Tuna Harbor Dockside Market

Get there early, like crack of dawn and bring cash. If you want super fresh seafood, this is the place to be. But don’t expect super good deals or a super large selection. There are no signs posted at most spots and you don’t know how much anything is unless you ask if you can get someone’s attention. Its a cool little trip to take the kids for the experience, but I don’t have the patience to wait in line for hours. The local grocery store suits me just fine.

COMPLETE waste of time, money, and gas! A local TV promo during the week claimed they had lobster, crab, and great prices on fish with «$ 3 tuna». I’m interested in Tuna, local lobster, and rock crab so I decide make the trip.
I hate anything downtown because it’s always a bad experience, with lack of parking and high prices of parking and everything else.
Sure enough, I get down there and it’s a zoo — all parking lots and street parking filled. I FINALLY get a spot and put a dollar in the machine, which gets me a whopping 30 minutes… barely enough time to get there and back.
At the front of the dock is a sign with lots of fish, crab, and lobster listed, but does NOT tell you which seller has them. There are only 5 vendor tents… NONE of them have the $ 3 tuna, NONE of them have lobster, and NONE of them have rock crab! I asked what they charge for lobster when then do have it, and they said $ 18.50/lb, which is MORE than the store in San Diego!
Bottom line: This is a tourist gimmick and ripoff. Don’t waste your time, gas, or parking fees on this nonsense, buy from a local store.

This place was awesome!!! Go early for sure, starts at 8am and we got there around 715 and it was perfect timing. We were there looked at what we wanted, got it cleaned and filtered and was out of there. We got Aku and yellowtail at only $ 4 a pound. Hands on deck were very nice and helpful. Amazing variety of fresh seafood. Come with a cooler of ice. They don’t have a lot of extra ice and they pack fish in plastic garbage bags or brown bags so be prepared so it doesn’t stink up your car. Totally worth the drive.

This place is great. How wonderful to know you are getting really fresh seafood. The vendors/​fishermen offer a variety of seafood. The market offers a fish gutting and cutting service, I think that’s great! I would like to see them offering a few more items, clams, oysters and mussels, to name a few, on a more regular basis. Lots to love about this fresh market including great views of the bay while you shop. I highly recommend shopping at the this Dockside Market.

Fresh LOCALLY caught seafood, well priced and helpful vendors that will give you tips on the recipes they use to cook it. Try the sea urchin egg scramble! Amazing flavors freshly made right in front of you!

I love coming here every weekend must come early to beat out the crowd, your buying directly from fisherman so dealing with middleman!

Hope this continues to grow. Amazing.
We bought four massive pieces of tuna for $ 30. I couldn’t believe how good these things tasted. Will definitely be back.

What a total disappointment. Literally 4 pop up covers, very few fish and a lot of pushy people grabbing for the few fish that were there. To even move to 2 stars it need to double in size and actually have fish available.

There is some variety of fish, but mostly rockfish, and there is a vendor that sell crabs and fresh sea urchin; however, the taste of the urchin fall short from what you can get at the local seafood market, but the crabs is worth a try.
I would not recommend people to go religiously, since you are just getting the same thing almost every week.
Also, bring cash because not all vendors accept credit cards. And they recently added a stand that help people to gut the fish, all you need to do is to tip the butcher.

This is a great place to get local fish! We were also introduced some new stuff too! I never heard of Razor (racer) crabs and they fishermen here were great at explaining where they came from, what they taste like and share tips on how to prepare them.
They had great prices on squid ($ 3/​lb) and even fresh albacore tune ($ 3/​lb). Cheaper if you buy the whole fish but of course you have to know how to clean your own fish. Good thing my mom does!
You do have to come early to get the good stuff and avoid paid meter parking! It was a bit annoying how they handle crowds, silly lines. Also, there are some people who buy out the entire day’s catch of certain things like crabs. I wish there was a way for these people to just put in an advanced order if they know they are going to buy a bunch that way the vendors will know how much they should bring in for sale.
I hope this stays around and they add more vendors to the mix. Maybe a combination of a farmers market and fish market? One can only wish…

Great 1^st experience this morning at the Tuna Harbor Dockside Market. My buddy Scott and I wanted to support the fisherman and also support CA Assembly Speaker Toni Atkin’s «Pacific to Plate» legislation which if adopted would make it much easier for open air fish markets to grow and flourish much like all of our amazing open air certified farmers markets. We «landed» some fresh halibut, swordfish and albacore at reasonable prices from knowledgeable, friendly and helpful fishermen and their families. If you too have had a great experience at the Tuna Harbor Dockside Market, please contact your state and local legislators and tell them you support the «Pacific to Plate» bill! With our support, San Diego can once again be known as the Tuna Capital of the World!

