South Beach Bar & Grille

First came here in 2018, and really wanted to come back with my wife. Such a great beach vibe, the atmosphere is chilled but with a buzz, just what you’d expect. Great drinks, we had the classic margarita and a couple of beers. We got a mix of tacos, with the birria beef being the stand out! You seated yourself, and service was efficient, but can’t say anything stood out from our server. The views from the terrace were great - really able to soak in the OB atmosphere, well worth a visit!

Food was very average. Nice view of the ocean. Seared Ahi Tuna was poorly cooked and seasoned. Tacos were decent. We ordered a bowl of Chowder. The server did not know they were out. We asked for it after our meal had arrived and he said he'd check. We never saw him again. We got follow up from someone else who said they were out. Expect to pay for view, the food will let you down.

This place is hands down my favorite local spot for food and drinks. You can't beat the atmosphere—right on the beach with stunning ocean views. The nachos are massive, loaded with flavor, and perfect for sharing (though you might not want to!). And the fish tacos? Easily the best I've ever had—fresh, perfectly seasoned, and always satisfying. Great food, great service, refreshing drinks, and unbeatable views... what more could you want?

Although I call Nebraska home these days, San Diego still has my heart—and no trip back is complete without a stop at South Beach Bar & Grille. Hands down, it’s my favorite spot to eat in the city. The fish tacos? Still undefeated. Three for $5.99 feels almost criminal for how good they are. We also dove into the albondigas soup, and it was just what the soul needed—flavorful, comforting, and perfectly spiced. But let’s be honest: the main event is that sunset. We planned it down to the minute—7:37 PM—and the vacation gods must’ve approved, because even on a packed Saturday night, we walked right up to the best spot on the second-floor balcony. The sky lit up in cotton-candy colors, and even the staff stopped what they were doing to snap photos over our shoulders. That view? Pure San Diego magic. This place hits all the right notes—delicious, casual, and unforgettable. Already dreaming of the next visit.

This restaurant is perfect for meeting friends or hosting a business dinner, offering a casual yet professional vibe. It’s quite popular, so booking a table in advance is recommended to avoid waiting. The atmosphere is relaxed with stylish decor, and the views are incredible—especially from the upstairs seating, where you can enjoy a sunset view of the beach. For food, the tacos with onion rings are a must-try, and the veggie tacos are also great. Whether you’re catching up with friends or meeting business partners, this place offers a great setting and delicious meals. It’s a solid choice for any occasion.

Love the ocean views and the breeze that passes thru the bar. Happy hour is pretty busy on Fridays, but $6 for 6 clams all day is a great deal 😋 would highly recommend this place for the food and good vibes 👍

They have a great happy hour. The nachos were massive and super yummy. I got fish tacos and my hubs got the enchiladas. All of it delicious.

Great views of the ocean from upstairs. Good selection of meals. I had the special Baja Basket, fish tacos, what a bargain, after having the fried calms as an appetizer! My wife had cheese sticks.

Food was great. I got Birria sliders which were great. Service was good. No complaints. Atmosphere was good. There were good views of the beach. Inside is pretty dark. Amazing food for value. Especially if you go for happy hour.

Really cute location! There's great seating options outdoors over the beach - though it gets (understandably) really crowded around sunset time so it'll be difficult to get a good seat. We came during their taco Tuesday special - the margarita was delicious and the tacos were an excellent deal. They were extremely large tacos: two are definitely enough for a meal and 3 will have you extremely full. For $4 and extremely large, the tacos were great: a decent amount of meat though I thought the white sauce was a bit overwhelming and was slightly too much. I far preferred the corn tortilla (which you can order upon request) - I found the sauce/toppings a better fit with the flavor/texture of the corn tortilla. Giving this 4 stars because the service was extremely slow: a lot of the tables were not cleaned off (and in a crowded restaurant meant we had to wait a bit to get a table) and it took an extremely long time for our order to be taken. I think it was the crowds on a taco Tuesday special that caused the slow times - hopefully it isn't slow on other days.

