​It was such a beautiful day for a lunch date near the water! ​The first thing you notice when you arrive is the gorgeous view. Once you walk through the shaded patio and turn right, you enter the open restaurant and order counter, with the menu posted clearly on the wall. You just place your order, grab a number, and pick your table. ​We both went with the fish and chips, which came out hot in about 15 minutes. The fish had a fantastic crunch, and the fries were nicely seasoned without being over the top. While the fish batter itself didn't have any distinct spices, it tasted great dipped in their tartar sauce. ​They also have a small bar and a few bottles of wine for sale--it's a modest selection, but a really nice touch if you want an alcoholic beverage with your meal. ​Bonus: it's dog-friendly! We saw a few dogs hanging out on the patio with their families. My only quick recommendation for them would be to set out a few water bowls for the fur babies to really roll out the welcome mat. ​Overall, the proximity to work makes this the perfect quick midday escape. We'll definitely be back! read more

See all

Lunchtime so bought my brother and his buddy in town For Comic Con They love San Diego so I took them here by the house They order 2 smash burgers with fries And I ordered 2 fried chicken sandwiches w/ fries After long flight from Florida 1 up north and 1 down south they were happy with the freshness and great service Before we knew it we were all eating We had lunch with my gal. It was beautiful perfect lunch By the boats in there slips read more

The Waterfront Grill - Nothing but blue sky 7/16/26 - American Near Me - National City, California

See all

Stopped into The Waterfront Grill for a work lunch and it was exactly the break we needed. We were greeted right away by a friendly server, and the service stayed great throughout our visit. We ordered the Fish Bowl and Fish and Chips. Everything came out surprisingly fast and tasted incredibly fresh. The fish was light and flaky and perfectly cooked in a crisp coating that didn't overpower the fish itself. The fries were hot, golden and crispy - exactly how it should be. The fish bowl was refreshing with a nice spicy kick that balanced the flavors without being overwhelming. The real bonus is the location. Sitting outside with a view of the sailboats gently rocking in the marina and enjoying the cool ocean breeze made it easy to forget we were on a lunch break. Great food, friendly service, and a relaxing waterfront atmosphere. read more

See all

Such a beautiful place to eat, the patio seating is ideal with kids! The service was great and ordering was easy. We'll be back next time we're visiting! read more

The Waterfront Grill - American Near Me - National City, California

See all

Our group consisted of 16 seniors. Ordering at the counter was easy and very pleasant. Food was delivered to our table as each order was completed. I had the fish and chips. The fries were hot, crispy on the outside and very tasty. The fish was 3 pieces and very tasty and served with tartar sauce. Malt vinegar was available as well as other condiments. The staff was very friendly and polite. Sitting outside was a real pleasure. Will certainly return. read more

Lots of outdoor sculptures, nice and rustic outdoor seating - quite nice. Cocktails, beer and wine are served, they look delicious!!! We had the tacos and the were EXCELLENT!!!!! We would absolutely come back and if we did, we'd probably order the tacos again - they were that good. read more

See all

I took mi nieces to this place on the water front lol the view was amazing, they have indoor and outdoor seating, I had the Turkey sandwich and the Clam Chowder OMG it was so good freshly made here, my drink was the Blonde amazing, the manager was out talking to us for a bit seem very nice and happy to work here, its a hidden jewel, parking $1.50 HR, the only downside is that it closes at 4pm sad. I will be back very soon. Service was great. read more

3 for lunch (turkey clubs and fish sandwich) -- clubs were prepared with seemingly little/no effort. A small portion of clumped turkey at one end of the bread and a small amount of lettuce at the other. Bacon appeared to be bacon bits or chopped bacon. The view and atmosphere is inviting and picturesque -- the food served us today was disappointing. read more

Lovely very casual place, nice terrace and very enjoyable. Great view and the food was wonderful, would love to b go back

Stepped out for lunch today with my coworkers and this spot is frequented by us and locals. It's along the Pier 32 marina so there are lots of regulars. The service was great the super friendly staff that took our order was really nice and she had good suggestions. I ordered the citrus spinach salad and added Old Bay Grilled Shrimp it came out very fresh and fragrant from the perfectly seasoned shrimp! Yum! It was not as crowded for lunch as other times but this made for a very nice calm relaxing lunch catching up with coworkers. My coworkers ordered fish n chips and the French dip and they really enjoyed their meals as well. read more

The Waterfront Grill - Menu - American Near Me - National City, California

See all

Ambiance is a top notch marina location in National City. The restaurant is a cross between a drink and dine atmosphere. Umbrellas shade some of the sun. Seating is an outdoor venue. Most surprising thing to me was how great food is here! I've been to this restaurant more than a few times over the years and the food is always great. The cashier and person who brought me food were the same person. Working those multitasking genes all the while being very nice and amiable. Tip: Park on the street if you don't want to pay. read more

