Tom Ham's Lighthouse is well known for their Sunday Buffet Brunch! I recommend making reservations ahead of time. They offer a variety of brunch items that are savory and sweet. Their seafood bar has a lot of choices and everything is so fresh. Don't miss out on the omelette and pasta bar! read more

Tom Ham's Lighthouse - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - San Diego, California

The food was okay but the restrooms were horrible. Love standing in water and other things. Put a sign saying out of order and use the one downstairs or something. read more

I love dining at Tom Ham's Lighthouse whenever I'm in San Diego. This is my second time here, and they have an all you can eat Sunday brunch buffet. It's $72 for adults, and you can feast on their lobster claws, stone crab claws, crab legs, shrimps, scallops, and oysters. They have a pasta station, as well as hot food and dessert station. The view of the water and overall ambiance of this restaurant is phenomenal. We got lucky as we didn't have a reservation and just walked in. We had the pleasure to experience the outdoor dining by the water again. Our server was personable and attentive, and made the end of our trip a pleasant experience. I will be back for sure! read more

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We had our company party at Tom Hams and we had a wonderful time. The staff was so attentive and kind so shout out to them but especially David the head staff and the bartenders Rivaldo and Josh made the event more special. They did whatever they could to make everyone's experience wonderful. We had the buffet menu and I have to say, the food was great! Better than other places we had previously. The space was very pretty with a spectacular view. Happy Holidays from all of us. read more

This is an absolutely beautiful and historic restaurant right on the waterfront with stunning views of the downtown San Diego skyline. The food here is great as well! The oysters were outstanding and fresh - after trying multiple oyster places since, my party members and I agreed that this place still has some of the freshest oysters in town. Also a huge fan of the tenderloin tips and the roasted cauliflower which are both exceptionally well-seasoned (and you'll be able to get an even better steal on these dishes during happy hour)! The only dish I tried that I wasn't quite a fan of was the scallops, which I felt were overcooked. I usually judge restaurants with the assumption that the better the view, the more overpriced and less tasty the food is, but this place really offers a fantastic combination of both unbeatable waterfront/skyline views and solid seafood selection. Service was also quite attentive and there were options for both outdoor and indoor dining. Note that this place doubles up as a wedding venue, and there was a wedding going on underneath the restaurant at the time we were eating, so some days it might be a bit rowdier/crowded than others. Still, super worth it for the food, views, and very doable parking compared to other nice restaurants in town on a Friday night. Bring a jacket afterward if you want to take a short walk by the restaurant outside to enjoy the beautiful waterfront views. read more

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My gal brought me here. It was a great view recommend for dates. It was a like a year or so ago

Came here with a 5:45 reservation for happy hour & restaurant week. We were seated outdoors and it was super romantic with water views. They were accommodating and seated us at our table instead of usual seating for hh at the bar, so we transitioned straight to dinner at our table. What we ordered from the HH menu: - $1.50 HH oysters (you don't get to choose what kind but we got the phantom creeks and honestly soooo fresh and sweet). Def recommend these if you're somewhat new to oysters. These would've been my choice if we got to pick for hh - Fried oysters (cooked perfectly with the just right amount of breading) - Ahi Tuna Crudo (I would pass on this, felt like this dish was missing a sauce) Restaurant week menu: - Ceviche - Lobster bisque (well balanced and paired perfectly for the fall season) - Braised short ribs 10/10!! Def get this. Super soft and breaks apart easily. The sauce was soo good. You can taste truffle in it and it complimented the dish soo well! - Scallops 7/10. The scallops were cooked well. But this dish wasn't as flavorful at all. There were charred artichokes on the bottom with polenta and sausage. The artichokes were a bit sour and that kinda threw me off, felt like there was something missing for sure. We loved that there was an option the substitute the 3rd dessert course for drinks instead! Definitely a plus if you're not into sweets. read more

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So, yesterday afternoon my friends and I stopped by Tom Ham's for a cocktail and bite to eat after sailing. I ordered my drink at the bar and joined my group already seated outside. The server, Gilbert, came by and left small plates for all but me. When he came back with his serving tray on his right hand it seemed he was oblivious to the fact that I was sitting at the table to his right. His tray was in my face, extremely close enough to hit me so I backed my chair away from the table. He continued to maneuver as if I was not sitting there in spite of my making obvious moves to dodge his moving tray which he could have held in front of his body. He was a performing robot, no personality or warmth, just a drone doing a job. Not once did he acknowledge me. He has NO BUSINESS working as a waiter; it was quite obvious he was going through the motions (just barely). I hope someone in management at Tom Ham's/Bali Hai take him aside and inform him that while serving people can be challenging, we, the customer pay his salary (and his tips) so all customers deserve to be acknowledged and treated with respect. Usually, I would boycott a place that left me feeling this way. However, in this case I will go back just for their Mai Tai's' which are much better than the one's at the Bali Hai. FYI, both Tom Ham's and Bali Hai are owned and operated by the same family. read more

