Tom Ham's Lighthouse

We have gone here for decades. It's been great and then we don't go again for years because it is so bad. Well last night was the worst ever. Service was bad almost non existent and the food was almost inedible. The paella was greasy rice with the smallest clams ever, one tiny piece of chorizo, mussels and three tasteless shrimp. Well we won't be going back again. Sad!

Had not been to this restaurant in years. Used to come with my family as a child on vacay from NCal & always loved it. (Probably because they put a lot of cherries in our Shirley Temples. LOL.). I now live in NCounty SD & my brother was in town visiting from NCal & staying downtown which made me think of the restaurant again. So we decided to go back & check it out. So glad we did. Our food was fabulous. I had a delicious beat salad & scallops for dinner. And my brother had Brussels sprouts & a salmon pasta. Both were sensational. Our waiter was terrific. I shared our Shirley Temple story with him & he surprised us with 2 on the house with lots of cherries! So awesome! And you can not not beat the view. Great night!

Four of us ate dinner here for my birthday. We come all of the time for lunch, but this was first dinner menu. Everyone loved their entrees: scallops with sausage, guajillo pepper, and artichoke grits (only quibble wish the portion of grits was larger, but artichokes were very generous), short ribs (2 people had and both loved), and salmon in creamy sauce with pasta. two of us shared chef's choice for half dozen oysters, also good, and cocktails and beers were good. Got a yummy brownie with ice cream for my birthday dessert. I loved that we were not rushed, although my husband who has a stomach on a timer wished for faster service. We talked him into having a salad while we waited for entrees and all 4 of us enjoyed it. I have never had bad service and the view of San Diego skyline and Star of India and Coronado was beautiful and space heaters kept us cozy.

It was a wonderful view arriving, the drinks were stiff, the service was pretty good - nothing bad nor amazing, and the food was pretty mid. We had the lobster roll and cioppino, the flavors for both were good and did the job but felt like missing something. My partner said the cioppino didn't have a flavor that stood out so he wouldn't order it again, but the views and heavy mai tai will bring us back to visit again.

The view of downtown San Diego from the outdoor dining deck is superb! And on top of that the food is excellent too! One of our favorite restaurants! A must for out of town guests.

Tom Ham's is slipping. Food quality is on par with regular restaurants, not at tge same level as good places in Little Italy for example. Bring back the superior food and service. A little refresh is needed. Starting to feel dated.

Enjoyed the happy hour and friendly staff. Solid date night!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Went here twice, for a wedding and a Birthday Party! Excellent place to celebrate 💐💐💐

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Wide open dinning with Beautiful view of the bay. Ordered oysters, the whole fish, and the steak. Oysters were fresh, fish was tender, steak was seasoned and cooked perfectly. Server made sure we had a great meal. Fair prices for one of the best dinning experiences.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Not only was our seafood lunches excellent, Abby,our server, was above and beyond friendly and helpful! The view from the dining room was beautiful!

Our server was excellent and as always, a spectacular view. We were disappointed on the quality and taste of our meals. I expected lobster chunks in the soup, it was disappointing more of a broth. My piaia flavor was bland and the bouillabaisse flavor was so just average. We love this restaurant but was disappointed with the quality of the food.

So fun to bird watch from their elevated patio! Lovely views of the city and air traffic, plus Coronado Island.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Subject: Feedback Regarding Unfortunate Dining Experience – October 20, 2025

On Monday, October 20, 2025, at approximately 6:15 p.m., we had an unfortunate experience with the receptionist/manager during our visit. We were seated at a pleasant window table while waiting to meet friends we hadn’t seen in some time, hoping to enjoy a quiet dinner and conversation.

Shortly after being seated, a large family with young children was placed directly behind us. Naturally, we anticipated that the noise level would rise, making conversation more difficult. I politely asked if we could move to a nearby empty table—approximately five feet away—but was told no, as that table belonged to another server, and it would not be fair to change sections.

I expressed surprise that guest comfort would be secondary to server assignment, but the manager/receptionist reiterated that we should not expect to dine without residual noise. I was actually shocked, the ensuing conversation became most uncomfortable, and the request to move tables just 5 feet away was denied.

Had we not been meeting friends, we would have just left. As it turned out, we experienced considerable noise throughout the evening, including constant video-game sounds from the children seated behind us.

As a native San Diegan, I’ve always felt a sense of nostalgia and pride in supporting local landmarks such as Tom Ham’s. That’s why this experience was particularly disappointing. I share this feedback not to complain, but in the hope that it may help improve future guest experiences.

Best regards, Kent Mitchell

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 4

Service: 5

Food was good but not an exceptional flavor. Newer tables restrict legs. Aires's was exceptional

Subject: Feedback Regarding Unfortunate Dining Experience – October 20, 2025 On Monday, October 20, 2025, at approximately 6:15 p.m., we had an unfortunate experience with the receptionist/manager during our visit. We were seated at a pleasant window table while waiting to meet friends we hadn't seen in some time, hoping to enjoy a quiet dinner and conversation. Shortly after being seated, a large family with young children was placed directly behind us. Naturally, we anticipated that the noise level would rise, making conversation more difficult. I politely asked if we could move to a nearby empty table—approximately five feet away—but was told no, as that table belonged to another server, and it would not be fair to change sections. I expressed surprise that guest comfort would be secondary to server assignment, but the manager/receptionist reiterated that we should not expect to dine without residual noise. I was actually shocked, the ensuing conversation became most uncomfortable, and the request to move tables just 5 feet away was denied. Had we not been meeting friends, we would have just left. As it turned out, we experienced considerable noise throughout the evening, including constant video-game sounds from the children seated behind us. As a native San Diegan, I've always felt a sense of nostalgia and pride in supporting local landmarks such as Tom Ham's. That's why this experience was particularly disappointing. I share this feedback not to complain, but in the hope that it may help improve future guest experiences. Best regards, Kent Mitchell