See all

I absolutely love this restaurant!! The food is delicious and the staff is amazing!!! The views are also gorgeous!! I got the Mexicali salad and it was phenomenal! Mel and Arturo are the BEST! read more

The Waterfront Grill - American Near Me - National City, California

I had to work down in Chula Vista, and well, needed to find somewhere to eat that was dog friendly cause...you know...Cako loves to eat out! LOL! The Waterfront Grill came up and I had never been, and I didn't know that there were docks in National City. You order at the counter and they bring it out to you. If they're not busy, they'll bring your drinks. If they are, you can pick them up at the bar. The staff is really friendly. I ordered a rum punch that did kinda punch, but the flavor was a little off. They also have some good beer choices and a full bar. I ordered the clam chowder and the turkey club croissant. The chowder was really good! Loved the grilled bread that came with. The sandwich was good though I thought maybe toasting the croissant a little but not sure what their set up is in the kitchen. I liked the parmesean fries which may have been airfried cause they weren't greasy. Scooter had the Captain's breakfast but didn't like the texture of the eggs. He's a picky eater cause they looked fine. Again, was impressed with the crispy tots! You cannot beat the view on a sunny day! Glad they had the sun shade covering a good portion of the patio, though full sun was available too. Cako loved watching everyone and even saw the dock kitty come sauntering around. We parked on the street, but the lots are paid. $1 per hour which is great! If you choose 3 hours, it's only $2.50. One of the last great bargains around! Great place to come to! I now have another place added to my rotation! Cako Approves! read more

See all

This place seems to have had a change in management within the past few months. And unfortunately, it hasn't been for the better. EDIT: read the reviews... new customers seem to like it. Loyal customers are truly let down. Been coming here for a few years now. This place was a GEM! Beautiful views, amazing menu, great prices. Now, the only thing they're pairing with the beautiful view is bland, lower quality food in smaller serving sizes at increased prices. Whatever you guys did to this place, you should consider undoing it. Used to come here monthly; might have to change that to yearly, if at all. No need to respond to this, AJ. Thanks anyway. read more

This is a hidden gem in National city by the Marina I been here a few times and Chef Kathryn is soo personable and also her staff, I can see the love she puts in when she creates her dishes, I love the swordfish, rosemary Calamari, and also the spicy chicken sando, if you haven't been here come check it out the views are amazing and they have happy hour read more

See all

Very disappointed, this has been our favorite weekend brunch/lunch spot for over a year. Typically we eat there at least 2 times a month and sometimes my husband eats lunch there with coworkers during the week. The food quality is not what it used to be. The fish and chips are now super small pieces of fish. The sliders were terrible last weekend. They cooked a full burger patty and then cut it into fourths and put on two buns. The fries were not crunchy. The chicken quesadilla had very little chicken or cheese. Bring back the old kitchen staff!! read more

Excellent! It was our first visit. We ordered the soup and half sandwich combo. Very good. Their fries are marvelous. We took some home. We will be back. read more

An open air resturant that is super cute. The staff is friendly and personable. The food is delicious. What more could you ask for? 10/10 would definitely recommend!! read more

The Waterfront Grill - Fish and chips, chips and salsa, and fresh dip with onion rings. (All half eaten) - American Near Me - National City, California

Awesome place, Awesome food, Awesome staff, Awesome michelada Definitely be back soon read more

Super cute place. Service and food were both really great. Would definitely recommend if you're in the area

I came here with family for brunch. This is somewhat a counter service restaurant where you place and pay for your order at the counter and it gets delivered to your table/number. Our food was delivered in a timely manner, at the right temperature, and displayed nicely. Nothing extraordinary in flavor, but well prepared. You can seat yourself either "indoors" or under the shade sails/umbrella to enjoy the view. You can tell the birds around the area were fed because some were pretty ballsy when "begging" for food. I would come back again. read more

See all

Costumer service 10/10 servers and the bartender I think her name was Mel made a great mai Thai !! Food was excellent and great ambiance The young guy I think he's a cook brought out the food Very friendly guy Definitely going back !!! read more

Pretty good place, outside dining was perfect other than a bird doing business in my drink. (Not their fault lol) They replaced my drink and were friendly! We just got sandwiches and overall they were good! Think of your basic "cute-styled" deli sandwiches :) Edit: Meant to put 5 stars! The people there were really kind and always helped us out if needed! read more

