Deena Woods

We were in town for a pre-birthday trip and decided to book a table (outdoor) earlier the same after not being able to grab an earlier dinner at a different restaurant and I am so, so glad we did! I put down on the reservation that we were celebrating me & my daughter’s birthday, thinking I would maybe get a “Happy Birthday” wish from the hostess or waitress. Instead we were treated to a specially printed menu, birthday cocktails and desserts! The food was PHENOMENAL(The bread!!!! One of the best lobster rolls I’ve ever had and amazing fish & chips!!) but the service and hospitality made us feel truly amazing! The ambiance was perfect and made a fantastic trip even better and memorable. We also had a wonderful waitress - super sweet! 10/10 - no notes!! We will be back!!

+1

Ala HR

Had a great experience here. The lobster roll was excellent, perfectly balanced, and really well done without being heavy. The clam chowder was just as good, rich and comforting, with great flavor and texture. Everything felt thoughtfully prepared, and the atmosphere made it even more enjoyable. The vibe was fun, lively, and welcoming, which really added to the experience. Jacob, our server, was friendly, attentive and genuinely made us feel taken care of without being overbearing. It’s the kind of place where you can tell they care about quality and consistency, not just presentation. A really solid meal overall and definitely a spot I’d come back to.

+4

Lockie Hunter

We need to have a conversation about the Hamachi Crudo. I love Hamachi in all of its forms. I love Hamachi Kama, ceviche, carpaccio, sushi, sashimi, tartare…and, based on the description of the Hamachi Crudo, I was a little bit worried that it was going to overwhelm the Hamachi itself. Hamachi can be so light and bright; it can also stand up! More often than not, it’s light, subtle, and the presentation they were suggesting… spicy, a bit of a crunch, there was a citrus, some Tiger’s milk. (I will put tiger’s milk on anything. It’s delicious as it is, with it citrusy goodness! And they really loaded it onto the plate). The combination of the tiger‘s milk and the crunch and the chili and the citrus would’ve been incredible on anything! I could’ve had this on Romain lettuce, a beet salad, it was really quite extraordinary. Toss it on some radishes. Plain radishes! Did it work on the Hamachi? Somewhat. If I had the hamachi with a little bit of the tiger’s milk, a sweet bite itself…it was great… also if I had the hamachi with a little bit of the crunch, it was fine and did not overwhelm it. But when I had the Hamachi with the Tiger’s milk and the crunch…I couldn’t find the Hamachi. It was still excellent, and please save this combination and drizzle it over anything. Gosh, just make it your new signature salad dressing! Citrus creamy goodness! OK. Enough about the Hamachi. I stumbled upon this place by mistake. My husband was at the AI conference, and I was running early, so I stopped in for a drink and ended up at the bar. Happy specials were $1 for oysters; you better bet that I indulged in some of those, I had a tiki-type drink, a mai tai, served in an orca. Beautifully priced for happy hour, and when my husband arrived, he had a dark and stormy, also a cute tiki glass. We ordered another dozen oysters, and really enjoyed our time at the bar. Let’s talk atmosphere. Outstanding! Look at my silly videos of the journey from the bathroom. I love unusual light fixtures, and octopuses? (Octopi? Octopod)? They are actually all correct plural for this gorgeous creature. The restaurant was decorated beautifully. So five stars on that. Our server was delightful, telling us the specials, also a great mixologist. Five stars. I had a couple of caviar bumps! If you’ve never had it before, it’s what it sounds like, and although they tried to compare it to having a bit of salt on your hand and licking it off like a tequila shot, I think we all sort of know what a bump is. Anyway, it is true that caviar is often souled by any sort of metal spoon, and so the idea of having it on your hand and letting your hand warm the caviar and then being able to put all the caviar on your mouth is a great idea. I am not crazy about the fact that he left a few little eggs on the plate! If it were me, I’d be scraping all those bad salty boys off. I had two bumps. They were delicious, but next time, I want every little egg on my hand! See the video. So what’s not to love? This is absolutely a five star review. I would be back here every day. But as always, I have a few suggestions for the proprietress. It was a little darkly lit, and this is not just because I’m almost 60, it’s because it was… a little darkly lit at the bar. The tables behind us had some cute little candles, throw a few on the bar. And a note to the customers, the barstools are not for those with disability issues. They ‘sort of’ as a two-stool, connected and yet not connected. It’s hard to describe. The two stools are together, but they swivel on their own, but with any sort of disability issues, like the times when I broke my foot fencing, I would not sit at the bar. It’s a little tilty and a bit tricky to navigate if you have any sort of device on your legs and/or lower body. Kudos to this great place! I will absolutely be back the next time I’m in San Diego, and I’ll be recommending it to everybody. Still craving my caviar bump, and thinking about those gorgeous dollar oyster specials! Cheers!

