Water Grill - San Diego

This popular restaurant consistently draws large crowds, making reservations a necessity to avoid long waits. With an average wait time of about 2 hours, patrons can alternatively secure a bar seat to enjoy drinks and a meal while bypassing the wait.The culinary offerings prove worth the hype. Our selection included the lobster roll, clam chowder, sea bass, and scallops. Each dish was meticulously prepared and seasoned, leaving us thoroughly satisfied and eager for every last bite.

Like so good I went back the next night with my coworker- like THAT good- our waiter from Buffalo I think Joe- like out of this world. The sea bass I will crave the rest of my life, the halibut, the ROLLS yes, the rolls. The only reason I'm not giving them the fifth star is and maybe this is a San Diego thing but $53 for a lonely piece of fish is really steep. It literally doesn't have rice, potatoes, veggie, nothing. I get the no soup or salad- I do but at that price point usually a starch or veggie is hanging out on the plate.Again- phenomenal fish- worth every cent.

I don't get to downtown SD often... but I do when I attend the Padres games and for the later start time games always make a stop at Water Grill for a bite before.Love the window seating and always good service and tasty food.

My friends were in town for the Fourth of July, so we wanted to eat somewhere downtown before seeing the fireworks. When we entered the restaurant, we noticed how beautifully decorated it was. It was very inviting, and they sat us at a table with windows blown open, so we got a fresh breeze.We started off with Oysters, Crispy Calamari, and the Spicy Lobster Roll. The oysters were selected based on our preferences, and they chose correctly. The mixture of all the condiments provided made a flavor explosion in your mouth. I'm not usually a calamari person, but the Crispy Calamari was stunning. It was the perfect crisp, and the calamari wasn't chewy like at a lot of places. The Spicy Lobster Roll was really good as well. The lobster pieces were the perfect portion, but they kept rolling off as you were trying to put it in your mouth.For entrees, we ordered the Wild Columbia River King Salmon, 8oz. Filet Mignon, Wild Eastern Sea Scallops, and Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes. The two seafood dishes we ordered are not ones I usually order because they often don't come out well. The Wild Columbia River King Salmon was to die for, and I surprised myself when our friend ordered it. The sauce mixed with the fish was like a flavor bomb inside your mouth. The 8oz. Filet Mignon was pretty good, but not the best steak I've tasted. I am very picky with steak as it's always an expensive option in a restaurant. This steak lacked flavor and was almost raw in the middle. The Wild Eastern Sea Scallops were the favorite dish of what we ordered. I usually don't like scallops because if they're not cooked correctly, they become rubbery. The chef here must know what he's doing because they were on point.Overall, the ambiance and service at Water Grill were on point. I understand why they have such high reviews on Yelp, and I will be venturing back here in the future.I would rate our experience a 9/10.

Went for dinner last week. Food was really good and our server was great. The hostess needs some lessons on how to greet guests. When a guest walks in, its nice to actually greet them and not just stare blankly in their face. Other than that and having to move from the open window seat (did not like the way people were walking so close to the window while trying to enjoy my dining ) my experience here was good The clams with chorizo and oysters rockafeller were awesome!

Awesome seafood restaurant in vibrant gas lamp area of San Diego.Very cozy and energetic vibe. Ordered the clam chowder which, hold onto your hats, Featured real clams with the shell inside. The real deal! Warm sourdough rolls, and we both ordered the Mexican swordfish entrée. Came with spaghetti squash and we ordered a side of mashed potatoes. We also started with a Caesar salad. One entrée is frankly enough for two. We took one whole entrée home. The swordfish was moist, spaghetti, squash was great, the Caesar salad was garlicky and addictive. Bottom line, the food was amazing and I would definitely go back. Parking is a little difficult as it is in the gaslamp area so maybe Lyft or figure out parking.Also, the service was great. Our server was named Ashley and she was very attentive.I will definitely go back!

My overall opinion on this place is that it was average. The decor, the food and the service - all average. What wasn't average was the prices. Wow! These prices do not reflect the experience I had here. My date and I were sat at a table close to the hostess stand and it was incredibly hard to find a server the entire night. Our water was empty for most of the dinner and they would only come over when they saw our alcoholic drinks were empty. To start, I got a Lemondrop Martini, which was really sweet and had a weird aftertaste to it. My date had the White Pinot Noir and I'm not a wine person at all, but I thought this was extremely tasty! I almost ordered one for myself. For food, my date and I shared the Spanish Octopus, which was cooked perfectly, but lacked a strong flavor. I enjoyed the potatoes that it came with though. For dinner, I got the Wild Alaskan Black Cod and my date had the Pan Seared Halibut. The halibut had a nice, light flavor to it, but it got boring after the first few bites. The black cod was very good and the noodles made a tasty addition. However, this was not spicy at all (and the server warned it was very spicy) and my dish was drowning in sauce and eventually everything became soggy because of it. Both fish were cooked perfectly. Plenty of other expensive restaurants to spend money at where you will actually get what you pay for.

Cool spot with a massive bar and open windows in a very touristy and lively part of downtown right down the street from Petco Park. Great vibe, hosts, servers, and runners. Good choice of booths and free standing tables for larger parties. The options for all kinds of fish, shellfish, and seafood are vast with some great west coast representations: sea urchin, Santa Barbara prawns, Mexican swordfish, Alaskan halibut, to name a few. Check out my pics to see what we got. No one in the party was drinking, but the cocktail and wine list looked solid, and I'm confident the server would have helped guide us to good choices. Leave room for desert, if only to split something. Minor complaint - for a place that leads with oysters, the shucking was lacking. Oysters not full separated from the shell, one cut in half, shell bits. At close to $4 a pop, please get each one right.

Amazing food, great service. One of my favorite places in SD. While in town for business, I hosted a private dinner here. Arian made the whole process so easy. The service was fantastic and my guests really enjoyed the evening.

**Dont expect the teenage girls at the host stand to act like anything less than teenage girls***This experience was awesome. Food was top notch, service was insanely superb.We got the seafood platter for two, king lobster, crab cakes, and the sea bass. We dined last Saturday, 8/10 reservation at 5:30pm. The only thing that took this review down a star was the absolutely horrific attitude of the host at the host stand. As soon as we walked in they refused to make eye contact with my boyfriend and I. (Two girls at the stand, but the one who seemed to be delegating the others on where to seat guests was horrible) instead of a friendly, warm, "How are you? Welcome in?" We got "can I help you???" With the snottiest one. Like we are such an inconvenience to come in and spend $500 to put money in YOUR pocket. We talked about how crazy it was that they were so mean the first half of our meal. I went back to write this review because we were thinking of coming again because the food and service was so absolutely out of this world, but the fact that we were treated like dirt by the two little girls at the front makes me want to never go back again. Our final bill was $477. Don't you think that's worth a warm welcome? Being a host, you are the first impression at the door. I would have turned right around and walked out if I wasn't so hungry. Management- please let your hosts know they are your guests first point of contact to a really amazing establishment and they almost entirely ruined my otherwise perfect dining experience. Hosts are typically teenage girls but being nice gets you far in life, just a tip! We will not be coming back.