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Ironside Fish & Oyster, San Diego, CA
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Ironside Fish & Oyster

$30 and under
Seafood

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2 people
19:00
Booked 100 times today
  • Great for creative cocktails
  • Lively
  • Hot spot
Little Italy was built by the fishing industry. Ironside attempts to continue that narrative. It's our contemporary interpretation of the classic fish house and oyster bar. Located in a historic auction house on India St we did a full comprehensive restoration of the building, with three open-air culinary hubs featuring an expansive raw bar, chefs table, and bakery. We tried to be mindful of the past while looking towards the future. A 4% surcharge will be added to all guest checks.

Ironside is now taking reservations for patio and dining room seating.

We are now offering Happy Hour MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY FROM 3:00PM - 5:00PM.


Order delivery or takeout

Why they're an Icon

Executive chef: Moira Hill

From the OpenTable editors: Portholes, anchor hooks, and an enormous octopus sculpture—the nautical energy is strong at this seafood giant. Executive chef Danielle Van Steen puts her stamp on highlights like bone marrow with tuna tartare and sesame-smoked trout. The sprawling restaurant is set in a former auction house, hinting at San Diego’s maritime past.

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Seafood, American, Californian
  • Hours of Operation
    Mon–Thu 11:30–22:00 Fri 11:30–23:00 Sat 11:00–23:00 Sun 11:00–22:00
  • Phone number
    (619) 269-3033
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Carte Blanche, Diners Club, Discover, JCB, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Area
    Little Italy
  • Cross Street
    Date Street
  • Parking details
    Street Parking
  • Additional
    Bar Dining, Bar/Lounge, Beer, BYO Wine, Chef's Table, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Counter Seating, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Late Night, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine

What 4,529 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.4
4.4 based on recent ratings
  • 4.4Food
  • 4.3Service
  • 4.5Ambience
  • 4.1Value

NoiseModerate

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Ironside Fish & Oyster in San Diego is a seafood lover's paradise. "The oysters are a must" and the lobster roll is "out of this world." The industrial nautical decor adds charm, while the cocktails enhance the dining experience. Although service can occasionally be slow, the overall atmosphere and fresh seafood make it a memorable spot.

4,529 Reviews
  1. Blake

    Los Angeles

    1 review

    2.0

    1 review

    Dined today

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 4
    Uncomfortable seats. Baked clams were room temperature. The stool seats were insanely uncomfortable, we even overhead the couple next to us complaining about them. Staff was nice and the restaurant has a great interior

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  2. Steve

    Orange County

    59 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    59 reviews

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    We had a very nice dinner. I had a bowl of their clam chowder and my companion had the famous chowder fries. Both items were delicious and chock full of clams. That’s what sets their chowder apart from other restaurants. Our server was attentive but not intrusive. He suggested a wine that I had never tried before and it went perfect with the chowder.

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  3. Natalia

    San Diego

    21 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    21 reviews

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 5
    What can I say? This is easily one of the best happy hour spots in San Diego! The ambiance is stunning, the service is outstanding, and the food is absolutely incredible. We had yet another fantastic experience here, this time for an early dinner to celebrate my kid’s birthday. The oysters were incredibly fresh, the Japanese sweet potatoes are a must-try, the fish and chips were amazing—so fresh and moist—and the clam chowder was perfection. The smoked trout dip wasn’t my favorite this time, but it was still a solid appetizer. Our server, Mike, was exceptional—attentive, polite, and spot-on with his food recommendations. We’ll definitely be back, and if you’ve never been to this place, make a reservation now. You can thank me later!

