Fish House Vera Cruz
Categories: Seafood, Seafood Markets [Edit]
417 Carlsbad Village DrCarlsbad, CA 92008 (760) 434-6777
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Private Lot
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Alcohol: Beer & Wine Only
15 Reviews for Fish House Vera Cruz
This used to be a great place. Lately, I have noticed the wait staff lacking in service. You used to get a dinner salad, bread and 3 sides with your fish. Now, there is no salad and only two sides but you pay the same price! The waitress said that the owner did this to save $$$! I am glad there is more of a choice on sides now - steamed carrots (which gets very old quick). Some of the strange sides are - fresh strawberries, steamed carrots, cherry tomatoes, cottage cheese... I'd go more if there was more variety.
The staff are very nice and helpful. Really more for families or an older crowd, but that could be Carlsbad in general, I dunno -- first time to a place in north county. The fish was kind of bland, not much flavors, but the cheese mash potatoes were very good.
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Us being on "San Diego Family Vacation" my wife somehow thought that we'd be eating at Chili's or Applebee's or something. I had other plans. I, dear reader, had (insert sound-effect) *yelpers*.
And yelpers steered us to the Fish House Vera Cruz. While I was pretty confident that this place would be good, and at least very confident that it would be better than the default alternatives, but when we pulled up, let me tell you that looks can be deceiving (as, let's just say, the exterior of this joint belies its interior goodness).
This place is a real-live fish house (no duh, right?). With a menu insert that's printed daily (with a time-stamp - ours was 3:43 pm that day) with an update of the daily catch, and tasting notes and descriptions that would make Robert Parker proud.
While you wait for your food, they bring these incredible hot fresh sourdough rolls straight from the oven, which we devoured and which acted as "dinner" for my 3 year old who is taking his sweet time in realizing that food is for pleasure not torture.
I ordered the thresher shark (perhaps not the most PC - piscatorially correct) which came grilled with pilaf and vegetables, and the Mrs. got the Monk fish which was described as a poor-man's lobster and accordingly came with an (err) healthy portion of drawn butter and cheesy potatoes.
For kids, they kept to the theme, and offer a shrimp skewer plate or fish 'n chips. I love that they stick to their netting with the kids food too, even though it meant my son (referenced above) would have to live without chicken nuggets for a day.
Quite simply, the food was awesome, and consequently this place was literally mobbed with locals. Yes, there were lots of blue-hairs (to be expected at a joint like this) but mixed in were couples on dates and young families like ours. There were folks there who probably go every Saturday night, and others who were there to commemorate a special occasion, which makes the atmosphere fun and vibrant.
One more thing to note. The wait was long, and there's an actual fish market at the front of the house (so you can size up your selection) and I noticed that the professional locals were ordering smoked salmon and smoked albacore direct from the counter along with wine and drinks and hand-crafting their own appetizers while they waited. Nice work there.
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first of all, I DON'T EVEN LIKE FISH.
i know, right?
but this is a regular lunch stop for my coworkers and i, and as a result i love Fish House. I typically get salad or pasta (one of the non-fish items on the menu), or the twice-baked potato, which is seasoned to perfection and pretty much worth killing a man for. My coworkers always speak highly of their food selections as well, and everything is always incredibly fresh and cooked to perfection (apparently).
Additionally, I always have incredible service at this spot. One of the waitresses, a small lady named Harmony, is always super friendly and joking at our table, and i've never had a bad experience under her service.
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Definitely glad we tried this place... like another Yelper said, the looks of the place are deceiving (read: it looks a bit senior citizen-ish) but the seafood was fresh and we had good service and a decent meal. Husband ordered the kampachi and I had the clam chowder and the shrimp and halibut plate (I was supposed to share with the kids... but they loaded up on the rolls and my oyster crackers... it was a carb only night). Everything was good... not spectacular... but good. Not sure grilling is my favorite way to prepare seafood (tends to leave the fish too dry for me) but the fish here is really good. Actually, I think it was the sides I had the most problem with. The fish would have been great with just a crisp green salad or a salsa, instead it was paired with sauteed vegetables like cauliflower (too much bitter) or a rice pilaf (a bit heavy for me).
Good clean fun, great fish, great bread, get a 50/50 clam chowder, it's awsome.
Only gripe, get a regular potato and some other vegi's on the menu, not everyone likes potato loaf and sweet cooked carrots.
Hiring manager may be a perve as ALL the waitresses are waitresses, no waiters, not that I am complaining, its just weird since the only other place like that is hooters.
We ate here just this evening. The restaurant is kid-friendly, with several medium to large saltwater fish tanks scattered about, scantly populated with varieties of fish. I do wonder what goes through those little cabezas del pescado when they look down at the dining tables surrounding them and see their friends mesquite grilled on a stick.
