Fat Fish Cantinagrill

Nicole, the time is right there in my review. The date is the day I posted the review.

Great service and cocktails!
Came here with my mom who was in town and wanted to find a place close to the beach to eat!
Lovedddd the service here!!!
There is actually parking for this restaurant and your not parking a mile while, typical for PB area!
My lobster tacos were amazing and the beans and rice were great too!!!
I had the prickly pear and blood orange margarita and loved them both!
Highly recommend for a good sit down restaurant in Pacific Beach!

Yum! Just had a great meal here!
I’ve been driving by this place cause I didn’t like the name or logo! But we loved the meal and ambiance on the patio near the fire.
I had lobster bisque (wow) and carnitas lettuce wraps (paleo yum) and Scott had the salmon — tender huge portion was better than what we had at Rancho Bernardo Inn last night at twice the price. Plus the Baja Margarita was delish. Again I say yum!

Great food at very reasonable price. Jake and Jackson consistently provide excellent service at the bar. Lobster tacos and calamari tacos are great, but it’s generally hard to go wrong with anything on the menu.

My family and I went to have dinner here and the service was not impressive. Our order was taken about 20 minutes after we were seated and it took between 45 minutes to an hour before our food arrived. By the time we actually got our food, we were too full off of our three buckets of chips for our meals to even sound appetizing. Some of the meals weren’t even what we asked for. Our waitress rarely checked in with us and when she did, she wasn’t very friendly. For a family of five, we provided a good amount of business yet the manager barely did anything to compensate for the bad experience. Very disappointing considering many of my friends have told me this place was great.

We have come here afew times and yet to be dissapointed all their food has been good they have good margaritas and other specialty drinks its a good place to eat and everytime we come its pleasant nice outside are to sit in and good area at the bar too. I recommend for couples and also families its good for all we like their tacos, mexican street corn and well honestly everything ive had has been good

I honestly have not been to this location since it was Gringo’s many years ago but I’m happy to see they’re still offering delicious Mexican food and the prices are more than reasonable. I came in with a friend as he said they had great mules so we started with those and he was right, they were great!
We weren’t starving but I enjoyed the roasted corn, I didn’t realize it was coming out on the actual cob but I just dove into it and it was to die for. We of course had chips and salsa and the other sauce that comes out with them which is good. Next we had another mule and my friend had a few tacos which looked good and he said they were great.
We sat at the bar and had great service. I’m not one to visit PB often but I’d definitely come back here as it’s much nicer and has higher quality food compared to all the bars close by.

I think it might be our favorite spots that often go un-​complimented (on Unilocal). I’ve been coming here for years… literally since it became «Fat Fish» and well, its awesome. Enchilada suizas are my bf and my favorite. My dad likes the copper pot carnitas. Great fish tacos too

After spending lots of time on beach we wanted to eat something really good. We randomly went to this place as we thought it’s interesting name .
We loved loved loved the food .
I had fish tacos which was super delicious. I think fresh tacos makes all the difference.
My husband had sea food burrito which was heavy but very tasty too, you have to have good appetite.
Each and everything was seasoned perfectly, I loved the shrimp inside the burrito. It was so flavorful .
Other friends tried enchiladas, chilli relleno, salmon they all loved the food .
Staff was very friendly.
It was my birthday that day, so they gave us complementary flan too, which was a very nice gesture! Flan was very nice with mango flavored whipped cream, I still remember flavored.
Overall it’s a win win ! Would definitely come back again !!

