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Seafood Restaurant in San Marcos, CA  - Fish House Vera Cruz, San Marcos, CA

Fish House Vera Cruz

4.3
4.3
154 Reviews
$30 and under
Seafood
Seafood Restaurant and Fish Market in San Marcos, CA is part of Old California Restaurant Row. Fish House Vera Cruz is known for its fresh grilled seafood over mesquite charcoal. Offering the largest selection of fresh fish and seafood in North San Diego County. If you live near Escondido, Carlsbad, San Marcos, Vista, Oceanside and San Diego area, stop in for our Fresh Fish Market for fresh seafood to grill at home. Our restaurant features multiple Salt Water and Fresh Water fish tanks for a beautiful atmosphere. Check out our full bar and patio for happy hour in San Marcos, CA. We offer private dining and events through our Adobe Room and patio for weddings, baby showers, bridal showers, corporate events and more in San Marcos, CA. Come stop in and Eat Lots of Fish!

Make a reservation

2 people

10:00 PM


Booked 2 times today

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Cuisines
    Seafood
  • Hours of operation
    Wed, Thu, Sun 11:30 am–8:00 pm Fri, Sat 11:30 am–9:00 pm
  • Phone number
    (760) 744-8000
  • Payment options
    Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Business Casual

What 154 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.3
4.3 based on recent ratings
  • 4.3Food
  • 4.6Service
  • 4.1Ambience
  • 4Value

NoiseModerate

Loved For

  • North San Diego

    Seafood

154 Reviews
  1. DonnaQuiner

    San Diego

    12 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    12 reviews

    Dined 4 days ago

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    This restaurant has wonderful ambiance. Also the food is fresh and wonderfully tasty. We went, has great service as always. We will always recommend this place. See you all soon. Thanks to the awesome staff.

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  2. LizL

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined 5 days ago

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Wonderful service and our server Sam was great!! We were celebrating a birthday and she anticipated everything we needed. Thank you for the candles on the cake.

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  3. CTinSV

    San Diego

    4 reviews

    5.0

    4 reviews

    Dined 5 days ago

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Our waiter, Drake, was so sweet, courteous and helpful...he deserves 10 stars!

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  4. SD92056

    San Diego

    4 reviews

    4.0

    4 reviews

    Dined 7 days ago

    overall4food4service5ambience4
    The food was great - we ordered the mussels pot, the smoked albacore, a salmon entree, a monkfish entree, and two combo seafood skewer entrees. Everything was delicious and we were all surprised by the huge portions of food served. I don't think we'd order the smoked albacore again because we all agreed the smoked flavor made it taste just like ham, haha. No one could finish their meals due to all the yummy food. The server was just the friendliest and most helpful server. She had a wonderful smile that put you in a good mood. The table we were sat at could have been cleaned better which is the only reason I docked a full star. There were crumbs from the prior diner and paper straw trash under the table, etc. Ambiance is very dated, but otherwise quite pleasant.

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  5. Zolanytes

    Palm Springs

    3 reviews

    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on September 21, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Lovely wait stadf Delicious food Generous portions I will go again

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  6. Fyrmanj

    Las Vegas

    3 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on September 20, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience4
    Waiters was awesome, great suggestions for an awesome meal.

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  7. Darren

    San Diego

    3 reviews

    2.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on September 18, 2023

    overall2food2service5ambience1
    This place seemed like was ready to be on Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares. I'm not saying that their kitchen is a nightmare, as I don't know, but one could just picture Gordon Ramsay's comments being made about the décor and their dishes, especially their signature side dish, the Romano Potatoes. The potatoes were scary and tasted like they were someone's creative idea from the 1980s. Good luck to the owners of this place, but I won't return until after Gordon makes a visit.

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  8. FernandoG

    San Francisco

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on September 17, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Easy parking, friendly staff and reasonable portions. Fish was well cooked and delicious. Casual ambiance and family friendly. Our table wasn’t ready and our hostess apologized which was no big deal for us but you can tell that they have a good standard they want to meet.

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  9. LizD

    San Diego

    48 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    48 reviews

    Dined on September 16, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience4
    We always enjoy dining at Fish House Vera Cruz. The fish is fresh and delicious and the sides are all tasty! I always start with a cup of their fantastic white clam chowder-it is the best I’ve tasted! I enjoyed a lobster tail with the romano potatoes and slaw, my husband always gets blackened halibut with rice and slaw, and my son tried the whitefish which he really liked. Our server, Sam, was outstanding. It is a little pricey here but worth it for an occasional treat!

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  10. desertdivaphxaz

    Phoenix

    8 reviews

    5.0

    8 reviews

    Dined on September 8, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Always a great choice when visiting The server Sam was awesome and made our dining experience wonderful. Food was excellent

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  11. Vail77

    Los Angeles

    478 reviews

    vip
    4.0

    478 reviews

    Dined on September 7, 2023

    overall4food4service5ambience3
    It was a business lunch dinner. First time here. Charming decor if you like that rustic look. Not my speed though. Excellent service and friendly staff. The wild salmon was good. The rice had too much butter. I didn’t catch that prior to ordering.

