The place is very small, and making a reservation is almost pointless because people sit around for a long time. But once we got seated the service was fast. It was my first time here and we ordered a little bit of everything. The Persian scallops were amazing! The grapefruit was an odd twist but delightful. The crab cakes were very delicious and it has lots of crab. My mom and I did not like the clam chowder at alllllll..too creamy and watery Calamari was good very different with the beans, I liked it. Fish n chips were average, it had an odd batter taste. All dishes were al a carte and very small portioned but meant to share. Good for 2 people for each dish. But the best part was the dessert of course! I got a free pretzel and chocolate bread pudding! it was the BEST thing I have ever had!!!!! read more

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Just amazing food, absolutely delicious. Normally I am not a fan of oysters, but the sampler (6 different regions) was a pleasure to eat, very clean and fresh with sauces (mignoette, horseradish) which were just right. The flavors just popped. Also amazing: hamachi (fresh and clean, yet rich and satisfying), arctic char salad which let's be fair is hard to get really wrong, and even a non-fish item - the pork belly sandwich was delicious, I had never seen sliced fig on a sandwich before and it was a revelation. Service is prompt and friendly, and the ocean / beach vibe is quite evident in the bright atmosphere. Only one issue - it is rather pricey for the small portions you get. If the dishes were maybe 50% bigger, it would be 5 stars. Even so, hardly a poor value as the quality of the food and preparation is first rate. read more

The size of the restaurant is small, that's the reason we waited 2 hours for a table, but it is worth the wait. The live oysters and clams are so fresh. to me the crab cake is the best item of the evening. however the grill octopus isn't taste as good as it look. read more

Fishing With Dynamite - SS Minnow, with an extra sea urchin - Seafood Near Me - Manhattan Beach, California

4.5 stars Ate here on a Friday night at 6pm. The place is pretty small so it gets packed so I would recommend making a reservation or coming early unless you are willing to wait. Place is clean, bright, and loud. Seafood is excellent. King crab was fresh, the ceviche was pretty amazing and unique, octopus legs were meaty and soft. They have a number of local craft beers available too. Above food + 2 beers with tip cost about $90.00 Expect to pay for high quality seafood and location. Service was excellent, food was great, but just a tad bit too loud out of a place for me. However, if I am in the area, in an upbeat mood, and have money in my account, I would visit again. read more

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Superb, fresh, and simply executed. The space is small and feels the same. It's like playing a game of Tetris if you have to get up or to your table, but the food is well worth it. This is the best food we've had in MB, period. We made reservations online for DineLA's lunch, which you should definitely do because you could be waiting for quite some time if you are a walk in. Below is a breakdown of what my wife and I ordered: First course: clam chowder and raw bar Clam chowder - creamy and simple with Manila clams on the half shell. The broth was a bit runny, but it was well balanced and light enough to be able to move to the next course. Raw Bar - fresh shucked oysters, large shrimp, and scallops. Oh man, this alone should cost $25! Simple and clean flavors. The accompanying sauces weren't over powering, nor was the seafood pungent. This is the best raw bar I've had. Second course: crab cake and shrimp Po Boy Crab cake - huge pieces of claw/leg meat with minimal filler. There's a hint of herbs that help refresh the palette. It has a touch of greens on the side, but it's a bit on the light side in comparison to be other main course offerings. Shrimp Po Boy - battered large pieces of shrimp on a toasted, flaky, roll. My wife had trouble eating it because the insides were bursting out. The batter on the shrimp was very flavorful, again relying on fresh herbs to season it. Great job. Dessert: key lime pie and pretzel bread pudding Key lime pie - crumbly graham cracker crust and wonderfully tart key lime. The meringue has just the right ratio to balance the lime. Pretzel bread pudding - I think my wife would leave me for this and Channing Tatum. I can't rave enough about this. Get this! Skip dinner even. Take this to go. For the lunch deal, this is hard to pass up. Kudos to the cooks and staff. read more

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This place redeemed themselves from my last experience. They are delicious and friendly. It was worth the long wait since my last attempt and worth the traffic and rigamarole to get there. Well worth it. I recommend this place to anyone who likes good seafood. read more