So, a caviat before we dive into this whole «review» thing. I HAVE and WILL ONLY come here for their Taco Tuesday special. Their menu items aren’t all that appealing to me at their regular prices. So, for all intents and purposes, this review is solely based on my experiences with Taco Tuesday here.
The vibe in Fat Fish is great. Atmosphere is definitely lively and intimate, although it can be hard to see your food at the smaller tables right outside the bar area.
The following two paragraphs are my thoughts and experiences with the wait here. For the food, SKIP FROM HERE (skim down, you’ll see it)…
Delightful is how I would describe it, IF YOU CAN SURVIVE THE WAIT, that is. There is no wait if you happen to walk right past everyone in line and take an empty seat at the bar (which you are totally allowed to do– the wait is only for tables), as I have done, much to the dismay of onlookers who have anticipated delicious tacos for upwards of 45 minutes outside the restaurant.
I have tried to discern whether there is a system for letting people into the place, but after a few attempts and some group synergy to do so, the jury is still out on this one. I have had 15 minute waits with a party of 5 and hour-​plus wait times with just a party of 2 (myself included), as well as vice versa for BOTH group sizes. It really varies from week to week whether a small group or a big group will get you in the door faster.
…TO HERE.
Onto the food. The main course, as it were. The tacos are a buck each (shrimp costs a buck fifty) and the special requires all those partaking to purchase a beverage that is not water (eg soda, or something a little stronger… like juice or something.) Chips and salsa are really good here and its easy to fill up on them. Ask for spicier stuff if you want– They’ve got it. The tacos themselves are really good. The steak and shrimp are my favorites– Steak has a good flavor from whatever they marinate it in and is tender, and the shrimp has a good crunch from the breading its in without being too heavy/​oily.
The food is really good, but the sometimes long wait times knocks the rating down a star for me.

I love this place! We usually get together with my girlfriends almost every Wednesday because they have amazing happy hour! 50% off appetizers. Tequila ribs and ahi tostada are my favorites. They always bring chips and salsa and refill if needed, but salsa is toooo hot!
Margarita is great too.
Servers are nice, we usually get pretty good service in there.
Restaurant has heaters outside, it’s not cold at all.
Overall very good food and good impression.

We went to Fat Fish a few weekends ago with friends. There was no wait on a Saturday night. That was nice. We were sat in the side room. A very pretty room except for the terrible aiming of the lights. One in particular felt like an interrogation light. (Please reaim your lights to shine in the center of the tables. If they are on tracks move them.) The chips and salsa are really good. The wait staff was very attentive. I had the enchiladas three ways and couldn’t finish it. So good. My husband had carnitas. He liked it as well. We might go back. I prefer Miguel’s. We’ll see.

This has nothing to do with our server, who was very sweet and understanding. It’s the fact that this establishment does not serve what is actually on the menu.
I ordered a Fat Fish burrito that had the fish of the day and black tiger shrimp.
What really grinds my gears is when a place advertises something and they don’t deliver.
It was anything but black tiger shrimp. In fact it was half the size of what a tiger shrimp should be. If I am paying $ 13 dollars for something I expect to actually get it.
Don’t waste your money here. You may as well go to a Mexican food shop and get something for half the price and it be better.

I did my first Taco Tuesday ever this past Tuesday and I’m so happy I got to experience it at this place. Our group arrived at around 9:30pm and there was still a decently sized line going out the door. The line moved pretty quickly though so we only ended up waiting about 15 minutes before being seated.
The first thing I noticed was how lively the entire place was. I guess PB in general is pretty lively, but I absolutely loved the vibe of this place. Our server was also super friendly and very attentive, which was definitely a plus. As for food, I ended up getting a chicken taco and shrimp taco. For my drink (which you have to get in order to get the Taco Tuesday deals), I opted for a lemonade.
The food came out fairly quickly. I went for the chicken taco first, which was probably the best chicken taco I’ve had (although I admit I haven’t tried many). I was impressed, but then I tried the shrimp taco… oh my goodness, it was hands down one of the best tacos I’ve ever had (the only better one being the fish taco from Sandbar that I tried at PBfest). The crunch of the shrimp balanced with the tomatoes and sauce was AMAZING. I cannot express how much I wanted to get more — and I probably would’ve if I hadn’t eaten half a pizza just a few hours before.
Overall, I highly recommend this place! The deals are awesome and the ambience is great as well. The only negative is that they only open half the restaurant to accommodate Taco Tuesday — which is probably part of the reason why the line was still so long at 9pm. I will say, though, that the relatively short wait was still worth it and that I will for sure be back again! Next time, you can bet I’ll be getting all shrimp tacos…

Fat fish’s shrimp and fish tacos are pretty good and worth the price if bought on taco Tuesday. However, I am left with a fishy taste in my mouth and it’s not due to the fish tacos.
Beware, if you go with a group of 14, expect to be seated two hours after you arrive. Then, expect an older man (probably the owner or manager) to aggressively shove and bang your plate of food onto the table. Furthermore, he, with a frustrated look, asked us, in a tone that sounded annoyed, what we had ordered. Everyone at the table noticed his frustration and were immediately uncomfortable. It doesn’t matter who you are, no customer deserves to be treated in such a way. This experience would probably discourage me from ever coming back if it weren’t for the kind waiters. They rock! Too bad they have to work with such a jerk.

