Hello Betty Fish House

Football season has come and gone but this has been the most memorable place to grab some cold beer over dinner and football! Worth every penny so don’t order of the side of the menu with the dollar signs!

Yum… drinks are great, food is delicious, service excellent.
What more could you ask except perhaps a beautiful view… got that too. Look out the ocean, people watch and then there’s a spectacular sunset.

The food is alright but the view and drinks are great. The only drink I won’t get there is a Bloody Mary. They stopped using Bloody Michaels mix and the flavor went south ever since!
If they bring back that mix, I’ll start drinking bloody’s there again. Until then, stay away from the bloody Mary’s and drink something else!

This place was great! Quick service and great view and food. I had the fried fish sandwich and it was perfect not overdone etc. price pretty good for being so close to the beach.

A great place to watch the sunset. This place is all about the ambiance and location. We only tried the ahi poke so I can’t say too much about the food. It was average but the location is what makes this place.

Bottom Line: Come for the views and enjoy drinks and snacks on the rooftop deck.
I really want to love this place because I’m excited about the changes in Oceanside and a big supporter of local business. Admittedly, my favorite part of this restaurant is the amazing views from the rooftop deck. Are there any better ocean views in North County?!? The only downside to these views is that they come with a limited menu so it you want to order off of the full menu, grab a table downstairs inside.
Hello Betty is located in downtown Oceanside which has definitely made a change for the better in the last decade. I ended up paying to park on my visit but later I heard that Hello Betty’s validates parking for two hours at the adjacent Springhill Suites. I’ll definitely be smarter about that next time.
The décor here is thoughtful and fun. I always appreciate a restaurant that makes an effort to provide cohesive design throughout.
I’m less excited about the food here but I know I am a tough critic growing up in a family in the seafood industry.

Fish tacos were great and well appointed. Ordered the mussles as an appetizer… tasty and cooked well but there was only qty 8… served as if they were jumbo shrimp. I was very disappointed. Went to FISH HOUSE VERA CRUZ recently and ordered the mussles at the same price but i received what i thought i had ordered. A bucket of qty 40−50… i couldnt even eat them all after the main course.

The Stone Crab and cheese dip was good, a bit pricey running at $ 14 but the market price is high for these suckers, the crabs that is. The Salmon Burger exceeded my expectations; the patty was filling as it packed a punch to my gut. The Oyster Torta was good with a fair amount of oysters and pleasantly toasted bolillo halves. Really enjoyed my second trip back; Thank you to the server Adrian who kept refilling my Sierra Mist.

My visit was quite unspectacular. My server was very inattentive, but I did notice how awesome she was toward the chicks drinking at the table next to me. She paid them sooo many visits and I kept side-​balling to see if their glasses were ever not full, like the water glass was that was sitting in front of me.
I ordered the grilled salmon, which I liked, but the rice that came with it had that suspiciously bloated look and texture of being previously frozen.
Yes it does have a nice view (come around sunset!) even at ground level. It was fun to people watch. I suppose if you come to drink, your experience will rate higher than mine. I have zero interest in returning.
Pros:
–location
–park in structure near transit center
–great service if you drink
–walking distance to bars, a theater, the pier, etc.
–nice patio, plus there’s an upper deck
Cons:
–service can be iffy
–food is not great, especially the sides
–the wait time for a table
–come around sunset, but enjoy the view from the beach instead

