Visiting from New Mexico, I can confidently say this was one of the best experiences I've had in…read moreLA. David was an absolute gem!!! he was warm, charming, and incredibly attentive. He remembered my name, asked all the right questions, and gave thoughtful recommendations that made the entire experience feel personalized. He has a way of making you feel like a regular, even on your first visit. Great hospitality like this is rare and made my visit truly worthwhile. Seriously the most charming bartender in LA.

We had dinner at Water Grill Santa Monica (Ocean Ave) on April 19, and overall it was an easy 5/5…read moreexperience. We started with the oyster sampler featuring selections from Hollywood, MD; Pope's Bay, VA; Buzzards Bay, MA; Chesapeake Bay, VA; and Wellfleet, MA. The oysters were exceptionally fresh and served with great accompaniments. We always order oysters when visiting seafood restaurants because freshness is so important to us, and Water Grill absolutely delivered. A must-order. The grilled Spanish octopus, served with fingerling potatoes, Niçoise olives, roasted tomato, pine nuts, and olive oil, was very good (3.5/5). We're fairly picky when it comes to octopus, and while we would have liked a bit more char, it was still among the better versions we've had. The New Zealand king salmon sushi with avocado, hazelnuts, papaya, and white soy-lime vinaigrette was fresh, clean, and delicious (5/5). While not particularly unique, it was executed perfectly. The crispy calamari with harissa aioli and cilantro-mint sweet chili sauce was also well done (4/5)--crispy, not oily, and very enjoyable. Calamari is another dish we frequently order, and this version met our standards, even if it wasn't especially memorable. The standout among the appetizers was the New Zealand pink bream ceviche with cilantro, red peppers, onions, lemon juice, and olive oil. The presentation was beautiful, and the flavors were incredibly fresh (5/5). We only added a touch of salt. This is another must-order dish. The Peruvian bay scallops with pistachio citrus pesto were somewhat underwhelming (3/5), and the Brussels sprouts with bacon and chestnuts (3/5) didn't leave much of an impression either. The lobster itself was excellent (5/5)--sweet, fresh, and perfectly prepared. The accompanying coleslaw wasn't our favorite, but we'd happily order the lobster again and probably go for a larger portion next time. The absolute star of the evening was the Massachusetts black sea bass. It was easily one of the best dishes of the night and possibly one of the best fish dishes we've ever had at a restaurant (5/5). Tender, juicy, flavorful, and cooked perfectly. To top it all off, the restaurant surprised us with a complimentary birthday dessert featuring chocolate cake, vanilla cake, oatmeal cake, and ice cream. It was thoughtful, delicious, and a wonderful ending to the meal (5/5). Overall, Water Grill earns a well-deserved 5/5. The quality and freshness of the seafood were outstanding, the beachfront ambiance was beautiful, and the service was friendly and attentive throughout the evening. Definitely a must-try seafood destination in Los Angeles. Thank you to the entire team for such a memorable experience--we truly appreciated it.

I've been wanting to try this place for ages, so I finally stopped in for lunch this week. I had my…read moredog with me, so we sat outside. It was perfectly pleasant, though be warned: foot traffic passes just a few feet away. I kicked things off with a martini, which was excellent--surprisingly generous by today's standards and a real deal at $12. For starters, I had the Caesar salad. Think tuxedo at a pool party: definitely overdressed. But it was delicious, and I'd order it again--just with light dressing. The fish sandwich was fine, nothing more. I couldn't help thinking McDonald's might edge them out on the Filet-O-Fish (though it's been decades, so who knows). It wasn't bad; I'd just try something different next time.

Came here for a group birthday dinner and it was pretty quiet on a weekday night (same night the…read moreDodgers won the series). Everything we tried I enjoyed for the most part. Parking is brutal in the area so expect to be circling around for a bit. They have a late happy hour which are half off oysters which is nice! We tried a set of raw oysters - rockefeller, small but might in flavor and meatiness. Shucking was done well too. Grilled octopus - pricey for the amount you get, but cooked well. Accompaniments like potatoes were OK, but could have more mushroom. Shell pasta - the pasta was homemade cause it tasted so light. I think the sauce was a little too light for me as well, but overall still a solid dish. Cioppino - Also a little lighter in flavor and I think just smaller in size in comparison to price. Seafood is fresh though, and that's clear in every dish here. Lonely Louie - the star of the night. I loved how fresh and bright this was. Everything mixed so well together and would definitely be getting this again. Atlantic Pie - their version of a key lime pie and was a tangy, nice finisher to the meal.

Great food, staff is super friendly! Don't sleep on the Cap't Loui sauce and the shrimp.read more

Its our first time eat here,Good Area,Clean,excellent service,Good Food,we like the garlic noodles…read moretotally delicious,Nice Area!

Damn this place was insane. Can't wait to try the tasting menu!…read more The food was outrageously flavorful. These guys are masters of fish and I will remember this meal for a very long time. The location is also the definition of low key. Love how unassuming the spot is. Will absolutely be going back!!

