FEBRUARY 2019 MARKETPLACECONTRACOSTA.COM 31
view. The lounge has the
perfect atmosphere for
indulging in a cocktail or
glass of wine and perhaps
some appetizers; however,
customers may also enjoy
full meals in the lounge.
There are two main dining
rooms, the first of which is
located on the same side of
the restaurant as the lounge,
also affording beautiful
water and bridge views.
This dining room includes
a separate banquet area,
The Nemo Room, which
accommodates approximately
12 guests, and is colorfully
and festively decorated with
a seafaring pirate theme.
The other main dining
room sits on the opposite
side of the restaurant to the
right of the entryway. It
is named the Vera Room,
commemorating the former
restaurant at this location.
While this room does not
offer water views, it is a very elegant
dining area with numerous large leather
booths and a long table to accommodate
larger parties. It also has a cozy fireplace
which adds to the ambience of the room
and the nautical décor throughout. Just
behind the Vera Room is a unique
dining area where upon request,
customers can enjoy private dining
experiences for no extra charge. This
area affords guest table seating that
can be totally separated by partitions,
allowing diners to enjoy their meals and
conversation without interruption from
those at adjacent tables. (Hint: This may
be a perfect consideration for a romantic
Valentine’s dinner with your sweetheart!)
Moving outside of the restaurant, there
is also a large patio area for guest dining.
The entire area is heated or cooled
depending on the weather, is enhanced
by ambient lighting, and customers enjoy
serene and beautiful views, particularly
when the weather is very nice. The patio
also has several individually heated or
cooled cabanas which provide additional
private dining opportunities. Although
I had visited The Dead Fish a couple
of times previously, I’d only sat in the
main dining room and did not realize
how large this restaurant is! The decor
throughout the rooms is nautically
themed, supplemented by what seemed
like hundreds of framed photographs on
the walls. There did not appear to be a
theme to the photographs, but I was told
that not one of them is a duplicate of
another! I’m sure many of these serve as
great conversation starters! The restaurant
is elegant, yet casual. It is suitable for
an elegant night out on the town, yet
customers are also welcome to enjoy
their meals in casual attire.
Even if you’ve had lunch or dinner
at The Dead Fish before, you may not
be aware that they also serve brunch
every Saturday and Sunday and holiday
Mondays from 11:00 – 3:00. A separate
brunch menu is available during these
times, although customers are still free
to order any items from the main menu.
The brunch menu is somewhat limited,
but affords enough variety to please most
appetites. All brunch entrees are priced
at $13.99 and are very hearty portions.
Available entrees include: “Too” Eggs
Any Style, served with Applewood
Smoked Bacon & Sliced Coteghino
Sausage, and potatoes; Italian
Momlettes, served with
potatoes and raw milk white
cheddar cheese; Copper Pan
Cakes served with real maple
syrup and butter and your
choice of several add-ins; and
several items from “Nonna’s
Pantry”. (Note: Brunch
entrees made with Crab have
an additional upcharge as
noted on the menu.)
My guest and I arrived
at The Dead Fish for brunch
at noon on a bright and
sunny Saturday morning. I
was immediately surprised
to find that both parking
lots were almost completely
full! We admired the clear
view of the Carquinez strait
and bridge as we exited
the car and made our way
to the restaurant entrance.
We were immediately
greeted at the hostess station
and soon were seated in a
large, comfortable booth in
the main dining room with the large
windows overlooking the water. The
dining room was full and buzzing with
the conversation of happy customers
enjoying their food and drinks. Sizzling
trays of shellfish adorned some tables,
while other customers were indulging
in many of the other delightful menu
items available at The Dead Fish. Our
waitress, Nicci, greeted us promptly and
brought us water and fresh sourdough
bread to enjoy as we perused the
menu. In keeping with the seafood and
nautical theme of the restaurant, the
bread appeared to be four rolls baked
together in the shape of either seaweed
or coral. The first page of The Dead
Fish menu features a list of their specialty
cocktails, as well as available wines, draft
and bottled beers, and non-alcoholic
beverages. The cocktails (“Drink-Like-
A-Fish Cocktails”) all had catchy fishthemed
names which made us chuckle
as we pondered the choices. I ordered a
“Fish Breath”, made with rum, pineapple
and coconut cream, and tasted like a Pina
Colada. My guest ordered a “Crabby
Mood Martini”, made with vodka, peach
schnapps, and orange and cranberry
Open 365 Days A Year | Open 11:00 AM – 10:00 PM (Sun-Thu) | Open 11:00 AM – 11:00 PM (Fri – Sat)