Only took me 2 years to finish this, but oh well. The location and view is ideal for brunching and seafood, but when SD Malkin breaks ground right in front of it with their 8 story Hotel I’m not sure this place will make it. Part of it’s appeal is it’s unobstructed view of the water.
As great as the 1^st level is on a sunny day, the real prize is upstairs with it’s own bar. Personally I prefer the downstairs bar for service, selection. Make your decision on if the view is worth it.
Everyone seems to think the seafood is overpriced and I can agree to a certain extent, but that’s because they don’t know seafood. People just accept that organic and local food costs more, yet when they realize that 90% of the shrimp they have ever eaten is from Thailand or not sustainable, only then do they complain about price. Personally I do agree their prices are a little high, so really you are paying for location. If you want similar food for a better price go to Point Loma Seafood, Pelly’s, but neither has this view.
It’s packed in the summertime and moderately busy in the winter. Saturday and Thursday are their busiest night (sunset market). Rooftop has a condensed appetizer small plates menu. Open 4 – 9 Thursday, 11 – 9 Friday-​Sunday. 1^st come, no reservations, but they will lock it down for private events. HH menu is basically tacos, sliders, and chips. I like their side kicks are full kicks personally. Burger and PBR, 2 taco’s and a rita, 3 shooters and champage. Those 3 are a money HH.
Oysters are always fresh, but I’m not a fan of the jalapeño mignonette. Using Cuervo in the shooter kind of makes it gross. Maybe use a better tequila like the Corzo I know they carry. Shrimp cocktail is all sauce, these are not jumbo’s like you get in vegas, light on the horseradish. Peel & eat shrimp are ok. Stone crab claws are way over priced. Baja ceviche should not have olives, but ok, it’s really more of a fish taco than ceviche. Poke is west coast Americanized as you’ll find. Call that one California Ceviche. I do love the Mexican seafood cocktail. That and the chips and guac is money. Their chips are excellent, salsa is mild. The green bloody mary has a good amount of jalapeño and it smells more like a green drink than a regular tomato based bloody. It’s one of the few places that will make a killer bloody Cesar.
Fish & chips rivals any in Oceanside. Ribeye is pretty weak, tastes like choice meat, fries and chipotle butter, why even offer this, at least they didn’t overcook mine. Chicken breast is classic, much better than the mussels or linguine. Linguine tastes packaged and sauce is not rich. The boil is good, but a waste of such fresh seafood as they overcook due to things cooking at different times/​temps. They need to take a page out of the Asian owned seafood places. Glad they grill and don’t offer fried versions of their fresh fish, but they do need to work on their sauces. Taco’s are expensive. Stoll down to Bull Taco for the same variety and 20% less expensive.
Their beer selection is small ish as is their wine, but they also carry the classic coastal preferences like corona, paficio, modelo. They carry a few dozen local craft beers and have a solid spirits selection at the bar. Their glasses are well frosted which is a plus (shout out to the old Schooners). Plenty of fisherman vibe, but trendier than Joes. It’s got that sort of contemporary-​ness since they are tied to Spring Hill. Bathrooms are ok, could be bigger. The staff overall is good with a few bad apples here and there. Love the sunda’s and the coconut rum flan.
If you want a more refined seafood meal go to 333. If you want cheaper tacos go to Bull Taco, if you want a view come here until it gets blocked.

I loved it! The food is good, the décor is great! Great location, great service!
Loved the fish & chips!

5 stars for what this restaurant is. It’s not fine dining, it’s just a damn good casual restaurant with great food and service.
We’ve been here 5 times now. Always ordered fish dishes and salads.
These guys know their stuff! Service is always good. Food is always great. Waaaay ahead of some of their competition. *We’ve never eaten up top– But plan to do so when the weather gets warmer.
Good job Guys & Gals ! We will be back

Such tasty food!
For a starter, had calamari, which was very good. It comes with fried jalapenos, which are not too spicy and a nice change from all the calamari.
For my entrée, had the salmon burger. It was recommended by the waitress and I would recommend it to others. Not sure when the last time I had actual salmon in my burger, but this was it.
Went on a weeknight evening during the fall/​winter. It was pretty empty there and service was not bad either. I would not mind coming by again if in the area.
Also, right by the ocean! 2 blocks from the beach without any buildings to block your view.

I found this place while driving around and it looked good so we stopped in. I really appreciated the great view of the ocean from the downstairs dining area (there is also an upstairs bar that has an even better view). I had a Unilocal deal for free salsa and chips so we got those first. As always, a great way to start a meal. Good salsa that was flavorful and not too hot for this Gringo.
I got an oyster torta that included fried oyster, tomato, shredded lettuce, tartar sauce, torta roll. It was wonderful. There were a lot of oysters which was an unexpected wonderful surprise. Seasoning was spot on and as a lover of Po’boy’s, this was close enough to fill my craving.
Service was good as well. Our server was very courteous and kind, which is always appreciated.
For a nice meal near the beach (not on it) with great views, and good service, this is the place.

Disappointed with this place. Great location, nice décor but lousy staff and customer service. We went there yesterday and there were probably 15 to 20 customers seated. No one greeted us at the front so we went outside. We sat beside a table that was dirty for about 20 minutes. There was a table of 4 sitting less than 5 feet away from us who got continuous service until they left. My GF had to go to the bar to buy our drinks. Bartender told her someone should be over to take our food order. No one ever came over. They didn’t even ask how the beer was, how are day was, do we need water, nothing. We received nothing.
Was it my wheelchair that scared them off or what?! They all clearly saw us entering the establishment and sitting outside. Someone eventually cleaned the table behind us but never said a word. I was excited to try some of their menu but that will never happen. One star for location only. Great view of the ocean. That’s all you have going for you.

