Anthony’s Fish Grotto

I love the food here but I am only giving it one star because their food portions keep getting smaller by the minute. The fish (mixed treasures) is only one bite! Two tiny bite-​size pieces… what a rip-​off! Come on Anthony’s! You charge way too much for entrees small enough to be appetizers. As much as l love coming here, I’ve been going once a month at least, I will go on strike until you make your portions big enough to feed humans, not birds.

Ok. well. humm. I hate leaving bad reviews but this place was not good at all… I ordered the the Salmon because I was told by my server that it was the best. NOPE, that was a LIE! For sure 100% this was frozen fish. it was super watery… I couldnt even eat it. The lobster was gross tooooo… it def was frozen as well. I would not suggest this place at all. It was pretty busy, lots of people. IDK WHY I didnt think it was good at all. The service was good, thats all I can say.

Every time I come to San Diego I eat here. They have affordable and delicious options. My favorite is the grilled shrimp and fish kabob with a smoky, fresh flavor. I also get the house salad (choose any dressing, it’s great) and a cup of the white clam chowder. They also bring at the start of the meal warm, soft bread with creamy sun dried tomato butter that is very tasty and addicting. But, save room for the Zabione cake! It is reason enough to come here! I could eat it everyday and it’s exclusive at this restaurant. The spumoni mingles with the warm custard and it’s just the best thing ever. The service is always kind. I’ve celebrated birthdays here. The view is beautiful, so get a seat seaside or take a walk along the port. Even the more expensive dishes are worth it.

Our small group enjoyed our meal and experience last evening. We had made a previous reservation via open table and were promptly seated along the window as requested for a fantastic view of the bay. Our server, Alecia, did a great job and was promptly at our table as soon as we were seated. Our group had the combination appetizer platter and everyone thought the coconut shrimp were fantastic. For dinner, most got the combo platters and one tried the mussels which were very good. Our overall experience was very good.

Great ambience, peaceful, nice view of the bay. Food was great, simple and easy to order. Ask for dinner rolls they are delicious with garlic butter. Meals are a bit pricey roughly around $ 15 and up for a plate but its expected.

Got here with 20 mins waiting on a Saturday evening, which is OK for this area. Drink and appetizer was served rather fast, however, it takes around an hour for our main dish. Waiter is friendly and seems super busy. Food is only acceptable with the price paid. Overall, I think 3 star is fair.

Good food, but a bit pricey for what you’re getting. You can’t go wrong with most of their fresh fish dishes, and the Calamari is great… good salads, sandwiches, & burgers too. and one of the best raspberry lemonades I’ve ever had!
But you can easily spend $ 60+ per person here without trying.
However, if you’re looking for the best ‘fish & chips’ in all of San Diego Country, don’t go here. Instead go to «Harbor Fish & Chips» (up in Oceanside on the harbor).

Came here for restaurant week. Three course meal for $ 30! Can’t beat that especially when there’s filet mignon and lobster tail as options. My friend and I got the Brussels sprouts and pork belly wontons to start which were both great. I got the filet mignon and she got the lobster tail with coconut shrimp. The coconut shrimp were amazing but the steak was on the rare side and the waiter didn’t bring out butter for the lobster … So we had to ask for it… Which took about 20 minutes to track him down and get to our table… but it still tasted ok. Desserts were standard. Nothing spectacular
A+ view and great martinis
Would definitely go back

Good quality seafood, view and service. We had the shrimp Louie salad, clam chowder and to start the calamari. They have take out as well as a nice dinning room.

I’m confused is to how AFG has 3 stars! This place is amazing. I have been here 5 times and every time I go here it’s gotten better!
The oysters are amazing! We had the mud pie for dessert and that too was the best!
Come visit you won’t be disappointed

Service is awesome at this place or maybe we just got lucky we had a cool server. Food was good and something i would come back to, again. I had the clam chowder and it was good, and then for my main course i had the fish combo with rice and it was great! i was in love with their tartar sauce :-) Hubby ordered steak and when it arrived, he said it was just room temperature but he still finished it :-) The location of this place is just breathtakingly wonderful and relaxing… you can view the sunset while drinking your wine or beer and catch up with friends and family. I would also recommend getting a reservation.

I’ve been hearing a lot about Anthony’s in the news lately and realized I have not eaten here since I was a kid. I wanted to give it a try before their lease ended and close down for good. I came for lunch and was seated right away. It is right on the water with huge picture windows so you have an excellent view of the water and sail boats sailing.
For a cocktail I had a grapefruit lemon drop. It was ok. I didn’t taste much of any grapefruit. It qas served un a champagne flute and not the typical sugar rimmed martini glass.
For my meal I had the crab and cheese sandwich. Basically this is a grilled cheese with crab in it. It came with a side of coleslaw, fries, or crab macaroni salad. The macaroni salad was very good. Not an overwhelming mayonnaise or nasty miracle whip taste. There wasn’t very much crab in it, but the flavor was still good. My sandwich was good. Nothing spectacular. There was adequate amounts of crab meat in it. I was worried they’d be stingy, but they weren’t. I did have to add salt to it as it was a bit bland.
Calamari was our appetizer. It was cooked well and not too battered or chewy. It was served with maranara and a tartar type sauce. I preferred the latter. All in all Anthony’s was good. I’m glad I chose to come during lunch as I don’t think the prices on the dinner menu would be worth it. I would come back if this was a place everyone else was going to, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to wat here again when there are better places in the area. It was just ok.

