I was concerned about recent reviews saying the place had "gone downhill" when taking my family for dinner. Far from it - food was great, service was very good despite it being peak Saturday evening and very busy. Absolutely recommend for family dinner read more

Great for lunch! They have great tasting food. We ordered the Shrimp Bucatini pasta and we love the creamy taste and the fresh taste of shrimp. The rainbow roll is also tasteful. Our drink was well balanced as well. Eli and Erica who served us was very commendable . For this weekend d experience i will give them 4.5. read more

See all

You ever walk into a place and immediately feel like you're home? That's how I felt when I walked into Kings on my first visit. Staff approached me immediately and found a great spot to sit. The waiter introduced himself and chatted it up a little before taking our order. Great and engaging staff here! Inside felt like a modern old style fish restaurant from the east coast. Classic, worn, but not gaudy. Very comfortable vibe . Fish and chips is a must try fi every fish place I've gone so that's what I got! Fresh, crispy and not too oily, they were a great, right dozed meal for the middle of the day. Wanted just a tad more flavor on the fish, but the chips were good too; crispy, hot and not flaccid / droopy. I'll be back to explore other menu items! read more

First time having lunch here and for sure will be coming back. Had our lunch yesterday after our Carlsbad Outlet visit around 1PM. No reservation and got our sit upon checked-in. No issues with parking. Ordered: Clams Linguine - generous amount of clams and al dente pasta. It was missing some seasoning for my tastebuds. Salt and lemon maybe? Will order again but will request for lemon on the side. New England Clam Chowder - finally found the spot if we're craving for chowder. It reminds us of the chowder we always had in Maryland. The thickness and taste is perfect! New England Lobster Roll with browned butter - love the butter toasted bread. I wish there's extra butter on the side. I know I am asking too much. Lobster meat was fresh and delicious but it's little bit dry. Will try the traditional on our next visit. We love the fries and coleslaw. Caitlin, our server did a phenomenal job. Checking on us during our lunch. Dining atmosphere is inviting. Highly recommended. read more

See all

While I did enjoy my meal at King's Fish House, I left feeling underwhelmed. The food was good, and the ambiance was fantastic. However, the high prices didn't reflect the quality of the seafood. For appetizers, we order the Calamari and King's Crab Cakes. Both were crispy and came with dipping sauces that complement the dish. For our mains, a bowl of their New England Clam Chowder, the King's Combo Platter, and the Shrimp & Scallop Combo. All the food was tasty, but none of it was noticeably more fresh than the seafood sold at a grocery store. Ultimately, King's Fish House falls at the middle of the pack and should be overlooked when planning a meal in Carlsbad. read more

See all

Love this place. Our usual occasion if we have family/visitors in the area visiting carlsbad or the flower fields. Food is always good and the fish and chips hit the spot for me. read more

We recently stopped by here wanting to see if there was any change for the better with the quality and service. We ordered a seafood tower that we enjoyed very much, but the rest of the food was just ok. I had ordered the soft shell crab piccata style for dinner, it was very rubbery and oily, tasted like it had been cooked and was sitting under a warmer. The last time I had it, it was crispy and cooked right. My husband ordered the shrimp and scallops, he was not a fan, and the cauliflower side tasted weird like it was old. We got a key lime pie for dessert, it tasted store bought like from Trader Joe's, I always thought they made it in house. The service here was terrible, the server wasn't very personable and didn't really speak to us much, he just took our order and left for a long time, it was hard to find him just to ask for a ice tea refill. The service last time we were here also wasn't great. read more

See all

You just cannot go wrong here. The food is always amazing. The service is always top-notch. It's gorgeous inside. This is my favorite fish place in California. If you're having family over or you have some guests, this is the place to go. read more

See all

Great place for lunch! The restaurant is really beautiful and has a full bar. Service is always friendly and offers great suggestions! read more