I've been wanting to try this place for a while! So glad we stopped today for lunch. The service was great, and I enjoyed the setting. The two that were running the show had the best attitudes as they got busier. So friendly, I believe their names were Dani & Kevin! read more

I came here after time spent on the ocean because this was close by with some much needed shade(under the pergola). Located on the waterfront, the vibe here is welcoming and unpretentious. At first glance, I thought this would an unmemorable place to get some snacks, which they have a lot of. Instead, it was very memorable. I am delayed in posting this, but I must say that the New England clam chowder at The Waterfront Grill in National City is truly one of the best. Being over 1500 miles from New England, what the San Diego region has is countless New England clam chowder identifying soups - most which are simply "clam chowder" and ought to leave New England out of it. Over the years I have found there are some dishes you just have to go to the source, right? Well for this one, now you don't, because someone here is brilliant. This is New England clam chowder. The essence - they nailed. When I tasted this, I travelled "home." I'd give this 7 stars if I could. If there was any disappointment, it's that it only comes in one size. Don't let that bowl-looking plate fool you, because it is in fact a "small bite" as the menu states. I do hope this restaurant does/has not acted on critical reviews of this chowder, nor let inflation break it. Please change nothing about your New England chowder, ever.... except offering it in a larger portion. YUM!!!!! read more

This is a terrific spot maybe 6 minutes from our RV resort. I chose this location because it was at the marina and not a far drive. It also seemed more of a locals place which is always better. The staff are super friendly and the menu is simple with good options. I had the best tuna melt ever with fries which were perfectly cooked. My family had clam chowder and said it was one of the best they have had as well. This was a fantastic find and judging how good lunch was, we will Be back for breakfast. Only question, wee aren't certain about drink refills which we needed but we could have asked. Thank you Waterfront!!!!!! read more

Wonderful service! Unfortunately they changed their menu, and what I had thought of getting was not available on their new menu. But it was still delicious food great view and vibes. read more

The Waterfront Grill - Outside Entrance - American Near Me - National City, California

See all

Came here for a brunch on a beautiful day, but keep in mind this is right on the Marina so it can get really windy as the tables outside are sat in the middle of a perfect wind tunnel. Since I came on a weekend, they did not have a lot of seafood options, but rather your typical brunch foods, like scrambles, benedicts, french toast, burgers even. The menu was a little limited, but pretty good at least. I ordered a benedict (they only have 1 option) and the hollandaise was delicious, however, my egg was cooked to medium hard... not runny what so ever so I was pretty disappointed in that. The staff here was so sweet. Our little group had a cake on us, and they let us store our cake in their fridge, no questions asked. So easy, just what we needed. read more

My husband and I like to ride our e-bikes along the bay shore bikeway. We came across The Waterfront Grill and decided to have lunch there. We've been back many times since. I had a date with a girlfriend here and my husband and I had a double date with friends. We've had a burger, French dip, and the fish and chips. All of these meals are our "favorites" here. We always get the Parmesan garlic fries because they are AMAZING! The cookies are quite yummy, as well. We've always had great service here. The staff is friendly and efficient. On our most recent visit we were served by Brooklyn. She was great. Super friendly. I would have loved to have her sit down and join us for lunch so we could talk about her travels. As far as ambience, you can't get much better than this. The tables are set up on the deck overlooking the Marina. It's fun to look at the gorgeous boats and yachts and decide which yacht we'd like to buy. Since we can't afford the boats, we'll just keep coming back for a good meal and some yacht owning daydreams. Love this place! We'll keep up our streak of eating here at least once a month. read more

See all

Went for lunch with a group of 10 friends. I hadn't been in years. I was impressed! The outdoor eating area is much larger. Loved the sand area with Adirondack chairs. All of our orders were great! I had the waterfront salad. It was fresh and had a great vinaigrette. Others had Caesar or Cobb. Some had fish tacos, sandwiches, wings, fish and chips. The place was packed, service was wonderful. Everyone was very nice. We definitely will be back. Love the food and outdoor patio. They did a great job getting all our orders and in a timely manner. read more

I held my Book Signing and Launch Party on the upper deck of Pier 32 on a Sunday afternoon (2:00-6:30 p.m.). It was the best place to celebrate! I loved the venue and the view of this place. I worked with Kathryn and Kevin in the Events department and was able to finalize my contract three days before with the correct head count of 62 people, set-up (belly tables with table cloths, short chairs with tables), appetizers (I got cocktail menu #4 with charcuterie and fruits in small cups that were passed out on a platter) and alcoholic/nonalcoholic beverages. I even hired a DJ with a mixer and a live band (with trumpet, trombone, saxophone, keyboards, flute, guitar, and bass) to play at the event. I was able to bring my own desserts and set up in the the little room that was indoors. The venue was festive, quaint, and perfect for my event. Special thanks to the facilities to help with the electrical set up for the band, Dani (set up tables and chairs), Precilla (oversaw the drinks), and Kathryn and Kevin (events coordinator). After the event, I got a lot of positive feedback about the venue with the beautiful marina view, the event, food, and location. read more

