Morro Bay has ample seafood spots cuddled up next to the water and tables with a view of the estuary and bay. But one spot gives you a little something extra.
On a winter day, the sun heats up the patio as three otters lounge, hunt, and play. One hangs out on his back, beating its future meal with a rock, echoing between guitar strums and names called over a speaker. The other two dive and wriggle between boats as I wait for calamari.
Tognazzini’s Dockside Too Fish Market sits right behind the original Dockside, on the end of the Embarcadero between the old power plant stacks and Morro Rock, next to the T-pier. Its patio is usually full when I stop in after a little day trip up Highway 1, a line out the door of the fish market, a musician singing away en plein air, and pups lounging beneath tables as waves lap up against sailboats.
The bay sways just a few feet away, and if you’re lucky, you can snag a seat right along the edge, two ropes the only barrier between you and the activity along the water with an unobstructed view of all Morro Bay has to offer.
That’s what makes this place special. It puts you right there with nothing between you and the open.
The family owned and operated fish market receives and processes seafood directly from the boat—similar to Giovanni’s Fish Market and Galley, which also has al fresco dining—and offers up casual outdoor eating, takeout options, and fresh seafood you can take home right from the refrigerated glass display case full of the day’s catches. Open since 2009, Dockside Too has a bevy of seafood options: fresh, fried, in a tortilla, on a kabob, in a sandwich.
I’m a sucker for deep-fried calamari, especially if it comes with tentacles; deep fried clams; fish tacos; and ahi. It’s all good. And, as an added bonus, you can snag a draft beer or a glass of wine.
This article appears in Get Outside – Winter/Spring 2025.