+12

N Chan

Fresh seafood, delicious bites, Superb service, stiff cocktails, fun menu, interesting decor, and great vibes! We had a great time celebrating a birthday while visiting San Diego.

+2

Scott carpenter

We discovered this place on our second visit to little Italy and stopped in for some refreshments, boy were we surprised at the attentiveness, the speed and the quality of the food and the service at the bar. I ordered 3 happy hour oysters and 3 happy hour peel n eat shrimp while my wife had a ceviche tostada, while we sipped Tito’s martini’s and Ironside Mia-Tai’s. Loved it so much we came back a couple days later, ordered more shrimp and a sweet potato appetizer, shrimp were perfect but the sweet potato was out of this world “good”, finished up with an order of clams casino and a lobster roll, you can’t go wrong, the food and service here is fantastic! We will be back!

+2

Maria Camarena

If you like a place with a cool vibe, nice staff and good food, you can’t miss checking this spot out. In the heart of Little Italy, in between pasta and pizza shops, this is a delicious spot for delicious and unique seafood. From the usual options of clam chowder, lobster rolls and fish and chips, you can’t go wrong if you like seafood and oysters. A great pick for a fun night out in Little Italy!

+1

Alex Pritchard

Ironside welcomes you with a friendly sailor clothed staff and a dope aquatic decor. Of I were to just go for the vibe it would still be a 5 star review. I ordered the chowder fries and fried fish. I don't think I have been this excited about fries since I was a child. The chowder fries were phenomenal and the fried fish was prepared perfectly. My partner got the lobster roll. Oh my lord was that the best damn hot lobster roll I've ever tried. 10 outa 10! I highly recommend iron side and will be visiting this place anytime I'm in town.

+1

Zoe Washburn

We went for our 1 year anniversary and it was incredible! Our server was so kind and super helpful. She recommended the Japanese sweet potato dish and it was so good, I’ll probably think about it for the rest of my life haha. I would suggest asking for a menu of the descriptions of the oysters, because that seems to be missing from the main menu you get. We got a dozen of the same oyster and I wish we had gotten a spread of them all to try instead!

Tim Lee

I loved everything about our evening at Ironside Fish & Oyster. It's San Diego, what else can you say? Regardless, the ambiance strikes a perfect balance between lively and relaxed (harmonious murmurs as white noise, warm lighting from half-exposed sun rays, and an easygoing coastal vibes) and once the sun started to set, they opened the doors so the cool bay breeze could flow through. Sitting there with that breeze on your face felt like an added bonus to the meal. We shared the "Bigger" platter and it was outstandingly fresh: every aspect of the platter was aesthetic and delicious. They bring you the names of the oysters that are at the bottom, the shrimp are cut in a way that is easy to peel (peeling shrimp for other means you love them!), and dishes on the top layer really takes your tastebuds on a ride. They also provide tortilla chips and colorful puffs as complements to the top layer of the platter (rockfish ceviche, tuna tartare, shrimp aguachile). We also added on the Swordfish Birria tacos just in case, but they really stood out. It was meaty, well-seasoned, and unexpectedly addictive. Each bite played a beautiful note, and the whole dish made for a fun experience. Service was excellent from start to finish: attentive without hovering, knowledgeable about the menu, and great to recommend pairings. They timed everything really well, knowing when to bring out the dishes at their respective time periods, which made the culinary experience even better. A few tips: parking can be a bit of a task in the area, especially at peak times. If you arrive early, you'll have a much easier time finding a spot, and it's worth leaving a little extra time to walk and explore the neighborhood afterward, especially the bay, with ice cream in hand.