Service 5 Food 4.5 Ambiance 4 I can only speak for the DineLA menu, came twice for lunch last yr and this yr and I have not had a thing here I didn't like. The food is as visually stunning as they are delicious. The chef prepares each dish with thought and plates each of them with care. Some of the best hamachi sashimi I have had paired with ponzu, a little avocado, and shishito peppers. We get the ceviche every time and it never disappoints. It has the perfect texture and acidity. We also ordered the gumbo that's off the DineLA menu. I was quite smitten by this dish, the flavors were clean and spot on. My husband who usually shy away from desserts engulfed the chocolate bread pudding with vanilla ice cream, I had to plea for him to share some with me. The portions are dainty, but if one opts for the DineLA menu the three courses will suffice. Service was friendly and the restaurant has a casual seaside vibe. read more

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I need to review this as I don't understand all the great comments on the food here. The food here was horrible. My kids could not eat anything as they tasted so bad. Fish/shrimp tacos were tasteless. Even the chips were too hard! Guacamole had no seasonings. The shrimp was bland but bitter from being over cooked. The octopus plate was very SALTY especially the potatoes. I could not eat as I felt that I will get renal failure. The clam, crab cake, and brussels sprout plates were not delicious either. Please let me know or share if you experience the same thing or can explain why this happened. The chef might be sick or called out. Please share if you know. I don't have any problems with the reservation or service though. read more

This place is my absolute favorite when I crave quality fish and seafood! Had the shrimp tacos, scallop, the whole selection of oysters and awesome drinks with a absolutely great service! The highlight of my lunch though was hand down the heirloom tomatoes with tuna sauce on toasted bread and the Koshihikari Rice Plate. Price point is very reasonable considering the quality of the food. Hands down best drinks and seafood restaurant in the southbay. read more

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Every word - every GOOD word - describes the food and the people and the ambience in this restaurant! My boyfriend and I feel so grateful to have shared an evening feasting over their amazing peruvian scallops, jumbo shrimps, salmon tartare, new england clam chowder' and steelhead trout! Neither my boyfriend or I have ever felt compelled to make a yelp review, and so for this first time review we knew we had to also give a special shout out to the restaurant manager Caroline and our fabulous waitress Casey! These ladies made our evening so memorable and we could not have left any happier then we did, because of them :) So if you and your family/friends enjoy incredible food, and if you all enjoy even more incredible company/service I suggest you give this place a visit. You will 1000% not regret it! We LOVE us some FWD! read more

Fishing With Dynamite - Seafood Near Me - Manhattan Beach, California

WOW! Great dinner tonight. Last minute change for an extra person. They made the accommodations for outside and it was very comfortable! Meal was extraordinary largely in part to the server Alexandra!! Sea bass, swordfish and rice dish were all top notch and the appetizers were excellent as well. Chocolate pretzel caramel bread pudding was the perfect ending to a great meal read more

Small space but great food and service! Highly recommend everything on the menu. Known for seafood but with a twist in my opinion.

I'm sorry but it doesn't get better than Fishing with Dynamite for me! Their food is absolutely amazing! Chef LeFevre is a culinary genius and you will not find tasty or more delicious dishes anywhere! (I'm a fan girl in case you couldn't tell lol) we ordered to go recently from them and of course something I'm usually indifferent about (lobster or crab rolls) he made me a believer! I am actually quite lucky that I don't live close by because I would be poor and probably fat because I would eat here EVERY DAY! If you have never been here, get your stuff together and go immediately (when they open of course) if you have, well then I don't need to sell you because likely you know exactly what I am talking about! read more

Fishing With Dynamite - Seafood Near Me - Manhattan Beach, California

This place is tiny! But so good! The hostess was the sweetest girl who got us seated a little earlier than our reservation. We aren't oyster people (a shame, I know) so we first tried some of their cooked cold options.. the king crab legs were amazing but a lot of work to get into (not a date food!) & the scallops on the shell were so lovely. We also had the octopus hot entree and their fried rice as well as some other things. Really not anything I wouldn't recommend. We will be back soon. read more

Found our favorite oyster and seafood spot! Food was amazing and service was unbelievable. Our server, Lena, was super friendly and knew the menu inside out. She was so attentive and made our experience so much better. We will definitely be back! read more

