Savoring A Taste Of Seattle On The San Clemente Pier

Forbes

24-03-2025

Seafood from the Pacific Northwest is featured on the menu at Fisherman's Restaurant in Orange County and the busy kitchen hits the mark at this popular spot. Here's what makes this cross-state connection extra special.
Fisherman's Restaurant in San Clemente, Calif., features seafood from the Pacific Northwest. That ... More delicious connection is thanks to the owners, who are based in Seattle.
Like many California coastal communities, San Clemente's shoreline is distinguished by a wooden pier that dates back to the days when those served as the hub of commerce. While that's changed, piers have become landmarks that visitors embrace and on which fisherfolk try their luck.
In San Clemente, the pier was originally built in 1928, with destructive storms making rebuilding efforts necessary in the decades that followed. The casual restaurant that sits above the water at the shore end of the pier opened in 1983, with a sister location on the north side launching later.
The owner, Hal Griffith, was known in Seattle for his efforts to save Pier 57 on the city's waterfront back in the late 1960s. That's the home of the original Fisherman's Restaurant & Bar, a bustling tourist favorite with an extensive menu.
Griffith's preservation efforts were at first resisted by a city government looking to modernize, according to an exhaustive story on HistoryLink.org. But eventually, he prevailed and Seattle's waterfront became one of its biggest attractions, especially after opening of a new Overlook Walk that connects the area to the Pike Place Market. (With lots of stops along the way for a perfect selfie.)
Back in the OC, Fisherman's enjoys the kind of incredible location that might make it easy to jack up the prices and let the quality slide, but that wasn't the case during a recent breakfast.
Watching the surfers from the deck of Fisherman's Restaurant & Bar in San Clemente, Calif., is one ... More of the attractions of this waterfront eatery owned by a Seattle family.
After spending snowbird season in Palm Springs, I hit the road in my 23-foot Thor Gemini motorhome and made a beeline for the California coast. Hugging the shoreline on the way back to the PNW has become a time-honored tradition and one of the greatest joys of this incredibly scenic route is scoring seafood by the seashore.
I was intrigued by Fisherman's boast of showcasing sea creatures from the Northwest and while the excellent server, Raoul, was helpful in offering suggestions, details on when the fish was caught were a little hazy. No big deal, I'll bite.
That chilly morning, the seafood benedict seemed like the right move, especially since my husband and I had walked from the beautiful San Clemente State Beach campground. While we waited for breakfast, we watched the surfers riding waves just below the deck. What a show!
The meal arrived and the Benedict was piled high with an impressive assortment of sea creatures: small scallops, lump crab, shrimp and chunks of halibut. The hollandaise was nicely done and didn't drown the main attraction, as is too often the case when it comes to Benedicts.
While the meal was enjoyable, there was room for improvement in the drip coffee department. That Seattle connection seemed lacking in the cup shy of the characteristic dark roast kick.
That didn't seem to matter to diners at surrounding tables, who looked happy sipping on mimosas and Bloody Marys.
After breakfast, we walked back to the park through the lively shopping district and eventually hit the San Clemente State Beach's terrific visitor center. There's a self-guided tour of the early California surfing culture that's well worthing catching.