Came to this spot with a couple girlfriends after watching the sunset on the beach. It looked cute from the outside all lit up with the pretty lights on the second floor patio. We decided to head up there to eat. When you enter there is a seat yourself sign so we went straight upstairs. We found a spot right away, even though the place was pretty busy. I figured the place must be good since almost all the tables were taken. Unfortunately the food was very disappointing. The only reason I give it 3 stars instead of 2 is because our server was quick and attentive. The atmosphere was cool too. The view of the ocean, the good music, everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves there. But I honestly wouldn't go back unless it was only for drinks. We ordered different plates to share and none of them were good quality meals. The burger meat was dry and not flavorful. The fish and chips were rubbery and tasted like old frozen fish. The Mahi taco was the worse. There was a tiny piece of fish inside covered in purple cabbage and tomato. You couldn't even see the fish it was so small. It was on a cold stiff tortilla that wasn't even warmed up all the way. The only thing that was just okay was the coconut shrimp. But like I said, I would not order food at this place ever again. Maybe drinks and a nice view is what this place has going for it, but that's about it.

We went here bc my son had on his Snapchat memories that he went here many years ago when we visited last time and he recalled his fish tacos. Honestly, after speaking to a local, there are probably better fish tacos but my son was happy with the ones here. I ordered Ceviche, others had burgers, clams, cocktails... we had a good sized lunch. All were happy/pleased. Like the indoor outdoor option for seating. Overall, we were happy with the place.

Meandering around OB, we stopped at South Beach Bar and Grille to rehydrate. We opted to sit at the bar as the outdoor patio was rather full and there was plenty of room at the bar. They offered a nice selection of beer on tap. They had hard seltzers from Kona Brewing which Becky had never had and she was quite pleased with the flavors. Service was prompt and friendly form our bartender (I did not catch her name). The men's bathroom upstairs is awkward. It has the old school urinals that are imbedded in the wall and go all the way to the floor. Very close to each other and no partition between them. When the door is opened, there you are! The urinals are in plain view from the bar area when the door is opened. Stick to the private, one at a time all gender bathroom downstairs.

Brought my 6 year old, so yes they allow kids (at least during the day). We sat upstairs and had an amazing view of the pier and waves! Grilled Fish Tacos were great, as always! They do put a lot of white sauce on them so I usually get my tacos with no white sauce. Good beer selection, I had a Pure Project Hazy IPA. We took off a star because of the service being slow, they didn't come check on us and we had needed some stuff like hot sauce and another beer. My son didn't like his chicken nuggets (they were hard and had too much batter), but he did like the fries.

Came here after exploring Ocean Beach with a couple of friends. We were hungry and saw that it wasn't too busy and decided to pop in after looking at the reviews. This place has a very chill and laid-back vibe, like think of how a stereotypical beachside Californian would act, and that's exactly how every staff member I came in contact with pretty much was for the most part. Very pleasant to say the least. The food here was pretty good I loved the flavor of the birria cheese fries, and the calamari sticks were also pretty good. The calamari here are served as large pieces of calamari meat sticks; I've never had calamari prepared that way. It was interesting to try but to be honest, I prefer the traditional calamari wings (I guess it's a texture/sensory thing with having so much calamari meat in a single bite with the sticks). All in all, this South Beach Bar & Grille is a must-try if you like laid-back vibes and good food while overlooking the beautiful Ocean Beach area of San Diego.

One of our fave spots when in Ocean Beach. This place just has a chill fun vibe, beautiful sunset view & great friendly staff. Love the menu choices, lots to choose from. We had the steak tacos, birria tacos & burger, definitely hit the spot! Always a good time!

The fish tacos had hearty portions, unlike the places in gaslamp, where you get little bites. I did not care for the clams here. They were the worst of the trip. All you could taste (and see) was the butter. I'd much rather taste the clams themselves in a natural broth fillednwitt the taste of clam juice, and maybe a hint of wine/garlic/herb. The view is beautiful though.

Shrimp cocktail was nothing special, but the tacos are always great but mostly it's just the view that makes it all come together!!

