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Categories: Seafood, Seafood Markets [Edit]
9530 Murray DrMon-Thu. 11:00 a.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Fri-Sat. 11:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Sun. 11:00 a.m. - 8:30 p.m.
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After visiting the Anthony's at the embarcadero a week or so ago we had another family dinner at the La Mesa Anthony's/
While the embarcadero has the lovely view, the La Mesa restaurant has the truly classic and cool old decor. Loved the coral on the rocks, the octopus lamps and tile mosaics with scenes of undersea myths. This location also has the pond outside and the most awesome barfing fish fountains.
The food was similar to the downtown location, same menu.
Inside the restaurant it's a bit cheesy in that whole you feel like you are in the little mermaid minus the cartoony portion. Or maybe I'm just a bit biased being a redhead with the nickname of a mermaid.
Of the two locations in San Diego, this one is preferable. It was closer to the area where I lived when I was there and it's a little off the beaten path. Parking over here vs the harbor of tourists trap is a no brainer in ease.
My ex took me here on a completely cheesy date a few years ago. And while it can be argued that I do not care for cheesy, this wasn't bad at all. If it hadn't been for the decor, this would have been a 3 star place.
The food is a little better in quality than Red Lobster. It's not horrible, but its not at the top either. It's just... different.
If you want something a bit middle of the road, and are more concerned with the atmosphere, it's worth a shot at least once. There's... other fish (places) in the sea (of San Diego) though this one isn't that bad to start.
The only reason why I really ever go here is because my mom grew up going to Anthony's in Seaport Village with her parents and she now lives in east county so its convenient.
We went there the other day and every time i go there i cant help but sort of laugh at the decor inside. The fake rocks/coral is what gets me.
One of the main reasons i only gave 2 stars is that they keep discontinuing the only few things i would get from here. I'm not really a big fish person, or I'm not a fish person at all. So i usually get the chicken Asian salad, which is so good. And when they still offered it there i was actually sometimes excited when my mom wanted to go there.
But now when i go i usually just get a boring 'ol house salad.
But I also stuff my face with the delicious sun-dried tomato butter,yum!
SO in conclusion if the only reason why i enjoy going to Anthony's in La Mesa is because of the butter and rolls, and the happiness of my mother then.. 2 stars Anthony's
I came here with old family friends, an elderly couple in retirement, in December 2008. We were all disappointed with this establishment.
Yes, it is true that this place caters primarily to retired senior citizens, who presumably are in less of a hurry than younger people, but that is a terrible excuse for slow service.
I ordered the swordfish, which was average - not great, but not horrible - so no complaints.
However, the wine I ordered was served in a tiny glass (about 5-6 ounces) and was filled to the top. From my understanding, it seems common-knowledge that wine should be served in larger stemware. This was slightly disappointing, but I suppose I should have limited my expectations for a place where the ambiance reminds other Yelpers of Denny's.
The worst part of the dining experience was when the older gentleman I was with ordered a side Caesar salad. The waitress informed us that they no longer served Caesar salad. The couple I was with was shocked because they had been coming here for about thirty years and this was the first time they heard such madness.
When my family friends asked why the restaurant discontinued Caesar salad, the waitress said she would go back and ask the manager. She came back a few minutes later and informed us that the Caesar dressing was discontinued because it was too expensive and could not be used in other dishes from the menu; presumably they could not save a few dollars because they could not purchase it in bulk.
Personally, I despise Caesar dressing but, from my understanding, it seems to be a common staple of American fare and for this restaurant not to carry this ubiquitous dish seems absurd.
In fact, this is the only full-scale restaurant where I have ever seen Caesar salad as a discontinued item. Now, to be fair, this was in December 2008, only two months after huge drops in the stock market and an increasing fear about failing businesses, but seriously... getting rid of Caesar salad because of the global credit crisis? That just seems bizarre. Well, whatever the management's reasoning was for this unfortunate decision, I have never seen that couple I was with more displeased.
It is safe to say, that this restaurant lost two previously loyal customers who had been coming here for decades.
I gave it an extra star for the scenery. I take my mom here when she comes to visit, which is about once a year. She likes the outdoor scenery of the ducks and the water fountain. She and I both think the food is ok, but it's not super. It's just something different than Red Lobster.
So I used to go here all the time as a kid with my parents. The other night my girlfriend and I decided to relive our child hoods by visiting once again, this time as paying adults. I'm a crab lover. I mean I am a crab LOVER! But unfortunately this crab left a bad taste in my mouth...