See all

I had high hopes coming in to this King's Fish House location, but not all expectations were met. I'd still like to give it another try someday. The ambience was great, the hostess was courteous, and although it was pretty busy we were seated fairly quickly. I liked the stylish decor and overall vibe of the restaurant and everything was pretty clean. There was some bench seating in the waiting area as well as some cushioned seats on the back of the bar area which we chose to wait at. The restaurant seating area was expansive and it also included some patio seating. We ordered some drinks and crabcakes, received some bread and water and waited for a bit until our waitress came back for our dinner order. We ordered the B.C. grilled Salmon with mashed potatoes and sautéed spinach and the Macadamia crusted Halibut with rainbow carrots and grilled asparagus. Our dinner arrived before we even got our crabcakes and after a long while I had to flag a different waiter to mentioned our missing item. A bit latter the waitress came back stating the crabcakes order didn't make it in and she was going to put a rush order in. At this point I was getting a little frustrated at the lack of attentiveness. As I started to enjoy my meal I noticed my grilled Salmon was undercooked and had to wait again to get it rectified. They remade an entire new order and I ended up bringing half of it home. The shift manager stopped by to apologize and made sure my meal was taken off the check. It was nice that we didn't have to ask. Overall, the experience was overshadowed by the delays and lack of attentiveness by our waitress, but this place definitely has potential to provide a great experience and I would gladly give it another chance. read more

See all

Went on a Friday evening with our 4 year old, sat outside & had a wonderful meal. From the super cool kids menu/activity book to the warm complimentary bread to the delicious desert, we had a wonderful meal!!!! Husband and I shared a cup of clam chowder. Husband had scallops, baked potato and zucchini. I got the grilled Chilean sea bass with baked potato and Mac n cheese and the little had grilled cheese. Hubby and I each had a nice cold Stella Artois. And then we all shared the butter cake dessert. Everything was delicious. I do wish all the meals were a bit warmer but they were still good. Our waitress was very attentive and even offered to bring us a new kids menu to bring home. If we lived closer we would definitely return. We do have a Kings fish house local to us, we may have to see if the service is just as good. read more

See all

Unusual location right across from the Carlsbad Outlet Mall but well worth the visit. Nice indoor and outdoor dining options with outdoor allowing dogs which is cool for those that want to bring their pooch. The service was good for a busy night and the menu is extensive and provides ample options for all. The food quality was great and the price for this neighborhood was very reasonable. Will for sure be back. read more

See all

The food is consistently good here. Pricey but tasty. I had the Bbq swordfish which comes w/2 sides. Had a nice bottle of red wine with dinner Everyone had something different & we were all pleased. Plenty of indoor & covered outdoor seating. You can also sit at the bar. Large parking lot. Friendly & attentive waiter. read more

See all

We came here on a little vacation with my mom, son & I. Everything from the greeting from the hostess to the service and the food - & of course the dessert. 10/10 We had a reservation (highly recommend around dinner time), and we only had to wait 10 minutes which was because we requested a booth and the server was not on yet. Not bad at all. We were seated and erik our server came right over. He was quick, efficient and friendly. He catered to our needs. The food came out and was amazing. Even the macaroni and cheese side had flavor. We ended up getting dessert as well, tried a little of everything. We took them home, the chocolate cake warmed up was amazing!! The strawberry sauce get extra and thank me later. The manager came over multiple times to check on us which was very nice to feel so taken care of. Overall I would come on any given day here. Thank you Erik & team! read more

See all

If you're in the San Diego area, you have to try King's Fish House. Honestly, there is nothing bad on the menu. Everything we ordered was just really, really good. I loved the variety--sushi, seared ahi salad, anasortment of cooked fish, and fish tacos. The grilled bass tacos were amazing, and the oysters were absolutely to die for. You can tell everything is fresh and thoughtfully prepared. The service was great, the ambiance was warm and inviting, and it made for such a nice overall experience. My kids even got to pet a live lobster, which made it extra fun and memorable for them. Overall, such a great spot for families or a nice night out. Definitely highly recommend! read more