The best fish tacos ever!!! we ordered the cod it was deep fried heaven on a delicious corn tortilla. We also ordered the Birria tacos and it comes with the juice from the meat to dip ah well I loved it too. This restaurant is Huge 2 floors tons of indoor seating as well as a full wraparound balcony, we found our spots on the wraparound balcony it was a perfectly centered view to eat these amazingly delicious tacos. We were so happy it was a gorgeous day at an amazing restaurant with a gorgeous view with my amazing son and wife who is equally amazing and beautiful company. I couldn't have asked for more, I assure you of one thing I will come here every time I'm in San Diego no question, definitely delicious. Cheers ALL and SYOY Review #322 07/31/23

My boyfriend and I frequent this place regularly. They have great deals that change every day of the week. Our favorite day is Fridays where fresh oysters are $1 (minimum 6 for $6) which is a great deal for any seafood place! The oysters are always different depending on what's fresh. Food: Another great option is the calamari starter. They are huge calamari sticks friend to perfection. Best deal that have is 5 for $5 carnitas tacos every day of the week with purchase of a drink. Happy hour: 3-6 Monday - Friday where all appetizers are 1/2 off and drinks are discounted!! Drinks: They have great patron margarita slushes. My favorite flavors are mango and watermelon. Even regular priced they are a great deal! $9 regular and $7 on happy hour. Service: It's a seat yourself restaurant and the servers will greet you at your table. If you go on a weekday the service is fast. However the only reason I gave 4 stars is because service is very slow on weekends/busy times. You definitely have to be patient as the restaurant gets very busy and the servers are working really hard. Overall highly recommend this restaurant as it has become one of my favorites in San Diego.

My boyfriend and I sat out on the deck to watch the sunset and the views were unreal! Service was a little slow as it was taco Tuesday and there were only two servers for the whole restaurant but food came out and was very good! If we ever come back to the area will definitely be back!

We love coming here for Wahoo tacos and drinks and Bennett is always our Bartender. Bennett is always smiling and welcomes us and always attentive, We give him 10 starts for his EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE.. The great delicious food and awesome service is why we Keep coming back.

This place is the bomb. Got here on a Friday to learn that it is $1 oysters all day long. They were huge and the salsas that they serve with them are amazing. I forget the name of it but it was the hottest one and the flavor was amazing. I would also recommend the calamari taco and of course the 56oz margarita. Great food, great service and great views!

Nice to return to a nice friendly bar & grille, in the great city of Ocean Beach! The twin bartenders were awesome and I did get the young ladies mixed up once ! I ordered the Happy Hour special oyster, which I had gotten before in the past, but today they were really gritty. I also ordered the guacamole and salsa w/fresh tortilla chips. That entire dish was delicious! Not too spicy, and the guac was seasoned perfectly! I was told that before I leave OB, I should stop by and get their delicious clam chowder. So later that night, I did just that. She was not lying! It was so full of chunky pieces of clams! Amazing!

Do you wanna go somewhere where the food and service is mediocre but you get to say "The view was nice though", then come here. The view did not make up for bland tacos. We tried quite a few tacos and they were all meh. Oh the fries were good though! But how can you mess up fries?

Hi! It's my first time here and I love it here. I ordered the mixed clams, coconut shrimp and tacos. No complaints on the food. Food was real good! And the view was amazing!!

We live OB and tend to be a little biased for our local businesses, but this truly is an unbiased review, because I always want to be honest and transparent. From the location, the laid back vibe, customer service, and the food, we love South Beach! My wife was the first one to go there, as she would just order tacos to go, and then take them to the beach (which is literally a few feet away) but eventually that led to us dining in. So glad we did. I've been to plenty of spots right next to the beach and typically it's just bar food, but from appetizers to the entrées, we have always loved the food on this menu. The waiters serving us have always been extremely helpful, friendly, and even though they are always usually pretty busy, they always find time to check in on us. Another huge bonus is the price. For what you get and how good it is, it is extremely reasonable. This has become a spot we love returning to time and time again.

We only stopped in to grab a quick cocktail and meet up with an old friend of my wife (and forget our stroller overnight; thankfully, it was still there in the morning!), but South Beach Bar & Grille has some notable things going for it, even for us casual visitors: a prime location right next to the beach; gorgeous views of the sea from the upper level and outer deck; reasonably friendly and efficient staff (although our server seemed a little scatterbrained at times), and surprisingly decent prices for a restaurant situated spitting distance from the Pacific Ocean. OB is one of my favorite places in San Diego, so a return here to fully investigate its merits is definitely in the cards in the future.

