Harbor Fish & Chips: Same Family, Same Harbor, Since 1969

Overview

In July 1969, a commercial fishing family opened a fish and chips counter at Oceanside Harbor. Doug and Sally McWha, people who already made their living off the water, selling what they knew.

Sally died in 1975. Her recipes didn't. The restaurant still makes her tartar sauce, cocktail sauce and coleslaw from scratch, and as the family puts it, "her personal touches still linger on."

It's run today by Mona and Sheri — the McWhas' granddaughters. Fifty-seven years, same family, same harbor.

Here's the one thing to understand before you go, because it determines whether you order well.

The menu is built around baskets and one-side-only combinations, and the sides are where people lose value. Almost every basket, sandwich and plate comes with one item — green salad, coleslaw, beans or fries. One. Not fries and slaw.

So the choice is real. Fries are the default and the coleslaw is the thing the family is actually known for — Sally's recipe, made from scratch, sold by the pint. If you've never had it, take the coleslaw and get fries on the side if you need them.

And the second thing: check the day before you order. There are weekly specials Tuesday through Friday, and on three of those four days the special is simply a cheaper version of something already on the menu:

• Tuesday — Medium Fish Basket, $16.75 instead of $17.75
• Wednesday — Grilled Fish Plate, $21.75 instead of $22.75
• Thursday — 2 Taco Plate, $18.00 instead of $19.00
• Friday — Sampler Plate, $21.75 instead of $22.75

Tuesday is the best of them — two pieces of fish and a side for $16.75, which is the cheapest full basket of the week.

One more thing worth knowing: they fry everything in 100% avocado oil. That's unusual for a fish and chips counter and it's their own stated practice.

What to Order at Harbor Fish & Chips

The baskets — all served with one side (green salad, coleslaw, beans or fries):

• Small, one piece fish — $14.00 · Medium, two pieces — $17.75 · Large, three pieces — $20.75
• The Captain's Special — $21.25. Two pieces of fish and two jumbo shrimp.
• The First Mate Special — $21.25. One piece of fish and clam strips.
• Jumbo Shrimp, five pieces — $19.00
• Clam Strips — $16.00, lightly breaded and fried

The specialty plates:

• The Sampler — $22.75. A piece of fish, two shrimp, fries, coleslaw and clam chowder. This is the one that breaks the one-side rule — it's the only item that comes with fries, slaw and chowder together, which makes it the best value on the menu for a first visit.
• Grilled Fish (Sea Bass) — $22.75. The only fish on the menu named by species, and it comes with two sides rather than one.
• Fish Tacos — $22.75 for the plate · two tacos $19.00 · one taco $14.75

Chowder — and they take it seriously enough to sell it three ways:

• Small $8.00 · Large $11.00 · In a sourdough bread bowl $15.50

Sandwiches, all with one side — $14.50 for fish, grilled chicken or fried chicken, $14.50 hamburger, $15.00 cheeseburger, and $16.00 for the Hawaiian Burger with grilled pineapple, teriyaki sauce and blue cheese dressing.

The sides are worth a look of their own:

• Onion rings $9.50 · Fried zucchini $10.00 · Sweet potato fries $8.50
• Fried pineapple rings $7.50 · Fried pickle $7.50 · Whole pickles $7.50
• Harbor Style Beans $5.50 · Calamari strips $13.00

And take the sauces home. Pint of tartar, coleslaw or cocktail sauce — $9.00 each. These are the 1969 recipes. If you only take one thing away from this article, it's that you can buy Sally's tartar sauce by the pint.

Drinks are $3.50 across the board — soft drinks, bottled water, coffee, hot tea, hot chocolate. Beer is $6.00 domestic, $6.75 import; wine $6.50.

How to Visit Harbor Fish & Chips

• Address: 276 Harbor Drive, Oceanside, CA 92054 — at Oceanside Harbor
• Phone: (760) 722-4977
• Hours: open daily, 11 a.m.–9 p.m.
• Closed Thanksgiving and Christmas
• Everything is available to go — it says so on the menu
• No online ordering, no delivery listed. Call or turn up.
• Prices are subject to change, per their own menu
• It's a short stroll from the beach, with harbor views and a dining room full of mounted fish and old fishing photographs

The Takeaway

Go on a Tuesday, order the medium fish basket with the coleslaw, add a small chowder, and sit where you can see the water.

What makes Harbor Fish & Chips worth writing about isn't that Oceanside has a good fish and chips counter at the harbor — it's that this one has been run by the same family since 1969, and the granddaughters of the people who opened it are still making the grandmother's tartar sauce from scratch. San Diego County loses places like that constantly. This one is still there, still frying in avocado oil, still selling the sauce by the pint.

For more spots worth knowing, browse our Local Picks — and if North County is somewhere you're considering, our Carlsbad vs. Oceanside comparison covers both towns.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Harbor Fish & Chips? At 276 Harbor Drive, Oceanside, CA 92054, at Oceanside Harbor in North County — about 40 minutes up the coast from downtown San Diego.

How old is Harbor Fish & Chips? It opened in July 1969, started by Doug and Sally McWha, a long-time commercial fishing family. Their granddaughters Mona and Sheri run it today.

What are the hours? Open daily, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Closed Thanksgiving and Christmas.

What is Harbor Fish & Chips known for? Fried seafood baskets and the family's original from-scratch recipes for tartar sauce, cocktail sauce and coleslaw, which date to 1969 and are sold by the pint.

How much is fish and chips there? Baskets run $14.00 for one piece, $17.75 for two and $20.75 for three, each with one side. The Tuesday special drops the two-piece basket to $16.75.

Are there weekly specials? Yes — Tuesday medium fish basket $16.75, Wednesday grilled fish plate $21.75, Thursday two-taco plate $18.00, Friday sampler plate $21.75. Nothing is listed for Monday, Saturday or Sunday.

What oil do they fry in? 100% avocado oil, per the restaurant.

Do they do takeout? Yes — their menu states all orders are available to go. There's no online ordering or delivery listed; call (760) 722-4977.

Do they serve beer and wine? Yes. Domestic beer $6.00, import $6.75, wine $6.50. No brands are listed.