We hadn't been to the Brigantine in years and the food wasn't that memorable so after a visit to dog beach this past Friday afternoon with the pup we decided to give them another try. Of course the location and view is fantastic and they have a side patio that accommodates fur babies so that was great for us. We shared the house salad which was well priced and delicious. They were also nice enough to split the salad into separate bowls. The swordfish tacos were impressive considering every time I've had swordfish on the past I could do without and these were quite tasty. While we enjoyed our experience overall we were a little annoyed at being charged $4 for tap soda water. The server asked if we wanted bottle or tap soda water and we asked for tap as we aren't that particular and wanted to avoid the up charge of sparkling water in a bottle. However in the end we were charged anyway and were left thinking...really? Is that what you have to resort to? $4 for soda water on top of a $21 fish taco lunch? We didn't let it ruin our delightful day but it did leave a negative taste in our mouth when considering to come back. Proceed with caution if on a budget here. read more

Needed a late dinner in Del Mar so I went over based on the yelp reviews. Had a craving for clam chowder so we got seated in the bar area. The clam chowder was on happy hour menu, which I thought was weird. Got served up a bowl, scooped up several spoonfuls, and found no clams in the clam chowder! The rest of the evening was dreadful. FV read more

You had a magnificent time I lose my older father my wife and one of his friends from sixth grade they were both in town from out of state and everything was delicious and our server Hannah was totally magnificent read more

If you are looking for a spot that has great views but mediocre food this is the place. The patio has a fantastic view and the drinks are good. I would avoid the oysters though which is a shame. We ordered them and they had been shucked improperly as well as were warm. They seem to be understaffed. The entrees were nothing to write home about but I think this place is a good spot for happy hour and some appetizers. read more

Brigantine - Seafood Near Me - Del Mar, California

This restaurant gives us our fix of Del Mar seaside atmosphere (a room with a view) combined with it wonderful selection happy hour food and beverages. Offering a fun seaside atmosphere that people love, they serve unique dishes that are made with the freshest ingredients. We always get a seat the high-top tables in the bar area overlooking the race track. You can also see the Pacific off in the distance. On this visit I opted for a salad and fish tacos. But for starters, my wife and I split the Napa Valley nachos, homemade potato chips with grilled chicken along with a couple of glasses house wine. My Caesar salad was prepared with garlic croutons and Parmesan cheese, delightful and refreshing. After polishing off the salad, I scarfed down a couple of fish tacos. Made with cabbage, salsa Fresca, laid out on a corn tortilla with ranch dressing - they were perfect. When you are this close to the beach, parking is always a consideration. For $6 the valet will take care of your vehicle and you are set... Good value! The only reason I did not give Brigantine a five star rating was portion size was not enough to put it over-the-top for my perception of perfection. All said and done, happy hour at the Brigantine ranks high on my list. Salute! read more

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This place has the biggest/best tasting fish tacos such great flavor and always have been. read more