Chowder was great! View of the beach! Server was coolio! Not actually Coolio- some of you may not know who I'm referring to... anyway.... Crowded on Friday, but we found spot outside. There was Patron shots and drink specials. Great for a chili night. Fun to people watch... actually see who knows how to park.. we got a lot of chuckles in... maybe it was the tequila ‍‍‍

Came by for lunch before work. Great views of the beach if you sit upstairs on the patio! Food was good, service was great. They missed a taco and had that sent out asap. Looks like they have great deals depending on the day of the week as well. Would come back!

Fish tacos on the brain so stopped in South Beach for a quick bite and a cold beer. Sat at the bar and was served right away with a drink and my order was taken. The place filled up so very quickly and the service went a bit downhill. Had trouble getting anyone's attention for another drink so I had to wait for my food to come out. This would be the same issue when trying to pay the bill. I went with the cod for my fish. It was a pretty big piece and was still hard to see with the slaw on top. Very tasty taco and I want to return to try the other fish options. Knowing how busy they get not sure when I will get the opportunity but it's on the list.

Look I'm back 4 years later from my last review. Our waiter was not the friendliest. The first thing he said to us was you aren't moving are you? Implying we were going to switch spots and explained how it messes up where the food is supposed to be delivered. Even though there was only 1 other person on the patio with us at the time. We were probably going to be handed dishes that weren't ours 3 times. So not sure how we mess things up. He didn't come check up on us and made us seem like we were just bothering him. Maybe he's not a dog person and we had our 3 dogs with us. My boyfriend asked if we could have a bowl of water for the dogs and his response was "if we have a bowl because we probably dont". But there's a kitchen.....and we don't need a fancy bowl but not sure how a dog friendly place doesn't have something for the dogs. Just something would work, even 3 cups of water would do. Bad service from him and it wasn't busy. Our server just hungout at the bar. Other staffing were nice to us and helped us more and got us more ketchup and water for our dogs. They were the ones that made the experience not so bad. I have mixed feelings about this place now.

Great place to for Taco Tuesday and enjoying an OB sunset. Finding seats facing the ocean front took a bit but was worth the wait. My two tacos were stuffed and was enough for me. Service was a little slow, but nothing beats tacos and an ocean view!!

Best View of the Famous OB Pier! The Mahi Mahi Taco was delicious and the jalapeño poppers were full of flavor. Service was friendly and fast.

Been coming here for 5 years every time we vacation in San Diego. Typically we have amazing service. Today, it was like we were invisible and the 3 of us were sitting at the bar. There was a total of 6 people sitting at the upstairs bar so not sure what the issue was.

This was a very casual restaurant with 2 levels. Downstairs had a pub kinda vibe and upstairs was bigger and brighter. We sat outside facing the beach which was so nice! The inside had lots of tables, bar seating, and tv's playing sports. We came in for beer and appetizers. The draft beer selection was really good. Ordered the clam strips, which were just ok, but the ceviche and guac were great. The portion of ceviche was huge and definitely meant to be shared! It and the guac came with thick tortilla chips and I definitely recommend trying both together We will be back for both!

The drinks are great. The food is flavorless . It wasn't just my dish either, I was in a party of 8 and none of us enjoyed the food at all.

More of a bar, less of a restaurant. Walk in & find a table, either upstairs or downstairs. If they're not busy, your waiter will be very attentive. But they're usually busy so prepare to feel neglected. So that means, order everything the first time. Otherwise, you'll be hunting your waiter down if you need something else including your check. My one recommendation tho? FRIED. OYSTER. TACO.

Fantastic fish tacos. Efficient and tolerant waiter when we requested to move our table, gorgeous views.

Drink, (Pina colada), was great, and the food options were top tier, especially if I was going for a bar or restaurant experience.

we arrived, a party of 5,on Friday at 330 pm. Our order was taken about 415,but around 5 nothing came out way. Rather than argue,each of us went to Hodads.Mikes Taco,Hugos Taco,and the liquor store and ordered take out. We drank and ate for 2 hours,and we did take out and liquor store again. We were there till 630 . We had a blast. Do the South Beach Challenge!

Probably the best view along with great food selections. Their happy hour deal is amazing, especially 1/2 off on all appetizers. Can't beat this deal!! Service can get a little slow as they are so busy but not horrible. I only tried their HH on a Friday, and would love to return on a different day :)

Amazing food , amazing atmosphere , if going to be Ocean Beach this place is a must !