Ok, so I have been to Hello Betty now many-​a-​time since my original visit and they have won me back over.
I still no not like the middle seating layout, but there are plenty places to sit to avoid this– especially the beautiful outside area. I mean, there are not many joints in North County that have a beach view that is not extremely expensive.
The food is solid, especially the taco selection. I wish that they had a few more salad options, though. Great service as well, I have never had a bad experience when it comes to that.
Overall, this is the perfect spot to come relax for happy hour and a bite and enjoy the beach setting literally right in front of you.

It was around 11 am on a Thursday and we were just walking around Oceanside before we knew we could check in to our hotel so opted to step in to this place since it looked cool enough…
Location & Parking: A block from the ocean, you have an ocean view if you sit at the bar like we did. (See photo.) It is located at the Springhill Suites, so there is parking at the place or we were already parked at the lot kitty corner to the restaurant that offered $ 5 all day parking.
Food & Beverages: I can’t speak to the food (while the menu looked decent) because we popped in for a tasty beverage and had already ate at the farmers market. They have many great beer (many local) options, a handful of wine options, and of course– the full bar.
Service: we had two bartenders who were both super nice. I can’t recall their names, but they were both friendly. The guy responded to our small talk questions. And neither seemed bothered we weren’t ordering food.
Bottom Line– I’d totally come back for a cold beverage, the view, and maybe try some food next time!

The restaurant itself is open, spacious, clean, and gorgeous. Any time a restaurant has its doors open to bring in the ocean breeze is always a plus.
Service was good. The place was packed and the quality of the service was consistent.
The pork belly carnitas tacos are a must.
The calamari fries weren’t what I was expecting, it seemed a bit heavy on the batter.

This place is awesome!
Location, food, weather, drink and staff here seem to be all first rate!
Located along North Myers and Mission Ave in Oceanside, this fish house has some of the best real estate in Oceanside.
Depending if it’s a weekend or public holiday, I would recommend grabbing a reservation as it can turn out in summer to be quite packed out.
Betty’s has a great variety of seating arrangements from bar, high top, lounge and regular 4 – 8 table assembly. I recommend the lounges outside if you have a group.
The food here is great and you really can’t go wrong on the menu. As it is a fish house I would go forward with the Fish Tacos for dinner and for desert the chocolate brownie.
The beer menu is pretty good with a good blend of local taps and mainstream beer. The cocktail menu is extensive which will pretty much satisfy anyone.
The service here is a real highlight! I’ve been a few times here and every time Service has been a true delight. Kudos to staff and management.
Overall
Food: 4 – 5
Drink: 4 – 5
Service: 5 – 5
Coming back: Yes

Came here for my birthday lunch with a group of 15 people (plus 2 dogs) and it was a blast. Because we had dogs in our group I chose to sit in their patio. There was a generalized seating and we could pick where we wanted to sit in the patio area, which was really nice. It was a little snug for our group but we managed to get comfortable and grabbed some extra tables from other areas in the patio (there are many patio areas so it’s a bonus). Pet friendly and there are large water bowls to satiate their thirsts.
We had a great waiter who was humorous and handled our large group well. Not to mention he gave me another margarita which was stronger than the first one my friend got me… I had to babysit both of them.
There’s two stories to dine in (roof top where I’m sure all of the beautiful scenery is at, and downstairs inside and on the patio.
I’ve been a huge fan of their tacos since a Unilocal event I went to (got to taste their pork belly carnitas taco, smoked fish taco, and their albacore taco) so I was glad to be able to get some for lunch and be in a beachy environment as well. Even if you came here on an empty stomach, you’d be full after 2 tacos. Some of us asked how big their tacos were and the waiter said «oh like an inch bigger than street tacos», and our knowledge of a street taco – we are looking at you Tacos El Gordo– we knew this to be pretty small. When they came out, holy moly they were some large tacos, and they were very filling as well.
I got 2 of their smoked fish tacos, my favorite at the Unilocal event, and bf got 2 of their pork belly carnitas tacos (his favorite at the same Unilocal event), and we traded one for the other. Win win!
Their drinks are pretty strong as per the margaritas (I got the O’side Rita), and they have a good menu (food and drinks). Definitely going to come back again when I’m in the area.
Parking is either in metered lots, street parking, or if your feet can handle. there’s a free parking lot (up to 72 hours) about 1.5 miles away across from Joe’s Crab Shack. Yup we are that crazy. and semi-​thrifty. Great ambiance, food cost is not bad for the quality and quantity, and service was awesome. Come with your favorite fur baby or even with friends and family and enjoy this gem that Oceanside has to offer.