Joshua Edwards

Tonight, we celebrated my birthday at Ironside! My wife made the reservation, and when we received our menus, “Happy Birthday” was printed on the menu, which was such a cool personable introduction to this place. This was our first time here, but we’ve been interested in trying it for awhile. The service was incredible, intentional, and attentive. Any staff members we interacted with were kind and seemed like they really enjoyed being there. BIG SHOUTOUT to our server, Sarah 🙌 She went above and beyond - she took time to explain the menu and let us in on her favorites, she checked in on us the perfect amount, she brought me birthday surprises, she was really friendly and both my wife and I were very satisfied with the experience, I believe largely because we had the type of server you want anywhere you go to have a nice dinner. Thank you again, Sarah! The food was faaantastic! We’ve been on a real seafood kick lately, and Ironside did not disappoint. Tuna Tartare had incredible flavor! As full as I am right now, my mouth is watering thinking of that starter. This was my second time having raw oysters ever. So so good. We loved the selection of sauces and I especially loved the Ironside beet & kombucha hot sauce. Catch of the day Swordfish with an eggplant spread was amazing. 10/10 would definitely order again. The Lobster Roll was recommended to us by some friends, and I think at least 1 person at every table around us ordered it. We were happy we ordered it, as well. So much flavor packed in! Also, if you’re into mocktails, the Guava Cooler was really tasty. Highly recommend dining on a week night. I also noticed some happy hour deals, so we may be back for those another time. Dinner at Ironside was a great ending to my birthday. Thank you for being great at what you do! We will see you again soon!

+3

renegadegeeK

Lots to like about this spot, with many interesting details in the decor, natural skylights, bay doors that open up to the outside dining…almost like being inside the dining room of an old steamer. Their oyster offerings are great, with some serious horse radish which is a must, and they have a selection of spirits that is just crazy in a good way. Enjoyed the blue cheese olives w my martini which I think is the best pairing w oysters on the half shell. The dishes we had were all fresh and thoughtfully presented and nice temps. I wish my pesce had been medium rare as requested and not medium well, but the flavors were still nicely paired on my plate. I’d also suggest that the broccolini is seasoned perfectly and doesn’t need the added sauce swirled across the top, but that’s just me…less can be more w great ingredients. Solid service and glad they were recommended to us.

+6

Jordan Robinson

I love sitting at the bar, the chefs are very social and kind. I’ve had great conversations with them. Best fish and chips I’ve ever had. The chowder fries are a must have, you can’t go there and not order them. All staff members have a smile and genuinely enjoy their job. Best restaurant I’ve ever been to. 10000/10 recommend

+6

Service was AMAZING!!!!! Food was AMAZING!!!!! Ambiance was AMAZING!!!! Server Mikey was so kind, helpful, and great! Oyster happy hour deal is unbeatable. I would pay full price for the oysters, b…

Service was AMAZING!!!!! Food was AMAZING!!!!! ambiance was AMAZING!!!! Server Mikey was so kind, helpful, and great! Oyster happy hour deal is unbeatable. I would pay full price for the oysters, b…

Service was AMAZING!!!!! food was AMAZING!!!!! Ambiance was AMAZING!!!! Server Mikey was so kind, helpful, and great! oyster happy hour deal is unbeatable. I would pay full price for the oysters,…

service was AMAZING!!!!! Food was AMAZING!!!!! Ambiance was AMAZING!!!! server Mikey was so kind, helpful, and great! Oyster happy hour deal is unbeatable. I would pay full price for the oysters,…

Service was AMAZING!!!!! Food was AMAZING!!!!! Ambiance was AMAZING!!!! Server Mikey was so kind, helpful, and great! Oyster happy hour deal is unbeatable. I would pay full price for the oysters, b…

Service was AMAZING!!!!! Food was AMAZING!!!!! Ambiance was AMAZING!!!! Server Mikey was so kind, helpful, and great! oyster happy hour deal is unbeatable. I would pay full price for the oysters, b…

Love, love, loved Ironside!! It's part of the same branch of restaurants owned by Consortium Holdings (ex: Born & Raised, Starlite, Morning Glory) and it delivered! We came just to try the Oysters as…

We chose Ironside to celebrate a special occasion and were lucky enough to have Geena as our server. She was truly a blessing and her presence greatly enhanced our experience. service, ambiance, …

Food was amazing per usual!!! Came here for happy hour, we got the oysters, shrimp and rockfish ceviche, all so good! We tried the muscles and fish tacos for the first a time and wow!!! Also, such …

Food was amazing per usual!!! Came here for happy hour, we got the oysters, shrimp and rockfish ceviche, all so good! We tried the muscles and fish tacos for the first a time and wow!!! Also, suc…

Excellent service and welcoming atmosphere. Shared the dozen oysters, then the fish & chips which were delicious, and the bisque. We've been here before, and we'll keep coming back.

