8 Best Seafood Restaurants in Orange County — Where Locals Go

The best seafood restaurants in Orange County start with Water Grill in Costa Mesa. It has the deepest raw bar in the county and a menu that changes daily. For casual, just-caught fish, Bear Flag Fish Co. in Newport Beach is the local favorite. The Crab Cooker has served mesquite-broiled fish on Newport Boulevard since 1951.

This guide ranks eight OC seafood spots, from white-tablecloth dinners to pier patios and a Cajun crab boil. I checked each official menu, address and current hours, and I left out places that have closed.

Seafood in Orange County runs from fancy to messy. Some nights call for a chilled shellfish tower. Others call for a bib, a bag of crawfish and a roll of paper towels.

So this list mixes styles on purpose. Each pick is the best at what it does, whether that is oysters at sunset or a fish market lunch.

How I ranked these seafood restaurants

Freshness came first. I favored places that run their own fish markets, buy from local boats or change the menu with the catch.

Then I weighed range, value, setting and track record. Prices come from current official menus and can change with the market.

One note on what is missing. O Sea in Old Towne Orange made many past lists. It served its last meal on April 30, 2026.

1. Water Grill South Coast Plaza

Water Grill is the best all-around seafood restaurant in Orange County. It sits across from South Coast Plaza, next to the Segerstrom Center for the Arts.

The menu changes every day based on what comes in. Water Grill is run by Costa Mesa-based King’s Seafood Company, which has its own seafood distribution arm.

The raw bar is the reason to go

Expect a long list of oysters, plus crabs, lobsters and iced shellfish platters. Seasonal stars recently included Florida stone crab and Nantucket Bay scallops.

Local California spiny lobster is a highlight in season. Water Grill says its partners trap them along the reefs from Dana Point to Catalina Island.

What to order at Water Grill

Start with a half dozen oysters and a cold shellfish platter for the table. Then go with whatever whole fish or crab is in season.

Wild Pacific halibut and Dungeness crab are regulars in their seasons. If someone in your group wants steak, there is American Wagyu too.

Good to know before you go

Water Grill is open from 11 a.m. daily, until 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Reservations are strongly recommended before a show.

The dress code is smart casual, and valet is on site. Your first 750mL bottle of wine is free to bring, and each extra bottle is $50.

Find it at 3300 Bristol St, Costa Mesa, CA 92626. Menus are on the Water Grill South Coast Plaza website.

2. Bear Flag Fish Co.

Bear Flag Fish Co. is the best casual seafood in Orange County. It is a counter-service fish market where the fish in the case becomes your lunch.

Owner Thos opened the first shop in 2007 after years of working on fishing boats. Bear Flag buys a lot of local fish and catches some itself.

Four Orange County locations

The original is in Lido Village on the Newport Peninsula. There is a smaller counter at Crystal Cove and a Pacific City shop in Huntington Beach with beach views.

The newest Bear Flag opened in October 2026 on East 17th Street in Costa Mesa. It is the brand’s biggest setup yet, with a fish market, sushi bar, full bar and patio.

What to order at Bear Flag

Get poke by the pound with chips to start. As of November 2026, the ahi poke is $22.75 a pound, and the salmon poke is $26.75.

Then order tacos or a burrito with the fish of the day. The cioppino and Peruvian ceviche are good picks when you want something lighter.

Bear Flag also made our list of the best fish tacos in Orange County, for good reason.

Where to find Bear Flag

The Lido shop is at 3421 Via Lido, Newport Beach, CA 92663. The new Costa Mesa location is at 154 E 17th St, Costa Mesa, CA 92627.

Crystal Cove is at 7962 Pacific Coast Hwy, Newport Beach, CA 92657, and Huntington Beach is at 21058 Pacific Coast Hwy, Huntington Beach, CA 92648. See menus on the Bear Flag Fish Co. website.

3. The Crab Cooker

The Crab Cooker is the most classic seafood restaurant in Orange County. Bob Roubian opened it in Newport Beach in 1951, and 2026 marks its 75th year.

The red building on Newport Boulevard is hard to miss. Inside, it is loud, casual and covered in old signs and photos.

Mesquite-broiled and simple

The kitchen still cooks fish over a hot mesquite broiler, the way Roubian did. His motto was “The Main Thing is to Keep The Main Thing The Main Thing.”

The family still runs it, and the third generation now works the grill. Meals come on paper plates, which is part of the charm.

What to order at The Crab Cooker

Order a skewer of shrimp or scallops, or a piece of fresh fish off the broiler. The crab cakes and Alaskan king crab legs are long-time favorites.

The clam chowder is tomato-based, not creamy, so know that going in. The house-baked fisherman’s bread and Romano potatoes come with many plates.

Good to know before you go

The Crab Cooker is open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. The fish market up front sells fresh fillets and house-smoked fish to take home.

The Tustin location closed on May 31, 2026, after 33 years. The Newport Beach original is now the only one.

Find it at 2200 Newport Blvd, Newport Beach, CA 92663. Order pickup on the Crab Cooker website.

4. The Cannery Seafood of the Pacific

The Cannery is the best seafood restaurant on the water in Newport Beach. It sits right on the Rhine Channel, where the city’s first commercial fish cannery was built in 1921.

The building became a restaurant in the 1970s. Local resident Jack Croul bought it in 2000 to save it. Today it is run by restaurateur Ron Salisbury of El Cholo.

What to order at The Cannery

Go big with the seafood tower. It stacks king crab, crab claws, cocktail shrimp and a dozen oysters. A smaller seafood platter works for two.

The crab cake with avocado crème fraîche is the signature starter. The New England clam chowder and PEI mussels are solid too.

The Jellyfish Lounge

The Jellyfish Lounge has happy hour from 3:30 to 6 p.m. every day. It is the easy way to get the harbor view without a full dinner bill.

