Donovan’s Prime Seafood

Came here for restaurant week with the miser and two other friends. I’ve been here before during one of the Unilocal Elite event’s prior and had a good time so I didn’t expect much but the second time around was a a better experience.
We ordered the oysters (which were fresh and flavorful), the ahi tuna (one of the best I’ve had), steak, and two desserts (I forgot what they were since it’s been a couple of months since) but everything was really good. Very impressed with everything and the décor was very classy yet modern at the same time. I think I like this place better than the original steakhouse.

Donovan’s Prime embodies everything that is wrong with the Gaslamp: overpriced, wildly mediocre food in a boringly run of the mill setting.
Everything we ordered was recommended to us by our waitress…
Clams: Terrible. Overpowering anise flavor ruined the broth, and the clams themselves were overcooked and rubbery.
Scallops with coconut «risotto»: «Risotto» was coconut water rice (runny and inedible). Scallops were under-​cooked (absurd flaw at a «seafood restaurant»).
Surf & Turf: Steak was overcooked and blandly seasoned. Same critique of the scallops as above. Au gratin potatoes were dry and flavorless.
On top of everything, the service was slow and impersonal.
Bottom line: If looking for good seafood Downtown, SKIP DONOVAN’S and walk over to Spike Africa’s (half the price, three times as good and incomparably better service). You’ll thank me later.

On the last night of Comic-​Con I forced myself to make a reservation for something so we wouldn’t find ourselves wandering the Gaslamp going «Ugh, I don’t feel like eating that» twenty times in a row. Grabbed this figuring it would be at least reliable, if expensive. Actually, the food was quite good, and I think we’d definitely come back next year.
We ordered seafood chowder, shrimp linguine, the salmon/​shrimp entrée, and crème brûlée — I wouldn’t say any of them reinvented cuisine for me per se, but they were what we needed.
Next year we need to remember not to get a prix fixe each. Too much food for just us two.

Located on 5^th avenue in the Gaslamp district — don’t get this place confused with the «Donovans Prime Steakhouse».
That said, this location DOES have steak/​beef but it seems they concentrate more on the seafood as their theme.
Have tried the Filet Mignon with scallops and potato cake, as well as the fish n chips, and shrimp scampi. All first class and carefully prepared along with impeccable waiter service.