I came here for a nice dinner and received just that. The service was normal but a little on the slower side. The food made up greatly for the service. Our appetizers were sent out almost immediately after ordering and the calamari was delicious. Both indoor and outdoor seating have great views of San Diego's skyline. The delicious food and amazing view were great. The only hindrance was the slower service and the large loud party seated behind us. read more

Tom Ham's Lighthouse - Creamy Salmon - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - San Diego, California

Made reservation for dinner with work colleagues here after a conference. The weather was great and the views of the San Diego Marina are awesome. We were seated inside facing the water. With a wide open floor design, it was a packed house but didn't feel crowded. After finally deciding, Our waiter took care of us. I ordered the Beer Braised Short Rib. The meat was so tender and juicy, literally falling apart part as I sliced with my fork. Soooo Gooood! Paired well with the Nut Brown Ale. Afterwards, added the Chocolate Fudge Brown for desert. WoW, it was huge, I ate half of it, with a party of at in out party. Considering this is a seafood spot, everyone else ordered as such but I was very pleased with my choice. read more

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The vibe isn't "vintage" or "retro"--it's just dated. We are talking about an aesthetic that screams "Executive Airport Lounge, circa 1984." Between the weathered nautical kitsch and the color palette that feels like it's waiting for a pack of Menthol cigarettes to be lit at the table. Tom Ham's is still leaning on a lighthouse gimmick that lost its shine before the internet was even a thing. It's "sleepy" to the point of being comatose. The menu is a roadmap of everything that was "fancy" when Reagan was in office. The view of the San Diego skyline is the only thing keeping this place on life support. read more

First off, the patio views were amazing. It was the first time here. My friend and I met our local friends here who made the 6:00 dinner reservation for a party of 4. We were first upon arrival, we checked in to the 2 most disinterested Hostesses. Not a smile or greeting as they were too busy chatting between themselves. We were seated on the patio, perfect table. Our server Sarah was absolutely wonderful. Catching up with our friends , we took a really long time to even look at the menu. Sarah was so patient with us, checking in and not making us feel rushed. Thank you! Finally deciding what to order, we had the Light House Greens, Shrimp Cocktail, Lobster Bisque, Paella and the Pan Seared Maine Diver Scallops. We ending our meal with Coffees, an Apple Crumb Cake and Fudge Brownie. All the food was good but it wasn't a WOW! Lobster Bisque didn't have much of a Lobster taste nor chunks of Lobster. Shrimp Cocktail could of had some Horseradished served with it. The scallops were delicious and the Paella could of had more flavor. and the Brownie seem mass produced commercially made. Go for the Patio sitting and the view, plus service and scallops. Atmosphere: A 10 for location/view. Service: excellent. Food: fair read more

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This place had an amazing view and a beautiful dining room. The entrance into the building is a little confusing and underwhelming, but once you get upstairs, it is great. Our servers were friendly but there were some confusions in orders and little bit slow. The food was pretty good but not amazing for price. read more

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Came here for restaurant week lunch, and for $22 for 2 courses it was super worth it! I came with a party of 2 so one of us ordered an appetizer and the other ordered dessert then we shared so it's kind of a 3 course still haha. House Ceviche: it was really good! And they were generous on the amount of shrimp. The chips were also good Fish and chips: OMG one of the best fish and chips I've had so far. It was perfectly crispy on the outside and the inside was actually a good amount of flakey fish, not just air lol Cinnamon apple crumb cake: 100/10! It was so good and it was not too sweet The iced tea was also really good to me We were sat on the outside patio under the shade and it was a nice day out. The view was amazing! Our waiter was also very attentive and nice. Would come back again! read more

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Service was superb and the food great. I'm not a big fan of sandwiches so I won't rate the lobster roll. I plan on going back to try the dinner menu. All in all amazing ambiance to celebrate a friend on a weekend afternoon. read more

Tom Ham's Lighthouse - Lobster Roll - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - San Diego, California

Great view, service, drinks and food. It is pricey but worth it. Mussels were delicious. Celebrated my brother in laws bday and he loved it.

