to swallow it.
The fried clam strips, sorry but disgusting. They were soggy, heavily breaded, little clam chews. They were barely even touched.
A big plus is that the servings are huge. Getting one fish plate will most likely fill you up if you’re getting a side with it.
Don’t worry, this didn’t ruin our Mother’s Day ! Sitting outside in the wonderful weather was awesome.
Check in on Unilocal for 10% off your purchase !!

(+) The smell when you enter is intoxicating in a good way. Deep fried deliciousness.
(+) Fish size. Are you serious? The fish were much larger than expected. As you can see from the picture I took, I had to add a fork to the shot to hint at the scale.
(+) I went with the Captain Special because I was so hungry and 1 or 2 pieces didn’t sound like enough. I got 2 fish, 2 shrimp. Both excellent. Filling.
(+) Chips (fries) were fine. Tartar sauce okay. Coleslaw pretty good, not too much mayo and fairly fresh than typical slaw. Next time I’m trying sweet potato fires. The deep fried pickles were okay, a little too much breading I guess in one meal… but it was worth it.