Catalina Fish Kitchen & Seafood deli — Restaurant in Costa Mesa

All I had were the fish and chips which to me were a great disappointment. They weren’t fish and chips as we have come to know them but a variation that had a thick Panko crust over a thin strip of fish. Not worth the 12 bucks. The help was unfriendly I don’t know if the guy could speak English or if he was just high on something. I kept asking for malt vinegar to put on the fish and he kept telling me I would be getting some with the meal. When it couldn’t be found he claimed the vinegar was in the shrimp cocktail sauce that was in the shrimp cocktail sauce that was included in the basket! Come on! There wasn’t any malt vinegar anywhere in that place. So if you’re looking for authentic fish and chips you won’t find it here.

Summary: high priced for what you get, you don’t get much fish it’s just a lot of breading, no beer batter breading to be seen only Panko, and no malt vinegar to complete the dish. The Panko was almost burnt.

Perhaps the other dishes are good here I wouldn’t know, my disappointment with the fish and chips will send me elsewhere. And the help were not motivated. Nice...

The reviews are true! This place is a little off the beaten path and I understand why it's frequented by locals, based on the location. If you're looking for a wide variety of options of delicious food and affordable prices, this is a great place! It's casual, family-loving, and the staff is very friendly!

We had the shrimp ceviche, ahi tuna appetizer, crab cake app and the steak fajita special (Monday's special).

The ahi and ceviche were perfect and seem to be made to allow you to add your own seasoning and/or heat level. We loved that.

The crab cake is amazing. I'm not a fan of teriyaki sauce, which goes on top of the cake, but it was actually a welcomed surprise. I've never finished a restaurant- made crab cake until today. We're going to return tomorrow before we head home. (My man said his opinion of the steak doesn't count because he made the wrong choice in picking a beef dish in a restaurant that specializes in seafood and fish.) :-)

HIGHLY...

We chose to check this place out because it's a seafood deli. The place is located in a corner which is somewhat out of the way and there's not a lot of other diners in the area. We were there on a Friday at about 6:00 - 7:00pm and parking was available. There were quite a few customers during that time. Place was quiet except for the oldies music playing in the background.

Food was fine, fish and seafood not as fresh as we wanted but good enough to go with wine. There is a good variety of choice for seafood and veggies, which is served on paper plates with plastic spoon and fork.

You start by going to the cashier to place your order, pay then take you seat and food will be served...