Pacifica Seafood Restaurant
Private Dining
Book your next event with us
Popular dishes
Seafood Stew
half lobster tail | salmon | prawn | scallops | white fish | mussels | jasmine rice | aromatic lobster infused broth
110 reviews
Seafood Kabob
6 reviews
Sugar Spiced Salmon
35 reviews
Repeat restaurant for seafood when we visit Palm Desert. Consistent quality.
Made a reservation for happy hour seating as advertised on their website. When we arrived I was told that reservations were for dinner only and outdoor seating for happy hour was on first come first serve basis. Unfortunately there were no seats available and we left after waiting for 20 minutes. I wish they would remove happy hour reservations from their website if they are not going to honor them. Beware!
Beautiful Anniversary dinner. Our server was so amazing and we had top notch service.
We have been vacationing in the Palm Desert / Palm Springs area for over 20 years and never managed to make it to Pacifica Seafood, although it was on our list for most of that time. We are now sorry we didn't get there sooner--and more often. After our first visit we are smitten with the restaurant--the food was sumptuous; the service attentive, and the ambiance made the evening for us. They will see us again as my husband already has a yearning for the clam chowder. I only hope we can get a later seating next time; we need to reserve much earlier!
Patio is lovely. Sea bass is amazing.
Absolutely loved everything ..from bread to crab Louis to cocktails to dessert. A 10!!!
We had a table inside by the door to the patio. We were told it was too windy to sit outside. But the tables promptly filled within 30 minutes. The food was fantastic. The service was not personable and we felt rushed.
Our meal and the service were great, the only peculiar thing was a couple with a dog in a baby stroller sat just a table away and they managed to have him drinking out of his/her own water glass. It was a strange sight and frankly inappropriate for a fine dining establishment such as Pacifica
We really liked the idea that we could order half-orders of the entres.
This meant we could have an appetizer and salad and an entree.
As always, Pacifica was busy and crowded. However, we were seated exactly on time with a choice of tables. Service was prompt, but perfunctory. Meal good not outstanding. (Although the scallops entree was superb.) Pacifica always a fine choice for a peppy, reliable dinner on El Paseo.
The Seabsss was incredibly good.
Always enjoy going to Pacifica. 1/2 portions seem to be even smaller, but delicious.
Restaurant has changed this past year ..
Tired ambience and indifferent staff.
Food not quite up to past years and portions were quite small .
Very disappointing!
We reserved a cabana for a birthday dinner. Service and the food was excellent. Better than I had remembered. Highly recommend this restaurant!
The person who showed us to our table (at first he wanted to seat us at a tiny table because we were a party of two. I had to be pushy to ask for a more desirable table) did not properly explain the option of ordering by scanning a barcode with a phone. Even if it had been explained, we would have opted out, preferring to see a menu. We sat quite awhile before the waitress finally came by, asking if we were ready to order. I said it would be nice to see a menu first. The menu both online and in person was lacking in information regarding the difference between two prices that were offered on some menu items. While we were waiting for our food, we had to wait too long for our iced tea to be refreshed. I did appreciate that our waitress explained that the ceviche we ordered was enough for two people, so we didn't have to order one each. We noticed the people near us who had used the barcode option were served more quickly. It's probably a generational thing, but I think the barcode option is very impersonal, and hope it doesn't catch on. Finally, on our dinner reservation I mentioned that it was a birthday occasion, but there was no recognition of that by the staff.
Always a good experience at Pacifica. We were lucky to get a reservation--the place was packed!
JoJo was a fabulous hostess!! Fun to talk to and engaging as we were lead to our table — as requested, a ‘cabana on the patio’. Keely took over as our server and was there when we needed her without any issues and fabulous recommendations. All in all a great 70th Birthday celebration with family from out of town. Thank you for a special place to do so.
Delicious meal
Food and service outstanding! Love this place! Baked scallops are a must!!
food was great. service good as well. needed coolers outside
Food was amazing and the service was very good! Great experience!