I have been going to this restaurant for as long as I have lived in San Diego. I enjoy it because they have dog friendly patio options and it's right across from the very famous dog beach where people obviously take their dogs out for the day. My favorite part about Delmar and San Diego as a whole is dog, friendly and welcoming they are. I came to the restaurant by myself without a dog, but chose to sat outside and then doing so was sat next to a woman with her five month old puppy. As the woman walked in with her puppy different staff members and guest greeted the puppy and were joyful to see her. There was also another woman on the patio with her dog in her lap as well . The woman asked the waitress if she could feed her puppy since it was barking and she didn't want the puppy to bother other guest. The waitress told the woman that they were not allowed to do that anymore and it was based off new management. The waitress admitted that they all hate this new rule and it has impacted their relationships with their regulars and guests. His name is Gabe Cappelletti. The woman asked to talk to Gabe and ask why she couldn't feed her puppy. When he came out he appeared friendly but as the woman tried to ask questions or reason with the man he became short, brut, increasingly rude, and berated her. I watched in shock as he told her she could leave HIS restaurant and never return. I told her that was horrible the way he spoke to her and she asked me to chime in if I was comfortable. When he came back he berated her even further and I stepped in and said I felt the way he was speaking to a paying costumer was horrible and iv never seen a restaurant manager treat a woman with such disrespect like he was doing. He stormed off and came back saying she was 86'd but then said she could come back with out her dog and then again said she was banned from the restaurant. He belittled her and talked to her as if she was a child saying "this is a human restaurant not a dog restaurant" it was horribly insanely sexist and disrespectful. As soon as I butted my head into their conversation he suddenly had nothing more to say. I will not be returning to this restaurant while he is in charge. I as a woman do not feel safe coming to this restaurant anymore and the female staff that spoke about the manager felt the same. They felt like he was hawking around looking to find a dog and kick that owner out. This is San Diego, this is Del Mar more specifically. It was a 5 month old puppy sitting outside on the patio who was a little hungry. Shame on you Gabe. read more

Wow. Highly recommend this restaurant for the food, ambiance and service. It is among the top restaurants I've been to in the San Diego area. We had the fish and chips, sand dabs and blackened halibut special. All were absolutely outstanding. Kyle is a great waiter who helped get us in and out in under an hour. He also made terrific recommendations about the menu. Lastly, the restaurant has so many seating areas from a very lively bar scene, a covered patio with views of the race track, an outdoor area and a very cozy indoor restaurant decorated in a warm nautical theme. In short, they have something for everyone. read more

Not sure what all the fuss is about. The views were ok. We came in for lunch before a race (back in August) and just needed snacks and drinks. We ordered a bottle of wine and a few appetizers which our waitress, Anastasia, recommended. The strips of calamari were nothing special although we did enjoy the white jalapeño dipping sauce. The shrimp and crab fondue was a bit laughable. Just cheese dip with not enough bread. We asked for more bread thus having the perfect amount. (We would later see that was $2 extra.) The worst part was the wine- she didn't show us the label or pour a taste. She just poured wine into all our glasses. Any server knows you don't do that when patrons order a bottle. They did have a taco stand setup at the race track for 'Brigantine Wednesdays' and the fish tacos and service there was fabulous! read more

Brigantine - View of racetrack - Seafood Near Me - Del Mar, California

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Second Brigantine location I've tried (first one was in Poway). This is one of those places that really excels as a bar, in my opinion. This particular location has huge glass windows and great views. They take advantage of this well, with three areas that let you see out: some of the bar seats face the windows, there are tables near the windows, and there's outdoor seating. I do enjoy getting oysters here. I would say drinks and oysters yields a five star experience. It drops a bit when you venture onto the food menu side of things. The beef taco I ordered, for example, was just ok. I didn't dislike it, but I didn't love it either. The flavors were a bit uninteresting, and the shredded cheese wasn't melted at all. Overall the net effect left a lot to be desired. The fish taco was also ok. The service was excellent. The happy hour deals weren't significant so I wouldn't kill yourself to order everything before the end of happy hour or anything. The place was clean and cute, with a trendy vibe. I would return, in particular to explore the food menu more and see if there's other dishes they have that are possibly better put together than their tacos. read more

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Been a few times over 15-months. Yikes. It feels like you're stepping into a terrible meme. It's full of internet trolls brought to life. Bartenders will serve your wine glass beyond your order if some creepy guy is paying for it - without telling you. So pay attention to your wine glass. That's tantamount to pimping. Of the times I've been in the Brig, never pleased that I had been. Food is subpar. Wine list is sub-subpar. People ... just ew. Gross. Gross. Gross. read more