See all

The food here is amazing. We've stopped here a few times and really enjoy. Our server was great. His name is Quentin He's funny and fun serfass was immediate where we sat down. The ambience is loud but happy. read more

See all

We made reservations for 7 of us which was nice and easy. We arrived a little early and were seated on time. The restaurant had a great vibe and a bar area which seemed like it would be fun to sit and watch a game. I had the grilled shrimp with garlic mashed potatoes and Brussels sprouts. I really enjoyed my dinner. My husband had the cioppino. Coming from an Italian family he said the soup broth was unlike anything he's had before (not in a good way). I e had to ask for a spoon and it did not come with any bread or anything so we had to order that after he got the soup. My brother in law had a steak. He was not given a steak knife. He said his food was ok. My nephew ordered macaroni and cheese off the kids menu and we waited a very long time for his food-almost 10 minutes after everyone else got theirs. My son got the kids cheeseburger and said it tasted like nothing. My husband tried it and agreed. The fish and chips were ok. Kind of soggy on the bottom. Overall, an ok meal. Not sure we'll go there again for dinner with so many other options in the area. read more

We stumbled upon this restaurant a few years ago and have gone back every year since. Great oysters, fresh seafood and always great clam chowder. read more

See all

We visited King's Fish House Saturday, January 31st. We originally had reservations for 6:30pm but my mother needed to stop at home after our movie so I called and the hostess was so accommodating, quickly switching the reservation to 6:45pm for us. We eventually arrived and checked in with the hostess desk. The table wasnt ready but it only took a few minutes for them to clear it for us and welcomed were quickly sat Let's start with our server! They were absolutely wonderful. It was my mom's birthday and she gets to be a bit of a handful...but our server was wonderful and really gave amazing service the whole evening. We ordered a dozen oysters and the sushi platter to start and for our main, I got the miso yaki Chilean wild caught seabass, my mom ordered the King's combo platter, and my boyfriend got the lemon nut crusted wild local white seabass. Every single thing was fresh tasting and so flavorful! I definitely recommend you pay a visit to this spot, but make sure to make reservations. This will especially come in handy for evening visits and weekends as they get pretty packed! read more

See all

King's is a staple in Carlsbad. It's a bit pricey but you get good food. I am partial to the Mexican fried shrimp. I must say I was very impressed by their cocktail called the Herbalist. The lady who made my drink, Lexi, is an amazing mixologist. That drink was brilliant and I had to have a second one. read more

Unfortunately I do agree with others. It's gone downhill in recent years. We always visit Kings when we visit Carlsbad. It's been consistently solid. This time it was below mediocre. Bread was stale. Oyster super small. Jumbo shrimp was tough. Miso sea bass, halibut, and sides were decent. Service was unfortunately slow. Our dude was sweating. I think they were understaffed. Open tables but people waiting to be seated. read more

Came in after going to the Carlsbad flower field. It's right across the street and a 3min drive. Large restaurant and we are able to get seated immediately without reservation on a Friday lunch. We started with a spicy seafood chowder and finished it so quickly I couldn't get a picture of it. Soup was more watery than creamy and not spicy but had a lot of fish chunks in it. The local bass was okay but the shrimp was really good. Both came with 2 sides and we liked all the options. The menu selection is amazing and you can select how you like your seafood prepared! read more

King's Fish House - Carlsbad - Local sea bass with fried cauliflower and grilled zucchini - Seafood Near Me - Carlsbad, California

See all

Wow ok! I've been here so many times but this is the first time for Thanksgiving...actually my first time since I can remember not smoking a turkey at home for this holiday. Gotta say...I wasn't the least bit disappointed. Has a rezi so showing up and getting seated right away was super easy. The hostesses were happy and helpful which always sets the tone for a good experience. Our server, Kylee, just elevated the afternoon/evening. She was amazing. So friendly, helpful, and attentive (but not overbearing) perfect balance of it all. I'd request her as a server again without hesitation. The oyster sampler was delicious...definitely had some favs out of the bunch. The old fashioned was mixed well and was delicious. Then there was the Filet and Lobster Tail. 10/10. I'd pick this meal over Turkey every day of the week! King's is always good. King's for Thanksgiving?! May be come a new tradition read more

