Came to Phil's Fish Market for a solo lunch after doing a mini birthday trip to Moss Landing. I really enjoyed the casual atmosphere and my meal overall! Located in downtown Castroville, Phil's is the perfect spot for your seafood cravings. It is walk-up service where you order at a register, then take a number to any open table. I ended up ordering: - Half dozen oysters: these were delicious and only needed a squeeze of lemon - Cup of clam chowder: lots of clam meat and comforting for a breezy day The wait for my food was a little longer than expected. But once my food came, nothing mattered because everything was so yummy. I would definitely come back for lunch for their fried fare and cioppino!

Outstanding clam chowder and fire-roasted artichokes! I love the setting of the old 1800s school house building. Parking can be a little cramped, but there is also street parking. Don't be intimidated by the long line to order. It goes fast, and once you order, you get a number, and there is plenty of seating. The wait staff brings your order to the table. I love that they have a smaller version of the clam chowder in the bread bowl. They also have the large standard size, but the smaller one is perfect for a smaller appetite. More places should offer this option. This is a great stop if you're traveling this section of Highway 1. Castroville is such a charming old farm community!

The new eatery is easy to get to and delivers on the fresh fish and yummy Ciopinno. A bit bummed they didn't include any fresh Dungeness crab in the Ciopinno since it's Dungeness crab season. Other fish and seafood dishes didn't disappoint!! Casual, diner vibe with good food! Fresh, flavorful and large portions. Service was quick, salads that came with our meals were bigger than expected. Love supporting local business away from the tourist area.

We visited different nurseries in the area looking for plants on a weekend. We found this place on Yelp and saw that it had a lot of reviews. When you walk in, you order first at the register. They will provide a ticket number and bring the food to your table. It took about 10 minutes for our food to arrive. We tried the clam chowder bread bowl and cod fish and chips. The clam chowder is good but could use more clams. It's the typical thick clam chowder, but not as buttery/rich tasting. It's nowhere as good as Splash Cafe's clam chowder in Pismo Beach. The fish and chips batter is light and airy. The coleslaw and fries are nothing to rave about. I'm not a fan of crinkle-cut fries since they remind me of the fries you get in elementary school.

My friends and I visited during MLK weekend for lunch and it was busy but there were still enough seats as people came and left. The menu is very large so it did take some time to figure out what the three of us wanted but it was easy to order at the counter and the food then arrived promptly. The portions are large so friendly warning to come hungry! In order of what I enjoyed most to least (though least is still at least a 5/10), the steamed clams and garlic bread had an amazing broth and there were so many clams!; the fish and chips were a large serving but the batter was light and not too dense and the fries were crisp; and the cioppino was hearty and full of seafood but had an off tomato flavor that I personally did not enjoy. For the ambiance, I think it was a nice, large space and definitely a tourist friendly place.

I miss their old location right by the beach, but this new location is not bad either! It has a spacious private parking lot in the back which can accommodate up to 20 cars. There are also ample free street parkings. As soon as you step inside, you'll be greeted with a nice smell of delicious seafood dishes. They have large menus posted right by the entrance so you can easily look at and debate on what to order while you wait in line. There are also pamphlet-style menus and regular laminated menus available if you prefer to have something in hands to scan through. After you order and pay, you'll receive a number to put on your table. Grab some water and utensils yourself and proceed to either indoor or outdoor seating areas of your choice. I love that the outdoor seating area is really spacious and nicely decorated with a cute Christmas tree for holiday spirit. I have my puppy with me thus opted for the outdoor area. Our dishes arrived quickly. For every main dish you order, they provide free side salads which are freshly made and quite tasty. We ordered Linguine and Clam and Fettuccine with Blackened Salmon for main dishes. The blackened salmon is super fresh and delicious with the right amount of flavors whereas the clams are sweet and refreshing. We devoured our meals with lightening speed. Another thing I love about this place is that their portion is generous. Despite the facts that we were super hangry and their food was tasty, we couldn't finish and had to have them to go. Overall, I enjoy this new location. I take off one star because there were so many flies flying around and hovering over our food while we were there. Hopefully they'll do something to address the fly problem.