The VIEW is AMAZING. Sit outside with the gas heaters. So nice! The food is GREAT! Grilled peppers. Fried oysters. Beet salad. Cinnamon apple crumb cake to finish. Have not had a bad meal here, 4 dinners since we arrived. read more

Tom Ham's Lighthouse - The view is amazing!! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - San Diego, California

What an amazing place right next to water front. Seating upstairs makes the view more amazing. Though it was the restaurant week but we decided to order from the regular menu. Delicious food. Servers were very nice and answered all our questions regarding the drinks. Very refreshing virgin mocktails. read more

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DON'T ORDER RAW SEAFOOD HERE: I made a reservation to visit the restaurant with my boyfriend during their weekend seafood buffet for my birthday. They have a pretty large parking lot dedicated to their establishment, but I do recommend getting there 10-15min. early if your reservation is in the evening, as it could possibly fill on a busy night and you don't want to rush right before dinner. Walking in and up the stairs, it was a beautiful sight! Great location right out on the waters edge with a GORGEOUS outdoor patio view. We were seated outside (so thankful) and our server was wonderful. I LOVED seafood, and took advantage of the oysters. My boyfriend and I both had the same items except for the oysters...and that was my downfall. PLEASE beware of the raw food at this restaurant. We ended up stopping in Old Town on the way home from brunch, and I got TERRIBLE food poisoning which left me stuck in a parking structure sick and embarrassed because people just walked by seeing me regurgitating my food from earlier. This is not a cheap restaurant, and it prides itself on freshness. They basically ruined me, as I cannot even think about eating my once favorite food...its so depressing. No more poke bowls, sushi, oysters... Nothing...and I'm half Asian, seafood is in my DNA. All because they didn't handle their raw items correctly. If you do visit this restaurant, PLEASE be careful if you eat anything raw there. Best practice is don't eat anything that hasn't been cooked while your there... It's hard to say what practices they are using in food handling and temperatures, but whatever it is... it will give you the worst case of food born illness. I can't believe how it could happen to me, and on my birthday... Shame on you Tom Ham's Lighthouse, I wonder how many others got sick that day. There are many other seaside restaurants to try in San Diego! Message me and I can share my favorite with you. read more

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When you're looking for a place to have really good food and a great harbor view, look no farther than Tom Ham's Lighthouse. Situated at the north end of Harbor Island, Tom Ham's is not only a great restaurant but the lighthouse that guided ships into the harbor for years. Sunday brunch is the main reason I've come here. Started when I was a kid. My dad would take the family here for special events, mostly Sunday Brunch. In honor of my dad, we hosted his celebration of life after his passing. The event team was good and communicated details well. The servers were all top notch and took great care of us. Also visited on a recent Father's Day for brunch, just as dad did years ago. While prices have gone up along with everything else, the quality seafood and service has remained. During brunch, they offer a raw seafood bar with lobster claws, crab legs, scallops and oysters on the half shell, peel and eat shrimp. Hot foods include spare rib hash, fried chicken, eggs benedict, some variation of fish and an omelette bar and pasta bar. Don't even get me started on the prime rib and tri tip! Both were amazing! Additionally they offer a few salads, pasta salads cheeses and grilled veggies. The main dining area is upstairs. Special events are downstairs. Views are everywhere. If you're celebrating or simply looking to splurge on a meal with a view, don't pass up the opportunity to visit Tom Ham's Lighthouse. You'll thank me later. Keep on Yelp'n! read more

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Great open buffet on Sundays! Excellent service Very nice Staff, Sarah was exceptional! We'll come back with friends read more

Tom Ham's Lighthouse - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - San Diego, California

The food was just okay. It's your average seafood. What you pay for is the view! Come during sunset and have a drink and maybe some apps. I don't think any of us were wow'd by our entrees in our party of nine. read more

