Tin Fish Gaslamp

Prime location, fantastic view, amazing customer service, a humble friendly owner, and of course fresh delicious food and strong drinks deserves a 5 star review.
If you are working at the convention center, going to Petco Park, staying at the Omni or Hard Rock Hotel, want to go day drinking or on a pub crawl, or simply work downtown, you need to mark this off your list. I especially love this place for lunch (I use to come here during my break at conventions). It’s the best people watching as a local or tourist. The sound of the trolley and all the people walking around is straight textbook downtown SD. This place gets packed during huge events like Comic Con. Luckily today, taco Tuesday it was perfect.
Order your food at the counter and get a number, then the server brings out your food. Grab a drink at the bar and bring it to the patio table/​high top table seating.
The friendly owner Jerry noticed us taking pictures and came over to talk to us. He told us tonight, they are starting a whole new taco deal: Korean bbq, chipotle chicken, and chimichurri shrimp street tacos. We will be back for this!
Today we ordered the fish & chips 3 pieces with crispy waffle fries perfectly melt in your mouth fresh. Also the tacos are popular here: chose the salmon and mahi mahi tacos wrapped in flour tortillas. Grilled perfectly. Chose the side of waffle fries that came with the tacos. And 2 house margaritas– My goodness, they were not sweet at all and a very strong pour of tequila-​no complaints here.
I’m glad to see Tin Fish is still around and serving fresh delicious seafood.

Drug mules are forbidden to read this.
I didn’t realize I was going to embark on an adventure in eating when we chose to eat there yesterday lunch. I had the Swordfish Fish and Chips. My coworker had a cheeseburger, and the world seemed right. Little did I know that I was about to find out a new way to quickly get through airport security.
Less than an hour after eating, I had the expressed desire to remove the food from my stomach by any means necessary, explosive vomiting or diarrhea would have been preferred. But I couldn’t as I was headed to the airport in a very lovely Über Mercedes. Apparently I looked sick on arrival at the airport, as the TSA screener asked me if I was OK. I felt clammy, probably like a guy with a couple of kilos of white powder in his shoes and backpack. I told him lunch didn’t agree with me, he asked where, I said Tin Fish. To which he replied (seriously in real life he said this), «Oh the Health Department is on them often. Have a nice flight.» I entered the line and was through security screen in 2 minutes flat! No complimentary rectal exam and strip search from TSA. They waived me through probably thinking I really was sick.
Little did I know that this was probably the magic formula for smuggling kilos of ‘stuff’ through the airport, just tell the screener you ate at Tin Fish, and they’ll feel sorry for you! But, alas, even if I had been a smuggler (ok I’m really not except for the small tube of Crest toothpaste), I still felt like a piece of hammered-​flat dog crap.
And my lower tract did punish me with the admonition ‘don’t ever eat that crap again’!
I’ll try to avoid it in the future.
So before you go to Tin Fish you may want to check with Transportation /​Swordfish Fish & Chips Agency first. Or eat the cheeseburger, not the Swordfish Fish & Chips. You may end up in a longer line and get the TSA finger-​up-​the-​wazoo, but you gut will thank you.

Hands down my favorite place in all of San Diego. Strategic location makes it the perfect lunch or dinner stop before a Pads game or while at the Convention Center. Hell, I’d come even if I wasn’t in the area! Friendliest wait staff, comfortable outdoor seating, and you can never go wrong with the halibut fish tacos. By far the best! We had our wedding reception here and it gave the perfect beachy San Diego-​relaxed vibe. I look for any excuse to visit and it’s not hard to get my way when my family are die-​hard fans as well. Ignore the less than stellar reviews. Some people wouldn’t know awesome if it slapped them in the face. Gotta go, craving some fish tacos and margaritas in this beautiful weather!

Great spot located on the side of Hepburn’s Bar… very close to Petco. Came here for lunch on a Saturday and although there was a conference the line moved super fast and device was great. You walk up, order and food is brought out to you. Ordered the calamari appetizer which was great and fried lightly. Fish taco was fried to perfection and topped with cabbage and a lemony dressing. Grilled platter was delicious with three types of fresh fish, jumbo shrimp and scallops. All orders come with criss cross fries which are ridiculously delicious.

What a disappointment ! Ordered two fish tacos aka carte, every other bite was «fishy» tasting:(
Cheese wasn’t melted and the tortilla was like the packaged ones from La Mission that you buy at the grocery store. There was live music paying on the patio and that was nice.

Well we drove down from Escondido to eat here and it was closed!!! So now l have to figure out where to feed 14 ppl bc there hours of operation is false!

