San Diego Portside Pier

I grew up in Los Angeles and loved heading south to San Diego. In the early days, I primarily went there to go fishing. I was always with my friend Mike Harris who was and still is an amazing fisherman. His dad got him started super young, and I tagged along a few times. Once we were old enough to drive, Mike and I took some trips down there without pops. Those were some of the best days of my life, so fun!

San Diego Embarcadero Portside Pier

San Diego Portside Pier — *Part of the San Diego sport fishing fleet*; photo by Richard Bilow

I ended up living in San Diego during my college years and started doing a lot more bodyboarding than fishing. The entire coast of San Diego County is loaded with great surf spots. CLICK HERE to read my article – The Beaches of San Diego.

I was craving a session at Wind and Sea in La Jolla. I easily enticed my wife Kathy to head down there with me. All I had to do was mention the food in Little Italy, and she was ready to go. Of course Kathy never waits for me, and her culinary journey began at our first stop – La Jolla while I was out capturing photos. CLICK HERE to read her article – Brockton Villa Restaurant, A San Diego Historic Landmark.

Waterfront Embarcadero

Personally, I was looking forward to an awesome seafood meal at the world famous Anthony’s Fish Grotto. I loved going there with Mike and his Dad before and/or after our fishing trips. Anthony’s was well known for its waterfront views, relaxed atmosphere and incredibly fresh seafood. Fried was always my go to.

As Kathy and I headed down to the Embarcadero, I suddenly realized that Anthony’s was no longer there. The Embarcadero had been redeveloped long ago. The waterfront of San Diego that I used to know was transformed into Portside Pier, a modernized development featuring some of the best waterfront dining in downtown San Diego.

With 42,000 square feet on the North Embarcadero, Portside Pier is located right next to the Maritime Museum of San Diego. Just look for the Star of India , the world’s oldest active sailing ship, and you will know right where to go.

Portside Pier has four signature restaurants, a coffee spot and incredible views of San Diego Bay. Brigantine Seafood and Oyster Bar offers the finest surf and turf on the waterfront. Miguel’s Cocina is a traditional Mexican restaurant bringing classic flavors up from south of the border.

Waterfront Embarcadero Views

Topsail is where you go to relax on the rooftop terrace, enjoy a cocktail and take in the views. This hotspot focuses on small plates, fine wine and handcrafted cocktails. For those who just need a lift or something sweet, Portside Coffee and Gelato is the spot. They offer espresso and coffee from local roaster Cafe Moto. See the Portside Pier website for info on all of the aforementioned eateries – https://portsidepier.com/

Kathy and I had a full schedule and not quite enough time for an extended meal. All the restaurants looked enticing, but we opted for a quick bite at Ketch Grill & Taps. This is a casual counter service restaurant with a decent selection of that fried food I was craving. I of course selected the IPA Battered Fish & Chips with a substitution for onion rings.

Kathy went for the grilled mahi mahi taco with a Cesar salad. While we were waiting for our order, we took a quick look at the beautiful second floor public viewing deck. It was jam packed with tourists, as you might imagine. Then back at Ketch…our food was ready in less than ten minutes. We grabbed a table in the eatery’s geodesic dome casual dining space and enjoyed the views from there. It turned out to be a great place to eat, as we planned the next day’s activities. The food was fresh and satisfying. It was great to share old stories and memories of my time in San Diego, while also creating new memories with my wife. Then off we went onto our next adventure.