We dined here for our anniversary. Before the reservation, the staff had reached out for more details regarding our celebration. Once we arrived, we had a specialized menu congratulating us. The ma…

We celebrated my husband's birthday at Ironside. The ambiance, food, and service were all excellent. Highly recommend!

We celebrated my husband's birthday at Ironside. The ambiance, food, and service were all excellent. Highly recommend!

We celebrated my husband's birthday at Ironside. The ambiance, food, and service were all excellent. Highly recommend!

We celebrated my husband's birthday at Ironside. The ambiance, food, and service were all excellent. Highly recommend!

We need to have a conversation about the Hamachi Crudo. I love Hamachi in all of its forms. I love Hamachi Kama, ceviche, carpaccio, sushi, sashimi, tartare…and, based on the description of the Hamac…

I loved my dining experience here last night! I celebrated my birthday here and upon entering we were handed menus with “happy birthday Liz” printed on it! We started with a dozen oysters 6…

Delicious food and amazing atmosphere! Will definitely be coming back. Seafood was out of this world. One of the best restaurants I’ve been to in San Diego no doubt

Delicious food and amazing atmosphere! Will definitely be coming back. seafood was out of this world. One of the best restaurants I’ve been to in San Diego no doubt

We were walking outside, looking for a place to cool down and have some drinks and something to bite. We were lucky to walk inside Ironside, the ambiance was amazing, everybody happy with excellent…

We were walking outside, looking for a place to cool down and have some drinks and something to bite. We were lucky to walk inside Ironside, the ambiance was amazing, everybody happy with excellent…

Claim chowder was awesome, mahi was awesome, butternut squash risotto was awesome. After dinner drink was perfect, and the waitress was more than friendly. The little italy area was vibrant and see…

ronside, nestled in San Diego's vibrant Little Italy, offers a dining experience that's as captivating as it is delicious. The menu is a masterpiece of seafood delights, showcasing flavors that ele…

Loved everything about this place. Really fun, cool atmosphere without being too noisy or overwhelming. Great service (we ate at the bar - popped in without reservation and had no wait). I had a …

It was my first time at Ironside. The ambiance of the restaurant was good, but noisy for a round table of four. We had to raise our voices to speak to each other to compete with the music volume. The music selection is good, but we didn’t come to dance. The service is very good. The important part of choosing Ironsides is its reputation for very good food. I started lunch with the Tuna Tartare. It was a solid 5-star choice. I followed it with the server’s highly recommended Lobster Roll. I’m giving it a 3-star rating. The Lobster Roll was definitely not in the classic New England style. It was a ‘busy’ house variation that fell short of meeting my expectations. It was OK. The Albariño wine from Spain was a hit with our group. Would I go back to Ironside? Sure. It’s a good place for seafood that deserves another try.

Ironside Fish & Oyster was an overall okay experience for our group dinner.\n\nWe had a party of seven, and before being seated we were required to agree to the restaurant's policy: automatic gratuit…

I really enjoyed this place and thought the happy hour was so worth it! Good quality oysters for $1. I wasn't a huge fan of the shrimp myself but more of a personal preference. My bf really liked t…

I really enjoyed this place and thought the happy hour was so worth it! Good quality oysters for $1. I wasn't a huge fan of the shrimp myself but more of a personal preference. My bf really liked t…

Overpriced, skimpy bar pour, overcooked, food did not come at the same time, server was completely unavailable. All in all, I think the place must be riding on reputation and has really gone downhill…

Overpriced, skimpy bar pour, overcooked, food did not come at the same time, server was completely unavailable. All in all, I think the place must be riding on reputation and has really gone downhi…

Overpriced, skimpy bar pour, overcooked, food did not come at the same time, server was completely unavailable. All in all, I think the place must be riding on reputation and has really gone downhi…

overpriced, skimpy bar pour, overcooked, food did not come at the same time, server was completely unavailable. All in all, I think the place must be riding on reputation and has really gone downhi…

