Gulf Coast Grill

I was really surprised to see some of the not so great reviews. If you’re on the fence about going… I say give it a shot. My boyfriend and I love this place. The hushpuppies are nice and crispy on the outside, soft inside and drizzled with a delicious orange sauce (I have no idea what it is but I could eat it with a spoon!) Tonight, I went for something I normally wouldn’t and had the mustard catfish. I was super impressed. I was given a large piece of breaded fish over a large bed of rice (white and full of flavor), red beans, and roasted veggies. The jalepeno tartar sauce was delish! Forgot to mention we also had the veggie quesadilla as an appetizer. You have to try that… you must… unbelievable! My bf always has a cup of clam chowder which he loves. He prefers the jambalaya and always has leftovers for lunch the next day (even with a half order). Friends of ours enjoyed the Cajun combo (jambalaya, gumbo, hushpuppies) and crab cakes. I’ve also had the ahi tuna with rice and veggies — also very good especially if you like it raw.
Love it so much we asked about catering for possible future parties! Love, love, love it!!!
If you’re looking for a romantic setting, sit on the left side. I prefer the upper level closer to the kitchen where there are fewer people and we can talk, laugh and be merry!
UPDATE…closed down :(

Doh! Went by last night and saw construction guys working inside. Said they will reopen in 3 weeks.
I loved this place when the original owners were running this place and they had fried chicken wings and bbq ribs on the happy hour menu. My kid got along great with the original bartender who sadly moved to I think Oregon… He use to always have extra cherries for my kid’s drink!
In honor of the great times with the original owners and bartender I give Gulf Coast Grill 5 stars but it had gone downhill with the changes in ownership over the years.

La, Ti, Da, Ti, Da. Hmm, I think I want to cash in my SignOnSanDiego deal from Gulf Coast Grill this weekend before it expires next month. Let me check out some pics on Unilocal; see what looks good. nomnom
WHAT??! CLOSED! 4 stars average with 260 reviews?!
That is just horrible. Hooorible.

RIP.

Wife’s birthday
Me: Honey do you want to go out for Cajun food?
Wife: No, I want seafood.
Me: Okay
Anniversary
Me: Honey do you want to go out for Cajun food?
Wife: No, I want seafood.
Me: Okay
Mother’s Day
Me: Honey do you want to go out for Cajun food?
Wife: No, I want seafood.
Me: Okay
My recent promotion
Me: Honey do you want to go out for SEAFOOD?
Wife: Okay.
I take my picky woman to Gulf Coast Grill!!! What can I say… she only eats what she knows… but hey was I lying to her? Not really…
This Cajun place has got Seafood Gumbo!!! And I’ve been dying to come here for the last couple years to try it! And I’m glad I finally did, the taste may not have been as good as Bud’s but the portions were bigger and had way more SEAFOOD!
The atmosphere was cozy for the two of us and we received one of the best services to date… the nice waitress gave the wife her Martini for free because she waited 5 minutes too long for it… really? To be honest we didn’t notice it… but no complaints here!!!
And look at here, the wife even enjoyed her seafood — The Blackened Redfish!
Moral of the story — I just need to frame my questions better!!! ;-)

We only had the Jamabayla but it was SO good, I felt like we were in the South. The bathrooms had a cool atmosphere too!
Had $ 10 all you can drink mimosas for brunch! BINGO!
I would def come back for a good brunch with friends for sure!