We went to Tom Ham's Lighthouse for dinner a few weekends ago, Desiree was our server and she was absolutely fabulous - checked in on us, gave us wonderful recommendations, and was super friendly for first timers to Tom Ham's. Combo platter plus another dozen oysters: - Raw Oysters - we asked for recommendations and they did not disappoint, perfectly sweet, and whomever shucked these, deserves 5* because they were shucked properly and no remnants of shells in the oyster meat. - PEI Mussels - hard pass, I don't know where they came from, but it tasted like bad sewage. - Clams - these were okay, but I don't like them as much served cold. - Shrimp - huge, plump, and delicious! - Scallops - these were so good, my first time having them fresh off the shell and raw Roasted beets: absolutely delicious, the vinaigrette with the beets, burrata and arugula were perfect paired together. We ordered without pistachios due to a nut allergy at the table, but I bet they would give a perfect crunch to this dish. Bouillabaisse: wonderful tomato broth cooked in an array of seafood. Bf finished his plate and enjoyed every bit of it. Paella: my sister got this and completely demolished the plate. Pan seared Maine diver scallops: there were so many scallops with my pasta, absolutely scrumptious and perfectly cooked. I ate everything (and was so very full afterwards). Everything was so good that we went to Sunday Brunch two days later (go figure)--lol. I highly recommend Brunch to any seafood lover - I devoured tons of crab legs, shrimp, raw oysters and fresh diver scallops. My 3 year old ate a giant pile of their lemon ricotta pancakes, and the bf ate a bit of everything. Already planning to make the two hour drive to come back once a month (haha). read more

Service was good, and I liked the menu. The show stealer is the view. You get what you pay for.

I had the lobster roll, which came with two brioche buns and was a decent size. The lobster had celery and tarragon/dill but actually came more in chunks than flakes, which I appreciated. Fries were crispy, almost as if they were fried twice, and really good. My only complaint is that it took a really long time for our food to be ready after we ordered. Even though we had a large party. Spectacular views, both inside and outside the restaurant, and ample free parking, make this place a good choice for dining out. read more

Tom Ham's Lighthouse - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - San Diego, California

I had lunch here with my husband and we enjoyed our time dining here. On the first floor, theres a couple of nice displays and articles to read about their place. On the second floor is their dining area. We were asked where we wanted to be seated, and since there was such nice weather, we chose to be seated outside. In the beginning, it took a while for our server to come, but once he introduced himself to us the service was fast. The food that we ordered: *CALAMARI * CIOPPINO * LOBSTER ROLL * STRABERRY JALAPENO MARGARITA * CREME BRULEE My STRAWBERRY JALAPENO MARGARITA was delicious and the CALAMARI was crispy and well seasoned. My Husband said that he wasn't able to taste much of the LOBSTER in the LOBSTER ROLL , he felt that it was missing something in the seasoning. I am so happy with my CIOPPINO , at first it looked soupy with not much Seafood, but I was wrong, when I started digging in my Ciopino there were plenty of Seafood in it!!! And it tasted very good !!! The Creme Brulee was good too. The Service was great, the food was good, and the ambiance was very nice. read more

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Juan is a great server. If you come here please ask for him. His professionalism and overall demeanor made the experience for us. Food was great, definitely recommend seafood tower #2! Views are amazing, did not disappoint! read more

Tom Ham's Lighthouse - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - San Diego, California

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This place is not good. They charge 3 star prices for 1 star food. Crappy bag salad with watery dressing. No flavor seafood. Save your money. read more

A very good meal portion was enough. Fantastic. views, the service was great waiter was very pleasant.

My husband and I had enjoyed celebrating our anniversary dinner there many times. It has been a couple a years since we have been there. This last time howeverI was the worst experience ever. Our steak was dry and over cooked both orders of potatoes were burnt, I could not believe how careless the chef was to allow the order to leave his kitchen , GREAT DISAPPOINTMENT! read more

We decided to try Tom Ham's for Thanksgiving. The experience was very disappointing and we will never be back. Cons: 1. The hostess staff was average. We didn't feel very welcomed. 2. I remembered the food was great in the past but it was mediocre today. 3. The buffet was not well stocked, not maintained, not well attended, and didn't look appealing. 4. The clam chowder was barely warm. The mashed potatoes and scalloped potatoes were cold. The prime rib was chewy. 5. $90 per person plus a 5% charge due to food increase is highway robbery for what was offered. Pros: 1. Our waitress was nice. 2. The turkey, salmon, lobster bisque, green beans casserole, snow crab, and salads were good but we were hoping for great. read more

Great brunch spot. The eggs were baked to perfection and the pastries had a home baked taste. The atmosphere is easy going and friendly

Our waiter Gilbert was fantastic. We had a great table near the window, and the service and food were top-notch. Great view and great food. I had the braised short ribs, which I would give a 10 out of 10. read more