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  4. Blake

    San Diego

    3 reviews

    2.0

    3 reviews

    Dined 5 days ago

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 3
    We’ve dined at Ironside the last three years for my daughter’s birthday dinner. Our experience this time around was a major letdown. There were many missteps throughout our meal. We arrived for our 6pm dinner reservation as a party of five. We ordered the Big Platter and bread for our table right away with our cocktails knowing it was a busy night. Our bread arrived right away but our platter didn’t arrive for another hour with our waitress stopping in and letting us know the kitchen was behind on shucking and plating. She did inquire if we wanted to instead have her fire our entrees and eat our platter appetizer afterwards. We politely declined thinking it odd to eat our hot entrees before receiving our cold appetizer. Once our platter arrived it was excellent and all seafood was fresh and nicely chilled. Before we had finished our platter our entrees soon arrived which was a little disappointing. As we tucked into our entrees some were excellent and some were just okay. The octopus pasta was very good, as was the whole baked red snapper. Our halibut entree was mediocre and the filet itself was not the usual meaty cut I’ve been used to in the past. Instead it was more of a tail end piece which lent itself to be more dry and very small for the price. The mussels “pozole” style was also a letdown. The flavors were more muddy than anything and the consistency not brothy enough to compliment the beautiful mussels. Pozole is usually a nice soup consistency and instead the mussels seemed to sit atop a thin layer of sauce that neither soaked up or surrounded the mussels. Mussels are best enjoyed in a nice broth and instead there was barely anything to dip a piece of bread into. We constantly had to ask for our dirty dishes to be cleared so we could have enough room and our empty cocktail glasses sat on the table the entire night. At dessert we had to wait for our hot tea because our waitress explained they needed to wash more cups. Overall not a great experience.

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  5. Todd

    Orange County

    3 reviews

    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined 6 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Great food and very fun place! Definitely recommend.

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  6. Sean

    San Diego

    4 reviews

    vip
    4.0

    4 reviews

    Dined 6 days ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 3
    Expected so much more..! The mussel pozole is NOT a pozole at all..! The lobster roll was 95% bread. The octopus rigatone was decent. Overall, we didn't feel we'd want to come back.

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  7. Michelle

    New York City

    1 review

    2.0

    1 review

    Dined on 10 November 2024

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 3
    Wait staff was okay, but we felt that once our waiter figured out we weren’t going to be a big bill he abandoned us to a newer waitress who was…odd…she never spoke to my husband or sons, only me. Food was a huge disappointment. Lobster roll was small and definitely not enough to fill anyone up Chowder fries? I don’t think there was an ounce of clam chowder on my fries at all. Just tasted of bacon and cheddar. Tasted like bacon cheddar fries Jack In The Box, only saltier Fish and chips, sub par. We’ve had better for cheaper at diners. All the food was way too salty.

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  8. Alex

    San Diego

    3 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on 9 November 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Ironside never disappoints ! Great service and ambience. Can’t ask for more

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  9. Jennifer

    San Diego

    1 review

    vip
    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on 9 November 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Book in advance this place is pack w/ good reasons. Always great food good service!

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  10. Silvia

    Las Vegas

    4 reviews

    2.0

    4 reviews

    Dined on 9 November 2024

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 4
    We didn’t care for the menu Never had fish and chips with actual chips. It’s always with fries Chorizo should never be served with chorizo Chorizo is too strong and completely took away from the octopus flavor The price of the happy hour is high so you would think the food would be a lot better We were ignored numerous times by the waitress when we wanted to order another drink. When she finally came she got the order wrong. We tried to tell her she got it wrong but walked away The oysters were good I guess everyone goes for the oysters? Ambiance is nice

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FAQs

You can order delivery directly from Ironside Fish & Oyster using the Order Online button.

Ironside Fish & Oyster is rated 4.4 stars by 4529 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a booking

2 people
19:00
Booked 100 times today

Order delivery or takeout

Google Map for Ironside Fish & Oyster

1654 India Street, San Diego, CA 92101

Additional information

  • Cross Street
    Date Street
  • Area
    Little Italy
  • Hours of Operation
    Mon–Thu 11:30–22:00 Fri 11:30–23:00 Sat 11:00–23:00 Sun 11:00–22:00
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Seafood, American, Californian
  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking details
    Street Parking
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Carte Blanche, Diners Club, Discover, JCB, Mastercard, Visa
  • Additional
    Bar Dining, Bar/Lounge, Beer, BYO Wine, Chef's Table, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Counter Seating, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Late Night, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine
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