Now I finally found out why this fancy place only got a 3.5 star review. I should have just trusted all the Unilocalers wholeheartedly, right? Well, if it wasn’t for the Living Social deal I found, I wouldn’t even have bothered going for an expensive 3.5 star restaurant. So I tried it, and I have a story to tell…
So, don’t get me wrong. I can be critical, but I let a lot of things slide because I can’t be bothered and have my time and energy wasted on something trivial. But when I’m paying at least $ 50/​person for a meal, you better let me have high expectations and criticize the tiny details, because you’re asking this much money from me (even with the Living Social coupon!)
SERVICE:
We had a reservation for 8pm, but we arrived downtown early and were hungry, so we walked in to see if they could seat us 1.5 hours earlier. They have a system of issuing a ticket by the hostess to the usher to take you to a specific table. The table was right at where the sun glare was, so my friend suggested if we could take another table. The usher said she believed the other empty tables were reserved and she had to check with the hostess. So we followed her back to the front desk, and strangely she was whispering to the hostess in front of us??? Why? What was so secretive about switching tables that you couldn’t let other people hear? So after that the hostess printed out a new ticket for a new table that we were later being seated at. First, whispering in front of anyone is kinda rude. Giving her the benefit of the doubt, maybe she wasn’t aware that I was looking? Anyway, maybe. And second, why didn’t they lower the blinds to avoid glare altogether?
DECOR:
The décor was pretty and modern. We enjoyed it. I just wish they turned up the AC a little. Kinda stuffy and warm inside.
BEING MEAN:
Anyhow, we were seated by the glass window. Right next to us behind the window was another table. Technically, our tables were separated by a piece of glass, but it feels like we were kinda dining with them… weird… glad the tables were not exactly aligned to each other otherwise it would’ve been even more awkward. You know we were so close with this couple next to us that I could see the woman was in misery having a fancy dinner with her man. She’s like «god, I have to eat lobster a-​g-​a-​i-​n.» and the man was like, why do I have to drink wine??? FML. Yeah, that’s the kinda faces they had on. Feeling sorry for them, but it’s pretty entertaining to me and my girlfriend…
TABLE SETTING:
OK. So we were seated. On the table, there were 2 sets of utensils wrapped in a napkin. Nothing is wrong? Can’t say it’s wrong, but for an upscale restaurant, wouldn’t you bother spending some time actually set the table PROPERLY? Are we doing TGI Friday’s style now? Or Red Lobster? See, just the night before, I went to Roy’s Hawaiin by Seaport Village. They properly set their table with 2 forks and 2 knives. How hard is that? I’m going to write a 5-​star review for Roy’s later. They have cheaper and better food and service.
MUSIC:
Dude, set the mood. It’s just as important as in the bedroom. Why are you playing Hey Soul Sister and Jason Mraz’s songs in an pseudo-​upscale restaurant? I like pop songs, but not in there. Can you play some classier music like Bill Evans or John Coltrane or some funky instrumental music? Whatever, just not the most mainstreamest pop songs I hear on the radio, the top 20 chart.
FOOD:
They failed 66%, only 33.3333% was right. We got the Hamachi Tartare as the app, sea bass with risotto in ginger miso sauce, and scallops with risotto.
Hamachi tartare was what the server recommended. MEH MEH MEH. How come they put some really bitter grapefruit in the dish? It did NOT complement the taste of the fish at all. I avoided it after I tasted one bite of grapefruit. And the fish… I’ve had my fair share of hamachi sashimi. This quality was just average. It’s not particularly fresh or buttery. It’s whatever. The green sauce was pretty good. Tasty and light. But the essence of this dish should be the quality of the fish. If that fails, the whole dish fails.
The sea bass was pretty tasty. I liked the sauce with the risotto a lot. The sea bass also had a good flavor to it. However, it was a tad bit over cooked. Just a tad bit. But because I paid $ 42 before tax for this tiny dish, I really expected it to be done perfectly making a memorable experience for me, but no, failed.
Scallops were fresh, juicy and seared perfectly. I love the scallops. But might as well just serve me plain scallops because the rice tasted super bland. I almost wanted to ask for salt to season it… I don’t want to cause any trouble. Just wanna finish the entrees and head to somewhere else for dessert: P I could taste some zest in the rice, citrusy, but the flavor and seasoning were not adequate at all. Another fail because I paid almost $ 40 for this small portion.
I’m running out of space. In conclusion, don’t waste your money here. FORGETIT

As many other Unilocalers have mentioned, the service here is a little bit lacking. .. especially considering the hefty price tag that comes with this place.
My family and I came here for a late dinner with a living social. We were promptly seated and told that the waiters work in 3 person teams. .. I’m already a bit skeptical. When you have 3 people waiting on you, it’s easy to have miscommunications or assume that one of the other 2 waiters already took care of it. .. which is exactly what happened to us.
We ordered the surf and turf #1 that came with steak and scallops and the Chilean Sea Bass. The sea bass was good, but nothing mind blowing as others have described. The mushroom risotto was NOT GOOD. I LOVE mushroom and I love carbs, but even I couldn’t stomach this risotto. It felt chalky and mushy at the same time. Weird. Anyway, the steak was pretty good and the scallops were good too. Nicely cooked, but I would have liked a better crust on them. So, I’ve had better.
After we finished our food, we asked to see the dessert menu and that’s where that miscommunication gets you in trouble. We asked one of our waiters and maybe he told another one to get it for us, and he forgot or something. Long story short, we waited a long time for the menus. Pretty annoying.
Anyway, we will definitely not be back. As my dad said, «it’s over hyped»