One-​star reviews are typically fueled by vitriol and indignation. In this instance, our dining experience was in fact so bad that we were literally laughing out loud at how inexorably inedible each dish we ordered was.
The food at this establishment is so horrifyingly terrible that it makes the average elementary school cafeteria look like the French Laundry by comparison.
My Better Half wanted to try the Gulf Coast Grill because they have hush puppies. We’ve been looking for a decent Cajun restaurant ever since Frank & Joes closed — no luck. Especially with Gulf Coast.
The hush puppies arrived with a drizzling of thousand island atop each ball rather than a separate receptacle for dipping. The sauce itself contained a small hint of an atypical flavor, but the hush puppies themselves were entirely lacking in zest, were undercooked, and entirely devoid of flavor. One bite apiece was all we could stomach of this disappointing appetizer.
I ordered a pair of appetizers rather than an entrée: a bowl of steamed clams and a plate of calamari. What the canned corn was meant to add to the clams I have no idea. I’m convinced that the broth was merely water and food coloring — I can find no other explanation for clams having absolutely zero seasoning. As for the undercooked calamari, I was again amazed that both the breading and sauce were 100% devoid of flavor.
Better Half ordered the stuffed tomato over rice entrée. The goat cheese was inedible, and hardly resembled either cheese or food. As for the strange rice, all I can say is there was something very, very wrong with it. Seriously, after nearly gagging on a rice-​like substance that was supernaturally Not Right we began looking for a hidden camera, convinced that every other patron in the restaurant was an actor and we were the subject of an elaborate prank. Sadly, no one stood up and applauded us for being good sports.
This was 8pm on a Saturday evening. Unless the chef and entire cooking staff had met with a grievous accident earlier in the day and the kitchen was repopulated with random vagrants off the street, there is no excuse for being served premium-​priced food that can only be categorized as a form of punishment.
For the sake of full disclosure, it should be noted that the waiter took notice of the fact that Better Half could not stomach a bit of her entrée, and removed it from our ticket. I did not have the heart to tell him that nothing we were served that evening was anything but atrocious.
I wish I could have magically summoned Ramsay into this restaurant, so that he could sample the food, spit it into his napkin, and then summarily tell the criminals in the kitchen that what they are doing is in fact in violation of the Geneva Convention.
If you have absolutely no palate, despise any semblance of flavor and have a fetish for gagging, this is the place for you. If you actually think food should be edible, do not go here. Ever. Not even out of morbid curiosity. Just don’t do it.

I drove around this restaurant 3 times before I could figure out where to park! Silly me!
I ordered a half order of Jambalaya and it was still a huge portion! It was pretty darn tasty. There were many slices of sausage, a few shrimps and a just a sprinkle of crawdads. It was topped with one entire crawfish, with shell intact. I asked for Tabascco, but I didn’t need any. the dish was already spicy! Yum!
Also, before the meal the waiter brought sourdough bread and mini corn muffins. The corn muffins were delicious!!!
Food was good, service was okay.

Not sure what the recent bad posts are about, but this place is fab. Service was great, gumbo was AWESOME! It was very full of seafood– and just the right amount of spice in everything. We had the fried green tomatoes, boyfriend had the seafood grill (WARNING: very rich sauce!) and I have the ‘Cajun combo’, which was so much food I took ²⁄₃ of it home.
I have been to NOLA a few times, and while nothing compares to that cooking– this is pretty darn close and quite tasty. We paid with a Groupon– but will be back and be willing to pay full price!

Service was awesome and attentive. Wish the food was a bit better. Nothing in particular stood out.
½ Jambayaly: not as flavorful as I had hoped. Has a spicy kick to it.
½ Seafood Gumbo: I don’t want to say it was «fishy», but let’s just say it had an unpleasant «seafood» smell to it. Not what I was expecting.
Chicken Skewers: The chicken pieces were tender, but it was very bland in the middle.
Gulf Coast Greens: Wilted salad w/​a sprinkle of sunflower seeds.
Gulf Coast Chowder: Creamy. Not the best and served with cheap crackers. I want oyster crackers.
When I think of caujan food I think of foods packed with flavors, but Gulf Coast does not deliver in that department.

Gulf Coast Grill had my heart at the outdoor patio lights and glow from the nice blue sign. Very warm and inviting.
It was quiet, dark and very cute. The service was good, but I think it was a bit slow. There were not a ton of veggie options, but if you eat fish you can order like 20 different things.
The fresh bread and mini cornbread they serve while waiting were a big hit with me.
I ordered the stuffed tomato and it was super good. ~14.95 The rice was just ok, but the tomato itself had a ton of flavor. I ordered the cream based sauce on the side and I am glad I did because it was RICH! It was yummy, but I used very little and it was more than enough.
My biggest issue with Gulf Coast was nothing was memorable enough to make me come back. It was good, but it was pricey for what you got.
If you are not a vegetarian and entrees that average ~ $ 20 a plate don’t scare you give it a shot. I think it would make a good date night place.

