Bluewater Grill — Restaurant in Carlsbad

I love seafood, & my wife & I've been meaning to come to BG for a long time. Accompanied by good friends of ours, we finally made it here for lunch, on 8/29/23.

General first impression of the Carlsbad location:

Decent-sized parking lot, considering how busy the area is. There's parking along the west side of the restaurant, as well as behind it. We had no problem finding a parking spot, & we arrived around noon.

I liked how spread out the seating areas were, plus the fact they offered booth & table seating inside. We chose a booth, & it was very comfortable- just right for us. Bluewater Grill also has 2 smaller-sized patios, for those who prefer to dine outside.

Decor was nice, with a neutral color palette, of natural wood beams up high, & light-colored walls, with taxidermy mounted saltwater fish, hung up high, as well as pictures of fish, & fishermen, completing the ocean theme inside.

Our server started out attentive & welcoming, though our table service grew increasingly slower, & less connected, as our lunch progressed. This was due to her taking on a large party of guests, seated just around the corner, from us.

I enjoyed their fresh, pre-sliced Sourdough bread, served on a plate, with soft, spreadable butter.

I liked the fact that they had Serial Cabernet Sauvignon, on their wine list, so I got a 9 oz. pour of this rich & delicious red.

I started with their $18 Maryland-Style Crab Cakes. They were good, for ones you get here, in California, but couldn't hold a candle to the huge & amazing crab cakes, I grew up eating, in Maryland. The remoulade sauce beneath Bluewater Grill's crab cakes was tasty. A rectangular border of scallion oil, dramatically framed this dish, on the plate. Micro greens topped both crab cakes. They use claw meat, to make their crab cakes, instead of larger chunks of backfin lump crabmeat, which is more expensive, & more highly-coveted, both for its taste & texture. Anyway, BG's crab cakes were pretty good.

For my entree, I ordered Tuscan Artichoke Rockfish. I got a healthy-size rockfish filet, fairly thick, coated with oven-dried tomato pesto. The fish was perfectly cooked, super succulent & delicious, plated alongside a bed of Parmesan risotto, with 4 Panko-fried artichoke hearts, resting on the fish. I enjoyed small offerings of the fish & risotto, combined, for a wonderfully flavorful bite. The fried artichoke hearts weren't my favorite. They lacked flavor, plus these fried bites didn't arrive at our table hot.

My wife ordered a $13.50 Bowl of New England Clam Chowder. After trying several spoonfuls of her white chowder, I was first drawn in, by the wonderful flavor. I also appreciated this white chowder came out hot. I've tried New England-Style clam chowder at many different restaurants, & based on this, I found BG's white chowder to be seriously lacking, in the amount of good stuff found within. My favorite ones, have lots of clams, or clam bits, bacon & decent-sized potato chunks & chopped celery. The chowder here was lacking, in ample amounts of these ingredients, plus the consistency was too runny, IMO.

I think you'll enjoy some menu items here, like their fresh-cooked fish, however, some items on their menu, will leave you...

Upscale Seafood Restaurant in the Heart of Carlsbad Village. Lovely outdoor patio (2) one in front and one in back. Great service. Food is good—little ⬆️ $$$. $50 for Lunch (incl tax & tip) is a bit steep. New England Clam Chowder was creamy and delicious. The bread and butter they serve is excellent. I mistakenly ordered the Crab BLTA. I don’t recommend it. Crab meat was very fresh, yet flavorless and just didn’t go well in a sandwich. Would’ve been much better on the side with some drawn butter or a nice aioli. Fries were crisp and plentiful. Ranch dressing is yummy. Ginger Beer was good quality. Would like to return to try Happy Hour offerings and other menu items. UPDATED: 8/11/25 made it to HH and got the Baked Crab & Artichoke Dip—WOW—So Good. And the Firecracker Shrimp Lettuce Cups was amazing and plentiful. Although the Lettuce is a bit odd (but the shrimp-Wow)! Check out the photos! I also got the Napa Gin Tonic Cocktail—very good and very refreshing. Inside dining is very nice as are the restrooms. Parking can be tough…there’s a Free public parking right beside as well as street parking and other lots. Beware if you’re sitting on the front patio as the trains are incredibly loud with the crossing only a few feet away. Definitely...

If you like to have the best fresh Seafood and have cooked your way..then this place is for you!! Try the Rainbow Trout Almandine... delicious! 😋. They feature fresh homemade Sourdough Bread! It is unlimited straight to your table...This is the only Restaurant that I have been to that has its own Boat to catch Fresh Sword Fish!! The menu listed Sword Fish Blackened Chipotle style. But I prefer it Seared with Sweet Butter and Basmati Rice, and they prepared it that way for me, amazing! 😍 Bluewater Grill is located in the very stylish Carlsbad Village. An interesting side note is that the Coaster Railway Line is about 20 yards away so you will be treated to a Train Whistle every time it passes through Carlsbad. I highly recommend that if you plan to have a table waiting for your group, make a reservation well in advance! But if it is just you and a friend...just walk-in and the Staff will make certain that you are seated and ready to order in a very short time! Great Staff and Great Service!! (Side Note: The Parking Lot is extremely small and on Saturday Night it will be very difficult to get a good spot. But I still highly recommend this place,...