Came in for Father’s Day dinner and were directed to a not-​so-​pleasant table so we requested a seat change and the girl was very accommodating and friendly.
Our server was thorough and attentive at first, but service kind of fell off towards the end of the meal as we weren’t checked up on and our water glasses were never refilled. However, topping off our water wasn’t a big deal since the water/​glasses smelled like a dirty kitchen sink anyway (as another reviewer had also pointed out). I’m usually not picky with my water since I presume it’s tap… but this was probably the smelliest tap water I’d ever been served. Once I got a whiff of it, I couldn’t bare to take another sip. We weren’t offered the option of bottled or sparkling water from the get-​go anyway and were automatically poured the water they had pre-​filled in their growlers. Coming from a fine dining establishment, this was even more disappointing.
Onto the food! I ordered the surf & turf #1 which came with a filet, 2 scallops, a potato of my choice, and a side of snap peas and baby carrots. I chose the garlic smashed potatoes which were nice and filling. My steak was cooked to a perfect medium rare and was lightly seasoned, allowing the meat to speak for itself. Yum. Portion of the plate was perfect, especially after indulging in some of the complimentary hot bread. The boyfriend’s filet mignon was seared a little bit too much so his steak was slightly overcooked to a medium, but he said it was alright anyway. My parents both enjoyed their meals as well, but we all came to the consensus that while the food was good, it wasn’t mind-​blowing.
All-​in-​all, a good deal since I came in with a LivingSocial deal, but we won’t likely return. The entire experience wasn’t spectacular enough to warrant another visit, but I’m glad we got to try it.

Came here on a date night with the girlfriend. We had a livingsocial coupon and were excited to try this place for dinner. We had previously enjoyed their happy hour during a pub crawl event and was impressed by the complimentary seafood kabobs they had passed out back then. On this visit, we had a reservation at 5:30, but showed up a tad late due to the horrible parking in downtown. We went up to the hostess and got seated quickly outside in the patio.
I noticed that there are very mixed reviews about service, but ours was excellent. Our main server was Jose, but we were also attended by two other waiters as well. I didn’t mind the team of waiters since they were very attentive and often came by to check on us, ask if we were doing okay and refill our water glasses.
Now onto the food. This is where the the mediocre 3 star rating really comes from…
For the appetizer, we got the calamari ($ 12). The calamari itself was well cooked. It was coated with a very crispy batter that didn’t get soggy and the calamari had a nice chew to it, but not too chewy. What was sub-​par was the sauces it came with. The calamari came with just regular soy sauce with some garlic bits chopped in and a weird peanut and siracha sauce that was spread on the plate. Neither sauces went well with the calamari.
For the entrees, I got the Chilean Sea Bass ($ 42) and the girlfriend got the Diver Scallops ($ 38). The portions were quite large, which is usually not a complaint I make because the more the better (especially when you’re paying approx. $ 40 a pop), but we were already kinda full from the calamari and the complimentary bread and butter (the girlfriend is like a goldfish when it comes to bread and butter. If you let her, she’ll eat until she dies from overeating and then I’d have to look for a new girlfriend and it’ll be a huge hassle and I happen to like this one). It didn’t help that we both agreed that the dishes were very buttery.
The girlfriend commented that the scallops tasted a bit fishy and felt undercooked. She said it didn’t seem seared enough and the creamy risotto really made the whole dish heavy. As for my sea bass, I thought it was cooked well, but was not too impressed by the sauces and flavors. It came with mushroom risotto and two pieces of dried red fruit (girlfriend said it was cherry, but it looked rather large so I thought it was a prune), and a single piece of bok choy. In the end, we both struggled to finish our dish. I cleared my plate, but the girlfriend was struggling to finish her scallops and ended up not finishing her risotto.
For the hefty price tag, I felt like the dishes were average. Even with the living social deal, I didn’t think the food was worth it. The service, however, was great despite all the mixed reviews from other Unilocalers. But the next time I really want to go all out on fancy seafood, I would head to Oceanaire.