See all

We came on Father's Day a little bit before our reservation. The hostess let us know she could get us seated in 15 minutes and we let her know we would have a cocktail at the bar. She said she would come get us. About a 40 min later we gently reminded her and she got us a table immediately. I think she may have forgotten about us, but it was a really busy day. We started with calamari that none of us enjoyed. It was very fishy and hard to chew. We got a half dozen oysters that knocked our socks off, absolutely delicious. The beet salad was phenomenal! The crab cakes were just okay, we probably would not get them again. The lobster and fillet were both amazing and cooked perfectly. The garlic mash was a tiny portion and the macaroni and cheese was pretty good. I don't think I would get either again. The star of the show was the butter cake for dessert. Absolute 10/10. So definitely try the oysters, filet, lobster and butter cake. Stephanie was our server and I think she was overworked. She was a little bit short with us but we had empathy for her because the restaurant was so busy. All in all, we would definitely come back. read more

King's Fish House - Carlsbad - Oysters - Seafood Near Me - Carlsbad, California

Being in the Carlsbad area, this was the perfect place for a special birthday dinner. This place, more so dimly lit, is a great place for a romantic or quiet dinner - no need for rushing through the meal. We did enjoy the atmosphere, the waitress (Kathleen) was amazing - friendly, warm, very efficient, and obviously eager to make this a very positive dining experience. The food, also so great - this is one of the very few (we have not found any others) west coast restaurants where you can enjoy Longneck Clams (delicious). From the appetizers to all of the main course selections, all items were of high quality and tasted amazing! Even the on-shift manager could be seen, energetically improving the customer experience; much appreciated, even though we were 1/2 hour early for our reservation, for him helping us to quickly get seated read more

King's Fish House - Carlsbad - Bar - Seafood Near Me - Carlsbad, California

Don't buy gift cards. equest for Review of Customer Service Experience at King's Fish House Carlsbad Dear Corporate Management, I am writing regarding a disappointing experience at the Carlsbad King's Fish House location and the handling of a gift card issue that I attempted to resolve before my visit. Prior to dining at the restaurant, I contacted your corporate office seeking assistance with a gift card problem. I was assisted by an employee (Erna Moyers) whose email signature identified her as the receptionist. I also called and asked to speak with a manager and Erna refused to transfer me to a manager. She informed me that she had spoken with the restaurant manager and assured me that everything was in order and that there would be no issues when I arrived for dinner. Unfortunately, when it came time to pay, that was not the case. Despite my efforts to address the issue in advance, the gift card problem had not been resolved. What should have been a simple transaction became an uncomfortable and embarrassing ordeal in front of my guest. Most concerning was that the manager took my phone and searched through my emails in an attempt to locate information related to the gift card. While I gave permission because I was trying to resolve the situation, it felt highly inappropriate and should never have been necessary. Had the issue been properly handled before my visit, none of this would have occurred. I am also frustrated that when I previously requested to speak directly with a manager, I was not given that opportunity. Instead, I was told the matter had been addressed, which proved to be inaccurate. I have enjoyed King's Fish House in the past, which is why this experience was so disappointing. I would appreciate hearing from someone in management who has the authority to review what occurred and explain how this situation was allowed to happen after I had made a good-faith effort to resolve it beforehand. Thank you for your time and attention. I look forward to your response. read more

Amazing food and great service! I always just assume King's is a chain restaurant, but their food is fantastic. We tried the mahi mahi, the rainbow roll, and the cob salad. The mahi mahi melts in your mouth and has an incredible crust around it. The ambiance is clean and family friendly. We will definitely be eating here again! read more

King's Fish House - Carlsbad - Mahi mahi - Seafood Near Me - Carlsbad, California