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  12. OpenTable Diner

    San Diego

    2 reviews

    4.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on September 7, 2023

    overall4food4service3ambience4
    Really good dining experience. I appreciated how hushed the dining room was! Service was friendly but snail-slow, even with the place not being busy. The fish tacos were excellent, as was the fish burger (I forget what type of fish it was). Good price value.

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  13. ErnestB

    Orange County

    8 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    8 reviews

    Dined on September 3, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    We traveled to San Marcos from LA just for our date. We love Fish House Vera Cruz and enjoyed our meal, service, and experience immensely. Using Open Table also brought us assurance that our arrival would welcomed with a table ready, and it was. Thank you Open Table and Thank you Fish House Vera Cruz!

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  14. AshleyC

    Exclusive

    2 reviews

    4.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on September 2, 2023

    overall4food3service4ambience3
    Nice hostess and waitstaff. Great quality fish, overall. Menu was average. However the overall entree options provided were all the same with not a lot of variety of flavors besides the fish itself.

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  15. Rk1980

    1 review

    4.0

    1 review

    Dined on August 19, 2023

    overall4food4service5ambience4
    The steamed clams were excellent. Our lobsters were a little too salty and my rice was dry. I was disappointed that baked potatoes were not on the menu, but everything was overall very good. The service was top notch.

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  16. AR55

    San Diego

    34 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    34 reviews

    Dined on August 13, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Freshest variety of fresh fish in North County San Diego.

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  17. Sallyw

    1 review

    4.0

    1 review

    Dined on August 13, 2023

    overall4food3service5ambience4
    We had a good meal. Nothing outstanding. I would have preferred the Halibut not to be covered in Paprika though. Took away from the taste of the fish. If we go again, I say again because it is so expensive, I will order Salmon instead. Wish you had baked potatoes instead of your cheesy potatoes as I have never liked them.

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  18. OpenTable Diner

    San Diego

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on August 13, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience4
    The food was excellent as was our server. Love the large Honduran lobster. We will definitely go back.

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  19. KeithC

    Los Angeles

    7 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    7 reviews

    Dined on August 13, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    We love Fish House Vera Cruz whenever we are in the Carlsbad/San Diego area. The fish is always delicious (including the Smoked Salmon appetizer), the service was great that evening, the selection is outstanding, and the fish market will hold any purchases until after dinner. We heartily recommend it!

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  20. HeidiF

    Los Angeles

    3 reviews

    vip
    3.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on August 12, 2023

    overall3food3service5ambience4
    Great service, but the monkfish was tasteless. The shrimp cocktail surrounds a vat of cocktail sauce - who would ever need that much? One in our party had the fish soup which she said was delicious. This restaurant seems stuck in the 80’s. Kudos to our server, a young lady who was very attentive.

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  21. jacques

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on August 11, 2023

    overall5food4service5ambience5
    Traditional and healthy fish cuisine We enjoy our evening

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  22. Obie

    San Diego

    7 reviews

    vip
    1.0

    7 reviews

    Dined on August 5, 2023

    overall1food1service3ambience1
    There were people smoking right in front of the entry door that we had to walk through. The menu has a good number of options but my fish was overcooked and dry. The sides were underwhelming, and we didn't think it was a good value for the quality.

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  23. pvee

    San Francisco

    6 reviews

    5.0

    6 reviews

    Dined on August 4, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    We were suprisingly impressed. While the reviews we saw were all good, we were surprised by how excellent everything was. The portions were large - we left stuffed. We had the crab cake appetizers, the seafood skewer, and the Mahi Mahi. The portions of the side salad, coleslaw, and broccoli were more than we could eat. All the seafood was prepared perfectly with even the swordfish on the skewer coming out juicy and tender. Oh, and the hot sourdough rolls were the best I've ever had. We will definitely be going back.

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  24. JaneF

    San Francisco

    17 reviews

    vip
    4.0

    17 reviews

    Dined on August 3, 2023

    overall4food4service5ambience2
    We eat here often. The fish is very fresh, good sized portions and the service is great! My only complaint is the ambience. The restaurant is tired looking and needs a remodel.

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  25. calviCQ

    San Diego

    74 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    74 reviews

    Dined on July 30, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    We dine here often. Very good fish always. This time we had Haley as our server and she was fantastic. One of our favorite restaurants. We sat in the bar and had a drink while we waited for our friends to join for dinner. Bar service was excellent and their rumaki is superb!

