Ironside Fish & Oyster

Japanese sweet potato were the star of the show. Octopus was good, not great. The fish on the bone marrow was okay, had high expectations.

We stopped here on a ridiculously busy Saturday during the weekly farmers market in Little Italy. We were waiting to be called for the waitlist for a different restaurant, but it had been over an hour, so we saw this place just opening and asked if we could be seated. It had been on my list to try, and thankfully, they were able to seat us, since we were just a small party.The decor is amazing, and the food was very good. My favorite was the lobster roll, but I liked the fish and chips as well. It wasn't too greasy, and the fries were very tasty. We were seated just outside on the patio, and people walking by couldn't help but stop and look at our food, and comment. The drinks might have something to do with it as well as they were served in very cute decorative glasses. It actually shows you the picture of the glass you will be getting when you browse the menu.The service was awesome and they took time to explain the menu and give us their opinions on the dishes we asked about.

-1.5 stars for service, -1 star for food. I would give it 2.5 stars if I could. I made a reservation for 1:30pm on a Sunday for a party of 4.When it came to ordering no one came by at all for a while and someone from our party had to get someone to come and get our order. My party was already trying to order before I got there but were not able to because no one came by. They are very short-staffed even though the restaurant wasn't full. I can't imagine what the service would be like when it is full.After ordering the waiter asked us if we were in a rush and that food takes 10-15 minutes minimum to get out. It was a bit of a weird question because we didn't make it seem like we were rushed and we didn't hear them ask the table next to us about that. Didn't realize that asking the server to come over to order (because no one came over for more than 10 mins) was considered rushing...The food came out all around the same time which was nice. They did forget our Yellowtail entree so it was brought out near the end. The waiter also forgot the table next to us needed to order main courses and they called our waiter over right after. Food tasted good, however I had the worst stomache of my life right after and had to go to the bathroom. This was the only thing I ate today so I'm not sure if it was the oysters or whatnot but it was bad. Bigger Seafood Tower - 8.5/10, Amazing seafood that tasted fresh. Great portion as well. Oysters tasted just okay, possible cause of my stomacheShrimp Lo Mein - 2/10, Noodles were too hard, sauce was too sweetJapanese Sweet Potato - 9/10, Potatoes were crispy and the sauce was greatLobster Roll - 10/10, The lobster roll bread was amazing! There was even a whole claw in there which was greatClam Chowder - 10/10, So much clam in the soup and the flavor was deliciousYellowtail Entree - 6/10, It was just okay, nothing much special. The flavors were a bit lacking in my opinion. The potato rosti was good thoughOverall for 4 people we tried a good amount of things. I would say the service definitely impacted our experience and hope in the future they can improve on that.

Now THIS is a unique spot!!From the fish head wall, to the octopuses coming out of the ceiling and bathroom wall, to the anchor lights leading to the bathrooms, to the drawings of employees on their beautiful plates and on the wall, this is the most unusual and creative restaurant I have ever seen! You must check it out!This restaurant celebrates local fishermen, and I toast to that! So there is a different local fish or two each day, and the menu changes each evening.Among other items, I had the Shrimp Aguacaliente Tostada, which was so impressive, that I will order 2 next time!I am disappointed I wasn't hungrier than I was, but next time I will get the Maine lobster. FYI on the peel'n'eat shrimp- they come out cold. Also, for Irish Coffee lovers, they don't have Baileys (depending on how you drink your Irish Coffee). Now for caviar lovers, they have a Caviar Tasting you can order. Very unusual!We loved our waitress Dominique, and will certainly request her when we return!

