Berth 55 Fish Market and Seafood Deli

 

4

43

Diana P.

Cerritos, CA

LOVED IT!

Omg, the food was delish! Went with a couple of friends who have been going for years. This place most definitely lived up to all the hype.

The fried jumbo shrimp and fried yellow tail was tdf!  The workers were so sweet and kept on apologizing on the wait for the crab. Also try the clam chowder in sourdough bowl. Yummy.

Overall, lots of fresh seafood, cheap beers...what more could you ask for?

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8

33

Steff C.

Long Beach, CA

One of my favorite whole in the wall places. The food is fresh! I brought my friends and family here and we all had a blast! We ordered the steam crabs, grilled shrimp, fried tilapia, grilled snapper, french fries, calamari, and the famous clam chowder. For entertainment, a guy with his portable karaoke stereo sang the whole afternoon. Also watched the fishermen coming out from the fishing boat and boasting with their catch. They also got a sportsbar and billiard tables indoor. I just don't like the very loud juke box. Music is good for ambiance but not something that will destroy your sense of hearing :) I give this dive 4 stars.

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Elite '08

97

138

Amanda P.

Long Beach, CA

Its about time a place like this entered our lives; it is so real. If your a Long Beach local and ever take Ocean to the 710 N, you've passed this shack and never really noticed it or wondered what it was. We actually had to circle around to find it, and when we arrived it was like, "oh yeah, THIS place!" You can order fish from the grill, deep fried, by the pound, and combo plates. I think someone recommend the daily specials, as they were the freshest, so I got the shark and scallops combo. Fabulous. Everything was served on a bed of fries, (or you can opt for rice.) Beau got the fried clams, Iano ordered a huge fish sandwich and clam chowder to die for. You also get to handpick your lobster!!  Be warned, this place is quite a dive; certainly not a place to impress, but that is what I think makes it all the more fun. I can't wait for summer, to grab an ice cold beer and chill out on the picnic tables with my fishies. Next time Im trying the shrimp everyone seems to rave about. I was happier than a pig in shit here. Quite literally. As soon as we sat outside a bird shit on me, but I was so stoked on the place I barely noticed nor cared.

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4

58

danelle g.

Garden Grove, CA

This place has the best fish around!

A little hard to find and definitely a NO FRILLS dining experience, but I've never been disappointed.

Again... go early if you're going for dinner. This is not a late night spot in the least.

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0

5

Teddy S.

San Pedro, CA

It took a little driving around to find the place but it's worth the hassle if you're looking for fresh seafood in the area. I ordered the poke tuna which at first glance I was disappointed because the tuna was cooked and not raw. (The Hawaiian style really threw me off). However after a few bites, I wasn't regretting my order one bit. The tuna was perfectly cooked and delicious! Muy sabor!

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0

5

Gina M.

Long Beach, CA

amazing food
you will crave it for days after.


recommends;
buy by the pound or half pound
-medium shrimp deep fried
-red snapper bbq'd
-cup of homemade salsa
-fresh tortillas
-plate of fries
the shrimp is one of the most perfect foods you can eat, the snapper with the salsa and tortillas makes for an amazing fish taco

only minus is the atmosphere, what do you expect it's an actual fishing dock. sacrifice the ambiance for the flavor and you won't regret it. truuuuuust me.

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1

20

Leet M.

Beverly Hills, CA

Here is a seafood place without ANY attitude like at Gladstone's, King's Fish House or 22nd Street Landing - and at less than 1/2 the price.

If you are looking for a touristy place, forget it. This is as authentic as it gets to be true local seafood joint. It's nothing more than a large tin shed with roll-up doors covering a small grill, double fryer, a steam table pot with delicious chowder and an extra-large Panasonic rice cooker off to the side. Paper plates, plastic serviceware and paper cups here, that's it. All the LB dock and downtown office workers love congregating here for lunch. This is not the sort of place were you take a first or second date. The ambience is akin to a centralized dockside fish monger and charter business. There are many fishing and a couple of dive boats that make berth here too, like the Great Escape and Bottom Scratcher. I usually see their passengers in line at Berth 55. When divers eat seafood at a place like this, it has to be good - unlike the old crusty, un-bathed fishermen that usually frequent the same. No offense to fishermen in general, it's just at this place they seem to always be on the verge of pan-handeling for their next beer.

This is not a place to bring someone to impress. Seating is upon red painted 2x4 and plywood picnic tables - all outside, most under either a wooden slat or weathered canvas patio cover. There are a couple seats inside the shed itself, but they usually have a homeless man or wayward fisherman camped out on them.

As you walk inside from the front parking lot, you see the 16 foot glass refrigerated case on your left (in front of the kitchen) packed with everything from various fresh and fresh-frozen fish fillets, shrimp, scallop, king crab legs and prepared ceviches to vacuum packed hunks of smoked tuna. If they can get it fresh, it's available.

You can order from the menu or the hand printed paper specials posted on the opposite wall. It doesn't matter what you order from where - it's all good in the end.  If you want something really fresh, check out the live tank and select your own Dungeness or rock crab. During the season from OCT to the end of MAR you can also get fresh local spiny lobster and have it cooked there, or take home AT 1/2 THE PRICE AS KING'S FISH HOUSE.  You can also get most any meal served San Pedro family style like with the big trays with rice or potatoes, garlic bread and the fish or crustaceans of choice for the group.

Cold beer and soft drinks can be had from the tap or in bottles from the cooler. This place is all self serve. You place your order and wait for your number to be called over the scratchy 1950's era sounding PA.