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  26. CharlieM

    San Diego

    10 reviews

    3.0

    10 reviews

    Dined on July 30, 2023

    overall3food2service4ambience4
    The muscles wine with garlic appetizer was over cooked and dry, the shrimp cocktail entre was bad, it had three medium size shrimp and rest was tiny baby shrimps and way too much ketchup. The shrimp and scallops pasta was good, just need salt. The spacedust IPA, and the Rockefeller oysters were excellent. Service was good. We will return for the pasta.

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  27. Meand

    Los Angeles

    14 reviews

    2.0

    14 reviews

    Dined on July 30, 2023

    overall2food5service1ambience4
    Made reservations for 5:30 on a Saturday and were seated immediately after arrival. Friendly hosts. We were seated in the far back with large fish tanks & nice atmosphere. We sat without any attention or water for 20 minutes. The only reason we stayed because of the great food reviews. Hailee our server brought some bread but no waters. She was sorry we waited so long and said that she was "slammed" with a table of 6 at the far end of the restaurant. Not knowing when she would be back to our table, I placed our order of two appetizers, two dinners & two beers. Another 15 minutes went by and we got our beers. Our shrimp cocktail was brought out a few minutes later by another staff member. When Hailee finally checked back with us, we had finished the shrimp cocktail and had to ask her to bring the other appetizer which was a soup. We could see her tending to her other tables without even looking our way to see if we needed anything. The restaurant was not crowded at this time. The back area had two other servers that we watched give great service to the other tables in this area. Too bad we didn't have them for our table. Very disappointed with our server! The food was good but we waited too long for drinks, appetizers and dinner. Will definitely be back but will request an experienced server.

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  28. Iguana

    San Diego

    7 reviews

    4.0

    7 reviews

    Dined on July 23, 2023

    overall4food4service5ambience4
    We like the home town feel and hearty plates. Sourdough rolls were delicious. Side salad was good size portion.

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  29. DevinD

    Orange County

    13 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    13 reviews

    Dined on July 22, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    We started the meal with a shrimp cocktail and ceviche and they were both amazing! They had a featured sauvignon blanc that was also wonderful pairing for the appetizers and we shared a salad and the combination skewer with swordfish salmon scallops and shrimp and it was absolutely amazing. I would highly recommend to anyone this restaurant for a great experience in food and ambience. Five stars all the way!

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  30. OpenTable Diner

    Orange County

    15 reviews

    vip
    4.0

    15 reviews

    Dined on July 20, 2023

    overall4food3service4ambience4
    steamed vegetables over cooked, tasted soggy, small portion of fish for the $35 price . clam crowder was old mostly potatoes and no clams.

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  31. LarryV

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on July 19, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience4
    We have been to Fish House Vera Cruz more than once and always enjoyed the food and service.

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  32. ChristinaB

    Los Angeles

    9 reviews

    4.0

    9 reviews

    Dined on July 16, 2023

    overall4food4service5ambience5
    The customer service is impeccable. The food was good. Would go back.

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  33. OpenTable Diner

    San Diego

    3 reviews

    2.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on July 15, 2023

    overall2food2service2ambience1
    Sad that The place is just not the same anymore probably won’t be returning

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  34. DavidS

    San Diego

    29 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    29 reviews

    Dined on July 13, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience4
    Our server, Mary was wonderful. Everything was perfect.

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  35. MichaelW

    1 review

    1.0

    1 review

    Dined on July 3, 2023

    overall1food1service2ambience3
    Shrimp cocktail was soggy. We had 5:00 reservations. They ran out of Halibut after I ordered it. It took them a 1/2 hour to tell me. Lobster tail was dry… ☹️. They are too many seafood choices to get bad food here.

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  36. PDSinsanmarcos

    San Diego

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on June 29, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    The food was wonderful and the service was excellent. Looking forward to going back soon.

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  37. DJH1

    Los Angeles

    3 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on June 25, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience4
    Sooo Happy to find an amazing fish house (with oysters) that is so Local

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  38. DeannaN

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on June 24, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience4
    Our family celebration was perfect. The server was very professional. The food was delicious. We will definitely be back for more celebrations.

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  39. RobertS

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on June 24, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Friendly employees. Got seated right away. Food was great.

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  40. Samantha

    Orange County

    14 reviews

    vip
    4.0

    14 reviews

    Dined on June 24, 2023

    overall4food4service5ambience4
    Always consistently great, meal & service. Fun, old school restaurant. Excellent lobster tail dinner when the mood strikes & darn good caesar salad.

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FAQs

Fish House Vera Cruz is rated 4.3 stars by 154 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

2 people

10:00 PM


Booked 2 times today
Google Map for Fish House Vera Cruz

360 Via Vera Cruz, San Marcos, CA 92078

Additional information

  • Neighborhood
    San Marcos
  • Hours of operation
    Wed, Thu, Sun 11:30 am–8:00 pm Fri, Sat 11:30 am–9:00 pm
  • Cuisines
    Seafood
  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Dress code
    Business Casual
  • Parking details
    Street Parking
  • Payment options
    Mastercard, Visa
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