On the Waterfront Restaurant Review: Mitch’s Seafood

Inside Mitch’s Seafood. (All photos by Judi Curry)

  Mitch’s Seafood
1403 Scott St.
San Diego, CA 92106
619-222-8787

 After posting my review of Point Loma Seafood’s last week, several of my readers wrote in and told me that I should try “Mitch’s Seafood”, because it was as good, if not better than the subject of my original review.

I could hardly wait to try it, and when Monica, my foreign language student came home early from school on Tuesday I decided it was a perfect time to “test the waters.” After all, Tuesday in San Diego means “taco Tuesday” and with tacos at $2 and $3 it was well worth it. We arrived early – 4:15 pm, because one of the readers said that it is almost impossible to be served after 5:00pm on Tuesday.

The view out the front door at Mitch’s.

We were not quite sure when Mitch’s was located, but it is to the north of Point Loma Seafood. My husband used to go fishing out of Pt. Loma Landing, and the entrance is just to the east of the Landing office. We parked in the PLS parking lot, but there is a parking lot available in front of the restaurant. They validate for one hour so if you are fast, there should not be a fee for parking. There is limited on-street parking also.

Our choice for the taco’s were Calamari, Yellowtail and/or Halibut. We could have it either fried or grilled, and it was served with corn tortillas, shredded cabbage, and salsa fresco. I was amazed that halibut was one of the options, because just a few days ago I tried to purchase it but at $26 a pound I elected to buy some other fish. Monica quickly reminded me that she liked only “soft” tacos – and that is how they were served. She had two grilled halibut tacos at $3 each; I had one halibut taco and one calamari taco. The calamari was $2.00.

The halibut/calamari taco.

Additionally, both Mercy and “Goatskull” (commenters to my post on PLS) raved about the crab cakes and both also mentioned the tasty clam chowder. We ordered a cup of chowder – $4 – and off the appetizer menu we ordered one crab cake at $4.50. Monica ordered a Tecate for $1.50 and I ordered an ice tea at $1.75.

The chowder was excellent. It was a little peppery, which only added to the flavor. There were a lot of clams and few potatoes and Mercy was right. It was very good. The crab cakes were ok – not very warm, and didn’t compare to those that I have had while living in Maine. They were good, but I do not think I would order them again. Maybe if the temperature was hotter I would have liked them better. As it was, they seemed too “mushy” for my taste.

The crab cake, clam chowder.

All of the tacos were good. The fish was well cooked; seasoned well; and we almost “forced” ourselves to finish them because they were so good. Our total bill, without tip, came to $24.41.

So how does it compare to Point Loma Seafood? That’s an interesting question. I think they are comparable to each other. I would have no hesitation to going to either of the restaurants. PLS is also a fish market, whereas Mitch’s is not. There are more selections at PLS, but there are ample selections at Mitch’s. No one would go away hungry. I did not see a “kid’s menu” at PLS, but there is one at Mitch’s. Mitch’s has a breakfast menu – which is logical since so many of the fishing boats leave from the landing between 6 and 6:30 am. PSF is not open that early.

The halibut taco.

So there we have it – two excellent seafood restaurants almost side by side. I don’t think you can go wrong by going to either of them. Thank you to those of you reading my PLS review and suggesting I try Mitch’s also. Monica and I had a wonderful meal; enjoyed the scenery; and the food was great!