Swordfish, was cooked just how I can cook it. And I can not cook swordfish so I expect a restaurant to be excellent. This swordfish was below average, but edible. I had the bacon wrapped shrimp supposedly with crab stuffed...the crab stuff must have fell out in the fryer. These were BLAND. The sauce was not enough to flavor it, it was just above BLND. And wtf with the mashed potatoes......I go out to a expensive supposedly fine food restaurant and you give me mashed potatoes as a side........nothing on them, nothing offered to tasty them up.......it is the sam old shit I can get in a box at the store but I do not......... The waiter looked me in the eye when he told me these shrimp were amazing......I am amazed he said that.....he got a good tip because I felt sorry for him. read more

Food was fantastic as always! I had the swordfish which was cooked to perfection, a side salad and of course their old fashioned. The service up at the bar was great and got there just in time for the start of the Monday night football game so it wasn't crowded yet. The staff is always happy to greet and the place is always top notch. read more

This place never disappoints! The vegan orange cauliflower was outstanding! Crispy, tangy, and so delicious! This will be my go to every time I visit! And of course the brown bead is the best! read more

Brigantine - Orange Cauliflower - Seafood Near Me - Del Mar, California

Came here in a Sunday for lunch without reservations and were surprised to get a sweet table in the bar. The service was exceptional, drinks were topped off and the server was friendly and made sure we had what we needed. My husband and I shared the onion rings which were super crispy and battered perfectly. I then had the coconut shrimp which had a dipping sauce I could do without along with a cup of clam chowder. The chowder was piping hot, very clam forward and didn't need any additional seasoning. It was the perfect compliment to my meal. My husband got the fish tacos which were a steal at $12 on the menu! They were large, flavorful and satisfying. I'll definitely be coming back to get another cup of chowder. read more

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Although the Brigantine is under construction at this very moment, my family and I love going there on Mondays for their all day Monday happy hour! The muscles are always fresh, and they have the best fish tacos in town! The restaurant is lovely with great staff, beautiful views! read more

This is an ambience-oriented family, kind of restaurant. Or corporate meetup. It screamed mediocrity. I have never had a more boring crabcake in my life. Some of the pieces of my fish and chips were raw batter. Otherwise, the food was acceptable level but priced beyond the quality. Service was great. Drinks were good. Crowded. read more

Awesome dinner at Brigantine. Food was excellent and enjoyed the mahi mahi the most. Salad were large portions. Definitely recommend the mud pie for dessert! We sat outside and it was pretty noisy with a full house. read more

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We definately utilized the valet parking ($6) on a Saturday at noon because the restaurant was packed. We sat at a bar table near an open window blowing a seabreeze with a beautiful view of the beach and the horse racetrack. It was busy, so we ordered everything at once. Beer and dozen shucked oysters, which were okay, not the biggest. Cups of super delicious clam chowder. The main entrees were the lobster tacos, which were a delicious winner. The staff were friendly and very efficient. Would come back again. read more

Brigantine - Lobster Tacos - Seafood Near Me - Del Mar, California

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Thought that the food will be of high quality! Only thing worth eating was Fish Taco and only thing worth drinking was Ballast Point beer! The server was very unfriendly. Ambience nothing! Oysters served on melting ice so water got into the shells - HORRIBLE. Steamed Mussels broth was bland with no flavor of saffron or garlic. The calamari strips were like eating rubber. Very disappointed! Do Not Recommend wasting your money here. read more

Classy upscale restaurant with excellent food and service. Make a reservation if you want a great table. Views of Del Mar track and you can actually see the horse race from your table. Morgan greeted us with a smile and was super helpful getting us a table out on the patio. Matt and Tate were very good servers, however frequented the table a bit too much. Very professional service with class. Bread was warm and fresh. Wine pours were decent. Food was amazing! Great menu selection and special entrees. Valet parking. Meter parking across street. Walking distance to beach across the street which is a dog friendly beach. Catch a beautiful sunset, walk on the beach, or relax after the races. Perfect location. Only disappointment was the garbage in front was overflowing. Josie is also a wonderful server who is prompt and professional. Also try their brunch it's fantastic! Bar is to the right as you walk in. Highly recommend this restaurant. read more