I don't know about the 5 star reviews here. I felt Fishing with Dynamite was overpriced for just OK food. Nothing to write home about and nothing very inventive on the menu, except perhaps the koshihikari rice, but it's hard not to make mixed rice taste good. Scallop starter was fishy. Portion sizes very small. The desserts were also pretty plain, and we tried all three. I guess this is meant to be your standard American seafood restaurant, in which case it works, but I was hoping for more flair. read more

Quick takes: Service: fantastic Atmosphere: sailing & seaside themed, classy casual Food: always delicious & fresh! The service here is always great; you feel welcomed right when you enter. The majority of the menu is seafood, consistent, and never disappoints! It's a nice place to catch up with friends after a walk along the beach or treat family for special occasions. Overall, arguabley my favorite place to eat in Manhattan Beach! read more

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Great seafood, wine, and atmosphere. Oysters were delicious. - our server suggested a nice variety to sample. The prawn appetizer is amazing, and the key lime pie is the perfect way to end the meal. Will definitely be coming back! read more

Came here during a lunch on a weekday. I've been meaning to check out Fishing with Dynamite for a while since its relatively close to work, but the price tag and parking situation have been holding me back thus far. However, after going for the first time, I can ensure you I'll be back again. The place is modestly designed, but the seafood is to die for. The dish sizes are rather small (appetizer sized) so I would order more to share. The below was for 2: Peruvian Scallops (6 for $19): Some of the freshest scallops I've ever tasted. Great sauce and presentation was solid too. Mary's Fried Chicken Sandwich ($14): Chicken was juicy and crunchy. Would have preferred fries over chips, but chips were not bad. Claims dish (forget the name and can't find online - must be seasonal) ($26): Favorite dish. Sauce was unreal - couldn't stop dipping the bread they provided. Usually don't like paying so much for clams but they give a generous amount (about 20 clams) and again very fresh and great texture. Blue crab cake ($17): Pretty good grab cake. Nothing extraordinary but that's how all crab cakes kinda are. Great side salad to accompany the rich dish. Parking can be tough but during the month leading up to Christmas parking is free all around Manhattan Beach. Overall a great experience and food lived up to the hype, as this is wildly known as the best seafood restaurant in Manhattan beach. read more

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Unbelievable!!! You just can't beat this spot. The oysters are incredibly fresh and delicious

Amazing well executed dishes. the restaurant gives out nice relaxing vibe next to the beach. I was expecting the food to be standard seafood but I wad totally wrong. unbelievably good, great service, and overall nice vibe. Definitely one of my top 3 restaurants I have been to. read more

My Honey and I came here for lunch! We ordered Shrimp Po Boy, and Mahi Mahi Tacos. Our server Sal was very friendly and attentive. Our order was taken quickly and our food served quickly! Everything tasted delicious! This place is a small business. They really utilized there space well. We came in off the street with out reservations but we got seated at the Oyster Bar. It seems because of space restrictions reservations are a plus. read more

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If I could give them 10 Stars I would. Lived in Manhattan Beach for a half a decade, wish this was here then. I am now residing up the Hill in RPV/SP area and I am a 2nd Generation SoCal Born Native so I've lived all around Los Angeles and Orange County areas. I frequently attend Sea Food Restaurants on our beautiful Golden State Coast over the years. Today, I stumbled upon Fishing With Dynamite purely upon accident, with more frequent reopenings regarding the Pandemic and I am so glad this accident occurred. The service rallied some of the finest Southern California has to offer, the Sea Food was fresh, and prepared as close to perfection as it comes. I ordered with a friend The Queen Mary, coming from being a former actual Queen Mary Ship Manager in Special Events, Fishing With Dynamite does the name justice! This was hands down one of the best Sea Food Towers that has ever crossed my palate, bravo! I will be back, as it is more than worth the drive from anywhere within LA DMA! A+++ read more

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This place is tiny. Maybe 5-6 in the bar area and 5 tables? I made a last minute reservations when I worked a nearby a conference. I got a bar seat. I enjoyed the music so much that was what I remember about the night. Bobbing my head to brass monkey while enjoying the variety seafood platter and bread pudding. It was a fun and relaxing atmosphere. Loved it! read more