This is one of the best restaurants not just in San Diego, but all of Southern California. The staff is wonderful, the vibe is excellent, and the food is fantastic.We were first told it would be a 45 minute wait but after 20 minutes received a text saying our table was ready, cool!The menu changes every day depending on the fish available, and that's noted on the date and time on the menu itself.We started off with the clam chowder that came with a cheddar bacon biscuit. The chowder was thick, creamy, full of clams, and topped with bacon which was a bit too salty and I think that threw off the flavor a bit. But the biscuit was so so good, flaky, crispy on the outside, buttery soft on the inside, and paired well with the soup.The oysters Rockefeller were simple, straightforward, cheesy, and cooked well. The oysters were huge but so soft and tender once baked. The ocotopus a la plancha was outstanding. Two giant pieces of octopus, grilled to crispy perfection while letting the "meat" remain so soft and tender. The scallion cream was refreshing and sharp while the chili oil added a great kick.The Japanese sweet potato were out of this world. The skin was so crispy while the potatoes remained soft and fluffy. The whole dish was superb and outstanding. Lastly the Fish & chips - the fries were so crispy and cooked perfectly. The fish batter was crunchy and flavorful while letting the fish be so soft and moist. Overall, everything was a hit and we would definitely be back.

Cute place and fun to go after the farmer's market. I love a good restaurant...but ones that take themselves too seriously? Hmmm. Ordered the peel shrimp-they were beauties. I asked for cocktail sauce because, seriously, aren't those shrimpers just big shovels for horseradish-filled ketchup? Nope not in the opinion of Ironsides. They have tomato based aioli. Ew. Some of us skeeve mayo. Onto the fries, delicious-such good tang with the malt vinegar powder. Can I have some ketchup? Nope, again not allowed. Tuna was good and cooked perfectly. Drinks looked amazing. Good restaurant-just please don't yuck my yum by making me feel like a dweeb for asking for ketchup.

Excellent seafood spot that is in downtown, but not in the center where things can get a bit too hectic. Service was a little slow, but it was busy. I ended up paying a 100 bucks for a lobster as the pricey was slightly unclear due to lobster sizes. Still food and drinks were excellent.

Visited Iron Side around 2pm and there was a 20 minutes wait so we opted to sit at the bar. This place gives sailor vibes all the way it felt like we were on the deck at a ship which was really unique. The bartenders that helped us were awesome and very attentive. Each drink has a story written next to it which I thought was cool. We ordered the lobster roll, 6 oysters, octopus, and clam chowder. My favorite was the lobster roll definitely a must try. I personally did not enjoy the oysters there was only one I liked. The outside of the oyster was flaky and kept getting on my lips, I've had oysters plenty of times and never had this issue. The octopus was good and the clam chowder was okay. Overall I would come back for their unique restaurant design and the lobster roll but would not order their oysters again.

THIS PLACE IS A MUST! The service is top tier and doesn't feel forced. The food is immaculate, everything you order will be fresh and full of flavor. Plus the decor and ambiance is a refreshing and unique twist on a seafood restaurant. I believe the menu changes daily but if you like crab and artichoke get the dip. It's so good I wish I could eat it everyday.

Ambiance in this restaurant is very fun and lively. Beautiful indoor / outdoor along with a huge bar and choice of high top bar seating style to fully seated table options. We went in on a Saturday afternoon and it was quite busy but only waited a few minutes for a table. Drinks - they have a really fun extensive drink booklet. Each drink has a story in the book that is written with it which is really fun and unique. My favorite was the Bloody Mary that came in the octopus glass pictured. Very flavorful and right amount of spice. We ordered the martinis with oysters drink but to be honest the martini tasted nothing like a regular martini unfortunately. We had one more drink which was the first on the menu and really popular that was refreshing Food - the French fries are amazing here. They have a malt vinegar on them so if you enjoy that taste palate these are a must try and were so so good. We got the smallest of the sampler option and it was more than enough for 2 people. The giant shrimp were tasty with the aioli dipping sauce. Oysters tasted fresh and had good sauces for them. The aguachile was good but lacked a little salt and flavor. It also came with the rock fish ceviche which was also missing a little flavor but both were fresh and still tasted good with some hot sauce and lots of lime Service - Rachel was our server and she was super sweet and helped with recommendations and took very good care of us. Overall a really cool spot if you enjoy seafood. I would love to go back and try their other items as they have a very extensive menu of items aside or oysters!