Restaurant in San Diego, United States
Serious seafood, easy booking, fair price.
The Fishery holds back-to-back Michelin Plates (2024 and 2025) at the $$ price point, making it one of the strongest-value seafood options in San Diego. Located in Pacific Beach, it is easy to book and scores 4.6 from over 1,100 Google reviews. Chef Mike Reidy's kitchen delivers consistent, Michelin-recognised seafood without the booking difficulty or price of the city's starred restaurants.
Yes — and if you have been once, there is a strong case for going back. The Fishery has held a Michelin Plate in both 2024 and 2025, which puts it in a small group of San Diego seafood restaurants that Michelin's inspectors consider worth a detour. At the $$ price point, that recognition is harder to find than you might expect. For a returning visitor, the question is not whether to go but how to get more out of it.
At 5040 Cass Street in Pacific Beach, The Fishery occupies a specific niche that most of San Diego's downtown dining scene does not fill: a serious seafood restaurant in a residential neighbourhood, close to the water, with no pretension about being a special-occasion destination. Pacific Beach is not a dining district in the conventional sense. It skews younger, louder, and more casual than Hillcrest or Little Italy. That The Fishery has earned back-to-back Michelin Plates in this context says something about how it is run.
For the neighbourhood, this matters practically. Residents within a few miles have a Michelin-recognised seafood option that does not require driving downtown or fighting for a reservation weeks in advance. For visitors staying near Mission Bay or Pacific Beach, it solves the perennial problem of finding something genuinely good within walking distance of a hotel strip that is otherwise dominated by casual beach fare.
Chef Mike Reidy leads the kitchen. The Fishery's double Michelin Plate recognition across consecutive years is the clearest signal that the kitchen's output has been consistent enough to hold the inspectors' attention, not just catch it once. Consistency at this price range and in this setting is the real achievement. Many comparable seafood spots in coastal San Diego deliver good food once and disappointingly the second time; the repeat Michelin recognition suggests The Fishery is not doing that.
If your first visit was a direct dinner, consider the timing of your next. The Fishery sits in a neighbourhood that changes character significantly between weekday evenings and weekend afternoons. A weekday dinner will be quieter and give you more space to engage with the food. Weekend evenings in Pacific Beach tend to bring a louder crowd, which affects the atmosphere in ways the food cannot fully compensate for.
On a return visit, pay attention to the seafood sourcing rather than defaulting to a familiar order. The Fishery's positioning as a neighbourhood anchor in Pacific Beach, close to local fishing activity and the broader Southern California coast, means that what is freshest will likely shift. Given the Michelin recognition, the kitchen earns enough trust to let them guide you toward what is performing well on a given night rather than reordering the same dish.
For context on where The Fishery sits in the broader Pacific seafood conversation, places like Gambero Rosso in southern Italy and Alici Restaurant on the Amalfi Coast represent a different register entirely in terms of scale and formality. Domestically, Le Bernardin in New York City and The French Laundry in Napa occupy the top tier of seafood-forward fine dining. The Fishery is not competing in that bracket — its strength is delivering a Michelin-recognised experience at a price point and in a setting that those places do not serve.
For comparable San Diego seafood at a different format, Point Loma Seafoods is the city's classic casual benchmark. The Fishery's Michelin credentialing puts it a level above in kitchen ambition, while staying accessible on price.
Booking difficulty at The Fishery is rated Easy. This is one of its genuine advantages over comparable Michelin-recognised spots in the city. You are not managing a multi-week wait or a morning reservation-release ritual. If you are planning a trip to San Diego and want a low-friction, high-confidence seafood dinner, The Fishery is a practical choice precisely because access is not a problem.
The address , 5040 Cass Street, Pacific Beach , puts it in a walkable part of the neighbourhood for anyone staying near Mission Bay. Parking in Pacific Beach can be tight on weekend evenings, so factor that in if you are driving.
