Dropped off 12 yellowfin off at Five Star, and they did a great job! The fish was packaged perfectly and at a reasonable cost. You can pick from a variety of options and bag thickness (thicker bags last longer in the freezer). My only feedback is the off hours drop off. We fished all day so this place wasnt open. We arrive exhausted and had to let ourselves into the gate and drop our fish off in a plastic bin. We had no way to tag the fish so we wrapped them up and hoped for the best, but admittedly we were really worried the fish would spoil or something would get messed up. Well, it didn't so, the rating stands but something for them to look into to simply the drop off process. read more

Dropped off 240 lbs of yellowtail and dorado and just picked up 55 lbs of meat. No way this is all of my fish.

Used Five Star a couple times now with no problems. Scored a 164 pound dressed bluefin and 12 football size yellowfin between 10-13 pounds. Yielded 120 of meat! Boat came in at 1800 hours at HM landing. Five Star came to us even though they were closed as long as we had 6 customers, we had 11 in our group and more from the boat jumped at the offer. Watched and counted when the fish were weighed at the dock. No problems and all was documented correctly. Told them I would do the pick up in about 5 days. Got the call and did the pick up with no problems. Only thing I didn't like was the extra 3.5% credit card charge. Overall great service! read more

Five Star Fish Processing - Seafood Markets Near Me - San Diego, California

See all

I live in South Texas and was able to fish on the Ranger 85 from July 7-9. Great trip, great crew, lots of fish!!! Rather than try and fly my fish home, I paid Five Star $ 409.86 to process about 50 lbs of tuna and ship it to me. I received the fish on July 19. The flimsy 1" Styrofoam container they shipped it in was destroyed and all of the fish was defrosted and bad. I was naturally pissed....this shipping container was pathetic and there was no dry ice... I was out thousands of dollars worth of fish. When I contacted Lexi at 5 star she stated that they do not insure the fish, that there is no value placed on sportfish, and there was nothing I could do about it, and that they were not going to reimburse me a penny. If I wanted to try and get reimbursed from UPS I was on my own. I could never in my wildest dreams imagine treating customers this was....they might be good at processing and packing fish, but they are the worst at shipping stuff and taking care of customers. My guess is that UPS looked at their lousy container and said there is no way we are in any way going to be responsible for that POS, and there is no way we will insure that. I have had fish shipped to me from Alaska in durable 2" Styrofoam containers designed to withstand the rigors of shipment...so I know this can be done. 5 Star destroyed my beautiful fish, screwed up a wonderful trip...and they don't care one bit about it. They are horrible. read more

Called to make reservations which they were now doing, told me that we didn't need one if we were having them shipped. Therefore didn't have the crew filet the fish and then they told about 10 of us that we needed a reservation. Told them exactly what I tried to make sure happen and they just changed their mind. I mean a few of us spend thousands of dollars here per month and they just went off of boat priority. Pretty lame to leave us hanging, not a fan. read more

Just wanted to say I was wrong about 5 star processing just talked to Drew the owner and we squared things away I was in the heat of emotions when I wrote my first review because I didn't understand what was going on, but just wanted to say I apologize and I will be coming back again as a customer to your processing facility, thank you again and I'm sorry about all the fuss. It was an honest mistake we all make mistakes so I'm sorry for that. read more

I'm only giving one star because it's the only way to leave a review. Bottom line I had a reservation, I was assured on the second call that we would be met at the dock by their guys. Nope, they screwed us. Can you imagine having whole fish sitting on the sidewalk wondering where the processor is?, Your from out of town and you have 3o fish each, times 15, with no options. All 5 star would say to us afterwards was, who did you talk to and your not on the calendar. I won't give that f'n company a chance to ever earn back my business. Unbelievable. read more

I use 5 Star 4 to 7 times a year and they do a great job by me. If you make your reservations in advance you will have great experience and a awesome finished product. read more

I just got back from an 8 day trip. Hands down the best fish processor in town. Advantages: 1) Only fish processor in town that directly off loads the fish directly from the boat to the plant into your coolers. I believe this applies to the longer trips. 2) Made an appointment to have my fish processed the same day and I got my fish before noon. 3) Friendly and professional. 4) Quality service Thanks again for making my trip memorable and convenient by making it so easy. read more

