Sportsmen's Seafoods

Most Mission Beach dining splits between rooftop sushi (Cannonball) and slider engineering (Rosemarie's). Sportsmen's ignores both plays. This is a working seafood operation that happens to serve food: commercial boats dock at Quivira Basin, offload yellowtail and lobster, and the kitchen plates it within hours. The in-house smoker runs constantly — tuna jerky, smoked fish, everything that benefits from slow heat and oak. You order at one window, pick up at another, eat overlooking the boat slips where your lunch was swimming yesterday morning.

The local yellowtail sandwich is the move — they run it when the boats bring it in, which means availability shifts with the season and the weather. When it's on, it's the cleanest expression of what San Diego water tastes like: mild, firm, no gamey edges. The ahi tacos pull from the same supply chain — seared rare, minimal seasoning, tortillas that don't compete with the fish. The lobster comes from Mission Bay, not Maine, which gives it sweeter meat and softer texture than cold-water varieties. They cook it simply because the product doesn't need technique — just butter and heat.

The fish and chips runs beer-battered and thick-cut — diner fundamentals executed with better raw material than most spots can access. The shrimp cocktail is exactly what it sounds like, which matters more here than at places working from frozen distributor stock. Service moves fast because the menu doesn't pretend to be complicated. You're not here for atmosphere curation or plating artistry — you're here because the yellowfin that's coming out of the kitchen was swimming in local water this week, and the guys selling it to you are the same guys who caught it. Parking is easier than boardwalk spots, waits are shorter, and the bayside view comes without the boardwalk crowds. Cash helps, though they take cards.