Order an El Cholo margarita, a family recipe from 1967, with a plate of oysters.

Good to know before you go

Dinner starts at 5 p.m. daily. Lunch runs Wednesday through Friday, and brunch runs on weekends from 11 a.m.

The Cannery is at 3010 Lafayette Ave, Newport Beach, CA 92663. Book on the Cannery Newport website.

It is also an easy pick from our date night ideas in Orange County.

5. Fly-N-Fish Oyster Bar & Grill

Fly-N-Fish is the best oyster bar in Orange County for a beach day. It sits on the Newport Beach boardwalk, a short walk from the Newport Pier.

Oysters are shucked in-house, and the daily selection changes. Grab a patio seat and you can watch the sun drop into the Pacific.

Happy hour is the move

Happy hour runs Monday through Friday from 3 to 6 p.m., not counting holidays. As of November 2026, a half dozen fresh-shucked oysters is $14, and draft beer is $5 to $7.

For more deals like this, see our Orange County happy hour guide.

What to order at Fly-N-Fish

Start with the award-winning New England clam chowder and oysters Rockefeller. The cioppino is loaded with shrimp, scallops, clams, mussels, calamari, crab and fresh fish.

For a main, try the cedar-planked king salmon ($44 as of November 2026) or fish and chips ($28). Fresh catch like swordfish or halibut is charbroiled with garlic butter.

Fly-N-Fish is at 2304 W Oceanfront, Newport Beach, CA 92663. It opens at 11:30 a.m. on weekdays and 11 a.m. on weekends. See the menu on the Fly-N-Fish website.

6. The Fisherman’s Restaurant & Bar

The Fisherman’s is the best seafood restaurant with an ocean view in South County. It is built right on the historic San Clemente Pier, so the waves roll under you.

There are two sides: a sit-down restaurant and an oyster bar. Both have patio seating over the water.

What to order at The Fisherman’s

Get the clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl and a bucket of steamed clams. Fish tacos, fish and chips and coconut shrimp are the popular plates.

It also opens at 8 a.m. for breakfast. The seafood benedicts, including a soft-shell crab version, make it a great pier morning.

Good to know before you go

Hours run 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. most days, a bit later on Friday and Saturday. Parking is in the metered pier bowl lots and nearby streets.

The restaurant is at 611 Avenida Victoria, San Clemente, CA 92672. Reserve on the Fisherman’s Restaurant website.

Make a day of it with a swim from our best beaches in Orange County guide.

7. Rocoto Pesca Bar

Rocoto Pesca Bar is the best new seafood restaurant in Orange County. It opened in Huntington Beach in July 2025 with a Peruvian menu built around raw and lightly cooked fish.

Chef Christian Chan learned from his father, Chef Jorge W. Chan, who founded two Peruvian restaurants. Christian’s menu blends Peruvian, Japanese and Chinese roots.

What to order at Rocoto

Start with a cebiche. The Playa mixes fish of the day, shrimp, scallop and octopus in rocoto leche de tigre.

Oysters come four to an order with black magic leche de tigre. The hamachi tiradito and grilled Peruvian scallops are strong next steps.

For something warm, order the chaufa marino. It is Chinese-Peruvian fried rice with scallops, octopus, jumbo shrimp and calamari.

Good to know before you go

Rocoto is a few miles inland, so come for the food, not a view. Corkage is $18 a bottle.

Find it at 16972 Goldenwest St, Huntington Beach, CA 92647. Book a table on the Rocoto Pesca Bar website.

8. The Boiling Crab

The Boiling Crab is the best Cajun seafood boil in Orange County. The chain started in Garden Grove in 2004, and Little Saigon is still its home turf.

Seafood comes in a plastic bag, tossed in sauce, and you eat with your hands. Bibs are part of the deal.

How ordering works

Pick your catch by the pound, like shrimp, crawfish, crab legs or clams. Then pick a sauce and a heat level.

The Whole Sha-Bang! is the signature, a mix of Rajun Cajun, lemon pepper and garlic butter. Heat runs from non-spicy to mild, medium and XXX.

Add corn and potatoes to soak up the sauce. Chicken tenders and wings are there for anyone who skips seafood.

Good to know before you go

The Brookhurst location opens at 3 p.m. on weekdays and noon on weekends, closing at 10 p.m. Lines build fast at dinner, so go early.

It is in the Garden Grove Plaza at 13892 Brookhurst St, Garden Grove, CA 92843. A to-go shop is a few doors down. See the menu on the Boiling Crab Garden Grove page.

Honorable mentions

Gulfstream in Newport Beach is a long-time Hillstone favorite for smoked trout dip and Dover sole. It is at 850 Avocado Ave, Newport Beach, CA 92660, with menus on the Gulfstream website.

Mastro’s Ocean Club at Crystal Cove is the splurge for seafood towers and ocean views (Mastro’s Ocean Club website). It is at 8112 E Coast Hwy, Newport Beach, CA 92657.

Best seafood restaurants in Orange County compared

How to choose the best seafood restaurant in Orange County

Pick Water Grill for a celebration or a pre-show dinner. Pick Bear Flag when you want great fish fast and cheap.

Pick The Crab Cooker for a slice of old Newport Beach. Pick The Cannery or The Fisherman’s when the view matters most.

Pick Fly-N-Fish for happy hour oysters near the sand. Pick Rocoto for bright Peruvian flavors, and The Boiling Crab for a messy group night.

Coast or inland?

Most of the best seafood hugs the coast, from Newport Beach down to the San Clemente Pier. Inland, Costa Mesa and Garden Grove are the strongest bets.

Newport Beach traffic gets heavy on summer weekends. A weeknight dinner or a late lunch is the easy way around it.

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