See all

Amazing food, great view, and easy parking. All things I love from a great restaurant. My husband and I really enjoyed our time dining here during the day. Lots of good options to eat- we were so full afterwards! read more

The Waterfront Grill - American Near Me - National City, California

See all

Well let's start with customer service it's normally extremely good I think the worst I've had it was somebody who was probably not having a good day but they were still very polite. Their Waterfront salad is by far the best salad I've had it's delicious it's zesty. The View here is gorgeous it's on the waterfront of national city and you can see all the boats parked in the I don't know what it's called maybe a harbor you have high-end people who come from military contractors she's in the military seniors from the military a really cute place for lunch read more

See all

Ordered the beer battered fish and chips, but apparently their version of "beer battered" is just grabbing the fish from their fish tacos and tossing it in the fryer, not even battered. When I called them out, they swore up and down that's what beer battered is. Funny, because I have had the actual dish here before. The taco fish was not even battered, just deep fried like they hoped I wouldn't notice. And don't get me started on the burger. The patty was drier than I-5 highway in August. The fries is soggier than a wet sock. I use to come here a lot after work. At this point, I guess I am looking for a new fish and chips restaurants, because this spot clearly jumped the ship.. or at least the fish. read more

My friend recommended this for a lunch meetup and it was the perfect spot. It was lunch on a Friday and the service was quick and food was on point. The pricing was really reasonable. I like how they have a simple menu with items for any type of diet. Our group had the club sandwiches, the fish taco bowls, chicken wings, and a lot of drinks. The staff was friendly and personable. We were not rushed at all during our extended gab session. The ambiance was really good. They have indoor and outdoor seating with views of the marina. A gem in National City. read more

If you want some pretty mid tier food by the water, you've found it. This place is all about the location. Wish the food was more well thought out, there was nothing exciting about it, just ingredients that classically go together assembled to be eaten. The view of the marina is better than most, but also, it's just a bunch of boats floating around. Eh. read more

Food was excellent, as was the service. You order at the counter & they bring to you. Had a turkey wrap with Parmesan fries. Sat outside (80°) on a Friday, 11am -hardly anyone there, but it got busy. Nice view of boats in the marina, with a slight breeze. Mai Tai cocktail was horrible, but maybe because it was different version than usual recipe. Employee tried fixing it -good effort, but expensive drink. I'll go with water next time. read more

I have been a loyal customer of the Waterfront Grill for the past year. My family dine there almost every weekend when the weather is nice. I have notice a decline in the food quality since the new manager took over, however, today hit an all time low in service and procedure. I ordered sliders with a side of garlic parmesan fried and a burger plate. When the food came the sliders were two small round buns with fries and a bowl of oranges. My wife started taking a bite then realized this was not the correct order. We have ordered sliders multiple times in the past. She opened the two sandwiched and it was a thin burger patty cut into quarters with one quarter on each mini bun. She took the plate to the cashier to ask if the order was right and was told those were sliders. Then she was told it was a child' s plate. She showed that was just a patty cut into quarters. The employee then told the cook she was unhappy that he had cut the patty, not that it was the wrong order.     I understand that they were busy today, however, we did not complain that the original food took forty minutes or more to get to our table then twenty minutes later we still did not have a replacement plate.      The worst part was when we saw the plate of food we had taken back after it had been handled and a bite taken out being eaten at the table next to us. I do not want to think about the health codes that violates.     I asked the cashier how I should order the next time to not receive a child's plate instead of the angus sliders I ordered. When I did I was told the replacement plate was being made and they just needed to make the patties and it would be finished. I told her the rejected plate was being eaten at the table next to us and was told "don't worry about it he used to work for us".     After being there an hour already and feeling disgusted at seeing our food being eaten by someone else we left without ever seeing the replacement dish.     For the past year this has been our go-to place to have lunch and drinks almost every weekend. Lunch and drinks for three almost every weekend along with group lunches with co-workers we have spent a lot of time and a lot of money at this restaurant. What we experienced today has us not wanting to return. read more

First time here. Parking was a bit unique due to all the paid spots. I ordered the angus burger which was delicious. Great host, extremely friendly. The view is very nice. read more

The Waterfront Grill - American Near Me - National City, California

See all

The food is good & fresh, service is friendly & quick, the view is relaxing. You cant help to slow down. Hours are limited, mostly lunch. Enjoy! read more