While riding from San Francisco International Airport to Sonoma County, my friends and I were looking for a place to stop and eat lunch. I searched Yelp for restaurants in Sausalito because Sausalito is a great city with ample views of the Bay. Fish Restaurant was one of the top results. I did a quick look at the pictures and was sold. This place ended up being perfect for us. Not only was the food delicious, but the weather was great - sunny and clear - so we sat next to the water and enjoyed the beautiful natural scenery too. The restaurant wasn't crowded either, so we had a quiet, comfortable, and relaxed meal. I don't think we could've asked for much better, given the situation.
Fish Restaurant opened in 2004 and, according to a well-written 2015 article by Lisa Landers at KQED (https://bit.ly/3F91MKp), "was one of only a few restaurants meeting a rising demand for honesty and sustainability in seafood sourcing." Fish Restaurant serves fresh, high-quality, sustainable seafood. The restaurant's founders care about seafood sustainability so much that they founded their own seafood distribution company and have used stricter guidelines than the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch program: https://bit.ly/3VPGO9v. These guys are serious about sustainability.
During our visit, the names of the fishing vessels ("F/V") the seafood came from were written on the menu blackboards behind the counter. I've eaten at a lot of seafood restaurants and I don't think I've ever noticed or seen that detail before. Locations, yes, but not specific boat names. The fish, shrimp, and squid of the day ranged in price from $21 to $39 each. There were also three kinds of daily oysters ($4 each or 13 for $48, minimum of 3). The regular paper menu had a variety of seafood like Fish and Chips ($24) made with Alaskan "true cod," a Tuna Melt Sandwich ($21) prepared with local albacore tuna, a Fish Reuben ($25) made with sustainable McFarland Springs trout, and a Steamer Bowl ($29) filled with one pound of Hog Island manila clams.
Here's what we got:
* All three types of Raw Oysters on the half shell (26 oysters for $96):
- Pickering Passage (Washington)
- Hammersley, South Puget Sound (Washington)
- Beausoleil (New Brunswick, Canada)
* White Clam Chowder (cup, $8) - Boston white with bacon
* Poke ($22) - local albacore tuna loin in a shoyu poke sauce with shaved onion, furikake, and avocado with housemade tortilla chips
* Linguine with Clams ($27) - clams served over housemade organic egg pasta with garlic, olive oil, and red chili flakes
* Dungeness Crab Roll ($49) - West Coast Dungeness crab tossed with butter and chives, served on an Acme torpedo roll
* Old Bay Chip Bowl ($6) - housemade chips seasoned with Old Bay
I tried everything listed above except for the Dungeness Crab Roll (because I'm allergic to crab). Everything tasted great and hit the spot. This was casual seafood, but elevated in all aspects, especially in quality and freshness. It was a difference I could taste. I actually didn't know about this restaurant's sustainability efforts until after we dined here. We just wanted good food and this place 100% delivered on that.
The Raw Oysters were terrific. Between the three types, I didn't have a favorite. They were equally succulent and satisfying. The oysters were served on a bed of crushed ice with lemon wedges and a mignonette sauce. There was also a condiment tray at our table filled with a squeeze bottle of I think cocktail sauce, a glass bottle of vinegar, and Cholula and Tabasco hot sauces. If you're a fan of oysters like us, the oysters here do not disappoint.
The Poke was very good. What I liked about it was it was "authentic" Hawaiian-style poke, made in true Hawaiian fashion with soy sauce, packed with umami. I thought the furikake seasoning was a nice touch. There was also a lime wedge in the bowl. The tortilla chips were the relatively thick, hard kind. The texture was suitable for the chunky, meatiness of the tuna.
When I saw pictures of the Linguine with Clams on Yelp, I knew I had to order it. This was a flavorful, gratifying, and filling dish filled with delectable clams, tender noodles, and a buttery, rich, flavorful broth that I just couldn't get enough of. This dish came with a slice of bread which, of course, was great for sopping up the broth. The Old Bay Chips were big, crispy, and very tasty.
Service was good. The open-air, dog-friendly, bayside, picnic-table patio was awesome. Restrooms are located around the corner in the adjacent building next to the parking lot. Parking is free. We didn't have a problem finding a spot on a Thursday around 1:45pm.
The name of this restaurant is technically "Fish." with a period at the end. When we texted our other buddies who landed after us that we were having lunch at "Fish Restaurant," they didn't realize the name of the restaurant was actually "Fish Restaurant" on Yelp and other places, like Instagram (@fishrestaurantsausalito). Kind of funny. read more