Torrance's Best Seafood Restaurant

You drive down Torrance Boulevard with the windows cracked, and the salt air starts to smell like dinner. This is the part of town where the seafood stays honest, from the pier-side chaos of The Boiling Crab to the quiet, precise crab cake at Fishing With Dynamite, and there is no reason to drive anywhere else for it.

We ate our way through lunch counters, market grills, and one very memorable bowl of clam chowder, all without a white tablecloth in sight. The list that follows is the one we’d hand to a friend who thinks they know the South Bay.

Go early, bring a jacket.

Long Beach Fish Grill -Torrance

Highlights
Fresh, perfectly cooked fish
Flavorful clam chowder bowl
Fair prices, generous portions
Seared and grilled variety
Relaxed, inviting atmosphere

The Long Beach Fish Grill on Torrance Boulevard is the sort of place you happen upon and then quietly keep to yourself. I ordered the seared salmon and a bowl of clam chowder, and both arrived with a kind of unpretentious confidence. The fish was perfectly cooked, with a clean, bright crust and a moist interior. The chowder was rich without being heavy, full of tender clams. Portions are generous, prices fair, and the room feels unhurried. It is a relaxed evening, the kind where you linger over a second cup of coffee and plan your return.

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The Kickin'Crab Torrance

Highlights
Generous combo portions
Friendly, welcoming staff
Worth the short wait
Plenty of leftovers
Easy Friday evening seating

There is a small ritual at The Kickin' Crab on a Friday night: you wait, you are seated, and then the bags arrive. We shared a combo of shrimp and crab, and the portions were almost absurdly generous. The staff moved with genuine warmth, checking on us without hovering. We left with a takeout box we would finish the next day. The wait was short enough to feel like a prelude rather than a punishment. The room buzzes with easy conversation, and the seafood is messy in the best possible way. I have already started thinking about the next visit.

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BlueSalt Fish Grill - Torrance

Highlights
Fresh fish at fair prices
Late hours, welcoming staff
Extensive seafood selection
Reheats beautifully the next day
Casual, friendly dining atmosphere

BlueSalt Fish Grill on PCH is the kind of place you can walk into at nine o'clock and still feel well taken care of. I stopped in for a late dinner and found a counter service setup with a surprisingly deep menu. The grilled swordfish was fresh, and the portion was more than I could finish. I took half home, and it reheated the next day without losing its character. The staff were friendly, the room is casual, and the prices are honest. They have a wide selection of fish, all of which appear to be handled with the same care. A dependable option for those evenings when you want something good without ceremony.

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Bluewater Grill

Highlights
Accommodating staff, pleasant dining
Excellent value for price
Impressive ponzu scallops appetizer
Great waterfront family gathering spot

Bluewater Grill is a pleasant surprise, particularly for a table of six on a Saturday. The staff accommodated our group without any fuss, and the dining room hums with a comfortable, familial energy. The ponzu scallops appetizer was the quiet standout, seared just enough to develop a crackling edge while leaving the centers translucent and sweet. The entrees were solid, with good value for the price, and the view of the water added a layer of calm. It is the sort of place where a family gathering feels less like an obligation and more like an occasion. I left feeling that we had chosen well.

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Shrimp By You

Highlights
Fresh seafood, generous portions
Attentive service, welcoming staff
Excellent clam chowder, too
Crisp calamari with memorable sauce
Tasty drinks, easy return visits

Shrimp By You has a name that makes you smile, and the food justifies the grin. The calamari arrived crisp, with a dipping sauce I could not quite name but am trying to recreate. The clam chowder was as good as any I have had in Torrance, rich and peppery. We also ordered shrimp, and the portions were generous enough to make us pause. The staff were attentive without being intrusive, and the drinks were well made. It is a relaxed room, easy to slip into and hard to leave. I suspect this place will become a habit, the kind you mention to friends but only with the hope they will share the next visit.

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Quality Seafood Inc

Highlights
Fresh seafood, generous portions
Clean market with ready-to-cook items
Friendly staff, relaxed local atmosphere
Authentic pier-side dining experience

Quality Seafood Inc is less a restaurant and more a working pier experience, which is exactly its charm. The market is clean and orderly, with bins of gleaming fish and ready-to-cook items that make you want to abandon whatever you planned for dinner. I bought a few things and then ordered a plate of fresh salmon from the grill counter. The portions were generous, and the fish tasted like it had been swimming hours earlier. The staff were friendly in that unhurried, local way. You eat at a plastic table, watching boats bob in the harbor, and it feels authentic in a way that fancier rooms rarely manage.