Date night and the perfect recovery to a downward spiraling week. Thanks Donovan, you brought me back with a burst of life. As soon as we were seated we cheered up from the weeks stress and chowed down!
We’ve been to the steakhouses but this was our first time at Prime Seafood. I prefer the look of the steakhouse in LaJolla but this one screams Gaslamp and is more modern and fresh, as a fish house vs. a steak house should be.
We ordered wine and cocktails and then the crab cake and oysters Rockefeller. We could have basically stopped eating there. Both starters were huge, the crab cake was full of perfect meat and quite the plateful. Sauce was lovely on the oysters, decadent!
We forged ahead and order steaks. I went for the 12 ozPrime New York Strip and the beef snagged the 16oz Prime Ribeye. It’s fun to order sides a la cart, but sometimes? It’s so great when it just comes with as is the case at Prime. All entrées come with veggie and potato choice. We both went with the garlic smashed potatoes.
Skipped dessert, too full!

Came here for happy hour and dinner to make the most of an especially nice day.
Happy Hour:
Calamari: Really good! The portion was huge. The calamari was crisp and fresh with just the right amount of chew. Even the light breading was tasty being light and not over covering the pieces. The pieces themselves where the standard rings and tenticals. The dipping sauce was a soy sauce based one that again was delish. I wish they would have included more of the dipping sauce!
Oysters: for a buck these are a real treat. They were fresh and came with everything needed. My only complaint is one of my oysters had a cracked shell that made it difficult to eat.
Dinner was also nice and we opted to eat outside. The service was as a whole good. I didn’t like that our table was really wobbly. Sort of makes for a shabbier meal when you have a table flip flopping from one side to the other. We made due.
I got the seared ahi which I thought tasted fresh. It didn’t blow my mind but the portion was pretty big.
In all I would say this is a good spot for Happy hour, and a nice spot for dinner. I would very much like to come back!

Mmm… those oysters. We came here on reservation intending to eat dinner only, but they mentioned that the oysters were only $ 1 each if we wanted to go wait at the oyster bar while they «set up our table.» All they had to do was mention and I was sold!
They oysters were so good! I got some of each of the $ 1 oysters and they were fresh, delicious and came with cocktail sauce. My favorite was the one from Mexico (that probably didn’t help much… haha).
Despite the horrible service comments I’ve been reading from Unilocal recently, we actually got really good service. Water was always filled, a couple times at the table to see how we were doing and weirdly enough, someone always comes over to fold your napkin when you’re away…
Started with the seafood chowder: It was pretty good. Good amount of seafood but lack a little bit in flavor. I added some salt and it was much better.
Chilean Seabass: the seabass to my surprise was actually a really big portion. Supposedly it came with a miso ginger sauce, mushroom risotto and bok choy. The first bite was amazing! Soft, moist, flaky, alllmost melts in your mouth. And then I realize that although the flavor combination was pretty good, I did not taste miso, ginger, there was like 5 mushrooms and one small bok choy! How’s an asian gonna get by with ONE small bok choy? Sadly about halfway through my meal, I was kind of tired of eating it. I ordered one of the most expensive thing on the menu and I was over it? Sheesh!
So I traded with the BF who had the fish and chips. The fish wss not soft and flaky, the batter was flavorless and the fries were pretty good. I think they chose to fry the wrong fish. I got over that pretty quickly too. The curry sauce and the mango salsa that came with it was pretty good though.
Overall, I’m glad I had a livingsocial deal because I would not pay full price for this meal. Ambience was nice and romantic, service was good, food was alright… I’d come back for the oysters if parking in DT wasn’t so bad.