First we arrive at around 8:30 on a Thursday evening... not late by any standard of dinner time at restaurants even on a week night... The place was basically empty. There were a few parties scattered through out the restaurant with one waitress handling them, which is fine had she been adequate enough to even handle those few tables! We are seated, and our drink orders are taken and menu's handed to us. It takes 10 minutes for our iced teas to arrive! Really??? By this time we've decided what we want and our order is taken. Calamari for appetizer, I order the steak and crab, and my girlfriend orders the appetizer crab cakes with a side house salad... Bread with yummy sun dried tomato butter spread arrives at the table and that was the only saving grace of the night and the reason it gets 2 stars! Calamari takes forever to arrive and is kinda cold and rubbery, not enough sauce for how much was on the plate... so that was a bust. Our food comes... I guess the crab cakes were good, I didn't taste them, but Carol didn't complain. My steak however was paper thin, I ordered it medium and it was far closer to well. The crab was pre-cut, which normally I appreciate, but it must have been pre-cut hours before and just reheated, because it was dry through the middle where it was cut and left a gross filmy taste in my mouth... Not appetizing. The french fries were fantastic though!!!
When we got the check, it was closing time so all the workers were in the back doing something. We had been over charged, they charged us for the crab cake dinner not the appetizer, and there was no one around to assist us. Our server had all but disappeared. Finally after about another 10 minutes a bus boy appears and finally we are able to track down the server and get the matter taken care of...
I'm just gonna put this out there that I most likely will not be making a return appearance at this place... It was fun as a kid with the under water motif and the big water pond that it over looks, but spending $85.00 for 2 people for less than mediocre food is just a waste to me.
Its definitely gone down hill since my childhood growing up this place was super. Last time I was there you could really tell they skimped on the wait staff they're all really young ( as am I and I have noting against,) but they all were under trained and didn't take much consideration to anything, not really that friendly is what I getting at...
And the food was only mediocre, I much rather the one by the ocean with great staff with stunning views get there early on weekends and Fridays for they fill that place up fast!!
I only gave this place three stars due to the very brief encounter I had here. I grew up on the east coast and spent lots of years boating on the eastern shore. The decor of this place reminded me of seafood reastaurants from the early 90's. I loved it! Plus it sits next to a little lake with a fountain in the middle and it has spouts of water coming off the roof in to the lake.
We went here for lunch. I got the lunch portion market garden salad with salmon. I think that's what it was called. It was good. My only complaint is that there were only 5 chunks of salmon. They were decent sized and salmon breaks up. But I felt it could have had a little bit more. All in all though, the salad was good.
I also really enjoyed the rolls with sun dried tomato butter. I'm not a big fan of sun dried tomato products, but this was really good.
I agree that the place definitely caters to an older crowd, but I think Anthony's can be enjoyed and appreciated by young and old alike. Our service wasn't slow, but it wasn't the quickest by any means. I understand they have locations elsewhere and I'm excited to try them as well as try some other items on the menu.
This is one of the weirdest places.
Here's why:
The food is awful...not ok....not bad....not "sub par" awful.
The service is on par with your average Denny's which when ordering "slams" for $4/plate is acceptable...at $20/plate for soggy fried ocean sewage it is robbery.
The original design and interior of the building was clearly unique and at one point (maybe around 1969) made sense and was cool. At this point it looks (and smells) like you just walked into Charlie Tuna's living room and he hasn't cleaned his kitchen in quite some time.
The weird thing about this place is that people go....and I mean a lot of people. On your typical weekend the place is absolutely packed.....granted many are the over 70 crowd that lost their last taste bud during the Reagan administration. There are in fact younger folks as well and to those folks all I can say is why?
The 2nd star is cause I bet it was cool in 1969
I have never really been a fan of this place but especially after the last experience I would be hard pressed to ever go back.
Was greeted with a foul smell upon entering the place. Now they do have a fish market counter right at the entrance and I can only hope that is why is smelled the way it did. We did think about leaving even after we ordered drinks but it was getting late and I hadn't eaten a bite all day long. We were also headed over to the Wrinkle Room and wanted to use the parking lot at Anthony's so I guess we felt obligated to eat there.
I had fried shrimp and the hubby had fried cajun scallops. We figured that was our best bet seeing how it is damn near impossible to mess up fried food. I had coleslaw and fries as my sides and H had the garlic mashed and steamed veggies. I thought the potatoes tasted like they came from a box and the server even mentioned they were new on the menu and tasted much better when they were first testing them out.
No complaints about the service and I did appreciate that are food came out super fast.
With so many other great seafood restaurants in SD I am surprised by the number people giving this place 5 stars. Maybe I am missing the boat and it is just me??????
Really? People seem to really love this place and I'm not sure why. Walking into the place was like walking into a Sizzler with the seating and service. The food was priced at a fair value and it was crowded... I guess I just expected more from this place.
BTW, what is up with those glowing flashing mini martini glasses? Cheeeeeeeeeeeeeesy~~~
Anthony's has sentimental value for me. With that said the last star is dedicated to my father.
