Water Grill San Diego

Dinner started with the bread service, which was fantastic. I could have eaten a tub of their homemade butter if they would have let me. So good. We were having an early dinner before a show so we ate a little lighter. My wife had the crab cake appetizer as a meal, which she liked. Not the best crab cake we’ve ever had but definitely not the worst. I had the sea bass and it was quite good. Very tender and flaky. I gave the “atmosphere” 5-stars because the restaurant is beautiful but my only complaint is that with the open window seating, there was a man dancing around on the sidewalk talking to people trying to eat. He didn’t talk to us, but it was a little jarring. Overall a really nice meal.

Water Grill delivered a wonderful dining experience from start to finish. We were greeted by warm hosts and seated promptly, which set the tone for a great evening. Bob deserves a special shoutout for being an exceptional host. He spent time with us answering our questions, explaining ingredients (like the difference between spiny lobster and Maine lobster), and helped us make great choices for our dinner. He never once made us feel rushed, always attentive, always kind, and truly made us feel at home. The meal began with their homemade bread and butter, which was easily the best complimentary bread and butter we’ve ever had, so good that we asked for more, even though the initial portion was already generous for two. We ordered: Calamari with mint maploy sauce, pepper, and aioli Spin

Giving 3 stars for food since food wise felt they could have done bit more.. Octopus or the calamari were tiny bit over done.. they were 25% rubbery.. steamed red king crabs were well done. We enjoyed them. Totally recommend this for anyone looking to have hot steamed crabs option. Fyi, they also have chilled crabs option on menu as wel. Totally recommend this place. It could be timing issue to what we experienced with appetizers. May be it’s better for some others.

Every visit here is a wonderful experience thanks to the consistently great food and attentive service. The restaurant has a beautiful and inviting atmosphere, and the second floor adds a nice touch to the overall vibe. Their oysters are absolutely delicious and always feel fresh. Being located downtown, parking can be a bit challenging, but the quality of the experience more than makes up for it. Highly recommended.

Water Grill has a sweet place in my heart since it was one of the first places I went to with my husband when we started dating. We decided to come here for New Year's eve and picked the prefixed menu which was a 4-course meal for $150/person. The atmosphere is always nice here, it was decorated for the Holidays and 2026 balloons. Our waitress was exceptional, she checked on us often and I appreciated that. The forst course I picked the shrimp cocktail and my husband chose the crab cakes. The crab cakes were okay, we enjoyed the pickled vegetables more than the cakes. The shrimp cocktail was an interesting consistency almost as if they had been overcooked. Wouldn't recommend either of these dishes. Second course was clam chowder and caesar salad. The chowder had carrots in it which was int