You know that uncle you are just creeped out by, and you don’t know why? You don’t? Well, chances are you are that uncle. Point being, I can’t put my finger exactly on what bothered me about Gulf Coast Grill, but something did.
First of all, two words: overpriced! What, that’s only one word? Well, imagine I charged you for more than one word. I thought every dish was about $ 5.00 more than it should have been. Dinner for four, even after a Groupon, was $ 80…othwerwise, it would have been $ 120! For a not-​so-​great part of San Diego (this is no La Jolla or Gaslamp, folks), that is just too much in my opinion.
The ambiance was pretty cool, but the loud jazz made me think «party» while the level of darkness made me think «romance.» Much like a Mormon husband, they really just need to pick one and get on with it already.
I ordered the Cajun Combo, and the food was actually pretty good, which is why I am giving this place three stars and not two. The hushpuppies were REALLY good and had a fantastic sauce on them, and the jambalaya was very tasty although a little overly rice-​y. I wasn’t a huge fan of the seafood gumbo: good broth, but I’m not sure how fresh that fish was… and for the price ($ 22.00), I should have heard it glub glubbing still! At least one glub per $ 20 is my motto.
The one thing that I can put my finger on that I really did not like was the mint julep. It’s weird, but I love JD and I love mint… but this just drink made me sick. It simply tasted like watered down Old Grand Dad with a mint leaf in it. I would NOT order this if I were you.
Besides the mint julep, nothing was terribly «wrong» with Gulf Coast Grill, but also, there was nothing terribly right. You want more reasonable cajon/​creole food? Go to Bud’s. Better atmosphere and better food.

Gulf Coast Grill is the business! I ate here the other night to sample more of the yummy jambalaya I first tried at the booth they had at the LSU San Diego Alumni Crawfish Boil back in May.
This is a good sized restaurant, but there were only six tables occupied, if that. I had an Absolut cosmo, their $ 6 cocktail which was the special of the night. We also started off with hush puppies, ribs and the brie… all sooo yummy!
For my entrée, I had a half order of the jambalaya, but it didn’t taste as delicious as the one I had at the crawfish boil. I don’t know what it was, but it had a mushy texture and tasted like it lacked freshness. That’s just my opinion which explains the four star review.
I’d most certainly go back, they’re open for breakfast; I go with my buds almost every Sunday morning so I have another excuse to return back to Gulf Coast Grill. I recommend all the appetizers we ordered, all so good and tasty. I’m salivating just thinking about it!

I went here because it was close by the hotel we were staying at and we wanted some kind of seafood since I live in Vegas.
The hostess seated us inside since it was a little bit chilly outside. The server was really nice he brought out the bread and took our order. I ordered the jambalaya, my daughter ordered the kids quesadilla, and my bf ordered the gumbo and the clam chowder soup. The clam chowder soup was really different from other clam chowder soups we have tried. It had a little kick of spice to it which was really delicious. The jambalaya was good but really filling because it’s rice. Gumbo was delicious, it had lots of different seafood in it.
I would totally go back here!

I literally stumbled onto this place a few years ago with my family and it is as amazing now as it was then.
Since I used to live in Louisiana as a kid, I’ve had a huge craving for Cajun food and I found the place that fills that need. My go to appetizer is always the sweet corn hush puppies served with an amazing remoulde sauce. Think of it as a super condiment for Southern food.
The Mississippi Mustard Catfish is wonderful. It’s griddled and has this wonderful light mustard taste that comes through the crust without overpowering the fish. I admit I was sad to see the blackened catfish go, but this definitely makes up for that. I’ve ordered it a few times now.
If you feel like a classic dish, you can’t go wrong with their Seafood Gumbo or their Jambalaya.
The only dish that I wasn’t excited about was the Muffalata (sandwich). It was lacking the giant soft bread I grew up with and the wonderful wet and tasty tapenade. Other than that, every meal I’ve had so far has been wonderful.
If you’re in the mood for a food party as they say in Louisiana «Laissez Les Bön Temps Roulez!» (Let the good times roll).

