Bear Flag Fish Company - Newport Beach

Bear Flag Fish Company's second store has become, if I had to guess, the cheapest place to eat at Crystal Cove Promenade. Of course when I say cheap, I'm comparing it against what other choices you have there, including Bluefin and Mastro's, which would require credit history checks if they were any more expensive.

But here's a tip to make the most of your non-coast-dwelling, meager earnings if you do decide to dine at Bear Flag: when you order the fish plate, you have the option of picking whatever species is displayed behind their butcher case for the same fixed price--so choose the costliest one.

Without looking, I took the mahi mahi, which turned out to be the cheapest. I thought myself a rube as I ate it, thinking of how I could've had the wild salmon instead, which was nearly twice the price at the time.

Still it was a good plate of food, served with steamed jasmine, the kind of rice I always prefer, and a generous amount of stir fried vegetable including zucchini that tasted like it was cooked in a hot wok, a-la-minute.

Comparisons will be made to California Fish Grill, and Bear Flag is certainly in the same genre. It is a moderately priced seafood restaurant first and fishmonger second, even if it has very few seats and looks like a butcher shop. You will rarely see anyone buying raw fish to take home, though you certainly could. But why would you, especially when I've told you the secret?

Bear Flag Fish Company
7972 East Pacific Coast Highway
Newport Beach, CA 92657
(949) 715-8899

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