Stopped in while at a convention for lunch.
While the place was packed the service was reasonably quick, and after ordering some mahi tacos, chips and pico and fish and chips the food was brought to our table.
The tacos were very good, served on a warm corn tortilla which I really appreciated since this gringo hates flour tortillas. There was a light amount of pico, cheese and sauce on the mahi which was cooked quite nicely.
The chips were freshly fried and served with additional pico which was flavorful.
My coworker reported that his fish and chips were excellent.
Such a better dining option than the frozen crud at the convention center.

This little place makes a mean fried fish taco! The location of this restaurant& bar is perfect if you are at the convention center like I was today w my husband. The staff was helpful and friendly. I ordered a fish taco and some of their clam chowder. The taco was great! Flavorful, cooked just right, and not too much sauce on it! I’d have one of these any day! The soup however was terrible. It honestly tasted like it could have– and probably did– come out of a can. It was salty and lumpy … The clams were rubbery and there was hardly any clams or potatoes. I only ordered the chowder as it was on their sign outside — this is NOT a dish they should advertise. Being by the water they should have really fresh fish & great chowder– but it was a huge let down.

«Great Place to Visit Before a Padres Game «
My wife and I visited the Tin Fish Restaurant in the Gaslamp area of San Diego next to Petco Park yesterday, and had a very good experience. The Tin Fish is very conveniently located by Petco Park and the San Diego Convention Center. Jim the Tin Fish manager and Bob the Co-​owner of the Tin Fish, came by our table many times to ensure that everything with our meal was just right. We started our meal with a delicious and so creamy bowl of New England Clam Chowder. We then shared a plate of Fish and Chips which was very tasty. The Fish is Alaskan Cod and was very well seasoned, tender, and moist. The waffle fries were crispy and tasty. The Cole Slaw was delicious with a very different style lite dressing on it. We topped everything off with a special ice bucket of 4 Tecate Beers for only $ 12.00. The Tin Fish has inside and outside seating, and also a full bar area. We also enjoyed some good live music and singing by an entertainer while we were eating our lunch. A great place to kick back and enjoy a meal before the Padres game.

Seriously tasty, quick, and cheap. This is my first time eating a fish taco… and I am pleasantly surprised. This place is a nice bar/​bistro, with quick, easy food, and if that’s what you are looking for you won’t go amiss with the Tin Fish. Plus, it’s right across from the convention center, a fine bonus if you are here for a convention, as I often am.

Awesome fish tacos at the Tin Fish!.. which is located in the heart of Gaslamp near the trolley tracks in between the San Diego Convention Center and Hard Rock near the Omni. I’ve been here a few times and this place has a very great seafood quality. with a casual atmosphere and good service. You order your food up at the front, and they deliver it to your table. while you serve yourself with your drinks and seat yourself. There are a few seats and tables inside, and plenty more out on the patio to enjoy SD and also do people watching. I recommend the fish tacos, fish and chips, and the clam chowder (yummy!). They also offer a wide array of other seafood options as well. Everything here is reasonably priced with good portion sizes that taste fresh and of good quality. Just be sure to time it right because although this place is open later, the kitchen closes earlier and there is a bar in the back for those who want to get their drink on.~

I went here September 2015 and just realized I never wrote a review, so I’m about 5 months late. Anyway…
Had the mixed fish & chips with a tall PBR. The batter wasn’t my favorite. I like the beer batter, the real crisp and smooth textured type of batter. This one was crumbly and seasoned. It wasn’t bad though. Big waffle fries. Loved those! Tartar sauce was decent. Cole Slaw was good. Everything is average priced. Overall I had a really good time and enjoyed the food.

This spot sits in the middle of the intersection facing the Gaslamp and Convention Center. Lucky them! There’s a ton of outside seating which is probably great for people watching, but the inside can become quite cramped, especially if you have parties any larger than 4.
You order at the counter, then find a seat. I ordered a ½ order of the fish and chips, which came with 3 lightly battered filets of fish and a handful of waffle fries and a cup of cole slaw. The cole slaw was great at cutting through the richness of the tartar sauce and crispy fish, and the fries were a welcomed change to your regular run of the mill french fry. Everything was a bit salty, however, so I didn’t manage to finish off the waffle cut fries, but I was full for the mere $ 8-​$ 9 I’d spent on lunch. Not a bad price, especially given the location.
I kind of wish I had a knife, but the fish was soft enough to just cut through with a fork so it wasn’t necessary. Great spot if you’re craving fish & chips or a bowl of chowder and happen to be starving after a nearby event at the convention center.

