Water Grill San Diego

Dinner started with the bread service, which was fantastic. I could have eaten a tub of their homemade butter if they would have let me. So good. We were having an early dinner before a show so we ate a little lighter. My wife had the crab cake appetizer as a meal, which she liked. Not the best crab cake we’ve ever had but definitely not the worst. I had the sea bass and it was quite good. Very tender and flaky. I gave the “atmosphere” 5-stars because the restaurant is beautiful but my only complaint is that with the open window seating, there was a man dancing around on the sidewalk talking to people trying to eat. He didn’t talk to us, but it was a little jarring. Overall a really nice meal.

2 months ago

Water Grill delivered a wonderful dining experience from start to finish. We were greeted by warm hosts and seated promptly, which set the tone for a great evening. Bob deserves a special shoutout for being an exceptional host. He spent time with us answering our questions, explaining ingredients (like the difference between spiny lobster and Maine lobster), and helped us make great choices for our dinner. He never once made us feel rushed, always attentive, always kind, and truly made us feel at home. The meal began with their homemade bread and butter, which was easily the best complimentary bread and butter we’ve ever had, so good that we asked for more, even though the initial portion was already generous for two. We ordered: Calamari with mint maploy sauce, pepper, and aioli Spiny lobster served with coleslaw and melted butter Lobster( served with Maine lobster ( tail and claw meat) roll on a brioche bun with butter dressing, served with fries Everything was fresh, flavorful, and beautifully prepared. We ended the meal with the key lime pie. The filling was enjoyable, though we felt the oatmeal crust could have been even better with something like a graham cracker crust. It was also wonderful to see how cheerful and attentive the entire staff was across the dining room, lots of smiles, positive energy, and never a dull moment. Overall, a fantastic experience, elevated even further by Bob’s outstanding hospitality. We would absolutely return

3 months ago

Giving 3 stars for food since food wise felt they could have done bit more.. Octopus or the calamari were tiny bit over done.. they were 25% rubbery.. steamed red king crabs were well done. We enjoyed them. Totally recommend this for anyone looking to have hot steamed crabs option. Fyi, they also have chilled crabs option on menu as wel. Totally recommend this place. It could be timing issue to what we experienced with appetizers. May be it’s better for some others.

4 months ago

Every visit here is a wonderful experience thanks to the consistently great food and attentive service. The restaurant has a beautiful and inviting atmosphere, and the second floor adds a nice touch to the overall vibe. Their oysters are absolutely delicious and always feel fresh. Being located downtown, parking can be a bit challenging, but the quality of the experience more than makes up for it. Highly recommended.

4 months ago

Water Grill has a sweet place in my heart since it was one of the first places I went to with my husband when we started dating. We decided to come here for New Year's eve and picked the prefixed menu which was a 4-course meal for $150/person. The atmosphere is always nice here, it was decorated for the Holidays and 2026 balloons. Our waitress was exceptional, she checked on us often and I appreciated that. The forst course I picked the shrimp cocktail and my husband chose the crab cakes. The crab cakes were okay, we enjoyed the pickled vegetables more than the cakes. The shrimp cocktail was an interesting consistency almost as if they had been overcooked. Wouldn't recommend either of these dishes. Second course was clam chowder and caesar salad. The chowder had carrots in it which was interesting. The bacon in the soup was extremely fatty and not crisp enough, I ended up picking these out. The salad contained old romaine lettuce that was brown so my husband didnt eat it. This was unfortunate because he was excited about the anchovies on the salad. For entrees we picked the surf and turf which was filet mignon and South African lobster 🦞 This was a good dish, the lobster was sweeter than others and was delicious. The filet was good, not great but a good steak. I chose the grilled spiny lobster which I enjoyed. It only came with a small side of coleslaw but the slaw was yummy 😋 For the 4th and final course we chose the cheesecake and the bread pudding. The cheesecake was okay and the bread pudding was good. I was so full we had to bring dessert home. They gave us each a thoughtful New Years card to write to open on 12/31/2026 for our dreams and wishes, I loved this! Overall for the meal costing $515 after tip, we didn't feel as though the cost met the value. I left wishing I had spent my money elsewhere for the cost.

4 months ago