We were told the wait was 40 minutes. We ended up waiting an hour and 10 minutes. Totally understand sometimes tables don’t turn as quickly so I could be patient but an acknowledgement would have…

Food was good. We sat on the street and watched the world go by. Service was poor, drinks took a long time to come and it was not possible to order a second drink before we’d finished eating as we …

This is not a restaurant you will find in fly over country. Lots of seafood options. Good beer selection. Good oyster selection. Fish and chips, lobster roll were all on the menu. Getting seated w…

MJ

We made a reservation and visited this restaurant with high expectations after reading so many great reviews. My husband and I truly love seafood and have tried many seafood restaurants, so we were especially excited to come here. Unfortunately, the food did not meet our expectations, especially considering the price. The octopus dish looked generous in photos, but the actual portion felt quite underwhelming. The uni was a regretful order, and most of the items included in the Bigger Platter were disappointing in flavor. While the platter included a total of 12 oysters, three of them were extremely small, with barely anything to eat. Other dishes, such as the tuna tartare, were either overly sour or excessively salty. As seafood lovers, it was disappointing that we had to leave food uneaten, which rarely happens for us. While the restaurant’s interior and overall atmosphere were very nice, the taste simply did not justify the cost. We spent close to $200 including tip for three dishes, and sadly, the experience fell short of what we had hoped for.

+4

I am Cycle

What a nice place...loved the decor and service. The fish was deliciously fresh but everything else was so mid which is so disappointing. Had high hopes. We had the fish taco, ceviche,and another dish that I cant remembered. The house spicy sauce needs help. I dont take pleasure saying negative things...just bring honest.

It was interesting, oysters were great and diverse selection. The one negative is that the menu continuously changes, not just the items but also the prices.

Great ambience and exceptional service at Ironside. I've heard good things about the food but unfortunately I wasn't particularly impressed by anything I ordered. However, it was all still good. We…

Great ambience and exceptional service at Ironside. I've heard good things about the food but unfortunately I wasn't particularly impressed by anything I ordered. However, it was all still good. We…

Great ambience and exceptional service at Ironside. I've heard good things about the food but unfortunately I wasn't particularly impressed by anything I ordered. However, it was all still good. We…

There's happy hour is always really good price wise but they constantly have service issues. My partner and I went for my birthday we saw our server every 20-25 minutes. Mind you we went for happy …

Definitely a tourist trap. Average food. Average service. Expensive prices. I wasn’t impressed with the menu and when we showed as a party of 8, they said we’d have to do a $85 minimum per pers…

Definitely a tourist trap. Average food. Average service. expensive prices. I wasn’t impressed with the menu and when we showed as a party of 8, they said we’d have to do a $85 minimum per pe…

Had heard great things but overall a disappointment for the price point. We were seated at the bar (unexpected but ok) and we sat there for several minutes before anyone came. Then we saw no o…

Doris Escoto

The place is beautiful, the food is really bad and no price- quality ratio. The grilled octopus was cold, rubbery and only had 2 small tentacles over what seemed to be an olive tapenade. The clams were tiny and had so much going on , you couldn’t taste the clams . Honestly , go in for a drink , enjoy the pretty space and and go eat somewhere else .

ABSOLUTELY THE WORST DINING EXPERIENCE!!! DO NOT COME HERE! I dined here tonight for my friend's birthday. We had a reservation for 7:45 and got seated at 8:05. We didn't get napkins or silverware …

My girlfriend and I had 8 PM reservations. We checked in at 7:40 PM. At 8:05 we were told they were trying to get us seated ASAP (they took two walk ins after us...) . The hostesses were pretty sta…

If you plan to walk-in just be prepared to be tricked by the hostesses telling you they will get a table in 30 minutes. After 30 minutes waiting and not receiving any sms we asked how much time mor…

This restaurant is absolutely terrible. They are basically a scam. The food portions are extremely small. The oysters are nothing but a mouthful of seawater. The service is also painfully slow. I have no idea how they managed to get so many good reviews—it’s unbelievable. They’re not far from closing down and going out of business. Two people can easily spend $100 here and still feel like they haven’t eaten anything. When it comes time to pay, the bill also includes unexpected surprise charges. Consider yourselves warned!!