Speaking of, we ordered clam chowder, pasta with scallops and mesquite grilled seafood on a skewer. The chowder (Boston style) was excellent -- perfectly warm with tender bits of clam, bits of soft bacon and moist chunks of potato. The pasta was a bit of a disappointment. Sprinkled with parmesan over part of the dish, it was fine. But without the cheese, quite bland. The grilled seafood skewer had pineapple, shrimp, mahi mahi and scallops, all of which were generous in size and slightly sweet and smoky in flavor. Definitely the highlight of the meal. Drawn butter and tartar sauce on the side were a good accent as well. They also made the pasta a bit more tolerable.
The menu is a large two-pager, with another double-sided insert of their freshest fish offerings. It was fairly crowded on a Sunday night, but we managed to get a table in twenty minutes or so before the kids self-destructed.
I would just like to make a few corrections to the previous reviews.
Fish House does not serve a baked potato, only the mashed romano. Also, the menus at the San Marcos location and Carlsbad location (Temecula as well) are identical. The fresh fish received daily does vary, but again, almost identical as far as selection goes.
The food is wonderful. I worked there for 3 years and hated seafood before that and it changed my opinion of seafood entirely. If you are planning on coming in we don't take reservations but we do take call aheads. We only do this at the Carlsbad Fish house but you can call ahead 30 minutes before you want to come in, that way you get in a little bit quicker.
I highly recommend Fish House.
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After hearing about this place a few times I thought it was time to finally take a look for myself. As mentioned in other reviews, the first thing you see when you walk in is the counter of fresh fish! This is/was a great sign. We had no wait at all to be seated. The dining room is large, but cramped. The decor is nautical and "fishhouse-ish". The waitress was pleasant and brought us lots of delicious sourdough bread to munch on while we waited for our food. As I had never had it before, I tried the Monkfish and soon discovered why its called poormans lobster. It was wonderful. The fish was cooked to perfection and served with great veggies and mashed potatoes. If you are looking for a good casual meal, check it out. Its well worth the time!
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Stop here on a chillier San Diego day... order a warm loaf of sourdough bread, a 1/4 lb of smoked albacore and a cup of Boston clam chowder (made right, that is with more clams to potato) from the market counter and head over to the beach to enjoy lunch staring out at the beautiful Pacific Ocean. It doesn't get much better than this.
If you eat in I recommend ordering off the paper insert in the menu which lists all the fresh catches. You are in luck if Artic Char is on the menu. If you like salmon you will love Artic Char. Entrees come with salad, sourdough bread, and choice of two sides: carrots (excellent), romano potatoes (skip), baked potato (can't go wrong), rice pilaf (tasty), cole slaw (tasty), cherry tomatoes and strawberries in season.
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I went to the Carlsbad location this week for the first time. The food was good but, overall, it wasn't as good of an experience as San Marcos. The menu wasn't as broad and they were out of a lot of fresh fish. It's also much smaller and doesn't have a bar. I still recommend it for good seafood but if you can, go to the San Marcos location.
I've been going to the Fish House since I was a kid, and it continues to be a treat. The fish is always fresh and very tasty, and I love the mashed potatoes and hot sourdough bread. I highly recommend treating yourself to dinner at the Fish House!
yelp! the best fish around...a little cheaper for lunch if you don't mind eating with your granny and pa-pa..ask for the potato's to be pancaked,oh I'm salivating..
Great fish, great menu, but it is a little expensive. Seafood tends to run pretty pricey, but springing for a nice seafood dinner at the Fish House Vera Cruz is certainly worth it.
I've been going to the San Marcos and Carlsbad Fish Houses for many years and I have never been disappointed. The place is pretty consistent with serving satiating, healthy seafood meals.
The select cuts of fish are always good. I usually get shrimp and halibut kabob, but the sides are as almost as delectable. A meal at Fish House runs about 18 dollars, but the dinners come with an appetizer salad and two hearty portions of sides. Plus, the complimentary sourdough loafs are yummy too.
But I recommend laying off the bread and ordering veggie sides. The place is known for its' serving of romano potatoes. Yeah they're good, but they're way too heavy.
So if you are going to go the Fish House, you got to enjoy the fish. Just remember to save your apatite.
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great halibut and shrimp skewers!
fresh fish and good service too.
the free bread is awesome
hot sourdough buns. just like san fransisco.
the preparation is not fancy, but the selection of fish is great. everything from ahi to abalone. they just prepare the fish with lawry's seasoning, but it's cooked to perfection over a mesquite grill. perfect!
If you are in the neighborhood, do check out this great restaurant...that is if you like seafood. Plenty of seating for largish groups and the decor is layered in fish tanks, fishing nets, and other nautical chachkis. As you walk in, the first thing you see is the fish counter which displays the freshest cuts of fish of the day.
The waitress brings out freshly baked loaves of sourdough bread for you to fill up on as you look over the menu. The fish is grilled to bring out its full potential and served with large serving of veggies and mashed potatoes that would make even the most hardcore Atkins follower cave in. Fish tanks fill this restaurant and you can't help but feel slightly guilty, at least I do, that's why I thank my food before I eat it...as if they had a choice. Anyway, if you are up for some fresh tasty seafood, this place has got it, coupled with a relaxing casual atmosphere and plenty of parking...its a wonder why Red Lobster is still in business.
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