Lionfish Modern Coastal Cuisine – San Diego

Food doesn’t test good and the service is very poor

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 3

Service: 3

The staff were rude and seemed undertrained, and the hygiene here is bad 🤮

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1

It’s ok and average at best. It’s definitely not worth the money though for the taste and portion. Fines fining it is not but at fairly high prices. The food is completely oversauced and the main ingredient doesn’t come out. We had the surf and turf role and it was a very basic $10 roll at any sushi place. No flavors and definitely not worth anywhere close to $40. It was barely above a Costco California roll in flavor or ingredients. Lobster and waygu were not present or even remotely identified. It was just mayo coming through. Scallops were undercooked a bit
With little texture.
Seated in the back was super dark and extremely loud.
Service was good and server was attentive and nice. Food took a while to arrive but expected. Not terribly bad.
Overall a basic experience and wouldn’t come here to wow anyone. Had higher hopes for a Pendry connected restaurant.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 2

Service: 4

We stopped in with a table of 4 kids and 4 adults and our server Juan was SO accommodating. Even with the chaos our 2 year old was causing, he rolled with the punches lol. The food was phenomenal and we are very excited to visit again!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Very nice dining experience in gaslamp. Grilled octopus was on point and the sushi roll was delicious as well. Recommend.

Worst customer service ever. The manager, GARY-JOSEPH ROBERTSON, not helpful at all. I cracked my tooth on an oyster there due to poor food prep. I told my server and she stared at me blankly and unconcerned, she didnt even let a manager know. I then let the manager know via email and he seemed apologetic and told me they would work something out (since I spent over $100 at the restaurant and $150 after insurance to get my tooth repaired). He said he was meeting with Director of Security then ghosted me, stopped responding completely. Really disappointed.

Atmosphere: 2

Food: 1

Service: 1

Wife ordered a cocktail, watched the bartender make two other cocktails for people sat after she sat down, bartender finally remembered then made two drinks for two orders, other person received more volume and the glass was dirty. Oysters were nice.

What a true gem with our visit to San Diego! From the moment we walked in, service was very attentive and welcoming. Rosa, our server, was very patient with us and helped guide us through the menu for gluten intolerances. The food was exceptional--sushi, lamb, and baby kale salad. The presentation was also a bonus to the flavors of the food.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

We originally had reservations for a party of eight but needed to increase it to fourteen for a milestone birthday celebration. Thankfully, the restaurant was able to accommodate us with a later seating time, which we appreciated.

Unfortunately, the service throughout the evening felt underwhelming. While managing a large party can certainly be challenging, the overall atmosphere never felt especially warm or welcoming. Several managers passed by our table throughout the night, yet no one stopped to greet us or acknowledge the celebration, which made the experience feel impersonal.

We also experienced a very long wait for food—close to an hour after ordering. We completely understand that larger groups may take longer, but there was little communication or updates from our server during the wait, which added to the frustration.

Once the food finally arrived, the dishes themselves were enjoyable and well-prepared. Everything we tried tasted good. However, the pricing didn’t feel justified by the portions or overall experience. For example, the lobster pasta was over $50, yet the portion size was surprisingly small.

We ended up ordering quite a bit for the table, but everyone was so hungry by the time the food arrived that I barely had a chance to take photos before the dishes disappeared.

Overall, while the food was solid, the combination of service, communication, and value left us disappointed. Unfortunately, it’s not a place we’d return to.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 5

Service: 2

Noisy, not a place for family get together. Some entres were great (salmon), others mediocre (harvest fried rice).

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 3

Service: 5

Amazing food and amazing service, the decor and layout was nice and the music was fire and it wasn’t too loud either. They have a huge variety of food from seafood to sushi to pasta.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Had such a great time here. Michael was awesome and really made us feel taken care of from the moment we walked in. The food was seriously so good and everything came out perfect. The whole place just has a fun, easygoing vibe that makes you want to stay awhile. Definitely one of those spots you leave already talking about coming back to.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

The food was actually really outstanding but we were there on a Monday night so it was pretty empty - not sure what it’d be like on a packed day. The bang bang shrimp is banging. Gnocchi another standout.
The happy hour food menu is awesome, BUT the happy hour drinks were pretty disgusting. I get it if you have to use cheaper liquor but you could still add other NA juices to make it taste good…being that the food is so superb, the happy hour drinks literally left a bad taste in my mouth

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 4

Place busy at 940pm, walked in and they said they closed at 9....just wanted a drink......don't recommend

Atmosphere: 1

Service: 1

First visit. Enjoyed a HH cocktail and food item. The bartender was very accommodating in assisting me with seating. I'll return.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 5