I grew up going to Anthony's and now that I live a couple of miles away I keep returning. The seafood is always fresh, clam chowder is yummy and the appetizers are always worth coming back for. For some reason the bar area reminds me of a fishbowl when you enter.
This was my dad's favorite place to go. There is a huge lake that resembles a lagoon in the back and we use to feed the ducks from the time I was little until I grew up. I finally went back after my dad's passing in January and it brought back wonderful memories.
Thank you Dad for the memories (I miss you) and thank you Anthony's for never changing.
I love seafood.
I do not love the Fish Grotto.
The interior of the place was lacking and pretty outdated, the fish was sub-par, and the service was lame.
I will not be back.
Anthony's is where we take out of town company for seafood. We live close and I don't think we've ever had a bad meal here. In fact, they sometimes change things around and I miss items they have removed from the menu (appetizers or dips/spreads for the complimentary bread etc). I always read the menu diligently and occasionally try something new but often just can't resist getting one of the combination plates--Mixed Fries or Captain's Platter if they haven't changed the names--so I can try a little bit if this and that.
Their shrimp and scallops are special favorites and it's hard to believe they can be so consistent for so many years in the preparation of the coating on the fried items--light and crispy every time for years on end. Our company is always happy and so are we.
Anthony's features window views of a man made pond that comes fully equipped with ducks. The interior of the restaurant is "under the sea" themed which is an outstanding feature if you like salt/pepper holders with fake coral on them. Anthony's is a seafood restaurant but does have a couple of chicken/beef dishes for the haters out there. I ordered the Cajun style catfish (because I'm not a hater) which was pretty good other than being slightly overpriced and salty. The clientele has an average age of about 92, making this a festive environment for your grandmother's living funeral. Update: I recently received a message from a fellow Yelper indicating that the pond here is not man made. Therefore, I hereby amend my review as follows:
Amendment 1: The words "Man Made Pond" in sentence 1 are to be replaced with the word "Pond".
Really cute atmosphere, I wish the food and prices measured up. The servers are slow and not well trained. I'll go again, but only if I'm bored, feeling my inner mermaid, and have money to burn.
Anthony's! Nooooo! Whats become of you?!
My family & I returned for just about the 1,000th time to Anthony's on Mother's Day. It's sort of a tradition, and normally, I just can't get enough of the place.
I ordered a shrimp salad, dressing on the side, and a baked potato.
The salad, which cost probably 15 bucks was lettuce, crutons, and gulf shrimp.. not even their infamous breaded shrimp!
The baked potato was not hot at this point, but little did I care, because after an HOUR & 45 minute wait you get pretty hungry.
I'm sad to say my family and I will NOT be coming back, even though this restaurant used to be such a staple for my family and myself.
Almost gave 3 stars, but just couldn't do it. I have been here many times throughout the years and the prices just keep going up while the quality of the food goes down.
Came here last night for Mother's Day. I ordered the Grilled Shrimp with steamed veggies, the plate was $20.00 for 5 grilled shrimp. You could buy a 4 pound bag of frozen shrimp and grill them yourself for $17.00, but you are paying for the ambiance and convenience right!?
The food took about 1:45 to arrive and the steamed veggies did no lie, they were all crinkled and had that heat lamp look. The shrimp was cold, and the rice had been sitting under the heat lamp for so long that it was a solid block. I complained but was just told "sorry we are busy". I don't think I will visit Anthony's in La Mesa any longer, although I will still visit the little take out joint on the bay, because they are fast and it's hard to screw up clam chowder.
This place has got some good reviews, so there is not much to add, but let me go on for a moment about the unique ambiance of this restaurant. When you walk in, you immediately notice the walls that are made to resemble an underwater cave or coral reef. When you look up at the ceiling there are fish "swimming" in schools. Okay, they're hung by strings, but the effect is nice nonetheless. The windows looking out onto the lake at the back of the restaurant are large and provide lots of light and a nice view.
The service was very good - maybe too good for us the night we went. We got the woman who had "Corporate Trainer" etched on her name badge under her name. If she had been any perkier, I would have probably jumped in the lake with the fake mermaid. The bartender was great - a young kid who tried very hard to be ultra professional. I give a lot of credit for that.
The food was great. The Halibut and Wild Salmon were perfect. The mojito that was the monthly special was also perfect.
I think the best thing about this place was that it is a complete surprise. From the street it doesn't look like much, but after visiting once, I am looking forward to a return visit.
other than the pretty pond the decor is a bit goofey. The food was bettter then expected, but the service was poor. If you want to take your Grandma to a "fancy" place it's perfect
I love Anthony's. Anthony's is one of the best overall restaurants in San Diego, for decades they've been delivering awesome, tasty seafood.
I order the same thing everytime - Fish and Chips, House Salad (House Dressing) and Clam Chowder (White) and usually get the Calamari Appetizer.
Excellent, consistent service.