What a great team behind the bar! Such a friendly atmosphere for a yummy Sunday brunch! We were looking for a new place to try that would hopefully be showing the Sunday morning games on tv and also have more than bar food to offer… we nailed it!
We started with morning cocktails and a long look at the extensive menu (great choices, including lots of seafood options at fair prices). We were offered a basket of seasoned chips and salsa… OMG, that salsa was divine, I should have ordered a pint to take home… THAT kinda OMG!
Our meals were fresh, great flavors, and too much to finish! I ordered the Huevos Rancheros Plate made with scrambled whites (see pic) and it was the perfect temp, not too spicy, and came alongside good refried beans. My boyfriend got the Carnitas Chillequiles (sorry, no pic) and really enjoyed them. The pork was slow simmered with onions that really stood out in a good way :)
It seemed there were a few local friends in the cantina, a few local families in the dining room… and lots of smiles throughout the restaurant! We’ll return the next time we’re in the PB area!

Date of visit: 8÷14÷2015
I don’t often get to go to happy hour because of my work schedule, but after a beach clean up volunteering event, there was still time to grab a couple of drinks with Issac, Monica, and Cam. Although Fat Fish does not have a happy hour menu, they have daily specials, which includes $ 3 house margaritas from 3pm-​6pm Monday — Friday.
I got 3 margaritas (Happy Friday!) and munched on the complimentary chips and salsa. The margaritas were really great and didn’t taste watered down like other places that have discounted margaritas. The chips and salsa were spicy, delicious, and nicely complemented the margaritas.
We asked the hostess to sit outside on the patio, which was perfect considering it was a hot day. Our waitress was very attentive and came out whenever we needed another round. It was nice that they let us just come and drink margaritas — our waitress never forced us to order anything else.
Overall Fat Fish is definitely worth a visit. I’ve been there before my Unilocal days and enjoyed their food. It’s definitely on the more expensive side of Mexican food, but worth it if you’re looking for a nice ambiance.

I always wanted to try this restaurant out because it just looks appealing from the outside and their location is great. BUT they are expensive. My friends wanted to come here for taco tuesday because it was $ 1 street fish tacos or $ 1.50 for shrimp tacos and they have $ 3 house margaritas.
We sat outside and luckily they have Heat lamps. The waitresses barely checked up on us and did not seem friendly at all.
I was really disappointed when my taco came out because it was really tiny.
When my margarita came out I was thinking «woah this is a good size portion!» And then when I tried it, it all made sense. They use cheap tequila because that shit was strong and nasty! LIKE NASTY!
I think the only cool thing they got going on for them is their complimentary chips and salsa.
You get what you pay for here.

I went to fat fish cantina for dinner with some girlfriends on Saturday night. It was around 930, so Fat Fish didn’t have a dinner crowd. My overall experience was fine, nothing amazing but it was pleasant and the service was good. I got the Macho Nachos. They came on a huge plate, and I barely made a dent in them. I had a big plate of leftovers that I took home for a midnight snack. After I reheated and ate a few nachos with my friends, I bit down on something incredibly hard. I spit it out to discover a large piece of orange plastic. Maybe from a cooking utensil? Whatever it was, I lost my appetite. I not only chewed on plastic, but I had microwaved plastic in with the food I ate. I’ve had cancer and I’m extremely careful not to expose myself to carcinogens if it can be avoided.
Hopefully others have had better experiences.

I love love love the fish tacos here! At night the fish tacos for $ 4. During lunchtime, they serve 2 fish tacos with beans and rice for $ 11. Always comes with chips and salsa :)
I ordered their prickly pear margarita. About ¼ of the way in, I noticed this black plastic stuff in my drink. Probably came from a bottle. I told the waitress and she apologized and offered to take that off my bill and got me a new one. Very good service!
I really love the environment here especially at night. Wait wasn’t long at all on a Friday night.