Point Loma was the perfect spot for the Fish Shop to cast its line, tailoring its look and feel to fit that of the surrounding Portuguese fishing community.

“We do different specials that really capture the community essence around here, what people like and people do,” said Larry Alva, operations manager for the eatery, which is marking its fifth year at 1110 Rosecrans St. in Point Loma Village. “We have a full liquor license, so we have cocktails and margaritas.”

The Peninsula is the third location for Fish Shop, which first dropped anchor at 1775 Garnet Ave. in Pacific Beach, and now includes a site in Encinitas as well. The seafood restaurant was co-founded in 2010 by restaurateur Billy Ramirez, co-owner of Pacific Beach Shore Club. Since then, Fish Shops have all built a reputation for providing the freshest seafood complemented with outstanding service in a relaxed atmosphere that is both family- and dog-friendly.

A fast-casual eatery, Fish Shop uses only the highest-quality ingredients, hand-making all its seasonings and sauces and hand-cutting its fries and onion rings daily. All of its soups and salads are also made from scratch. All told, there are over 2,000 combinations on the menu to choose from.

The menu at the Fish Shop features ahi tuna, mahi mahi, albacore, diver scallops, jumbo shrimp, red snapper, salmon, sea bass, swordfish, and yellowtail. Those fish varieties are served with a choice of a taco, sandwich, salad, or plate. Also on the menu are lumpia, crab cakes, fish and shrimp n’ chips, shrimp cocktail, sashimi, fried calamari, oysters, stew, clam chowder, and shrimp and mahi mahi ceviche.

Come in and build-your-own taco, sandwich, salad, or plate by selecting your cut of fish, sides, and marinade. Diners can dive into some of the Fish Shop’s favorites, such as its award-winning TKO taco; grilled mahi-mahi marinated in Fish Shop seasoning topped with our tropical mango salsa or the Coconut Shrimp coated in house-made shredded coconut batter, deep-fried golden and crispy.

“We actually just started doing shrimp boils here too,” noted Alva adding, “Every Sunday we’re going to be doing a shrimp boil starting at 1 p.m. We’re kicking that off for football season. People can come in here and get a pound of shrimp and cook it in a spicy Cajun style.”

The restaurant also has a solid working relationship with Harbortown Pub across the street. “We help each other out and have kind of fed off each other,” Alva said pointing out that a lot of their clientele is local, including employees of the nearby submarine base who come in for lunch. “We have tourists of course too who are staying in the area,” Alva added.

Point Loma Fish Shop general manager Oscar Saldana talked about his role. “My job is to make sure everything is operating how it’s supposed to, making sure our costs are where we need to be, managing staff,” Saldana said adding, “The food sells itself. Any complaint that comes to me, I make sure that I address it. I get feedback from people and make it a welcoming environment for everybody. We want people to come back and have a good time.”

Alva noted business always ramps up during summer with the tourist crowd adding “rushes sometimes are two or three hours long.” He noted the busiest times typically are lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 7:30 or 8 p.m. for dinner. “Weekends (business) are great,” he added. “For the most part, it’s consistent. Saturdays, we sometimes already have four or five people outside waiting to come in.”

Thinking ahead, Alva said the restaurant is “looking at trying to introduce some different nights. We’re kicking around doing a mussel night, or doing something on Monday for people coming in. Maybe come up with some good Portuguese recipes. We’re just trying to stay fresh. How do we find what the community needs here? What niche can we fill?”

POINT LOMA FISH SHOP

Where: 1110 Rosecrans St.

Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily during summer.

Contact: thefishshops.com/point-loma/.