For a Michelin-recognized restaurant, our meal did not live up to the hype…read more Kanpachi & Uni Tostada: From the first bite, something tasted noticeably off. We both paused because of a strongly bitter lingering taste - the uni had spoiled. Spot Prawn & Scallop Aguachile: Two pieces of spot prawn and six little pieces of scallop swimming in a pool of a very tart lime-based sauce. While the shrimp itself tasted sweet, the scallop didn't taste like anything. The overall dish felt one-dimensional for the price. Ceviche de Rockot (Rockfish): More reasonable portion. Snappy texture. For a mild, sweet fish, this could have been a great canvas for creative flavors. Instead it's just lime-y like the prior dishes. While each dish looked aesthetic, they shared the same acidic flavor profile. I found myself wishing for more creativity and variety in the sauces and seasonings. The seafood quality also needs to be more consistent, especially when serving premium ingredients. Service: Order and pay at the counter, grab a table number, and the staff brings the food out. The restaurant itself is located in a shared casual dining space. Pay to park. I don't think the experience justified the reputation or the prices.

Lively, loud , fun , the place to be. Super popular & relatively few seats , tho there's a small…read morefront patio , generally a wait ! Ive only tried a couple of small plates , the endive salad ( nice) and the tempura sardines- ( nice ) . The staff is high energy and very friendly! I'd definitely return and highly recommend!

What an incredible seafood restaurant!!! Their happy hour (4-6pm) is also so lit because it's $10…read morestrong ass martinis lol I was drunk with half a drink and had to order the trout dip ($26) to balance out my dizziness! The trout dip was sooooo amazing!!!!!! Staffs were super super friendly and welcoming! I was seated at the bar first as I was waiting for my friends but the staff started chatting with me about life and the menu. I really appreciated the friendliness here! Once all my friend arrived, we were seated outside and ordered a bunch of fish and oyster tacos ($8 each). They were both delicious. The shrimp toast was also super yummy. The seafood platter was a must!! So fresh and so delicious! Definitely will be back to try more food. The restaurant is quite small so I'd recommend making a resy if you can or be ready to sit at the bar first come first serve. The ambiance is cute and casual- would even be a great place to enjoy a solo meal!

This place is amazing and I'm blessed to be in the neighborhood. It's walkable and popular with…read morelocals The food is fresh and an AMAZING value. Thanks for the great service and hope you open up more locations so everybody can see how great BS is

Fish was outstanding. Delicious, flaky halibut and sumptuous Chilean Sea Bass, moist and flaky…read more Good side dishes. Really good tasting coleslaw. Service was excellent. Friendly staff. Accommodating to your request. The only thing that I didn't like was the Caesar dressing it tasted store bought not like the way real Caesar dressing should taste. Ambiance was nice and clean.

I have been wanting to try raw marinated crab for the longest time and this spot did not…read moredisappoint! The soy crab and spicy crab both have their strengths, I would recommend the spicy crab if you need the sauce to hide a little bit of the fishiness of the crab. For those who don't like raw crab, the crab soup had a deep crab flavor and tasted very comforting and homemade. Since it was our first time, the server was very helpful and gave us recommendations. One crab is definitely enough for two people, especially with all the delicious side dishes that it comes with. While they give you gloves and a bib, come prepared to make a mess and get into the shells! It's hard work, but it's definitely a great group experience and is perfect for chatting with friends. This was a great meal and you could definitely taste the quality of the crab!

Bookmarked this spot a while ago and finally was close enough to visit! It was best first meal…read morecoming from out of town. We forgot how difficult it can be to find parking in LA, but we managed to find one on the side of the road, just to find out... this restaurant has their own parking lot. Hehe. Went around 5pm and saw we were the first ones seated while a handful of people came and gone for to go orders. I immediately ordered the soy marinated crab and live uni. There is a combo order of both, but it includes the American marinated crab and an extra small live uni. With their recommendation, we opted for the Korean marinated crab and small uni to share with 2 adults and one kid. When the food came out, they gave us another live uni on the house and I was so happy because I didn't want to share mine! The food was so homey and delicious. The seafood pajeon was so loaded with all the seafood bits and the soy bean soup was the perfect palette cleanser. Service was great and they were so helpful to answer any questions we had. They gave us extra water for our little one and refilled our tea when it was a fourth full. They were so tentative and asked how we liked the food. We loved it. We also enjoyed the banchan!

Fish King is an excellent place to get some fresh and delicious seafood. I've only ever ordered…read morefrom their "galley", which I think is what they call their kitchen, but I know they also sell raw seafood as well, in addition to a few other things in their small market. One of my favorite things to get at Fish King is the plate with the swordfish skewers. This dish is honestly so unique, and I haven't found anything like it anywhere else. It's basically two shish-kebab style sticks of seasoned swordfish, peppers, and tomatoes, and it's served with a few sides in addition to fried veggies and shrimp. I also really enjoy their tacos. They also have very generous servings of poke (I personally don't get the poke from here because it's already mixed in with raw onions and I don't like raw onion). Prices are all very reasonable--the swordfish plate I mentioned earlier is around $15 and a pretty large amount of food. Fish King does get pretty busy especially around mealtimes so it's better to order in advance and pick up so that you don't have to wait around as long. I think if you order in person, you can expect a 20-30 min wait when it's busy. There's a small lot on the side of the market and sometimes you can find street parking too. There are some tables on both ends of the market so you can dine in, it's very casual.

Fish King has been in business it seems forever. We love the place. It has the best service. I…read morethink it is family owned and Joe is great. The entire staff is great. They know everything about their fish and even the things they sell that you want to use to make your fish. The place is always clean and fresh smelling. The prices are very fair. The wait for service is never long. They have the best salmon and white fish around. They clearly get fresh fish daily. We have never had a bad experience. They even have a place to eat and they make prepared food for you. It is wonderful. Parking is easy and the staff is the best so have fun and go there. You will not be disappointed.