Don't be hard on this place, nor walk in with attitude. It's a beautiful fully realized place to eat, the architecture and design might seem gaudy, but the view of the lagoon, and the practical seating design is just simply great. In the late 70's and early 80's this place was HOT. Hah, you might laugh at that concept by checking the address, but believe me:. A 90 minute wait was normal. It's far from being cutting edge in cuisine these days, but the basic dishes, the kind of things you'd order on the warf, or expect at an inn via a bay satelite-town are here, and they shine. There's no turning back the clock though, some of this environ might feel dated, for me that's part of the charm. At one time this place was remarkable: serving up foggy, decked inn-style dishes with hearty cocktails There was nothing like Anthony's BEFORE Anthony's opened in San Diego. No, not even Los Angeles. This is the model. This is the original. So, the obvious choices at lunch should be ordered, they will not dissapoint, at dinner, ask what's best, that was the tradition in the 70's, and its still alive here. Still busy after almost 35 years says something.
Recommended. A great place for drinks and seafood, and a value.
Sundried tomato buttery goodness.
And oh, the fish is good too.
Desert = some kind of chocolate delight (sorry can't remember the name) it was heaven.
First of all, I agree with Justin N. about the sizzler thing. My wife actually commented that it looked like Denny's inside. We had been there before for a "professional lunch meeting" and only returned because we had a gift card. I wish we would have re-gifted it though because it was not worth using. Even with the gift card, I knew we were going to pay as the prices are pretty high considering the venue. I forced myself to not calculate how much we were paying in comparison to how much it would have cost to go to endless shrimp down the street at red lobster. However, after we received the bill and quickly realized that we might have even saved money, even after the gift card, by going to red lobster, I was even more disappointed.
As for the service, the wait staff came by our table to check on us every couple minutes, which was nice of them, but somewhat annoying at times. It kind of felt like they were trying to get us out the door as it was a late dinner. Although they don't close until 10 and we got there at 8:30, the crowd is generally, well, elderly. So i think they were trying to get out early. They were attentive though, so I can't take that away from them.
The food was decent. We ordered the raw ahi asian salad, the shrimp rancheros, and some sort of fried fish, shrimp and scallop combo. The ahi salad was the standout by far. It was a pretty good size, could have had more ahi in it, very good dressing, could have done without the "fried wontons. Very good taste though and very fresh fish. I really enjoyed this dish. The fried dish, of course, was just mediocre as fried dishes go. I usually season my fish and my batter. I don't think they did either, but they provided cholula, which makes everything better. overall, not impressed at all by this dish. For some reason we decided to mix it up and get the shrimp rancheros as well. The wait staff raved about this dish, but my wife was skeptical. She was right, as usual. We received some shrimp in a chunky tomato sauce over some bland rice. we were thoroughly unimpressed by this one. My wife commented that the tomato sauce wasn't even good and reminded her of something that would come in a microwave meal. I would never order this dish again, especially for the price. This is not even to mention the misnomer that "Shrimp Rancheros" was as this was nowhere near a ranchero sauce.
Overall, we were unimpressed. If you prefer your food with flavor, there are much better options. Although we recently had some thoroughly unflavorful food at the La Mesa Red Lobster, we then returned for endless shrimp and had some good food. That would be a much better option if you're looking for good seafood at a reasonable price. I think the other moral of the story here is that you should always go to the source if you are expecting authentic food. For example, order the raw ahi from a sushi restaurant and shrimp rancheros from one of the many mariscos places in the city heights or chula vista areas.
Excellence. This place is well worth the couple of extra dollars you might spend over Red Lobster. Service was perfect and very helpful. I loved the view of the pond out back. The atmosphere was beautiful and my date was impressed with my choice of restaurants. We order fish of course which was very delicious. I highly recommend this place for dates and couple celebrations.
I used to go to this restaurant in La Mesa with my grandparents. There is a small lake in the back with ducks. I enjoyed feeding the ducks. This place is pretty well established. The last time I went there it was busy and service was very slow. We rarely saw our server. I still enjoy this place though because it is nostalgic for me. I usually get the red snapper.
Good, fesh, reasonably priced seafood. Feed the ducks in the pond in the back. Nice place for a family meal.
been going here for over 10 years...great seafood place..try the new england clam chowder...it's delicious!
I have been coming to Anthony's since I was a youngster and the quality has always been outstanding. My favorite has always been Mama Ghio's clam chowder. It is a red chowder but it has no resemblance to the Manhatten variety. Loaded with clams, it is spicy, tasty and filling. If you enjoy fresh fish, Anthony's is a winner.
Neighborhood: Little Italy
Category: Seafood
Neighborhood: Linda Vista
Category: Seafood Markets
La Mesa, CA
Category: Lounges
San Diego, CA
Category: Lounges
Neighborhood: Pacific Beach
Category: Seafood Markets
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