Blue Water Seafood Ocean Beach

Unlike the takeout joints on Newport that hide their kitchens behind plexiglass, Blue Water puts the fish case right up front—whole ahi, swordfish steaks, day-boat catch tagged with where it came from. You're not ordering from a menu so much as pointing at what looks good and asking how they'll cook it. The Wahoo comes grilled or blackened, plated with rice and vegetables or tucked into a sandwich that requires both hands and a strategic lean forward.

The setup's cafeteria-grade—order, grab a number, find a seat on the weathered wooden benches outside. Those benches have seen better days, splintery in spots and long overdue for a powerwash, but they face west over the water, which is the entire point. Sunset service gets crowded; locals know to show up for the happy hour window when poke bowls and crab come cheaper and the deck's still manageable.

What keeps people coming back isn't the infrastructure—it's the fish itself. The jalapeño mussels arrive actually spicy, not California-spicy, swimming in broth you'll want to sop up with the bread they don't give you. Ahi poke gets cubed thick, dressed simply, tasting like it was swimming yesterday. Tacos are oversized in the San Diego tradition, fish grilled to order rather than held under a lamp.

Parking's the usual Ocean Beach nightmare—circle the blocks off Santa Monica, pray for turnover, or just walk from wherever you're staying. Kitchen moves fast once you order, staff runs friendly without hovering. It's the kind of spot where you eat messy food with a view, watching the sun drop into the Pacific while fish grease runs down your wrists.