Yummy! My family and I stopped in for dinner after we attended an event at the San Diego Convention Center. This place is right across the street from it, in what’s known as the Gaslamp Quarter. They have both indoors and outdoors seating available. We ate inside, and didn’t have to wait for a table. I like the music they were playing too. It made our dining experience even better!
I ordered a fried fish taco, with a side of coleslaw and onion rings. The taco came on a fresh flour tortilla. The fish was crunchy on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside. It was topped with crunchy shredded cabbage, creamy white sauce, and fresh pico de gallo. They serve it with a lime wedge which you can squeeze right over the top. It was delicious! These are not skimpy tacos! Now with onion rings, you never know if they’re going to be good or not, but the ones served here are a winner! Hot, crisp, sweet juicy onions that don’t taste overly greasy, or like they’ve been sitting out for a while.
My husband ordered an Angry Orchard Hard Cider Crisp Apple to drink. I had never tasted one before, but man was it good! I’ll be getting one for myself the next time we eat there. The food, location, wait time, prices, and service was excellent. I’m pretty sure we’ll be back next time we’re in the area. I recommend this restaurant for lunch or dinner.

Right across the street from the convention center so it’s a quick solution for a simple lunch. The fried fish is juicy and the fried oysters are fresh. It would have to be fresh considering the amount of foot traffic they get during lunch time.
Skip the clam chowder, definitely not worth the money.

What I like about this place it’s so close to the convention center. Convention center food is almost always kind of meh.
It was definitely packed at lunch time and I can see why. They have really reasonable prices and the food comes out fast. I had a fish fry which I thought was very solid. I also tried a fish taco which I thought was good as well. Waffle fries were average but in general I’m not a huge fan of those type of fries in general.
There’s plenty of outdoor seating just ignore the birds! Also, if you want beer they have an ok selection with average prices for the area.
For a quick bite to eat around the area that won’t break the budget, this is the spot.

I came here for lunch. I had the calamari burrito that came with waffle fries and coleslaw. The burrito was humongous, to much of the shell, I ended up opening it up and just eating the inside. I never had a calamari burrito before, it was good but I did ask for some ranch dressing and made my own salad by adding the coleslaw to the calamari burrito.
The place was very convenient to my hotel and also the ballpark. You order your food and they bring it out to you. It is nothing fancy but it works for a lunch spot. I enjoyed the outdoor eating.

My first time here was during Comic Con this year, and I gotta say the best thing was it’s right in the heart of the Con, and everything else going on. It’s a great spot to people watch, and see all the cool to crazy costumes.
The food is a for sure three star, it’s good but it’s not the best seafood I have had at all. The place itself is small inside, but at least they have a bar area in the back, and a lot of of open patio space out front, but careful when it’s packed it’s feels like a over crowded club.
The service was pretty blah that day, but hey I understand. The workers are dealing with the humidity, the crowd, and long hours. I believe I ordered the 5 piece fish and chips. Each fish was a pretty good size and the taste like I said was good, and the chips as well. It did the job, filled me up, satisfied my hunger as I watch some interesting costumes, and people that day.

My family stayed at the Hilton Bayfront close by for the 4^th of July. Tin Fish was open and a quick 10 min walk away so off we went!
The place is very small with a bar and a few tables. Nevertheless, it wasn’t too packed and easily found seats. You order by the bar, they give you a number, and you seat yourself. The bartender was really nice and provided us with great service with a smile. Here’s what we ordered:
One fried fish taco + one grilled seabass taco + fries [4.5/5] — Loved every bite for $ 12.50! But my most favorite part, oddly enough, were those amazing criss cut fries. Ask them for a side of ranch. Wow were those fries amazing. I also really liked that the seabass was soft, moist, and flavorful.
Fish & chips with a side of cole slaw [2.5/5]: The fried fish was nothing to rave about nor was the cole slaw. This was also $ 12.50.
If I were ever in the area again, I would come back… especially for those addicting fries.

Meh this place was alright. Maybe I’m spoiled because I get to eat California Fish Grill in Irvine all the time. I came here to grab a quick lunch during a conference at the SD convention center.
I ordered the grilled salmon plate ($ 14) and a side of rice. There were 3 decent pieces of salmon with very little seasoning, but they were cooked well. It came with tartar sauce and cocktail sauce, both of which I didn’t really think tastes good with salmon. The cole slaw was pickled instead of the regular creamy kind. The quantity of fish was a good thing, but I got over the taste pretty quickly. I need me some garlic butter sauce or cajun or something! My friend got the fish & chips, which was much tastier than my meal. It was basically like McDonald’s filet o fish without the cheese & bun. I mean that in the best way possible because I LOVE fish filets.
PS. They don’t accept AMEX.