Five Star Fish Processing - Oooo-toro. Great job processing the 135 Blue Fin Tuna. - Seafood Markets Near Me - San Diego, California

See all

I've used 5 star multiple times and the quality and service has been fantastic. Most recent trip they went above and beyond! We were late coming in and the dockside team had left. I gave the office a call and within minutes 2 gentlemen showed up to take my reservation of fish. They were super friendly and helpful. I'd recommend 5star to any angler fishing out of San Diego. P.S. make reservations! read more

I would highly recommend them. I received same day processing with the requested airport compliant shipping package container in order to make my flight. read more

Five Star Fish Processing - Seared BFT - Seafood Markets Near Me - San Diego, California

See all

Been coming here for years. They always do their best to meet my expectations. Very professional and sanitary. My filets are proportioned to meal size and I can get 3mm or 5mm thick bags. I've eaten filets cleaned and packed by 5 Star that were a year old and they still tasted great after I cooked them. I recommend them. You wouldn't want the fish processor to drive the sport boat; why would you want the sport boat to clean your fish? read more

When going tuna fishing, how are you going to get all that tuna into fillets and dinner table ready? There are several options: 1. Take tuna home and fillet yourself - what a mess! 2. Have the deckhands process the fish on the way in to dock - different boats have different standards of processing. Some give you all your fillets in blue trash bags and some do a little better - packaging in gallon Ziplocs. 3. Use a fish processing service - in my opinion, the best of the 3 Five Star will be there waiting when your boat docks. They will sort, weigh and transport your catch to their plant. Pro cutters at the plant are waiting and can process your catch same day. Mine was ready after a couple of hours. Perfect timing for getting some breakfast at the local cafe. They expertly trim each fillet to be sushi ready and vacuum pack. They charge a little more for smoking and a little more for jerky. I've been fishing for years, and finally discovered this wonderful service. Now I have a freezer full of fillets perfectly packaged and ready to be served. read more

Five Star Fish Processing - Simply awesome service at 5 Star - Seafood Markets Near Me - San Diego, California

The good- you don't have to make a mess and spend half a day cleaning and bagging your fish, and they package it nicely. It will last longer in the freezer than a standard food saver bag. It's also convenient when they are at the landing waiting for you. The bad- out of a 50# gilled and gutted YFT I received 5 pieces, including half a belly. The pieces I received probably totaled 4# in total! I know some is lost and the yield is lower than most people think, but there should be a whole belly per fish regardless of how much was lost in the trim. They also didn't mention the collars are not included or that I had to specify that I wanted them at an additional charge, so I guess that went to staff meal. When I realize that the fish is missing I call the same day and they say they will call back that day and some probably fell off the shelf. A week of me calling each day to check on the status since I didn't get a call back goes by and after about five very polite calls, I get a call from the manager who says he can probably find it as it got mislabeled and they are really busy. I never hear back, have to call again and they say they will refund for the processing of the one fish. Well that's cool, and the minimum I'd expect, but what about my fish that I spent hundreds of dollars to catch? I don't know where it went, but I do know I didn't get what was mine or what I paid for...I had to chase them down for a resolution that was not really what I would call acceptable, and they didn't seem to care less. Maybe if you have a huge haul it makes sense but just know you may not get what is owed to you, and by the time you realize it, it's probably too late. read more

I used 5star for the first time and was impressed with their operation, I came back to the dock with a 190lb bluefin and they had it processed before I finished breakfast. They were quick, professional and all my fillets were clean quality cuts. They did a great job all around, and I will use them again. read more

Hands down superb service if you let them know before hand and what to expect. First time using them, have always done it myself and was skeptical on the meal sized portions they put in the vac sealed bags. Perfect for for 2 people per bag minimizing the waste! 10/10 satisfied read more

I had never used their services before and always had the boat deck hands clean my fish. I can't tell you how much I recommend using this service, especially if you have a lot of fish. Their service, pricing, and customer relations are all 5-Star as advertised. It's not worth your time/money vacuum sealing everything on your own. They shipped all my vacuum sealed frozen fish from SD to LA within 3-5 days of my catch. It came in a professional ice box with plenty of cold-packs to prevent the fish from thawing out on my front door step before I came home from work. HIGHLY RECOMMEND and will always use them for all my future trips! read more