This review is based on the appetizers /​side dishes I ordered. (I did not order a dinner plate)
Drinks were good according to my friends who hardly drinks but for me I drink quite often so it was a little weak.
Service was absolutely GREAT. I forgot our servers name but he entertained us and kept us laughing.
I ordered the brussel sprouts with bacon and mushrooms. I did not even put a dent in it because it was not pleasing to me at all. By my reviews you would know that I eat out a lot at fine dining restaurants and I was a little disappointed on the flavor and taste. If I was eating with just one friend I would’ve said something but since I was with 8 ladies I opt to keep my mouth shut. My girlfriend ordered the AHI which gave her a little tummy ache too.
So why 3 Stars if I didn’t like the food? I’ll be fair and return to try the other dishes. Maybe a Steak or another Fish Dish for myself.

My dear friend and I came here to have a joint celebration of our birthdays. We had reservations for a Friday night, and we showed up after having (too many) oysters and wine at Blue Point.
The restaurant was surprisingly empty for a Friday night. We were shown right to our table, walking through the mostly empty dining room. I was afraid that the lack of customers was a reflection of the food or service, but I put my faith in the Donovan’s name, and kept quiet.
Our server was friendly, efficient and helpful — just what I expect from a Donovan’s employee. He answered our questions, and helped my friend with the menu (since she can’t have anything with gluten in it). He knew about Celiac disease (always a bonus when your waiter has knowledge of your dietary restrictions!), and was able to confidently speak to my friend about the menu and her available options. He even went to the kitchen to see if we could get the calamari prepared grilled instead of breaded and fried. We were so happy that he did that, because the dish was amazing! I’ve become so used to fried calamari, that the thought of it grilled never even crossed my mind. It was delicious!
However, I’m not sure what we were thinking, ordering an appetizer, wine and entrees, because after all the oysters, we were almost at capacity.
Still, the food was delicious. My friend ordered the scallops and I ordered the halibut. My friend loved the scallops, but the halibut was a bit dry — it was almost like the fish had been a tad overcooked. It was tasty, but just a little overdone. I had a brief thought of sending it back, but honestly, I wasn’t starving, and it didn’t take away from the meal much at all.
The best part of the evening was that they brought us each out a free dessert to celebrate our birthdays. We didn’t even make a big deal out of us celebrating — we mentioned it once in passing to our waiter — but he took that information and ran with it. He even took my friend’s dietary needs into consideration and brought her an appropriate dessert! (She got a scoop of ice cream and I got a slice of cheesecake.)
It was a very enjoyable experience, and I’m glad that we chose Donovan’s for dinner. I was sure that they’d impress my out-​of-​town friend with the service and quality of food, and I wasn’t disappointed.

Wow… the reviews are all over the place here. I bought a Living Social deal because I knew we would be in the San Diego area. The restaurant was within walking distance of our hotel & the walk over was highly entertaining. I LOVE the Gaslamp District!
We arrived about 10 minutes early and we were told to wait a few minutes for our patio table. I had requested a patio table and I had already called the restaurant and asked if it would be OK to have our small doggie on the patio with us. «No problem» we were told. I went to the ladies room and by the time I came out my hubs and been seated.
The service here was outstanding. We had the nicest waiter, we gave him our Living Social deal and he didn’t act like it was contaminated like some wait staff do. The bread they brought to the table was super yummy… we asked for a second loaf! The girl who kept our ice tea refilled was a sweetheart as were the front desk girls. While we were sitting on the patio, we noticed a «Donovan’s» shuttle bus go by. I asked the hostess if the bus could take us back to our hotel. She called the driver but he was stuck in traffic and he was already committed to pick up somebody on the other side of town. No problem, I wanted to walk anyway, the hubs is the one who wanted to ride the bus.
Now to the food: it’s not the worst and it’s not the best. I had the salmon and it was slightly undercooked. I think my hubs had the halibut that he said was OK. My dish did not come with any sides, my hubs got mashed potatoes with his .We did not order dessert or any other sides since this place is sort of pricey (to us anyway). Eating here without a Groupon or a Living Social deal would set you back a pretty penny.
I had a great time here and I loved the people watching on the patio. I talked to the manager on the way out, he asked me how everything was and he seemed really nice. I give the staff here an A+. The food here is a solid B.

