{"id":466757,"date":"2026-09-17T12:52:53","date_gmt":"2026-09-17T12:52:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/466757\/"},"modified":"2026-09-17T12:52:53","modified_gmt":"2026-09-17T12:52:53","slug":"best-of-orange-county-2026-best-seafood-restaurant-orange-county-register","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/466757\/","title":{"rendered":"Best of Orange County 2026: Best seafood restaurant \u2013 Orange County Register"},"content":{"rendered":"

Each year, we ask Orange County Register readers to choose their favorite places to shop, dine, play and do business in OC.<\/p>\n

Here are the top picks for Best seafood restaurant:<\/p>\n

1. King\u2019s Fish House<\/p>\n

Huntington Beach, Laguna Hills, Orange; kingsfishhouse.com<\/a><\/p>\n

When it comes to seafood dining, it looks like there\u2019s no better place for Orange County residents than King\u2019s Fish House and its daily-changing menu.<\/p>\n

Known as \u201cthe house that seafood built,\u201d the restaurant chain established in 1945 has a dozen locations in California, Nevada and Arizona, including three in Orange County. The Laguna Hills location near the now-closed Laguna Hills Mall has been around since 1997. The Orange location, near Angel Stadium and the Honda Center opened in 1998 while the Huntington Beach spot at Bella Terra shopping center was established in 2006.<\/p>\n

The relaxed and family-friendly eatery with a quintessential American fish house vibe serves up an extensive menu of seasonal catches, live oysters, sushi, live shellfish including crab and lobster, a selection of dishes for kids and much, much more. The menu is updated daily to make sure only the freshest items make it to the tables. There are also plenty of wine, beer and specialty cocktail choices.<\/p>\n

Multiple online reviewers at all three locations show their appreciation for the service as much as the high quality of the food, some pointing out servers who go the extra mile to make the diners\u2019 special occasions exceptional.<\/p>\n

With so many dishes to choose from, indoor and outdoor dining, it\u2019s easy to see why the restaurant appeals to small and large groups.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat started as a unique and quintessential American fish house in Southern California has become the community\u2019s first choice for seafood \u2014 from the Southland and beyond,\u201d the chain says on its website. \u201cWe invite you and yours to gather with us, celebrate, relax and enjoy a seafood dining experience of high quality, comfort, service and value.\u201d<\/p>\n

Also see: Best of Orange County 2026: See all the winners<\/a><\/p>\n

2. The Crab Cooker<\/p>\n

2200 Newport Blvd.,\u00a0Newport Beach;\u00a0949-673-0100;\u00a0thecrabcooker.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Bob Roubian founded The Crab Cooker in 1951, and his family continues to run it today. The late founder was known for saying \u201cThe main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing,\u201d and at The Crab Cooker that one and main thing is fish.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe source our seafood with the knowledge that our own families will be consumers,\u201d said restaurant manager Juan Viramontes. \u201cWe all eat what we serve, and we want it to be the best.\u201d<\/p>\n

That means additive-free wild scallops, phosphate-free shrimp and fish packed without preservatives. The restaurant is known for cooking its seafood over mesquite charcoal, which reduces the chances of drying it out. Members of the Crab Cooker\u2019s kitchen staff also hand cut vegetables, bake their own bread and make their own sauces.<\/p>\n

Over the years, the restaurant has become a landmark, but If it\u2019s your first time there, Viramontes recommends the Scottish salmon fillet with Romano cheese potatoes and fresh sliced avocado.<\/p>\n

3. The Olde Ship<\/p>\n

709 N. Harbor Blvd.,\u00a0Fullerton;\u00a0714-871-7447;\u00a0theoldeship.shop<\/a><\/p>\n

Douglas Collier opened The Olde Ship in 1993 with the intention of bringing a bit of Britain to Southern California and gave it its name because it\u2019s on Harbor Boulevard. After he passed away in 2006, Collier\u2019s son Simon took over and has been running the establishment since, serving up British cuisine in a family-friendly atmosphere.<\/p>\n

\u201cComing aboard The Olde Ship is like taking a trip to Great Britain, albeit it more affordable,\u201d Collier said.<\/p>\n

That trip includes famous British dishes such as bangers and mash, Cornish pasty and, of course, fish and chips, which Collier says are second to none.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have our own light beer batter and don\u2019t use sodas to puff up the crust,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The staff sources the highest quality fish possible \u2014 cod and haddock from Alaska, wild gulf caught shrimp and no pollock or other lesser substitutes. They prepare everything but the chocolate cake and ice cream from scratch, and the serving sizes are generous.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Each year, we ask Orange County Register readers to choose their favorite places to shop, dine, play and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":466758,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[163,165,164,183843,112722,183844,10801,160322,160036,176928,10797,9972,183845,183846],"class_list":["post-466757","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-anaheim","tag-anaheim","tag-anaheim-headlines","tag-anaheim-news","tag-best-seafood-restaurant","tag-british","tag-crabs","tag-fish","tag-kings-fish-house","tag-lobster","tag-oysters","tag-salmon","tag-sushi","tag-the-crab-cooker","tag-the-olde-ship"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/466757","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=466757"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/466757\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/466758"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=466757"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=466757"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=466757"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}