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Captain Kidd's Fish Market & Restaurant

Highlights
Freshest seafood off Redondo Pier
Lobster bisque worth returning for
Generous portions, casual waterfront dining
Cajun-grilled local fish done right

Captain Kidd's Fish Market & Restaurant sits right on the Redondo Pier, and you can practically smell the salt before you step inside. The lobster bisque alone is worth the trip, creamy and unexpectedly deep. The local white fish, cajun-grilled, arrived with a gentle char and a kick of spice that did not overpower the delicate flesh. Portions are generous, and the dining area is casual, with the floor creaking underfoot in a way that feels like history. It is the kind of place where you can eat with your hands and not feel self-conscious. The freshest seafood off the pier, served without pretense.

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The Boiling Crab

Highlights
Spicy triple xxx shared
Attentive service throughout
Big screens for games
Busy but worth it
Great first-time experience

The Boiling Crab is loud, chaotic, and entirely worth it. We came on a weeknight and still waited a bit, but the staff moved with practiced efficiency. We ordered the shrimp with their signature 'shabang' sauce, and one member of our party requested the triple xxx spice, which arrived with a warning we should have heeded. The burn was pleasant, in retrospect. The service was attentive, with servers checking in as we sweated through the heat. Big screens played the game, and the room felt convivial. This was my first visit, and I understand the hype. I will be back, perhaps with more napkins.

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FishBonz Grill

Highlights
Generous grilled sea bass portions
Fresh, well-seasoned fish dishes
Affordable luxury surf and turf
Cozy locale with free parking
Tasty fish tacos worth repeating

FishBonz Grill is a small, unassuming spot with free parking, which already puts it ahead of many Torrance addresses. The grilled sea bass was a generous slab, seasoned with restraint and cooked through with a clean finish. The fish tacos were simple and good, with a slaw that added crunch without hiding the fish. I also noticed a surf and turf option, which seemed like an affordable luxury, so I ordered it on a second visit and was not disappointed. The room is cozy, the staff are pleasant, and the prices feel honest. This is the kind of place you keep in your back pocket for a casual weeknight.

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Fishing With Dynamite

Highlights
Exceptional fresh seafood quality
Standout Maryland blue crab cake
Memorable blue crab rice
Excellent oysters and shellfish

Fishing With Dynamite is a small, focused room with a serious commitment to quality. The Maryland blue crab cake arrived golden brown, and it tasted of sweet crab with barely any filler, the way a good crab cake should. The blue crab rice was a quiet masterpiece, fragrant and savory, with little pops of richness throughout. The oysters were excellent, briny and clean. Everything we ordered felt precise, as though the kitchen had thought carefully about each plate. It is not the cheapest option in Torrance, but the price reflects the care. For a special meal without pretense, this is where I would go.

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BlueSalt Fish Grill

Highlights
Quick, friendly, remarkably affordable service
Perfectly grilled seafood, consistently executed
Upscale flavors in casual setting
Generous portions of varied proteins
Cajun garlic butter sauce standout

BlueSalt Fish Grill, the second location I tried, is a study in quiet consistency. The grilled halibut arrived with a perfect char, flaking apart at the gentlest touch. The cajun garlic butter sauce was a quiet revelation, smoky and bright without overwhelming the fish. The staff were quick and genuinely friendly, and the prices felt like a small mercy in a city of inflated menus. I ordered a second protein just to test the kitchen, and it was equally well handled. The room is casual, almost utilitarian, but the flavors are anything but. This is food that reheats beautifully, though I doubt you will have leftovers.

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Kincaid's Fish, Chop & Steakhouse

Highlights
Open-flame grilled filet mignon
Attentive gluten-free service
Pier-side ocean views
Memorable banana butter cake
Warm, intimate atmosphere

Kincaid's sits at the end of the Redondo Pier, and the view alone would justify the trip. The open-flame grilled filet mignon is not strictly seafood, but when paired with a plate of grilled local fish, it becomes a quiet indulgence. The staff were attentive to a gluten-free request without making it feel like a burden, which I appreciated. The banana butter cake arrived warm, and I am still thinking about it. The room is warm and intimate, the windows framing the dark water and occasional passing boat. Dinner here feels like a proper occasion, unhurried and full of small satisfactions. The right choice for a slow evening.

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