Mitch's Seafood: Three Fishing Families, One Dock, and Lobster Season Right Now

Overview

Mitch's Seafood was opened in 2008 by three families with a long history of fishing in Point Loma — and all three are still, in the restaurant's words, "very actively involved in the local fishing community."

It sits "in the heart of the Point Loma Sportfishing Dock," on San Diego Bay, in what the restaurant calls "the historic fishing neighborhood of Point Loma." Their own description of the setting: "We are located on San Diego's working waterfront with a view of the fishing fleet."

That's not a decorative detail. It's the business model. Their line on sourcing is specific in a way most seafood restaurants avoid: "Our seafood comes almost exclusively from the waters off San Diego and Northern Baja. Most of our fish is either caught by us or by fishermen that we know."

Here's the thing that makes right now the moment to go.

San Diego's commercial lobster season opens the first Wednesday in October — which means it's open now, and the Lobsterman's Stew is a seasonal item on a menu run by people who fish the season themselves. This is a window, not a fixture.

And the second thing, which will shape your whole visit: they don't take reservations. Their own explanation is blunt — "Due to our high demand, we do not take reservations." On a weekend afternoon at a waterfront counter in Point Loma, that means a queue. Go at 8 a.m., or go mid-afternoon on a weekday.

What to Order

A caveat worth stating plainly: Mitch's publishes almost no prices. Their online menu lists dishes without amounts, and only four prices appear anywhere on the site. Those four are below; for anything else, call (619) 222-8787 or check their online ordering.

The four published prices:

• Fisherman's Stew — $29. Mussels, clams, squid, market fish and shrimp in a tomato–white wine broth, served with baguette. The signature dish, and the one that best explains the kitchen.
• Steamed Clams — $19
• Steamed Mussels — $19
• Grilled Fish Salad — $23

The rest of the menu, by section:

• Steamed seafood — mussels, clams, mussels and clams together, the Fisherman's Stew, and the seasonal Lobsterman's Stew
• Chilled seafood — ceviche, shrimp cocktail, campechana, shrimp aguachile, tuna poke, Dungeness crab cocktail, crudo, and New England clam chowder
• Grilled fish plates — swordfish, halibut, grilled octopus, shrimp, tuna, rock fish
• Tacos and tostadas — swordfish, octopus, fried fish, calamari, rock fish. Their own instruction is the best thing on the menu: "Ask for what is in season."
• Fryer baskets, all with fries and coleslaw — fish and chips, breaded shrimp, crab cake, calamari, and a mixed seafood platter of calamari, breaded shrimp, beer-battered cod and a crab cake
• Sandwiches — grilled fish, fried fish, calamari, crab cake, tuna salad, tuna melt, breaded shrimp, BLT
• Burgers — half-pound, BBQ bacon, and blue cheese and bacon
• Salads — shrimp Louie, Dungeness crab Louie, crab and shrimp Louie, grilled fish Caesar
• A kids' menu — half-order fish and chips, half-order shrimp and chips, grilled cheese, cheeseburger

And breakfast, which is the underused part of this place: breakfast burrito, Fisherman's Breakfast, chilaquiles, Mitch's Benedict, crab cake Benedict, crab and avocado toast, chorizo and egg burrito, huevos rancheros. Served from 8 a.m. daily, on the water, with no queue.

How to Visit

• Address: 1403 Scott Street, San Diego, CA 92106 — on the Point Loma sportfishing dock
• Phone: (619) 222-8787 · Email: info@mitchsseafood.com
• Hours: opens 8 a.m. daily. Closing time is listed two ways on their own site — 8:30 p.m. in one place and 9 p.m. in another — so call if you're arriving late
• Breakfast: 8–10:30 a.m. daily. Lunch and dinner from 10:30 a.m.
• No reservations
• Indoor and outdoor dining, with a view of the fleet
• Takeout for pickup, ordered online through Toast. No delivery. They ask that takeout orders be eaten off the premises
• No pets — a policy that took effect January 1, 2025. Service animals welcome

The Beer List Is Better Than It Needs to Be

This is a genuine surprise. For a counter-service seafood spot, the draft and bottle list is a tour of San Diego brewing: Stone, Societe, Burgeon, Eppig, Ballast Point, Burning Beard, Modern Times, Duckfoot, Pure Project, Bay City, Coronado, Mother Earth, Pizza Port, Ketch, Abnormal, Harland, Port and more, alongside wine from, in their words, "family vineyards throughout California."

A Societe with a plate of fish tacos, outside, looking at the boats, is about as San Diego as an afternoon gets.

Good to Know

• It's lobster season — ask about the Lobsterman's Stew. First Wednesday in October through the winter.
• "Ask for what is in season." Their taco fish rotates, and the menu tells you to ask. Do it — it's the fastest way to eat the best thing in the building.
• No reservations means timing is everything. Weekday mid-afternoon, or breakfast. Weekend lunch is the queue.
• Breakfast is the sleeper. Crab cake Benedict on a working dock at 8 a.m., with the fleet coming in.
• Leave the dog at home. The no-pets policy is relatively recent and catches regulars out.
• Bring a card. Their takeout runs through Toast, and ordering ahead is the way around a weekend queue.

The Takeaway

Order the Fisherman's Stew, sit outside, and look at the boats.

What makes Mitch's worth the drive out Scott Street isn't that Point Loma has good seafood — it's that this particular place is run by people who catch it. Three fishing families, a dock, and a menu that changes with what came in. San Diego has a working waterfront, and this is one of the few places you can sit down and eat on it.

For more spots worth knowing, browse our Local Picks — and if you're making a day of it in Point Loma, Liberty Public Market is ten minutes up the road.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Mitch's Seafood? At 1403 Scott Street, San Diego, CA 92106, on the Point Loma sportfishing dock on San Diego Bay.

What are Mitch's Seafood's hours? It opens at 8 a.m. daily, with breakfast served until 10:30 a.m. and lunch and dinner from 10:30 a.m. onward. Their site lists closing as either 8:30 p.m. or 9 p.m., so call to confirm.

Does Mitch's Seafood take reservations? No. In their words, "Due to our high demand, we do not take reservations."

When did Mitch's Seafood open? In 2008, established by three families with a long history of fishing in Point Loma.

Is the seafood at Mitch's locally caught? The restaurant says its seafood "comes almost exclusively from the waters off San Diego and Northern Baja" and that "most of our fish is either caught by us or by fishermen that we know."

Is Mitch's Seafood dog friendly? No. Pets have not been allowed since January 1, 2025. Service animals are welcome.

Does Mitch's Seafood deliver? No. Takeout is available for pickup, ordered online through Toast, but there's no delivery.

Is there outdoor seating? Yes — they offer both indoor and outdoor dining, with a view of the fishing fleet.

Do they serve alcohol? Yes, craft beer from a long list of San Diego breweries, plus wine.