Awesome service. Especially our server Michelle. Amazing. Location is awesome. if you get seated in near the side street, you'll get a beautiful sunset. Recommend coming here around 6pm. We ordered: Peruvian scallops (good, wish we had more. I'd order at least a half a dozen, we only got 2 so i can't really remember the flavors) Hamachi (ours was too salty or citrus-y)(the sauce overpowered our fish) Squash buns (very delicious. similar to a hawaiian roll. sweet and chewy. but the salt and butter they add with it make it very delicious) Clam chowder (excellent flavor but it's more of a light broth than a thick chowder) Maryland Blue Crab Cake (our favorite dish. amazing chunks of crab, not heavy on the bread crumbs, but there is a light surprising heat that was perfect) Koshihikari Rice (runny egg, tasty; my wife thought it was a bit salty but a little more and it would have been) Pretzel & Chocolate Bread Pudding (first bite was good. it's pretty rich if you don't like sweets, it's big enough to share) Very few items that we ordered were heavy so it was perfect amount of food and we ate light right before. read more

Been here when we're in Manhattan Beach area, it does have a good vibe, but services is mediocre at best, especially when it gets busy on weekends. Reservations on weekends a must, we were turned away, without offering on next available time on a Sunday around 2. read more

Well we had a lovely time. Environment was as nice as can be for the COVID era. The hostess who took my reservation and sat us was just lovely and the staff were friendly. Not something I need but always nice. Food was really excellent and really, what else is there. Wanted to give a particular shoutout to the hostess but I forgot her name, she's from NY and used to be an airline stewardess. This review is for her because people only ever seem to Yelp when they're unhappy and not when they had a good experience. This one is for your boss love. We thought you were great. read more

The food was excellent and so was the service. The sea bass was my favorite. I will definitely be back.

- Locale Destination - It's on Manhattan Ave and Center Pl in Manhattan Beach. It's located right next to "Subway", then "Manhattan Beach Post". The place is so tiny and packed with people. Good for casual date and chill. Crowded, loud, cramped. Modern, cozy atmosphere, though the name sounds cheesy like Korean sushi bar.. lol. Menu: very small. Service: Friendly, quick. The hostess will nicely tell you you were allowed to eat "only...mins" by looking at her ipad. Luckily we got many open tables by the time we ended the meals. I wouldn't come back here just because food wasn't awesome. Parking: Tough around here. Street meters in front of the stores and everywhere. Parking structure nearby. - Gluttony Expedition - Beers here are EXPENSIVE. 24th Street Pale by Strand: American pale ale, from Torrance. Good for sunny day with very light body and CO2. Ok. Ommegang Witte: Belgian style wheat, from NY. Too light for me. Meh. *** Fresh seafood dish *** Fresh oysters, clams, scallop and shrimp on the plate. Fresh oysters: Even tinier than most "Oyster" places. It was good, but you pay more than places specializing fresh oyster or sushi bar. They serve fresh shrimp cocktail sauce and fresh horse radish, which I'm always careless about. I prefer to eat fresh oysters with simple lemon, maybe a bit soy sauce (could be no soy). It's already tasty by itself. "Hollywood" (MD) was blimey and yum - tasted ocean. It was all tiny though. "Barnstable" (MA) was too light in flavor. I prefer bold and sweeter "Kumamoto" better. I do like they give you a paper for what you eat on your dish. All the places like this should do it! Fresh clam: Ok. My buddy raved about it, so I tried. I've had better and bigger ones in Japan. So it was good but nothing wow. Fresh scallop: Super tiny. They added grapefruits, which is a bit refreshing. Shrimp: Nothing special. It might look better to add it on the plate, but so what?? Yawn.. *************** French fries: Probably one of the best dishes I had here. Nicely cooked and seasoned shoe strings. Great. Hamachi: Simple yellowtail sashimi with ponzu dressing and avocado puree at the bottom. It was good, but so what? It doesn't need avocado purée. I guess they try differentiating themselves from sushi bar by adding avocado on perfectly good yellowtail sashimi by itself?! Nothing special. Just pretty to look. Yawn. Fish tacos: Total failure. Bland. I think they made their own corn tortilla, but it really didn't add any good effect on this. Salsa verde was bland, too. Fish was grilled. Overall it looked pretty, but just bland. Avoid. Yellowtail: Grilled with light and refreshing Italian type sauce and capers. Yellowtail was medium rare. The sauce was kinda good but really didn't compliment well with the grilled yellowtail. Bleh. Key lime parfait: I loved their whip cream quality - very fluffy and nicely sweetened. Key lime custard wasn't so sweet, which was good. Not bad. Banana custard pie: Not so sweet and plain. The whip cream was good. Yawn. - Conqueror's Deduction - Glad I tried here for dineLA. Or I would feel a lot more disappointed with the full price. I think I'm spoiled and finicky when it comes to seafood. I've eaten at great sushi bars and grew up in Japan. I eat seafood and vegetables more than meats in general. It's almost unfair for any seafood restaurant. For me, this is like "so.... what's up with the fuss? Mmmm.. Nothing special to me." It's nothing like WOW at "Sushi Zo" for the freshness and taste of seafood they offer. I could eat a bigger and as tasty scallop as this tiny one with less price tag at regular good sushi bars. Presentation is modern, clean, pretty yet flavors lack in punch. Better than average, but it means little to me. You better try non-cooked items and desserts here, though "French fries" were pretty good. You better off that way here. Desserts aren't sweet here - for me, it was good. Probably not so sweet for most people. x100 less sweeter than the ice cream at "Manhattan Beach Creamery" nearby. (Avoid the ice cream shop!) But it wasn't something I wanna come back for. I was thinking to try "Manhattan Beach Post" first. Glad I didn't. This is the sister restaurant - it was good to test drive the food here first. It was very underwhelming. No wonder why I'm careless about famous chef's restaurants in general. I go for simply good food, nothing else. I'd skip this place and MBP for something different. Ok, but not so great except for some fresh oysters and French fries. Oh well, I tried at least. read more