DO NOT USE. I always use Fisherman's processing and have never had a problem. I decided to try 5 star and am so disappointed. They were fairly rude to me at the dock, and even though I had a reservation, they told me they could not do same day and that it would be 4 or 5 days. Four days later I called and they said my fish was ready and all frozen. I did not ask for it to be frozen. I cannot believe they just decided to freeze all my tuna. They never asked. They just did it. I will never use them again. read more

Had a great Fishing trip my group caught around 700 pounds of BLUEFIN. Had 5 star take care of the processing and shipping for me. When I got the fish home and opened the box it was full of nothing but YELLOWFIN and YELLOWTAIL clearly not my fish. Spoke with and emailed the company about the problem they requested pictures which I provided as proof After that I didn't hear from them again them I called today and spoke with the owner, he told me there is nothing he can do and its basically my problem. I should of had 4 boxes of Bluefin instead of 2 boxes of YELLOWFIN and YELLOWTAIL I spent a good chunk of change with this company and thousands on this trip for them to send me the wrong fish and say its not their problem is absolutely ridiculous Bottom line: I would not trust this company. Who knows if they are giving you all your fish or even you fish at all. read more

We picked up our order from 5star this morning and couldn't be happier with their work. From our initial reservation to the processing to our pick up, everything was perfect. The guys that helped us at the dock and loaded our processed fish at their store were outstanding! We can't wait to use their service again. Make your reservation, you won't be disappointed! read more

I'm done with this place. I invited a long time customer to go on a 1.5 day trip. He's a VP of a furniture chain and said that he would be horrified if his staff treated him the way the 2 girls treated him when surrendering his fish for process. Impatient and rude. They didn't with the fish, nor did they give us any paperwork. NOTHING! I hope his fish makes it to him in Texas. I go to pick up my fish. They hit you with a 3.5% if you pay by card and they didn't even supply ice. I get out to my cooler and they guy is sucking his teeth because he's got to go back and get ice. I tipped him out but this place is tired. I've been here twice and the other place once. Much better experience. Done with this place. I regret having my guest use Five Star Fish Processing and hope his fish made it home. read more

Five star my azz. O star fish processing. I dropped off 29lbs of already filleted Blue Fin and got back 16lbs. When I called and asked about it they said, "There is a 50% loss in processing. You did better than that so you should be happy." They charged me $60 to cut 13lbs of tuna off my 29lbs and I am supposed to be happy? You mean my loss and out the back door some else's gain. ONE BIG GIANT 5 STAR RIP OFF! read more

Horrible customer service as many others have reported. I requested frozen with 4 bags fresh fillets. When I arrived they only had 3 bags fresh so I asked where the other bag was and was told that I received all my fish. Well I guess I did but why only 3 bags? read more

First time using this place, they should be called 1 star for leaving many people with fish hanging and no correspondence. After even having a "reservation" for pickup which was confirmed by phone 3 days before, there was no communication that they were full and could not take anymore fish to process. The gentleman (who was actually nice and was just the processing guy) said he even called the manager and pickup service and said there were no reservations and truly could not take anymore fish. This left us scrambling at 8pm to figure out what to do with 12 50-85lb Tuna. Needless to say, there were no options at that time and it all had to be done at someone's house, including the fish that were out of towners expecting they could have freshly packed fish awaiting pickup of delivery. I will stick with Fisherman's Processing, haven't had any issues with them. It's just bad business. read more

Amazing 100% satisfied great communication quick processing great price beautiful fish couldn't be more happier I will be taking everything I catch to these people from now on today was my first experience receiving my fish from the fish we caught yesterday couldn't be more pleased smooth checkout process instant receive all of my goods and fillets were absolutely beautiful top with ice read more

I have been sportfishing for almost 40 years and I use 5 Star Fish Processing for all my catch. They are fast, professional and super friendly to work with. My fish is perfectly processed and lasts for years in my freezer, coming out like fresh caught every time!I won't trust anyone else with my catch. read more

Well we have been using these guys for years like 10 plus. I know the ownership has turned over a couple years ago and I started hearing rumors about the amount of fish yielding has drastically dropped. Well I just became a victim as did everyone else on our 7 day trip. 220lb of good grade yellows and I received under 49lbs of filets like 21%. That is just ridiculous. I called and talked to the manager I am guessing he offered up excuses about cutting off the red meat and a coupon for my next visit. I had my buddies weigh there fish as well and everyone of them was disappointed there was a 10% increase if you went to Fisherman's Processing which is where myself and every other 30 customers will be going and anyone I meet in the future. So be on the lookout it used to be a lot better its a shame it has changed. Tight lines. PS I weighed every bag to the once dried so my numbers are accurate. read more