Disclaimer: BF and I have a Living Social Coupon.
The 1^st part rating is for the Happy Hour from 4pm-​6pm:
This rating is for the happy hour special, I find the service & food a solid 5 stars. We ordered oysters on a half shell for $ 1 each, that’s very cheap, since we go to Mercato in Little Italy and their happy hour very early in the morning is $ 1.25 each. We ordered a dozen, really, really good oysters. I had Cristalino Sparking wine and BF had Guinness for drinks, both on happy hour special as well. Service was excellent. Almost at the end, they handed out complimentary beef skewers. Yummmo!!! Will definiltely go here again for the Happy Hour special!!!
This 2^nd part rating is for the Dinner with Living Social Coupon
Rating is a solid 4. Service 4.5 and food probably 3.5. The team service staff are excellent. Better service experienced from Donovan’s Chop which is on the other side of the street. Although BF pointed out that we went there (Donovan’s Chop) in one of their busiest days (Valentine’s day), I told him that it shouldn’t be the case since they are supposed to have specific tables to check on you. I enjoyed the Prime Seafood better with regards to service and presentation, I ordered Lobster Risotto and BF ordered Seared Scallops. Risotto, not that great, rice not fully cooked, I still can bite into the grainy part of the rice. Lobster was a whole lobster tail, cooked perfectly right. Will definitely come here again.

Came here for my husband’s birthday. The restaurant was very accommodating when I told them I had a birthday cake, they allowed me to bring it. Their bread was very tasty and hot when it was brought to the table.
Their seabass was very tasty and in general everyone was satisfied with their selections for main course.
It is pricey but worth it totally.

My friend and I came here on Tuesday, 6÷26÷2012 because I had a certificate here. The atmosphere was quite romantic with the dim lighting, which might be a bit odd for some friends so it’s something to keep in mind. The only issue I found that the tables were cramped like sardines in a can. It didn’t feel very private that I could hear the tables next to us talking even though they were trying to speak quietly. My friend and I were trying to avoid from overhearing them, but it was kind of hard considering they were only a foot or two away. On the other hand, the décor was pretty and we both liked the glass walls to look out into down town. Also, the hostess and server were very friendly.
Notes: It’s good to take advantage of the valet. It’s $ 15 – 20 depending on the day and hour but they get your car ridiculously fast since they run to your car to get it to you and you’ll pay that amount parking downtown anyways. Plus if you have a date, why make them walk in heels? Plus valet is open for quite some time and that can give you some time to relax or walk around downtown without worries as well.
There was a selection of quite a few oysters that day and the server seemed quite knowledgeable on where the oysters were from, the size, texture, and flavor of each. The oysters came on a bed of ice served with two sauces: a cocktail sauce with some horseradish in it and then this interesting but good sherry vinegar sauce with minced shallots.
I really enjoyed the crab cake appetizer because it was made of crab with very little breading. Also the minced green onion added a nice texture to it. There were two sauces that came with the crab cake. One was delicious and packed with flavor and the other was a tartar sauce that was nothing to write home about.
The scallops were large and perfectly cooked. The texture was amazing and it was complimented by a tasty and creamy risotto and this tasty green sauce.
The perfectly cooked sea bass was amazing as well. It was buttery and delicious and complimented by perfectly cooked bok choy and mushrooms and a yummy green sauce.
Overall, it was a bit of a romantic setting, but who cares! Delicious food, good service, and great atmosphere. There is not much you can ask for from this place: nice upscale seafood dining in downtown. Although Prime Seafood is not well known as the steak house, I think this is on my list of great upscale seafood dining in downtown San Diego. I can’t wait to come back again.

