Top of the Market is a seafood fine dining restaurant perched upstairs above their sister restaurant, The Fish Market. They are located in Tuna Whorf which is between Seaport Village and the USS Midway Museum and right behind the Unconditional Surrender statue which features a sailor kissing a nurse. This is a major tourist location with many little shops on the Seaport Village side and beautiful scenery and historical icons on the USS Midway side.
Top of the Market undoubtedly offers one of the best and most memory dining experiences. From their amazing oceanside view, which spans from the Coronado Bridge to Point Loma, to the extremely fresh and well-prepared seafood and other fine dishes, every single detail was perfected to curate an amazing experience.
Their lobster night special featured an entire Maine lobster, which was split in half very precisely, with delicious pieces of steak on the side. The lobster itself was, of course, very fresh, some of the freshest seafood I’ve ever had. It was perfectly cooked, unbelievably tender, and had a great texture. It went so perfectly with their olive oil butter and a squeeze of lemon. It was extremely meaty and came out of the shell easily revealing all the meat in one piece which was very easy and satisfying to eat. On the side was their steak, which was cut into bite-size pieces already. The steak was very flavorful and pleasant to eat, we enjoyed it very much and were pleasantly surprised by how much we enjoyed it. There was a lot more flavor than your average steakhouse steak which is usually only seasoned with salt, thyme, and a couple more spices. This steak was very aromatic and flavorful, although I couldn’t tell you what the flavor was, it was very delicious and the meat was cooked perfectly, very easy to bite into and chew. You can never go wrong with the classic surf and turf combination, I would highly recommend it!
Their Tuesday lobster special also included a lobster pasta which was very delicious as well. I really liked the flavor palette they chose for this pasta dish. It was well seasoned and had great flavor but it was not overwhelming and did not overpower the original flavor of the lobster and the pasta. The pasta was very soft and I loved that it was soaked in a broth-like liquid which is where most of the flavor comes from. The liquid is very clear and has a pure flavor to it which was very pleasant and complemented the bright flavors of the lobster well.
Next, we tried their chilled seafood platter which featured half a Maine lobster, Dungeness crab, jumbo prawns, littleneck clams, and oysters. This seafood platter was loaded with fresh seafood and was definitely very filling. We absolutely loved the crab, extremely flavorful and fresh, really easy to get into the shells as well. The prawns were also amazing, cooked to perfection and very meaty and large, also very satisfying to bite into. We couldn’t get enough of their lobster, so we needed to get more from this platter but thankfully it was only half a lobster because we were getting very full from all the seafood. The platter came with several sauces with varying flavors, but at the end of the day, we enjoyed the regular olive oil butter the most because it was simple in flavor and really let the seafood itself shine through without overpowering its original flavor. The freshness of their seafood definitely cannot be beaten and we were very impressed.
Lastly, we tried their coconut panna cotta which was served in a cute jar and made with spicy mango, passion fruit, pumpkin seed granola, and mint. I loved the flavor and texture of the coconut panna cotta itself, extremely smooth and soft with a mild but creamy coconut flavor. Though mild, the coconut flavor was able to come through despite the powerful flavor of passionfruit which is very impressive. The consistency was creamy and soft which went well with the tart passionfruit jam on top. The passionfruit flavor did a great job of complimenting and adding more depth to the coconut panna cotta. It was beautifully made and carefully crafted, from the garnishes to the pairing of flavors, it was just immaculate. All of their desserts are made in-house by their special dessert chef.
Overall, it was just an amazing experience and I’ve never really experienced anything like it. The view was one that we could never get tired of and the ocean breeze was just so lovely in the hot summer weather. I will say, however, that, towards the end of the night, it got quite chilly and I was very much freezing, but it was worth it for the experience and the food and view made up for it. One thing I regret is not trying one of their other entrees, the local swordfish dish in particular really caught my eye, however, we were already completely stuffed and did not want to order more. So next time we’ll definitely be trying that. I also regret not trying their other drinks or wines. We were not a fan of the wine that we ordered and would’ve chosen another one given the opportunity. I would also like to try their cocktails if they have any. Hands down this is one of my favorite seafood restaurants and I honestly can’t think of a better place for an amazing date night in San Diego.
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