Let me start by saying great prices for being by the bay. Sitting outside on the patio is wonderful because it's an exceptional view. The food is overall very good. Can't beat the fresh oysters. It was very difficult to enjoy everything this place has to offer because everything was soooo dirty. The glass windows outside has print stains and all type of stains. They could have easily wiped that down. The floor on the patio was dirty, the umbrella stand next to us was dirty. This place was just dirty. Truly sad because it's a great restaurant and pretty popular. I just couldn't stay focus on the good stuff that makes this place great. We ordered a lot (seafood tray), cheese plate, scallops, salmon, and the recommended whole fried fish (which, was the only dish that had no flavor. Do not get it. Super bland and it's just a fried fish- not too good, I instantly regretted it at the first bite). Everything else was good - food wise. read more

Tom Ham's Lighthouse - Whole fried fish - looks cool but had no flavor! Super bland and I do not recommend. I only had a bite and left the rest :( - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - San Diego, California

We had The Best experience tonight at Tom Ham's for my husbands birthday. Our waitress was Absolutely Fantastic! The service was amazing, she was so attentive, fun and gave great recommendations for meals. We come here not only for great food and service but the views are stunning. Definitely recommend for a social occasion or just to make your ordinary day feel special. Thank you so much! read more

Really good besides the oysters.. we got a half dozen and 3 of them were REALLY SMALL. When I talk to the server he told me that next time we should have asked about the size?! Idk... not worth AT ALL. read more

Tom Ham's Lighthouse - Very small oyster - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - San Diego, California

One of the oysters had some "onion goop" that had been accidentally dropped into it.. We asked for the "croutons on the side" for the Caesar salad (which was decently yummy) and the waiter never asked if myself or my daughter had any food allergies. She is gluten-intolerant, which is why we asked for the above. ‍ The view was a 10, and the service and food were a 5. read more

Tom Ham's Lighthouse - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - San Diego, California

Had breakfast brunch with my family and as always, it was really good. The seafood was really good. Oysters and scallops were fresh. Lobster and crab claws were also good. I also enjoyed the breakfast food and also the meat and pasta. Our server Davor P. Was awesome. He was on top if everything and a great guy to chat with. My family and I discussed travels to Japan with him and the scuba experiences in the world's may good dive spots. Food was great and a big thank you to Davor for great service. Will be back again in future. read more

Went to Tom Ham's this Sunday morning for "brunch", it may be a good choice for some, but just wanted to make others aware that it's a $72 buffet, no prices posted when you walk in and what a surprise when we got the bill! Won't be doing that again, for that $ I'll go somewhere else as we would never approach consuming that quantity of food, a bit of a price shock! It's really loud inside, our waitress was pleasant, but not worth it. We do eat at Tom Ham's but will never do the Sunday brunch again. read more

I wanted to experience SDRW (San Diego Restaurant week) for the first time and decided to go with Tom Ham's lighthouse after looking at the SDRW menu online. It was $22 for a two course meal, you get to choose two courses out of the three options. The options were appetizers, entree and dessert. You will have to book a reservation online at Open Table. When we arrived there was plenty of parking. The bar/restaurant is upstairs. I didn't see an elevator. There's a bathroom to your right before you enter the restaurant. Upon entering I can immediately see the ocean, to the right is inside dining and to the left is the bar area. We were seated outside since it was beautiful day. We can see Downtown and Coronado from there. It was stunning. I had ordered the Arnold Palmer, shrimp ceviche as an appetizer, bbq beef sandwich for the main course and it came with fries. My daughter ordered unsweetened tea, lobster bisque for the appetizer, fish and chips as the main course and crème brûlée to share. Everything came out so fast! They were quick with taking our orders and bringing whatever we had asked for. They were quick to clear out the tables as soon as they see us done with a dish. Arnold Palmer and unsweetened tea was refreshing. Shrimp ceviche was just okay, not flavorful. Nothing to rave about Lobster bisque was good when it came out hot. It was a very thick and creamy. You have to eat it quick before it gets cold otherwise it will not taste good. Bbq beef sandwich had really great flavor, covered in plenty of bbq sauce. It was delicious. The fries were so delicious and crispy! I want to know how they made it. The fish and chips was huge, it came in three pieces. It was perfectly deep fried and the meat was good and soft. It came with a house tartar sauce which was pretty good and not too tart. Crème brûlée was really good, it came with some fruits on top and a Madeline cookie. It was not too sweet which was perfect. The caramelized sugar on top was great. Overall the view is stunning. I'm happy to experience this restaurant for SDRW. I will come back again to try out their dinner. Thanks for reading my review :) read more

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