Ok, 4 stars from me & the hubster who is from New Orleans. To think that we only have to drive less than 15 miles versus fly 3 hours to his home town for some sweet cajun goodness. I like to cook and while I think my gumbo is a bit better than this one, it was still really good. But hands down, they win on the jambalaya. This is kickin’ good. And forget that more isn’t always better mantra. They have a lot going on in this jambalaya — it isn’t just another rice dish — it’s amazing.
The seafood in the cream sauce is heavy if you eat it all, but it’s loaded with seafood. And nobody commented on the fried oysters — absolute perfection with the spiced cornmeal and the remoulade is the best I’ve ever had. As for hushpuppies, this isn’t you’re everyday hushpuppy. My husband said, «they are charging for these? they come with the meal in Louisiana?» Well they are fluffy bites of pure pleasure — that’s why they are charging. Yummo. I will definitely be back.
And you can’t beat their happy hour prices for apps and drinks. Too bad we don’t live in the neighborhood. Will be back to try the desserts next.

Sweet sassy mo-​lassy that’s some good food!
Not only is this place dog friendly but they have totally amazing service with their killer food. I do mean killer — they give you WAY too much food for any person to survive an entire dish.
So we brought our dog and sat outside on a perfect night. There was a combo platter that sounded like a ton of food but also sounded really good. Jambalaya, hush puppies, and seafood gumbo. We asked our waiter and he said it was a lot of food so we decided to get a couple cups of chowder and split the combo.
We REALLY should have skipped the chowder. Not because it was bad but because it was SO GOOD and filling. The creaminess of it was balanced with the Cajun spice. Really a good combo. Best chowder outside of Seattle!
After dominating our chowder, the Cajun Combo plate showed up. Wow! There was so much food. The jambalaya was great. Really an entire meal by itself. The hush puppies were perfectly crispy on the outside. The gumbo was a great mix of seafood and didn’t have that «fishy» smell that a lot of them get.
All around this was a great meal. This place is really cool and, despite being off the beaten path a bit, still had some cool people at it. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to anyone.

My husband and I have come here twice. Both times we had delicious food. We have tried their Mixed Seafood Grill (shrimp, scallops, red snapper on rice, corn & onions with a spicy, chorizo cream sauce), Fried Green tomatoes, BBQ ribs and a combination platter with jambalaya, ribs and a pork chop. With the exception of the ribs, my husband and I have really enjoyed everything. They have a drink called a Bloody Mary Martini, and it is amazing!
The service is professional and attentive, but not necessarily friendly. The atmosphere is really nice, made with lots of wood. There is outdoor dining too. You can find parking easily on the street.
If you like spicy, Creole/​Cajun or Southern food, you are sure to enjoy Gulf Coast Grill. Just expect to pay about $ 22.00 per person for a meal. Appetizers and drinks extra.

Great place to eat and I love the patio! The Sunday brunch is very good. I got the creole scramble and also ordered the endless mimosas they offer during brunch.
The Creole scramble is eggs with andouille sausage, bell peppers, onions and tomatoes. It also comes with a side of fruit and home friend potatoes. Everything was very good. Our server was good at refilling our mimosas. We never had to ask for a refill, she just automatically did it.
The Kahlua Crème Brulee is also very good. The strawberries that come with it were very fresh. I wish I lived in San Diego so I could eat here more often.

They have a pretty darn good, delicious, unhealthy, fat-​filled Happy Hour here from 430−630pm!
Here’s a quick summary:
$ 3.95 Gulf Coast Chowder: big bowl, cajun touch, and possibly the best Clam Chowder I’ve ever had!
$ 3.95 Bacon Lentil Soup: Meh, but the wife loved it.
$ 4.95 Hushpuppies: These are soooooo goooood! A MUST!
$ 7.95 BBQ Ribs: 6 big bbq pork spareribs… awesome, but not the best, but great for the price!
$ 8.95 Fried Green Tomatoes: Yumm! But not really worth the price.
Beers, Wine, & Wells were $ 3.95 each… kinda high for a Happy Hour, so I passed.
Service from our waiter was superb and friendly, but he was the only one whom seemed to be working that day, so things were a tad on the slow side. My wife and I ate here a few months prior for dinner, and service was the same story: super friendly, but again, slow because there didn’t seem to be enough waitstaff and busboys.
I’ll definitely be back… I hear there are Buy 1 Get 1 Free Coupons for this place… but have yet to find them… dammit!