See all

Visited King's Fish House on Sunday evening for a party of 6. Food: We ordered clams, beet salad and octopus as the appetizers. Each of us ordered entree like fish & chips, clam chowder, sea bass with sides. I enjoyed all the dishes. When my sea bass came out, it seems plain but it was surprisingly filled with flavors. However, I wanted to point out that the food came out very slow. It took over 30min for the appetizer and another 30min for the entree to come out. I literally saw food sitting at the kitchen counter but nobody served them to the table. Service: Customer service was really mid. The server barely checked on our table. I had to flag her down to order a glass of wine. One of us ordered a beer and we had to check with someone after waited for over 10min. How hard is it to pour a beer? Overall, this restaurant has a nice ambiance, good food but a long wait with pretty mid service. I have had better experiences at other restaurants than King's. I was expecting better service for the price we paid! read more

See all

Food: Halibut- delish! Dessert: creme brûlée-fire! Service: excellent, he was attentive at all time forgot his name Ambiance: welcoming, cozy and clean. Went there for Mothers Day and will definitely come back. read more

I truly enjoy this franchise fish house so when I decided to stop by while on vacation in Carlsbad, seeing them fall short made the experience completely regrettable. (Service was excellent, strictly speaking on the food quality) The "crab cakes" were more akin to breaded and fried artichoke dip. The calamar was rubbery, breading was bland. The " Mac & Cheese " was an embarrassment. Completely Flavorless, you're better off grabbing a box of shells from the grocery store and making it yourself. Their redemption was found in the fish. I got the halibut fregola and my girl got the sea bass. Tasty fish, tasty dish. Do yourself a favor and stay away from this location. read more

See all

Kings Carlsbad never disappoints! Greeted by the manager Timothy ! Cadillac Margarita was awesome! We had halibut that was so moist and clam chowder . Blue cheese wedge is always great! When you need a night out and want great service and great food I recommend kings in Carlsbad. read more

Recently came here for a dinner to celebrate my grandma's birthday since she was in the mood for seafood! She turned 80 and thought King's Fish House would have just what she was looking for. The wait was only about 15 minutes before we were seated. We ordered oysters, clam chowder, wedge salad, edamame and calamari. Everything tasted great! The oyster shooters were fun and we made them spicy. Great dinner with great company! read more

See all

Celebrating Fathers' Day a night early so I can relax tomorrow! Glad we chose Kings. No reservation and was sat right away, the food and service were great. Talked to Justin the manager for a little, very pleasant and professional. Thank you! read more

The good was good, not great, so hence the four stars. The staff from the hostess to our server was five stars. Was it worth the 40'mim wait for a table on a Saturday evening? Probably not a send time. The tables were a bit too close together, but it makes sense given management was probably trying to shorten the wait time. It seemed like a lot of out of town families which makes sense given its proximity to the outlet mall and Legoland. It doesn't explain why I saw a small dog with two different parties though ‍ read more

Big parking lot and perfectly situated across the street from the Carlsbad Outlets. My first time to this restaurant. We sat in the bar area and were surprised to see oysters available on the bar. I've never seen one and although it's not my thing, it was cool to see. We will return. Food was wonderful and ambience was relaxing. Service was good and staff looked nice in their dark blue shirts. read more

