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What to Order in San Diego Restaurants

a plate of food on a table

(Source: Lionfish Modern Coastal Cuisine Facebook page)

When traveling, trying new food is part of the fun of experiencing a place...


WHAT TO ORDER IN SAN DIEGO RESTAURANTS

a plate of food on a table

(Source: Lionfish Modern Coastal Cuisine Facebook page)

When traveling, trying new food is part of the fun of experiencing a place. Enjoying regional specialties is a great way to expand your horizons in the most delicious way!

ORDERING IN SAN DIEGO RESTAURANTS

When you’re in San Diego, there are plenty of incredible foods to sample. The location of the city, with its proximity to California’s coastline and agricultural regions, means that there are plenty of unique dishes to sample that can make your travel experience so much richer. Here, we’ll discuss some of the can’t be missed San Diego restaurant menu items that you simply must try at Lionfish Modern Coastal Cuisine!

a person holding a piece of food

(Source: Lionfish Modern Coastal Cuisine Facebook page)

1. Cold seafood appetizers. In San Diego, you’ll enjoy unprecedented access to fresh seafood. At Lionfish, our cold seafood appetizers are an ideal way to enjoy this bounty. Simply prepared in ways that allow the seafood to shine, these appetizers are the perfect way to sample what San Diego has to offer.

On our menu, we feature a variety of cold seafood appetizers, including Ceviche, which is made with rockfish, avocado, cucumber, shiso, yuzu, and served with tostadas; other options include our Shrimp & Octopus Escabeche Salad, which is made with olive, fennel, onion, garbanzo, and roasted tomato vinaigrette, and our Lobster Carpaccio, with is served with crispy shallots, sherry ponzu, and brown butter aioli.

2. Hot seafood appetizers. Listen, some like it hot! At Lionfish, we also offer a variety of hot seafood appetizers. You can decide from a number of mouthwatering options like our 

Crispy Rock Shrimp, which are served with Gochujang and Japanese style aioli, or our completely crave-worthy Lobster Hush Puppies, which are made with green garlic and served with a smoked paprika remoulade. And don’t forget our Spicy Grilled Octopus, which is served with fermented chile, crispy garlic, crispy potatoes, and cilantro aioli! These are just a few of the many options on our menu.

3. Fresh catch seafood. Fresh seafood is really the name of the game in San Diego. Freshly caught seafood is truly one of the most inimitable food experiences that you can enjoy in our sunny city!

At Lionfish, we offer a variety of different dishes, each more delicious than the last. One  highlight (and a staff favorite) is our Seared Diver Scallops, which are served with endive, parsnip puree, and apple salsa verde. We also offer a delectable Pan Roasted Swordfish, which is served with chanterelles, smoked carrot, puffed quinoa, and saffron butter. Or perhaps you’ll opt for the Market Roasted Sea Bass? We serve it with mussels, beans, chorizo, black kale, and inzimino. These are just a few of the many “Fresh Catch” options on our menu.

4. Kabocha. Nope, this one isn’t seafood! Kabocha is a type of squash which is sometimes called “California Winter Squash” because of its proliferance in the Golden State. With a tender texture and slight sweetness, kabocha is a perfect pick for people who love pumpkin but want to try something a little different. At Lionfish, it’s featured in our Kabocha Squash Soup, which also includes coconut milk, lemongrass, spiced pepitas, and olive oil.

a bowl of food sitting on top of a wooden table

(Source: Lionfish Modern Coastal Cuisine Facebook page)

5. Oysters. Oysters are a mandatory menu option to sample while in San Diego! At Lionfish, we offer a variety of different types. For the local experience, you’ll want to sample our West Coast or Baja varieties; however, we do offer East Coast oysters to so that you can sample a mix. For more information, check out our Raw Bar Guide!a piece of food on a plate

6. Nigiri flights: Nigiri is a type of sushi that features raw fish pressed over a vinegared rice. It bears similarities to sashimi, but is its own unique experience. At Lionfish, you can enjoy a number of different types of Nigiri flights, such as our Baja Hiramasa, featuring kumquat marmalade and soy glaze, horseradish creme fraiche and caviar, and shiso-green onion gremolata. You won’t regret taking this type of flight!

7. Sushi/sashimi. While sushi and sashimi are available all over the world, the unprecedented access to fresh seafood in San Diego makes them both must-order items. At Lionfish, we have an incredible variety of local sashimi, including Big Eye Tuna, Baja Hiramasa, Striped Bass, and more. On the sushi front, we offer a number of different specialty rolls, including delectable options like our Golden Boy, which is made with spicy tuna, salmon, striped sea bass, cucumber, radish sprouts, Meyer lemon kosho, and white garlic ponzu. Or perhaps you’ll opt for the Keep it Classy roll, which includes shrimp tempura, Big Eye Tuna, avocado, togarashi, cucumber kimchi, and gochujang cream. Yup: they’re as good good as they sound.

As you can see, there are plenty of delicious dishes to enjoy in San Diego. We hope that when you come to visit us at Lionfish Modern Coastal Cuisine, you’ll make the most of our regional specialties and sample the amazing ingredients that make our coastal California cuisine so special!

What’s your favorite San Diego specialty?