Zero stars if possible! We arrived in San Diego Harbor with over 300lbs of Blue Fin Tuna, fresh off the ice on the boat. 5 Star took our fish and told us 1) It will be three - four days until we can pick up our processed fish and 2) It will be flash frozen so not to worry. Just got the call today and no It was not flash frozen, just kept in the refrigerator. I needed sushi grade meat, not bacteria laden raw fish that needed to be frozen 2 days ago! We were duped, the fish is no good now and WTF!!! Never again, lessons learned: Please be prepared to make your own arrangements at the dock for fish processing before you leave on your fishing trip. Otherwise, these 5 STAR crooks people lie, cheat and steal. Check out the other reviews. YOU ARE WARNED! read more

five star was "a little bit behind" so I waited over a month to receive my fish. after paying close to 400$ to ship my fish less than 6 hours away i received my fish with no ice in the box halfway defrosted and with a decent amount of the bags not sealed. it smelled like my trash can after a fishing trip. terrible service from the beginning to end. never again with this shady, gross company. they ruined my bounty from a fishing trip I only go on once a year and charged me an arm and a leg for it. read more

Exactly 32 days ago Five Star got my fish to process. They may end up doing a good job, however over the past week, I've called them by phone and NEVER HAVE I GO TO SPEAK to a person. Same voice message on the phone, "We're very busy, expect your fish in 3 to 4 weeks." It would be nice if you could talk to a live body at this business! read more

I made a reservation with Five Star well in advance of my trip. They were quick to arrive after we docked. They took my catch within a reasonable amount of time. I was told that the fish would be processed in about 3 weeks. The fish was actually processed and shipped quicker than anticipated. Their communication was excellent via telephone call backs and email. Unfortunately my fish was spoiled on shipping. I received cartons that were undamaged on the outside but the inside styrofoam insulating cooler was broken into multiple pieces in every carton. The fish was spoiled because of poor packaging. Thicker styrofoam would have done the job. I've shipped from other places without this kind of loss. When I explained to Five Star what happened I received the response "not our fault". Shipping and processing was over $700, all spoiled because of a crappy thin styrofoam container. Thicker styrofoam is not used because it isn't "cost effective", so I was told. Really? What's another $50 when shipping across country to preserve your catch? Not much. read more

Very disappointed with the end result, they had our fish for 3 weeks! When I picked up all the fish, they had signs to buy ice but not dry ice which is what they recommend, so strange?? I ended up going down the street to another company for dry ice. They were hired to pack a 60lb tuna and smoke it, the end result was terrible, it was so fishy! I don't know what they did, but that catch was completely inedible. Do yourself a favor and get several tables, and a few good knife workers and package it yourself. The best part of fishing is sharing it with friends and family and everyone hates this catch! read more

They made a mistake on my order and when they make an honest mistake both parties should suffer but I was the one that suffered and they were rude and the manager said he was sorry as he walked away with his back against me for the price you pay the guy was an asshole read more

Fishing is expensive, getting cheap on what you take home is not the place to save money. I like five star, I have always been handled professionally by Drew and his team. I deducted one star cause the location can be challenging, and parking (or lack there of) is difficult and chaotic. If you just follow the guide on their website, you wont have issues. I.E. make a reservation, don't bring them boat cut fish and expect to get the same chunks back, they will be trimming undesirable areas away. Check in before your trip especially if you are returning in PM, make sure they have enough reservations to meet you. I will continue to use five star thanks read more

I've been using 5 Star for 8 years and have always been happy, but something happened when Sarah sold the business. This year I had some nice fish but the yield was terrible. Like 22% on Yellowtail and low 30's on the wahoo. Worse of all, when I asked them what happened, they didn't return my message. I don't know who I'm going to next year but it won't be 5 Star. read more

Brutal. I asked for fresh and got it frozen. The girl at the desk and manager didn't even apologize. All I got was a "well, nothing we can do about it now". I've been going there for over 25 years. I get it, they're incredibly busy and people make mistakes, but it's how you handle those mistakes that determine their character. That was not the reaction I wanted or expected. Very unfortunate that I won't be going back there or recommend that anyone use them. This is not the first I've heard of their mistakes. I know of three different incidents that have occurred including missing fish. read more