For a full picture of what San Diego has to offer beyond this venue, see our full San Diego restaurants guide, our full San Diego hotels guide, our full San Diego bars guide, our full San Diego wineries guide, and our full San Diego experiences guide.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Michelin | Booking difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Fishery | Seafood | $$ | Plate (2024, 2025) | Easy |
| Point Loma Seafoods | Seafood | $ | None | Easy |
| Addison | French/Contemporary | $$$$ | Two Stars | Hard |
| Soichi | Japanese | $$$$ | One Star | Very Hard |
| 777 G St | American | $$ | None | Easy |
| 1450 El Prado | American | $$ | None | Easy |
For seafood specifically, Point Loma Seafoods is the most direct casual alternative, though it lacks Michelin recognition. If you want to spend more and go beyond seafood, Addison is the city's two-Michelin-Star French option and operates in a different price and formality bracket entirely. For Japanese at the leading end, Soichi holds a Michelin Star but is significantly harder to book and more expensive. The Fishery is the strongest case for Michelin-recognised dining at the $$ tier in San Diego.
At the $$ price range with two consecutive Michelin Plates and a Google rating of 4.6 across more than 1,100 reviews, The Fishery delivers above what the price point would suggest in most cities. The value case is direct: you get Michelin-recognised seafood without the $$$$ price tag of Soichi or Addison, and without the booking difficulty either. If seafood is your priority and budget matters, yes, it is worth it.
Bar seating availability is not confirmed in our current data for The Fishery. Given the Pacific Beach setting and the $$ price range, the room is likely to have a bar or counter area, but we would recommend confirming directly with the venue before planning around it. If bar dining is a priority, contact them before you go.
Specific group-booking policies and private dining availability are not confirmed in our current data. Booking difficulty is rated Easy overall, which suggests the restaurant handles reservations without the friction of high-demand spots. For groups of six or more, it is worth calling ahead to confirm they can seat together rather than relying on an online reservation. The $$ price point makes it a practical group option if the logistics work out.
No formal dress code is listed for The Fishery. At the $$ price tier in Pacific Beach, smart casual is a safe read: think clean, put-together beach-adjacent clothing rather than anything formal. The Michelin Plate recognition does not translate into a jacket-required policy at this price range and in this neighbourhood. You will not be turned away for dressing casually, but avoid beach gear if you want to match the room's tone on a busier evening.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Booking Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Fishery | Seafood | $$ | Easy |
| Addison | French, Contemporary | $$$$ | Unknown |
| Callie | Greek, Mediterranean Cuisine, Californian-Mediterranean | $$ | Unknown |
| Trust | New American, American | $$$ | Unknown |
| Sushi Tadokoro | Sushi, Japanese | $$$ | Unknown |
| Soichi | Japanese | $$$$ | Unknown |
Comparing your options in San Diego for this tier.
For a step up in formality and price, Addison is San Diego's only Michelin-starred restaurant, but it operates at a very different price point. Sushi Tadokoro and Soichi are the picks if raw fish precision is the priority over cooked seafood. Callie and Trust are solid alternatives for a broader modern California menu at a similar $$ range. The Fishery's Michelin Plate recognition at $$ pricing is the specific combination that the others don't replicate.
At $$ per head, The Fishery is one of the more straightforward cases for value in San Diego's Michelin-recognised dining. Two consecutive Michelin Plates (2024 and 2025) confirm a consistent standard, and the price range means you are not taking a financial risk to find out. If you want to spend more and expect more, Addison is the upgrade; if the $$ mark feels right and seafood is the format, The Fishery delivers.
Bar seating availability is not confirmed in available venue data for The Fishery. Given it is rated Easy for booking difficulty, securing a table is unlikely to be a problem, which reduces the usual case for bar dining as a walk-in workaround. Check directly with the venue at 5040 Cass St before planning around bar access.
Group-specific capacity details are not in the current venue record, but the Easy booking rating suggests availability is not constrained the way it is at harder-to-book Michelin spots in San Diego. For larger parties, check the venue's official channels before assuming walk-in or same-week availability will hold.
The Fishery is in Pacific Beach, a casual San Diego neighbourhood, and is priced at $$ — neither factor points toward formal attire. Michelin Plate recognition signals kitchen quality, not a dress code. Clean, casual clothes are a reasonable read, but if you prefer certainty, confirm with the venue directly.
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