Stone crab for $ 2.50 a pound! I’m 100% there!
Now, tell me where in San Diego besides Tuna Harbor Dockside Market can you find affordable fresh caught seafood? Okay, that was a rhetorical question but this place can’t be beat. I bought 4 stone crabs, a spider crab, and 2 sea urchin for less than 40 bucks. I don;t even think you can get a crab dish for less than 15 bucks at any restaurant.
If I’m in the mood for seafood and willing to get my butt up early I will always come here for my seafood. My favorite thing to do with the fresh seafood is steaming it or putting it in a hot pot, perfect for a cold day.

Many reviewers have bashed this place but because they didn’t know what to expect. They sell fresh and live seafood and early birds ALWAYS get the worm. They usually sell out of their good stuff after 9am. There is free parking until 10am and if you come early enough there’s usually a parking spot with your name on it. They have quite a bit of selections (spider crabs, box crabs, whelk snails, sea urchin, thorny heads, black cod, etc) but there are way too many restaurant owners that come here for their seafood which really discourages myself and casual/​average people from waiting for this as they can and WILL grab all the good stuff with just one order.
Probably not a place that I would go every Saturday morning but once in a while is okay. Plus I don’t like paying things with cash, it’s all about the plastics.

This place is the real deal. It’s one of the only places where you can buy San Diego-​landed seafood (as local as it gets) straight from the very fishermen who caught it and their families.
I read through the other comments about this market not having salmon or king crab… of course not! those things aren’t from our region and if that’s what you want, then yes, Catalina Offshore and the like is the place for you. This market isn’t trying to substitute for distributors, it’s just giving the fishermen a way to directly sell a little of their catch and to hob nob with the public. So, if you want to experience the catch of the week, and know you’re getting some of the freshest, responsibly sourced fish in town, then Tuna Harbor Dockside Market is for you.
The people are friendly and helpful, i love getting cooking advice from the fishermen and hearing their stories. The location isn’t too shabby either– great views, ocean air. It is a really nice, modest market run by a group of fishermen from our artisanal fishing fleet in San Diego, but the supplies are certainly there. Make sure you check out their website or Facebook page before heading down there to see what they’ll have on Saturday. The selection varies with season and fishery health (all heavily regulated so responsibly harvested) just like other truly local food sources.
Be adventurous and go experience the market, the people and, of course the fish. This has been a long time in the coming for San Diego– have fun embracing it and don’t forget your cooler!

This place is so lame. 4 of the tiniest tents you’ll ever see with the smallest catches of the morning. This market has so much potential to be something cool with the great location they have, but they hardly have anyone selling anything, and the people who are selling things have so little to offer that you’d be better off doing your own fishing, or just going to Catalina Offshore for your seafood needs. My friend and I came here expecting fresh fish and possibly some fun fish treats to order, but there was almost nothing to eat except some ceviche that was sitting on melting ice, basking in the sun. Wah wah. :(

Why was it 4.5 stars on Unilocal?I was reading an article about this «first open air seafood market» in San Diego, and it’s comparable to those in Seattle or SF according to the article. What a joke… and disappointment! Btw it’s next to the Midway Museum and it was impossible to find parking.
We came here last Saturday and was hoping to get some fresh seafood and lunch. Unfortunately they only had a handful of vendors and a just several kinds of seafood! Not to mention they don’t have anything ready to eat. So I think Catalina Offshore Product is better because not only they have fresh locally caught seafood, they also have seafood from all over the world! Plus you don’t need to worry about finding parking.
Will I come back? Yeah if they have something more special next time, maybe king crab, or even sazae, hmmm… how about fugu? Haha!

Good spot with room for improvement.
A lil tough to find, but if ya dont mind pickin up some super-​fresh tasty fish that ya take home to scale and clean yaself, this is the spot!
You can by ya veggies at the supermarket, or fresh from the farmer at the farmers market. You can buy ya fish at the supermarket or direct from the guy (or gal) who caught it! Seems like quite the easy decision to me! Ill be hittin the Dockside again soon… like i said, good, with room for improvement!