These guys went above and beyond to help myself and one other fisherman on a recent overnight trip. We arrived late at the dock after fishing well into the afternoon. We drove straight from Point Loma Sportfishing and three employees were more than happy to roll the doors up and take our fish in to be processed the following day. Most companies these days close the doors after normal business hours but these guys helped us out and showed true professionalism by rolling the doors up at 9 pm for us and taking our prized catch of the day in to be processed. Thank you guys for being top notch and the name says it all. Five Star goes above and beyond!!! read more

Hi guys and girls!!! While waiting to board the beautiful Intrepid for my 6 day vacation with the guys from JRI Custom Lures, I was approached by Sara from Five Star Processing. She was signing customers for service upon return. I had never used Five Star, as I had been a long time customer of another processor (rhymes with "Tisherman's Trocessing). I generally donate about half of my fish to charity, and process the rest with same-day service. I asked Sara if Five Star accepts donations, and was surprised to learn they (Five Star) were actually looking for about 2500 pounds at the request of Make-A-Wish. I signed up on the spot, thinking that I would process all the jumbo bluefin that I was guaranteed to catch, and donate the yellowtail. Make-A-Wish Is my favorite charity and I viewed this as a win-win. The trip was great and relaxing. However, fishing was a bit slow and the boat managed to squeek out Mexican limits of mid-grade yellowtail. No other fish were caught. I was a bit disappointed in that I would only be able to donate about half of my modest catch, processing the rest. My experiences with the other processor had me expecting to donate not more than half my total weight of the fish I caught. I understand that the processors are a business and need to make money. It is my belief that the processor would actually lose money by handling fish donations, as they have to coordinate the distribution to the various recipients, with no revenue received in return. I am truly appreciative for the charitable work they do for both the fisherman, as well as the receiving organizations. While sorting fish at the dock, I checked in with Five Star. My tag number was 8, and told them I didn't have many fish. I half-jokingly said I would donate ALL of my fish to charity, but without even a blink of an eye, was told "Yes Sir!" Additionally, my fishing buddy who also signed with Five Star, was able to donate ALL of his fish! I received my receipt in the mail from Five Star, and it included a hand-written note that said "Thank you for your donation of yellowtail :). Fishy wishes, Five Star". Five Star now has me as a customer for life. I will share my positive experience with Five Star wth my fellow fisherman and try to steer undecided customers Five Star's way. I have no intention of "dumping" any unwanted catch on his fine business. I really feel kind of guilty about not giving them any of my money. I will try to make up for their lost revenue by sharing my positive experience with those I know and my plan is to process more fish from future trips, as well as purchase of some of their specialty items and services. A generous tip will accompany my payment. Thank you to Sara and all of the friendly, hard-working Five Star employees that worked hard to handle my, as well as my buddy's, catch and coordinating the transfer to a worthy, charitable recipient. We have all read threads on this forum bashing certain operations and highlighting poor customer service. It is reassuring to know that there are still quality people and positive interactions that all come together to make the total experience of a long range trip an enjoyable one. Well done! read more

They rip people off that are on small charters where the captain advises you to use them to process your fish. I think maybe management has changed or something is wrong based on the reviews I am seeing. But they stole most of our catch then played stupid when we went to pick up our order. The drop off I questioned their honesty, so we took photos of the catch. Lucky our daughter lives there and went to try and make it right, they have us a little more. Don't trust them! Better to shop around and get another company. They were late on top of it. Then did not call us when it was ready. Down to the day we left. Just not trust worthy. Disorganized and understaffed. Then they lie on the phone to cover their keeping our catch. Rob from someone else's order to make up for what they stole from another! read more

"You slay 'em, we filet 'em!" So you're an angler and you came into a massive school of albacore off Point Loma, and you live somewhere else. What to do? Roll over to 5-Star, and they'll butcher it right up, vacuum-pack it, and dry-ice it for shipping. Voila, you are in tartare for months, and it's like you just caught it. Cool dudes run the place, and it's super clean. They also sponsor a sweet bike racing team -- http://www.teamfivestarfish.com/ They can handle the lobster you're sporting as well, and any other fishy mess you haul up from the deep. read more