Overall great place for friends and/or family outings. Great view as well as service. Food is also surprisingly great! read more

I think I'm the only one in San Diego who likes the dreary weather. Friend and I were free for lunch so we both decided to try Brigantine in Del Mar. They open at 11:30a. Valet parking is the only option (priced at $6) here unless you want to find paid street parking. Brigantine Del Mar has partial views of Dog Beach, Del Mar Racetracks, and the lagoon. You'll also see Amtrak trains coming and going. We sat on their outdoor patio that has VERY GOOD double pane windows. We could barely hear the train so that was great. We ordered: COMPLIMENTARY BREAD: - We asked for bread. Not sure if they're made here as the bread was cold and not very good. RED BLEND: - They have a nice selection of wines here at Brigantine. I think this bottle of red blend was around $40. BRIG CLASSIC CALAMARI STRIPS: - Unfortunately, the calamari was limp and rubbery. All of them looked like this. Not the most pleasant taste we were looking for. BRIG SHRIMP COCKTAIL: - not cheap at $13.75. Friend almost always orders shrimp cocktail if it's on menu. I didn't want to tell her the Yelp pics of the cocktail looked sad. But, the eight shrimp here at Brigantine tasted fine (better than the rubbery calamari). CRAB & LOBSTER COBB / 13.00 (HALF): - Friend asked for the avocado lime vinaigrette to be on side but also asked for a side of the louie dressing to try. It was a nice sized portion for $13. The lobster and crab tasted decently fresh. But we both thought the salad wasn't amazing. PRIME RIB SANDWICH : - I thought $12 was a fair price in this part of town. It came with a side of coleslaw (which I doubled up on instead of fries). I enjoyed the prime rib meat inside the sandwich. It tasted tender with some decent amount of fat still intact. I didn't like the lettuce as it wilted quickly from the heat of the meat and au jus. The slices of avocado brought a nice creaminess to this Prime Rib sandwich. The au jus tasted off to us though. my blog has more detailed review and pics Service was fine. It was a nice long leisurely lunch that we both enjoyed but mostly due to the ambiance. Friend liked the view while I would have preferred more ocean views (like the ones at Pacific Coast Grill). I think I'd return to Brigantine Del Mar to meet friends for happy hour. read more

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Had an early dinner here with the kiddos. Hubs and I were planning on doing some speed eating, since the kids were with us. To our surprise, the restaurant provided crayons and coloring activity paper to keep them occupied... bonus points already! As for the food, Crab and Shrimp Cobb Salad- Exactly what you would expect a Cobb salad would taste like with small bits of fresh crab. The shrimp, sadly was on the dry side. Fish and chips- This wasn't bad, but not great. The batter was a little too thick for my liking. The cod was nice and moist, but I felt it could have been seasoned better. Clam chowder- This one was not for us. Way on the starchier and grittier side. Not too many clams; it tasted more like potato soup. Sterling New York Steak- This was the hub's main, and he was not happy with it. The steak lacked flavor, and the meat was very sinewy. The "blue cheese-truffle crust" was very forgettable, literally. My hubs totally forgot it was even there until I asked him about it, for this review. Jumbo Scallops in cauliflower mash- The scallops were good. Sizable, and cooked to perfection. The garnishments were a disappointment. The cauliflower mash was just okay, and the accompanied peas were super dry and overcooked to the point where they were shriveled. The view was spectacular, the service was great, minus 2 stars for the mediocre food quality and flavor. read more

Brigantine - Shrimp and Crab Cobb Salad - Seafood Near Me - Del Mar, California

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Have been to 2 locations of Brigantine and both were fantastic. Loved the fish tacos-some of the best I've had. Also, the views from both were spectacular! read more