Items of note on their menu are the fish or shrimp taco plates, any grilled fish plate with a shrimp skewer or two, the whole fried pompano fish "mojarra" style and the grilled yellowtail or sea bass plates. Their fried selections are quite good as well. I particularly like their squid, scallop and fish-n-chips for lunch with a small bowl of their very good white chowder. My wife loves their ceviches. No salads here except for a very nice coleslaw that isn't obnoxious. You can get an excellent and quick lunch for less than $10. That's unheard of at other fish joints in the area.

There are a couple of drawbacks that warrant the 4 star rating from me; one is the parking. It's a big lot, but it's shared with the fishing and diving charters using the same landing so it's usually filled up on nice days very early (like WAY before lunch). This means you must park a good 50-100 yards away in a not-so-safe part of the LB docks. Not a place for dinner since they seem to close up anywhere between 6 and 7 pm depending on the weather.

One other issue I have is that sometimes after I order, the order is  missing an item. Perhaps they didn't hear me order the item in the first place or not. I've been eating here a couple times a month for over 14 years and this oversight keeps happening. Maybe it's me, but I don't have the same problem with other places I luncheon or dine at.

Overall, the food and value for the dollar is very good, but the rest of the experience lacks polish to warrant a spiffy 5 star rating. Sometimes the harbor does have the harbor "stink", and that doesn't make eating here very tolerable for the olfactory-sensitive. However, for the food quality alone it's worth the four stars.

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Elite '08

354

500

Mike F.

Long Beach, CA

If you were to get most seafood places across Los Angeles and the south bay, and take away all their frills and foo foo decor, this place would be it! Cold servesas and hand picked lobster and crabs are the call here! A huge vat where you pick your feast gets tossed into, then after a few min, your meal has arrived! Awesome prices $20+ for 2 crabs + a lobster tail! Bring it on!

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Elite '08

45

86

Nicole D.

Houston, TX

I absolutely love this place. I agree that it is a little bit hard to find, but once you've been there it's easy. They have awesome shrimp tacos and clam chowder in a bread bowl. Paired up with a beer, sitting on one of those cheap plastic picnic benches right by the water with all of the fishing boats. Seriously, this place is awesome! The food is excellent, and it's not too expensive.

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Elite '08

11

131

Brian F.

Long Beach, CA

I've been coming here since I was VERY young and it's been good ever since.  I recommend getting the chowder which is pretty good or any fish dish.  I personally like it without the seasoning the put on top.

Give it a try the price is reasonable and of good fresh quality.

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3

31

Steve Z.

CA

Fresh Fish Fans, listen up! ... You can't get any fresher unless you're on the crew and eat on the boat on the way back to Berth 55.

Ignore the menu board at the cashier. Look behind you at the dry erase board for the freshest catch of the day specials. I recommend getting a fresh fish w/ a shrimp skewer combination.  I've tried most of them, you can't go wrong here. Add the cole slaw, and if you're really hungry, the clam chowder, too.

No fanciness here. This is a berth and a pier where the boats dock. Large plastic picnic tables so you can make new friends. Locals with saltwater rods and flannel shirts going out for a day trip. Downtown office workers who know about this gem of healthiness.

Reasonable prices, friendly staff and quick service. Don't forget to take a few extra minutes and check out the docks.

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4

19

AJ K.

Long Beach, CA

As the rest of the reviews say... stick with the tacos and calamari and don't bother buying any fish to go as it's a rip off.

Grab a few beers in the process to wash down the fried delights while basking in the outdoor patio area.  Fries suck though and they taste like the frozen no frills variety that they are.

Best bet... have a beer or two first and then order.

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Elite '08

16

137

Erin N.

San Jose, CA

Super yummy seafood at solid prices.  It's a bit hard to find, but once you're there, it's a no frills, super tasty find.  They make great fish tacos, I think they put crack on their grilled shrimp and snapper, and their fries are great.  It's not a michelin 3-star place, but if you want casual seafood during the day, and just enjoy the food, not look for ambiance, it's the place to go.

Hop into the restaurant if you want to sit down in a more quiet spot, or eat outside, and watch the boats come back in.

Update:  Actually changing my vote, because the shrimp are now jumbo prawns, and they've gotten tables that no longer wobble!

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1

4

jeremy c.

Costa Mesa, CA

this here place has got the cure for what ails ya...the berth really gets down to it and provides everything you want and do not want when you are in the mood for seafood. this place is a big grizzly bear in the middle of the port of long beach...and he's mean. after a night of drinking or maybe even being dumped by some chick or sketchy dude you are in no mood for coffee and donuts...on those mornings fluffy white eggs and scrumptious pancakes are surely not going to cut it. you need the berth...be re-born again...and start out full...refreshed...and it doesn't have that stale homey feeling so you kind of want to get the hell out of there as well. anyways the food...the cuisine of this wonderful establishment can aptly be summarized by one word...FRIED...DEEP FRIED and it is all effing' fantastic you will not find a better plate of calamari and french fries anywhere on the planet...and at 4.99...you might as well order two of them...i also recommend that you try the fish tacos...which strangely enough are not fried...go figure...it's just kind of a special little sunday special that i like to call "breakfunch"...but be advised...the berth 55 is not for the faint of heart...it is dirty and it is mean...but the food is excellent and you get to play with live crabs while you wait for the guy to call your number....this is my gift to all of you...you can thank me later.

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