Considering this is the FIRST open air fish market IN San Diego, Let me see what USEFUL information I can add that the 2 reviews below hasn’t already mentioned.
First things first. This place has been open every Saturday from 0800 – 1300 for nearly a month now. I arrived here last Saturday (9−6−14) around 0815 and NO line. Thank goodness! That is, until I spoke with a few people who has been here every Saturday since the grand opening and was told that there are lines before 0700 for those who want the best of the crop (think: Yellowfin TUNA).
When my family and I went here for the first time, it was just to feel the place out because we didn’t know what to expect let alone where this place was, where we needed to park, and what to bring for next time… because there is DEFINITELY a next time. Should’ve been a no brainer right? Here’s what I’ve learned.
Useful info:
1. Its in the Sea Port Village area. The easiest way to tell you all is to go drive to Sea Port Village and head to the main parking lot structure but don’t park IN the Seaport Village structure because you will see a sign just right before the entrance a «Dockside Market» parking right before it. Obviously, if there is no parking… then feel free to park in the Seaport Village parking lot. Just keep in mind that you have to purchase something from the merchants to validate your parking ticket.
2. I can’t stress this enough. BRING a cooler with you. WITH Ice. Cooler size dependent on what how much fresh seafood you are buying. All you get when you purchase your fish is a trash bag to hold it in.
3. Like I said, it opens from 0800 – 1300 every Saturday. Come early for the best selection. I bumped into a coworker of mine while I was there and she’s been going every week since it opened and she was well prepared. She brought a big cooler filled with ice and she had 6 sea urchins, mackerel, crabs, and bought the last Yellowfin Tuna.
4. Bring cash. I’m not sure if credit cards are used but every single person I saw paid in cash.
With that useful information out of the way, my take on it. When I went, it was pretty small. Less than a dozen vendors but I’m sure it’ll grow in time. After all, its only a few weeks old. Like I said, no lines. I met one of the vendors selling the Boccacio and Starry fish and was told that they catch their fish right off of San Clemente and that their fresh fish was less than 15 hrs old. I believe it. You can tell when you see the fish. The prices are VERY reasonable. You can’t beat fresh fish at these prices in comparison to buying it at the grocery store or seafood market.
I like supporting local businesses. I’ll definitely be coming here again more prepared. Mental checklist for me– Bring a cooler, ice, and cash since I’ll be sure to stock up on the oysters, crabs, and a variety of fish. Definitely recommend!

Fresh fish market! What a great addition to San Diego!
This market is open on Saturday mornings (ending around 1 PM). We arrived at the market at 10:30, and several types of fish had sold out already.
San Diego fishermen pull their boats up to this dock behind Seaport Village, and sell their fish directly to the people! The fishermen are able to earn $ 1 more per pound than they would selling to restaurants, and the customers get a fresher, more inexpensive product. Everybody wins!
As for the offerings, they had some live sea urchin (like at the farmer’s markets), top snails, crabs, and a bunch of fish. Here were some prices I caught — please note this is not a comprehensive list:
Red rock cod $ 5/​lb
Bocaccio $ 4/​lb
Rockfish $ 5/​lb
Yellow fin $ 5/​lb
Skip Jack $ 5/​lb
Black Cod $ 5/​lb
We bought a 2.45 pound Red Rock Cod, and the fisherman suggested we watch a Youtube video on how to cut it properly. He offered to explain himself, but said that most people would like to rewind, and have multiple views. They also suggested that we deep-​fry or grill the fish. Since we have neither a grill, nor a deep-​fryer, we’re going to bake it.
The fish we purchased was caught off of San Clemente island. We’ve learned recently about how many antibiotics and crazy unhealthy conditions that «farmed» fish experience — with all of this new knowledge coming out about what’s actually in the food we eat, it’s becoming more challenging to eat responsibly. This market gives us many more options than buying salmon at Costco.
There were some ENORMOUS fish there — 15-​pound Yellowtail fish, and people were buying them up! The packaging is pretty hilarious — just large blue trash bags. At $ 5 per pound, people were dropping $ 75 on these fish, each, and just hauling them off.
If cut and packaged correctly, this fresh fish can last up to 6 months in the freezer. Despite hearing this, we didn’t want to tackle such a huge fish with just the two of us… maybe we need to plan a tuna party…
The market will be open year-​round (they will persevere, despite San Diego’s drastic seasons), with a slightly different selection of fish available. There will be some staples available year-​round, but as we head toward winter, we can expect some swordfish and lobsters coming in.

This new market is the bees knees!
Nestled between the Midway and Seaport Village, sometimes it’s easily overlooked, but definitely a great find. As a local, I can’t believe I’ve never noticed this area before.
Lots of local fish, great prices, and today there’s a cooking demo with free samples. It’s pretty awesome.
A kid fishing with his family totally just caught a little fish from the bay.
Check it out!