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Been here twice with my BF and both times we ordered similar items. Overall, we give this place 3.5 stars for the food/price ratio, but bumped it to 4 stars due to the service. Oysters, clams and Peruvian scallops were fresh but on the pricey side. You can't dine here and not order one of their shellfish items. That's what mostly draws the crowd here! Their shellfish items are served with horseradish, lemon and your choice of two additional sauces. We recommend the pico de gallo being one of them! We enjoyed the grilled octopus and yellowtail sashimi. However, it's not worth a drive for. The best grilled octopus we've had is at Barrique in Venice, for its tenderness and value. Their key lime pie, however, was exceptional! The portion is enough to share with 2-3 people! Parking: there's a nearby parking structure with meter parking and free street parking along Valley Dr near the park (about a 5 min walk). read more

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This place has the best seafood, everything is is fresh and tasty! The service and atmosphere is good, highly recommend!

Greatest seafood I have had in years, lovely little spot, amazing service. Only regret is not ordering more

I've been here a couple times and both times were pretty good. On a recent trip, we had oysters, peruvian scallops, octopus, and cavatelli with clams. My favorites were the oysters from New Zealand, clams, and octopus. The white wine we had was also great! It is on the pricey side and the dishes are kind of small. FWD is nice cause it's by the beach but it's so small that you bump into others at the next table when going in and out. Overall, a good place for some fancy seafood. Parking can be difficult but there is valet for $15. read more

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Been meaning to check out this place for awhile and when I saw that they had a menu for dine LA, it gave me more reason to make reservations. Really fresh seafood and ingredients...everything tasted light and tasty. I especially enjoyed the clam chowder, lobster roll and fresh seafood platter. I'll be back again! read more

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The food and service here was amazing. You can't go wrong with the oysters. It's Covid safe too! read more

Fishing With Dynamite - Seafood Near Me - Manhattan Beach, California

An excellent raw bar. Some excellent menu items. Great service. Had a great dinner here with friends. We had reservations and were seated as quickly as they could turn the tables. I didn't realize how tiny this place is in comparison to MB Post a couple doors down. On an early Sunday evening before sunset, this place was packed. The bar was 4 people deep. We ordered a selection of oysters and the Peruvian scallops from the raw bar...the Wellfleet and the Pacific Plump were my favorites along with the fresh scallop...FwD may be the only place in town that carries the Peruvian scallops and they are a delight. The Koshihikari rice with chicken dashi, blue crab, shrimp, uni, and egg yolk was the highlight of the evening. There was also a nice citrus kick to keep the fish refreshing and light while allowing for the risotto/congee-like dish to sing. I want to reverse engineer this thing at home. The fish and chips were solid. I didn't enjoy the hamachi crudo as much as I thought I would, but it's probably because that dish is so overdone that unless it's extraordinary, I won't notice it. The broccoli was also solid. The charred octopus was also okay...I've also had better renditions of it. The key lime pie was divine...the crust was a nutty graham cracker crust with a light lime curd and Italian meringue...I wish it was a tad lime-ier. We had a nice meal and saw the sunset from our table. The bar was a tad slow, but it was busy. Drinks were solid. read more