See all

Let's start on the positive side. Service was great, 5 stars and I am bummed that I did not get the servers name to pay her a personal compliment. Smiling, friendly, checked on us the perfect amount and kept our drinks and waters full. Awesome job. Three of us converged on King's to discuss some heavy business issues. I was happy to make the reservation here since I have been to this location and others several times and always a good meal. We started with some garlic edamame and calamari to chomp on while we perused the menu. Order came out quickly. Garlic edamame was cooked well, not mealy like they can be. The issue was the lack of flavor. I saw the sauce& garlic but it was really bland. Did not make sense, but that was the deal. We were hungry and ate most anyway. The calamari was decent but a bit greasy. Taste was low side of OK and sauces were helpful to cover that up! Client ordered the bluefin tuna and really liked it. Good. Biz partner ordered a bowl of NE Clam Chowder and salad. Chowder was a bit fishy smelling but did not stop him from finishing it. Salad was fine. I ordered the blackened Ono sandwich with a side of fries. The sandwich showed up without fries. The server said they were coming up. I have had this before and this time it was the worst I've had. A very small bun with slaw strewn across the sandwich and plate. The ono was 4-5 separate pieces so when I picked it up pieces fell out every which way. I kept going and as I ate I put pieces back into the bun and ate those as I reloaded along the way. Fries showed up and were fine. The weird sandwich threw me off concerning the overall culinary aspect of the lunch, but I did not complain as I needed to move on to our heavy biz topics and glad we did. Server was awesome as we spent another 1.5 hours hashing out our business issues at the table. I love Kings and will be back. Can't hit 100% so I chalk it up to a bad day in the kitchen. Go! Eat Well!! Have fun!!! read more

King's Fish House - Carlsbad - Menu - Seafood Near Me - Carlsbad, California

See all

Solid 5 stars for a nicer chain restuarant. The ambiance is always great ar Kings fish house and this one dis not disappoint We were quickly seated and our waitress qaa on point for her recommendation. The Chilean sea bass waa buttery and melted in your mouth. We had a dessert and that was delicious. The creme brulee waa delicious but the ice cream cookie was amazing. read more

King's Fish House - Carlsbad - Espresso martini and creme brulee - Seafood Near Me - Carlsbad, California

I had always wanted to come here, but just hadn't made it. When I was asked where I wanted to go for my birthday, I named three places and this was the choice made. We arrived with a reservation, but it wasn't too crowded. The staff and service were very attentive all the way through. Some of the best service I've had in a long time. They gave us warm bread with butter to start which I always love. I ordered linguine with clams and he ordered cioppino. The clams were cooked well, but it was very bland. It needed something. I kept adding salt, but it wasn't enough. The cioppino was good and there was a lot of different seafood in it, all of it was cooked well. I had two small issues. There was a bowl on the table I assume for the shells, it looked like it had been dumped and put back on the table. It wasn't clean. At the time, I made my reservation I noted it was a birthday celebration, but that was never acknowledged. When dessert was offered I asked if they did anything for birthdays and she said they did. She offered key lime pie & bread pudding as the choices I would have liked the bread pudding but I went with the Keylime pie, because I was too full and I knew it would be lighter. It was perfectly tart and slightly sweet. Perfect was to finish off a nice dinner. After finishing the meal, we wondered why we hadn't been here sooner. We decided we would love to come back and try other things and we will. read more

See all

Went here Friday night and there were a lot of cars. Went inside & we got to sit outside. Very exciting for me since I've never sat there before. Bonus was: there was no wait either! The outside and dim yellow lighting but still enough light to see and read your menu and to see your food. We ordered the 12 oyster sampler, a cup of clam chowder, shrimp taquitos, BBQ shrimp, beer, and wine. The first to come out was the cup of clam chowder and then the oysters. The clam chowder was so creamy! It's one of my favorites. The only thing that would make it perfect was a bit more classic. The oysters were great but there was one type that was very cranny, and that was quite weird for my taste buds. I hope not to get that one again. The BBQ shrimp which was basically cajun arrived. It was very good. The bread that came with it was garlicky and butter. The tomato sauce was flavorful and I ended up using it as a do for the shrimp taquitos. Last to come out was the shrimp taquitos. Very crunch, but there was a lack of flavor and the guacamole that came with it was old. It was turning brown and didn't taste good. The little cabbage salad under the shrimp taquitos was tasty. This was the first visit that there was a disappointing dish, but that won't stop us from coming back. read more

See all

We normally come here for their Lobster rolls. Their Mac and Cheese is also delicious. I wasn't so impressed with the fish. My Brussels sprouts were kinda burned. We came during a slow time and service was slow. I'm giving them a 3 star just because service was not the greatest. read more

See all