Came here after work for what was supposed be a quick pint and ended up staying longer than expected. It's amazing what few pints and couple of shots will do your time management! Luckily, this place was super chill, fun and had great service! There are two stories of this bar. We went to top bar which had plenty of spots for us to hang out. We are sure this place gets busy but we got there before things started to pick up. Out bartender was quick to get our orders and made sure to check on us before our glasses were empty. We were going to order the birria bowl but our bartender recommend the questo birria tacos- these were amazing! 3 tacos, some dipping sauce and a side of rice and beans- so glad that this was recommended as we would have passed this up. Definitely recommend this with a beer or two! Parking can be rough but what can you expect when your in OB. Get there early enough and you can find nearby parking but be prepared to walk a few blocks since it can get busy especially with all the different shops around.

Good prices, excellent food and amazing views. The mahi mahi taco is my favorite. The service was quick, pleasant and helpful with the menu choices.

Love the tacos, have great specials every day, also amazing view while enjoying good food!

Beautiful spot for lunch with a view of the ocean. Food and drinks were great and a good price. I would recommend checking it out if your visiting town. If you are there for food, I would definitely recommend the seafood tacos. Those were much better.

I left my hat at this place, 10 minutes later I went back and they didn't have it! Nobody was sitting there and I'm sorry I think an employee kept it! So be careful

Happy hour was amazing! Great food and service was excellent. We sat outside with a stunning view while our puppy slept. Will definitely be back!

I've been coming here for years... I have to say, best HH for oysters! Hands down to the best oysters! Not only are the oysters good but also the clam chowder, birria slider, fried octopus... everything! The servers there are also very friendly and nice! It's my fav place for HH

Nice beach restaurant that primarily serves tacos and fish dishes. From the second floor you get a great view of the ocean and Ocean Beach pier. The fish and chips and the fried calamari are really good. I had the grilled Ahi which was really good along with carnitas street tacos. The carnie asada tacos were a bit overcooked and too many onions. The restaurant gets really loud as people are having fun and drinking so not great if you just want to chat. Overall fun beach bar, amazing views, and good fried fish and tacos.

Bad service, messed up our meals. Were out of oyster, mussels, and clams. Tacos were extremely bad.

I was craving baja fish tacos and stumbled upon this place in OB. The ambience is a down to earth Bar vibe but it has a nice view of the pier. The food was so delicious and the price was very reasonable! Now let's talk about the service- my friend and I walked in and we were immediately greeted with a warm smile from the guy behind the bar. He told us we could sit wherever we liked. Once seated, he promptly came over to get our food and drink order. He was polite, professional, warm, and funny. What really amazed us about it was that he was the only worker [that I saw] working there! He was literally the host, the waiter, AND the bartender. He was working hard to juggle all three roles simultaneously and he did so with grace. I had to ask his name before we left because his work ethic is hard to come by these days and I wanted to write a review to give this man the recognition he deserves. So Beau, thank you for the PHENOMENAL service. My friend and I appreciate you!

Went here twice this week. Food was good but service left a lot to be desired. Both times, I dined downstairs and the waiters took forever to take orders, bring the bills, etc. it was different staff both times and still issues both days. They do have 1/2 off appetizers from 3-6 every night and specials every weekday. Good deals, but be prepared to potentially wait a long time.

Park at the lot in front of the beach. It's a nice view. Service is nice too. But it ends there. We came for taco tuesday for $4 tacos. The fried cod was decent. The grilled shrimp was okay. The mahi mahi and the swordfish were terrible. Some of the worst grilled fish we've had. We hated the tacos here. The slaw or veggies or whatever was on top were so intrusive to the flavor of the seafood. We were just eating mush. Don't come here for taco tuesday. Maybe come if you want a drink and a view.

Awesome staff, food and drinks, don't pass it up if you're in OB.... very dog friendly , will definitely come back.

Came across this little spot while walking town. It was cute, not too crowded and we stepped in for a drink. Good looking menu but we were not hungry. Nice bartender. We will be back in to try food.

Beautiful views when you're sitting outside on the patio. As you can see, we sat down at the right time for sunset. Service took a while for our orders to be placed, along with our drinks. Our beverages literally came when our food came. Not only that, but even our waters. This isn't our first time here. But it has been a while... Food were delicious as always. We decided to keep things light and different from our usual. Overall, I would come back for food.