Was in the area for work and I found this amazing place you should try. It's a perfect oyster and seafood restaurant if u want to enjoy food and atmosphere. Great welcoming since I stepped in. From the hostess to our server, very elegant and on point. She helped us through the menu ( was our first time ) and very kind when we ask to try 2 different wines. Food was soooooo good! All the experience was absolutely fantastic. A must you should try if in the area. read more

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I ordered a burrito for brunch and was probably one of the worst I ever ate. It was dry and although the menu it had avocado and salsa it had none. The service was really good which is why the two starts instead of zero. For the price of the meal I expected something much better. It also took a really long time. Very disappointing. read more

The fish tacos, wok ahi, and crispy coconut shrimp were all excellent! The cocktails were also very tasty and our waiter was super polite. The service was quick and the view was amazing! Overall a good experience. read more

Brigantine - The Brig 's Famous Fish Tacos - Seafood Near Me - Del Mar, California

First let me say we have eaten at the Imperial Beach location several times and really enjoyed our food and the service was great. Unfortunately I cannot say the same for the Del Mar location. The only good things about our visit in Del Mar was the Mai Tai I ordered and the view. I did not like the mandatory valet parking, although I know this is the way for many restaurants in Del Mar. It was not busy the afternoon we went however and there were plenty of parking spots which we could have easily parked in ourselves. Just be aware you will have to add $7 to your expenses when you eat here if you aren't used to this. When we walked in the hostess never smiled or made eye contact with us. The bus boy had the most sour look on his face as he brought our water to the table, absolutely no smile on his face. We had no set up at our table and none was brought to us even after our waitress brought our bread. We had to steal our plates, flatware, and napkins from a nearby table. Our waitress had a bad habit of fondling her ponytail which was hard to forget once she brought our food to the table. I had the clam chowder, I was lucky to find three pieces of clam in my bowl. I have had better almost everywhere. My husband and I each ordered the crab cake as an entree. I've had crab cake before with chunks of crab. This crab cake was mushy, crab chunks quite absent and it was quite expensive for one crab cake. The floors were dirty, crumbs under each table. Some brown funky looking dried drips coming down the beams near the ceiling. Obviously nobody has attention to detail here. Such a disappointment. When I spend my hard earned money going out to eat I want to be greeted with a smile, i want the quality of my food to match the prices and to taste good. I want to have confidence that anyone who serves my food has clean hands and that the manager of the restaurant makes sure everything is clean, floors, walls, windows, etc. We live in the area and always wanted to eat here. Maybe we just waited too long. I gave this place two stars for the view and the Mai Tai, which was excellent. We will never come here again. We will save our money for the Brigantine in Imperial Beach. read more

Excellent. Food was great, service was phenomenal and the views killer. I got a couple pics showing some oysters and the seared tuna. If you go during the week you should be good without a reservation. Weekends, plans ahead and go early or make a reservation. The drinks were really, I'd go for the Moscow Mule. 5 stars definitely. read more

We used to go here all the time. Since we moved, we had not been in a few months. We used to come exclusively for happy hour as they had a great happy hour menu and beer was not too expensive ($7). Recently I don't know if they changed management but it was not the same. The calamari strips are excellent, always have been. The fish tacos were not great. It seems like the quality has gone down a lot. The fish was over cooked and in some cases fishy. One taco was $8, and a taco plate was $20. You'd expect maybe 3 tacos for a plate instead it's only 2. That means they charge $4 for chips and coleslaw. They also used to have their signature sauce "Brig sauce". That no longer exists. Now they have purchased siracha from Costco and placed it at every table. The signature sauce in my opinion was what made the place unique. The ambiance is usually great but recently there is an influx of flies everywhere. The server said it's because the horses are gone and the flies have made it up the hill. Understandable I suppose. The server was great though. Always attentive and responsive. She even brought us a little fan thing to keep the flies away. I don't know if we'd go back anytime soon which is a shame considering it use to be a staple for us and a place we loved taking visitors. read more