We were very excited to try this place after numerous recommendations. Unfortunately upon entering the restaurant, we encountered 2 staff members who were quite rude and condescending. There weren’t any clear signs as to where to check in, there was a stand outside but no one was there, so we walked in and the first guy just shrugged us off and pointed to a small stand at the end of the ramp. The hostess was quite aggressive and very rudely asked if we had a reservation and what my name was, all while rolling her eyes and sighing loudly. We should’ve just turned around, we are a young couple but come on, don’t shrug us off people. Our server was quirky but sweet and did a good job. The runners and bussers were annoying and not professional at all, clapping my husband on the shoulder and getting in our face every 5 minutes. The food was only alright, however the baked scallops were excellent, I would only go back to drink and have that appetizer. The raspberry dessert was also very good and the coffee was hot. We were just not very impressed with the service or truly blown away with the food.
This is our go to favorite restaurant. It never disappoints!!
Meals were over cooked and dry.
Great views from the roof top.
Excellent dinner. The atmosphere was outstanding.
My Crab Louie was delicious! My friend ordered salmon that came with Chinese-style green beans. The green beans looked and tasted burnt to a crisp. She also has a Caesar salad that was the worst Caesar salad she had ever eaten! So my friend probably won’t be returning!
We attended our first dinner out after receiving our vaccines (all four of us) and were hoping for something special. The patio is very nice and very safe feeling with dividers between the tables and lots of circulating air. It was also a beautiful night. The waiter was very accommodating, the drinks were tasty but very little alcohol and pretty pricey too. Worst of all was waiting for the food. We probably waited 20-30 minutes for our entrees. The waiter was very gracious and let us know that they were working on it in the kitchen but that didn't help much. Then to top it off, the food was a pretty average. I had the seabass and it was slightly overcooked. My husband had the catfish. Not sure we will be going back any time soon. Perhaps their early bird sunset dinners would be good but for full price, we weren't impressed.
Exceeded our expectations. Food and value were great. Server Cheyenne was very personable and good.
I have always liked the food at Pacifica. I live here year round and have the opportunity to dine everywhere. I have always been amazed how much the first people you meet (hostess) make you feel “put off”. We are talking 10+ years of dining here and it doesn’t matter who they have to greet you that make you feel like you should be grateful they have graced you with their presence. Wait staff is always great. Food is consistently good and as long as they don’t try to put you on the patio that is out the back door with no misters you should have a good table.
Outstanding swordfish entree and wedge salad. Efficient service. The waiter understood we did not want to be rushed. Will make a dinner at Pacifica a regular part of our vacations in Palm Desert.
Food was barely warm
Table was situated in the sun very hot
Early menu and timing great for locals. Service was extremely good.
You get plenty of food with early ( b4 5 ) dinner and they are very
creative. Not your usual mundane presentations. When we left, we felt
like we had been out to dinner. Yes, we will go back and soon................
Pacifica was an excellent value, great food and great selection. Half portions are also available. Service was excellent. I highly recommend for any occasion.
My husband raved about his Bass, but my shrimp and pasta dish was mediocre at best. The shrimp was very rubbery, overcooked. It's very unusual for a meal be be poor here, so we'll go back, but won't have anything with shrimp in it.
We sat at the bar and enjoyed Cody’s great service.
In from out of town - safety precautions were evident and eating on the balcony deck was more intimate because the COVID partitions made it quieter. Our second time there - will make Pacifica a must do every time we visit.
The food was excellent and we enjoyed our experience very much. Some of the patio tables are better than others so you need to let them know which ones are acceptable to you.
Terrific restaurant! Excellent food, well trained experienced staff.
We were seated at a prime spot overlooking the street - there are misters so it wasn't too hot. Our service was great - immediately came to our table and checked on us frequently. The food was very good as well. The seared ahi was delicious and they have a ton of fun cocktails as well. Great experience overall!
Server more interested in talking about make up and eyebrows than taking care of customers
FAQs
Pacifica Seafood Restaurant is rated 4.7 stars by 6041 OpenTable diners.
Pacifica Seafood Restaurant does offer gift cards which you can purchase here https://www.pacificaseafoodrestaurant.com/gift-cards.
Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable. Due to local restrictions, this restaurant may not be accepting reservations at the moment.