We were a little nervous eating here after reading so many mixed reviews but it was AMAZING! First off, if you go on a Saturday night waiting is expected but we made an online reservation and it only took 5 minutes to be seated. When we made reservations we put that we preferred a booth and they had saved one for us! Great service from the host/​ess!
The waitress was wonderful! She was very helpful with the menu (my fiancé doesn’t do seafood) and we both ordered based on her recommendation and loved it! The top sirloin was cooked perfectly and the shrimp trio was amazing! Not to mention, it only took about 15 minutes from the time we ordered until our food came out. Now they weren’t crazy busy but it was still pretty full.
I am glad we decided to go here despite some bad reviews! I totally recommend!

My review for Anthony’s Fish Grotto will be mixed because the food didn’t agree with my son (lucky there are clean bathrooms in the area).
The food we ordered fried calamari, fish and chips were very good. But for some reason the food gave my son serious stomach pains that was accompanied by the runs.
Since my wife and I didn’t experience any discomfort after eating the seafood meal, it’s safe to say that the cause of my son’s stomach pains was probably an allergic reaction to the food preparation/​cooking (perhaps the oil used for frying).
If we ever visit the area again, we’ll need to reconsider going to Anthony’s (just to be safe) eventhough the food was good.

This place is in an amazing location with a wonderful ocean front view, perfect for a romantic sunset dinner as well. Before walking in I assumed it would be one of those really pricey restaurants with a snotty staff, but to my surprise the staff was extremely friendly, outgoing, and down to earth the pricing is very reasonable as well.
I came in with my boyfriend to enjoy happy hour with a great view. The happy hour here is great! 5 dollar margaritas (which actually taste like margaritas, not cheap over sugared drinks) and beer on tap. They also have a good reduced prices appetizer menu with a variety of options. I ordered the calamari and it was delicious
I live a short walk away and I am definitely excited to come back and make this a regular happy hour spot.

I will start off by saying their fresh bread with sun-​dried tomato butter is probably the best combination of food I have ever tasted.
This is a nice place on the water, right in the middle of tourist central. The views from the tables are quite nice. The waitress was friendly. The food came out to our table in a timely manner, it was getting the check that took a long time.
I ordered the mediterranean quinoa salad with salmon. It was fresh and tasty, pretty large sized for a salad. The salmon did taste a little more fishy than what I’m used to. My boyfriend ordered the clam chowder in a bread bowl with a side of salad. It’s a good portion size for lunch.
We didn’t have room for dessert because we stuffed ourselves with the delicious bread and sun-​dried tomato butter. I would have to say that is definitely the selling point for me here and the biggest reason why I will return.

After wandering the docks, maritime museum and harbor, Ben and I were tired, hot and in desperate need of a happy hour/​light lunch. We chose Anthony’s not only because it was close, but it supposedly boasted some of the best seafood around… so why not try it!
When we entered, I was surprised to see the place not packed — considering there was a sail festival going out outside along with a street fair. The hostess seated us at a great booth table overlooking the harbor — which we were very happy about. About 10 minutes later — a man (who we thought was the busser as he was dirty in appearance and carrying plates of leftover food) asked us what we wanted to drink and when I asked about the beers on draft he slammed down the menus he also had in his hand and shoved the drink menu at me. when I opted for a crisp glass of wine he said «okay fine» and walked away. we didn’t see him again for another 20 minutes — in which we ordered our food right away.
I opted for 2 appetizers (crab stuffed mushroom and the crab cake) and was disappointed in the crab cake. I love crab and always have try it each time I’m on the coast, and this cake was luke warm and didn’t taste anything special. Ben noshed on the turkey blt and it came out soggy.
After 45 minutes of sipping on wine and eating our light meals, we asked for our check which didn’t arrive until 20 minutes later. Our server seemed distracted, unaware of anything we asked him and genuinely seemed irritated by his job. Having been a server for many years, I understand when busy, it can be a pain to answer a million questions when you’re running around. however they weren’t too busy — so I expected more.
After all was said and done — I wouldn’t return here. completely overrated.

You are paying for the view and the area, keep that in mind With that said… here it goes.
CAREFUL! So many cars had tickets on them because the meters were out. PLEASE pay attention to your meter! You don’t want your $ 15 fish dish becoming a 100+ meal!
If you are going to be forgetful, just don’t go-it’s not worth it!
I ate somewhere more affordable and relaxed with my parents on the patio. We just ordered some dessert and coffee. Nice relaxing outdoor ambiance without the expensive bill. Call me cheap or call me frugal, I had a good time!

Clam chowder Review only:
I always wonder will any chowder or seafood on the harbor be good to eat? I really wanted some clam chowder one day and decided to take a chance with Anthony’s Fish Grotto. The restaurant is located right near the Star of India ship or the cruise ship terminal and seems to be always empty… I guess I can tell you because it’s pretty tourist pricing for food.
I got the clam chowder (one size) for $ 4.50ish and it came in a tiny ass Styrofoam cup. I must say though that the chowder was good. It was the right creaminess and good ratio of potatoes to clams portion. I actually got big chunks of clams unlike a really good restaurant I went to a few months ago to get some chowder. Like I said my only complaint was how little they gave you to the pricing. I’m used to $ 5-​$ 6 with a big bread bowl. But I guess that’s what you get in a touristy area.
Next time I’m craving clam chowder I’ll be walking over here and paying that touristy price. I wish you can show your driver’s license ID to show residency and pay the local price. Wouldn’t that be bomb in all restaurants in downtown! The local SD discount.

Landmark fish restaurant with beautiful views of the harbor. Great menu with fresh catch items.
Nice menu and friendly staff.
I enjoyed my meal.