Brigantine Seafood & Oyster Bar has been open since 1969. They have demonstrated a dedication to flavorful food and friendly service that reflects and embraces a beach town lifestyle. This vision has led the well-known restaurant to expand from their original location on Shelter Island, to a second location in 1973 on Coronado Island, and then four other San Diego locations. Locals and tourists alike gravitate toward Brigantine restaurants on reputation alone. Known for their award-winning tacos and fresh shucked oysters, when it comes to seafood and an authentic Cali beach experience Brigantine Seafood & Oyster Bar on Coronado Island does it up right.
Brigantine Seafood Restaurant Ambiance
From the outside, Brigantine Seafood & Oyster Bar looks like it was plucked from the rocky Maine coastline and transported to Orange Avenue. It sports white clapboard siding, a characteristic square tower, and a decidedly New England Italiante exterior. A large navy blue awning, flanked by two American flags hangs above the main entrance. Inside light wood tables with dark wood inlay, light wood chairs with padded leather seating, private booths, cream and burgundy walls, richly patterned carpet, framed brigantine sailing photos, and pewter accents combine to complete the posh maritime ambiance of a bygone era.
You’ll find a gleaming wraparound bar with pendulum lights and high top stools with leather backs on black-and-white marble floors that define the oyster bar. Light colored poker table shaped low top tables with dark wood inlay surround the central open bar on blue and cream patterned carpet. Beautiful wood paneling on the walls and ceiling, and subdued lighting give the oyster bar a private club feel, while the openness simultaneously makes for a lively social atmosphere. Additional seating for drinking and dining is available on the restaurant’s small outdoor patio.
Brigantine Seafood Restaurant Food
Whenever you dine where the locals dine, you’ll want to try their favorites. At Brigantine Seafood & Oyster Bar, this means their award-winning fish tacos, fresh shucked oysters, and signature grilled swordfish in avocado lime butter. If a restaurant is known for doing something well, it makes sense to see what all the fuss is about, and the Brigantine definitely gets these right.
Soup and salad favorites include Brig New England Clam Chowder, and Brig House Salad with cranberries, candied pecans, hearts of palm, blue cheese, mixed baby lettuce, and their house vinaigrette. The Seasonal Specials menu obviously changes depending on what’s in season; during summer, expect seafood to include, halibut, seared scallops, shrimp and grits, pan seared wild salmon, and Thai Seafood Stew with shrimp, mussels, white fish, lobster tail, coconut milk, julienned vegetables, and a flavorful red curry shellfish broth.
If you happened to bring a non-seafood-lover with you to Brigantine, never fear. They also offer meat and poultry options like grilled grass-fed flat iron beef steak, pork tenderloin, and herb brined organic half chicken. Steak lovers will enjoy the NY strip steak, or bacon wrapped filet mignon broiled and topped with whisky-peppercorn sauce. Burger lovers rejoice over the steakhouse burger – grass fed California beef, smoked bacon jam, local goat cheese, white onion, shredded lettuce, and sriracha aioli.
The small plates menu is perfect for a few starter apps before dinner, or for ordering several in lieu of dinner to try a little bit of everything. Oysters on the half-shell, oysters Rockefeller, crab and shrimp fondue, fresh sautéed mussels, crispy coconut shrimp, and jumbo lump crab cake are just a few of the options. For the adventurous palate, try the char-grilled marinated octopus with Greek olives, olive oil, lemon, frisée and tzatziki.
Details
Brigantine Seafood & Oyster Bar is open evenings for dinner seven days a week. The oyster bar opens midday and closes an hour after the dining room at night. Sunday through Thursday the restaurant offers First Catch, which are prix fixe three-course dinners reserved for early-bird diners. Happy Hours are from mid-afternoon to early evening Tuesday through Sunday, and all night on Mondays. Taco Tuesdays serve $3 swordfish tacos. Wine Wednesdays serve half-off bottles of wine. Thirsty Thursdays offer $2 off specialty cocktails. Sunday Brunch runs from mid-morning to mid-afternoon.
There is a parking lot next to the restaurant that fills up quickly, and additional nearby street parking. The restaurant is ADA accessible. There is outdoor seating, bike parking, and a large, flat screen TV in the oyster bar for your favorite sports. No Wi-Fi is available at this location. Families and groups are welcome, but you may have trouble finding something on the menu to satisfy kids’ palates.
Neighborhood
Brigantine invites you to explore the beach lifestyle of Coronado Island. The restaurant is located across from the Hotel Del Coronado, which is a must-see for anyone visiting the island. The historic hotel offers tours where you can learn the history of its celebrity status. Next to the Hotel Del is the island’s best beach and the only true white sand beach in San Diego. It’s the perfect spot to lounge in the sun and play in the ocean. Glorietta Bay is also near to the restaurant, and is the island’s watersports mecca. Go here to rent anything from a speed boat to a kayak. Next to the Bay, you’ll find Coronado Golf Course, an 18-hole public course with breathtaking views. The Coronado Visitor Center is a couple blocks from the Brigantine at 1100 Orange Avenue where you can learn about many more sights and activities on the island.