We had reservations and we were seating within several mins. We were greeted by our server, Matthew, and he answered several questions about the entrees. Comp bread was provided and bottled water was available for our table.
We opted for the following:
–Bianchi Cab ($ 11)
–Riesling ($ 9)
–Seafood soup — Kinda greasy. I believe this is one of their specialties. There is too much going on up in here. I think I would have preferred straight up clam chowder.
–Prime Filet ($ 45): Med rare. Cooked to our liking.
–Filet and salmon duo ($ 55): Land and sea. Great combo if you don’t know what you’re craving.
–Chocolate Pot d Crème: Need I say more? Anything with a chocolate crème in a pot is heaven to me…
–Panna Cotta ($ 11): Not my cup of tea [or dessert], but it was still good.
Dinner came out to $ 150 tax and grat. Service was impeccable with several servers coming around assisting and refilling. Our dinner experience was great especially fr a special occasion.

My new plan is to eat dinner here every other night. Sure, it means I wouldn’t be able to put gas in my car, buy new clothes, pay rent, or be able to afford my gym membership, but who needs all that noise when you’ve got crab cakes and Chilean Sea Bass that is to. die. for?
Make that a $ 16 crabcake and $ 38 sea bass.
It’s no secret that this is place is EXPENSIVE. I had a daily deal that saved me some dough, but two entrees (well, one was a 3-​course meal) and one app and NO drinks would have cost $ 120 after tax and tip (without my coupon). Holy mackerel!
So let’s get past all that money stuff. We both understand that I will probably never eat there again unless I win the lotto. Let’s move on.
So. First, they bring you a little loaf of hot, soft bread and butter that they will replace as many times as you want. Nice!
Then the crabcake. Freaking delicious. Big white pieces of crabby flesh all over the place and a horseradish and tartar dippin’ sauce. It was pretty big, too. My eating partner said his seafood chowder was good.
Before I ordered the Chilean Sea Bass, our waiter (or «captain» as he liked to be called) said it was similar to butterfish, which is crazy because that just happens to be my favorite fish evar. So me and the Captain were totes on the same wavelength. The fish – a hefty portion – was served lovingly on a small bed of yummy mushroom risotto. But there was also bok choy… water chestnuts… ginger… pineapple… and mushrooms. Seriously, a fireworks of flavor in my mouth. God, it was really good. I can’t say if it’s better than the butterfish as Roy’s. but it might be. And it’s about twice as big for the same price.
My eating partner had salmon and some kind of meat (steak of some sort) and he said the steak was very good but wasn’t a huge fan of the salmon. His dish came with delicious mashed pot and some asparagus. I totally made the better choice.
Lastly, the panna cotta was sooooo good. I haven’t had panna cotta tons of times in my life, but I should have it a lot more. Before I took a bite, I was like, «how is this different from flan, anyway?» I soon knew. Panna cotta is WAY less sweet, and imo, way better. The fresh fruit was a perfect accompaniment.
The servers and greeters and everyone was top notch. A manager (or something?) came to check on us and another guy chatted with us about how they get their fish from sustainable sources and change the menu when one of the fish they serve is starting to be threatened and stuff. So that was nice. All in all, a very nice experience.

I’m going to hate myself for giving up one of what I thin is the best kept secret Happy Hour spots… but here goes:
I ‘discovered’ this place due to one of the fabulous Unilocal Elite parties (thank you Danny W!) and decided to return for their happy hour. Boy am I glad that I did!
4 – 6 pm EVERY DAY — except Sundays I think– there is a rockin happy hour
FREE FISH TACOS… FREE FISH BURRITOS… I kid you not.
Amazing signature cocktails and a lively and competent waitstaff. Kathy was our HH server and she was so great!
The manager was really into the Michael Buble song that was playing and my sister and I just loved how she felt carefree enough to dance around to it. «I just haven’t met you yet» is truly a fun song and I don’t think enough of us dance to music when we enjoy it… it’s like stopping to smell the roses.
Yes, Donovan’s Prime Seafood is a CLASSY place but never will this place equate classy with stuffy.
I will be back and will bring more people… that is, if I can still find a seat after this review goes out…
The only downside is the parking., but hey, it’s downtown, what do you expect?