Great service . Very fresh and well prepared seafood . The venue is very small and comfortable . Be sure and make a reservation it's very busy . read more

Sooo good! I visited FWD yesterday with my bf for DineLA and it was definitely worth it! We went for lunch so it was $25/person for a 3 course pre fixe. My bf and I decided to order different things so we could sample more dishes. Appetizer: I got the Hamachi and the bf got the Raw Bar. The Hamachi was soo good. The fish was super fresh and buttery. It just falls apart in your mouth! The sauce it can with was perfectly salty and the avocado beneath the fish balanced everything perfectly. The Raw Bar was super fresh too. We aren't the biggest seafood people but it was fun to try. The scallops and piece of grapefruit was soft and flavorful, the oyster was SUPER fresh, and the shrimp was delish with the seasoning they served on it. I recommend both! Entree: I ordered the tacos; one grilled shrimp and one grilled yellowtail. They were topped with shredded purple cabbage, diced tomato & onion, avocado, and chicharron then served with a slice of lime and salsa verde (just the right amount of kick). I preferred the shrimp one. My bf ordered the Soft-shell Crab Po boy. Battered and fried crab on top of lettuce, tomato, pickle, and toasted roll and served with a side of fresh out of the fryer chips! The sandwich was loaded and hard to hold/bite into but thats a good thing. It was just a little messy. Dessert: The true stars of the meal! No lie these desserts are what made the meal worth it. They were actually quite large and heavy but no regrets because they blew my mind. I ordered the infamous Key Lime Tart with graham cracker crust, delicious key lime filling (I LOVE citrus desserts), and topped with beautifully torched merengue. This was both my bf and my's favorite. He ordered the Pretzel and Chocolate Bread Pudding which came topped with syrup and swimming in caramel sauce. The bread pudding was moist but not too soft to where is fell apart. It had a good bite to it. The cool ice cream added a contrasting temperature which was nice and the caramel sauce added even more sweetness. I probably could have done without it. This dessert was super heavy and a tad too sweet for my taste but tasty; I just couldn't eat too much of it. My bf was struggling too lol. We were both really happy with our experience and I would go back just for that Hamachi and Key Lime Tart! I made a reservation for their opening time so we were in the first seating and received all of our food quickly. The first 2 courses were much lighter that the last but in a way they balanced each other perfectly. The service was great! Very friendly. Parking may or may not be hard to find depending on the time of day you go. We arrived at 11-ish and walked around before our 11:30 reservation so it wasn't too bad. The meters are 2 hr. max for $1.25/hr. Such a fun DineLA experience! Gotta love those cheaper lunch deals for us non-working college students! read more

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Great seafood with an interesting selection! Cool vibe with taste to match. If you're looking for an unpretentious spot to devour some oysters: go go go! read more

The perfect seafood spot after a long day at the beach- Fishing with Dynamite, you have been on my bookmark list for quite some time now and I am so excited that I finally got a taste of you. started with an assortment of fresh oysters and the famous peruvian scallops. The oysters were fine, but nothing too impressed- mignotte was simple. The peruvian scallops were something to rave about. The buttery meat was delicate and melted on the tip of your tongue. The flavors were paired up nicely and had a nice asian zing. clam chowder was next and it was probably one of my favorites. creamy but light, and i love that the potatoes were thinly sliced. I could have used some extra clams in the soup. ceviche was my absolute favorite dish. The seafood was tangy and mouthwatering- the creamy avocado was a nice addition as well. PEI mussels- forewarned, don't get them. They were quite fishy, and the tomato base wasn't quite impressed. I didn't think the flavors went well with the mussels and it was almost competing with the mussel itself soft shell crab- this wasn't bad, but I have never been a soft shell crab. The crisp slaw was a nice touch to balance out the fried soft shell crab. I could keep going on, but I remember that I left this place way too full and my favorite dishes were the peruvian scallops, ceviche, and clam chowder! Bon apetit read more

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