Beautiful restaurant Amazing food Great service There are no parking so you need to valet your car which at time can be annoying I had the crispy fish taco plate Delicious Good portion And good price read more

Two things you have to try... one is the grilled swordfish taco and the other are the Napa valley nachos with chicken. The bar area is lively, loud, and full of screens to watch horse racing or sports. The dining room is more calm and stately. Food is why you're here! read more

I loved this Brig. The experience was great. Right from the start I was greeted nicely by the reception staff. They seated me right away in a nice booth. In a good area. The waiter was quick to ask me what I wanted to drink. I told him what I wanted and a another friend was going to join me. He brought my drink and my friend came and got water. We decided to split a dinner and get oysters. Everything was delicious. We got there early and got great service. I will go there again soon. read more

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We went on a Monday expecting it to be empty but it was filled to the gills with customers, perhaps because of happy hour pricing. I feel they should remove about 10% of tables to make it easier to move around. It was way too crowded. Food was decent (not overly memorable) but what impressed me the most was our server. I wish I caught his name. In spite of the chaos he was attentive to the point of brining us oysters, then saying "you know I am not satisfied with these" and returning to the kitchen for a redo. That's the sign of good training. This restaurant is perhaps a victim of its own success. We live up the street but my preference would be to go to places less crowded. read more

The service was so poor that we think our waiter basically forgot we existed. Also, the two host/hostess weren't on top of things and forgot we showed up to our reservation. We arrived 20min before our reservation and they said they would get us from the bar once our table was ready. They did not. We went back and asked if our table was finally ready well past our reservation and they seemed surprised we were still waiting/here. Not sure why they were surprised when we weren't that far from them but they didn't seem like they were paying attention to anyone. The restaurant also wasn't busy or packed so not sure what the issue was with them. While we were at the bar originally for 20 minutes, we got fantastic service. The bartender was friendly, quick, and asked me repeatedly if my drink was okay. I had a small issue and he fixed it immediately. We finally got to our table and the busser was nice but our waiter didn't acknowledge us for nearly 15 minutes. He took our orders and we didn't see him the rest of our evening. Our waiter never asked if our food was okay and we had to ask another waiter to finally get our check because our actual waiter was elsewhere. Our waiter didn't even tell us his name but he was on the older side with short hair and on the shorter side overall. Just terrible service. We were so fed up with the lack of service that we went to go get our own to-go boxes. It's a shame our waiter didn't care about us because another waiter saw that we were in distress and helped us out (his name was Tait). Tait was incredibly nice and speedy, so was our bus boy (young guy with blonde poofy hair) super nice and helpful with recommendations, and even the woman that brought out our entrees was super nice. We mentioned we didn't get any bread after half an hour and she brought us some immediately. We were celebrating a special occasion and ready to order additional items and drinks but we were so fed up by the end of our meal that we just decided it wasn't worth staying. This is probably the worst service we've ever had. The food was okay. The fish and chips were highly recommended but could have been seasoned more. The fries were fantastic though and the wagyu burger was tasty. The Brussels sprouts were the highlight of the meal, which is sort of sad since the entrees weren't but overall, the food was good. Service was ridiculous though. read more

Stopped by after the air show. First time here. Did not have reservations so we sat in the bar area. Great atmosphere. Very comfortable and beautiful view. The service is spot on. Very friendly. Food is very good. We had the Giant Prawns and grits was delicious and the Salmon was delicious. Drinks were great. Will define back read more

Management will do their best to make up for whatever is lacking in the food or service. More of a watering hole for tourists than a restaurant read more

Stopped here yesterday on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. We sat at the bar and out one large window we had an amazing view of the Del Mar race track and out the other a gorgeous ocean view! We had some food and drinks! The people working at the bar (Aoife and Angel) had great energy, they provided quick and friendly service. We will definitely be back!! read more

Nice views. Fast service. We got chowder soup, fondue. Mahi and salmon. Food was very salty. Chowder came out cold. Would not recommend.