Fifi's Place

• Cuisine(s): Seafood
  Hours: Daily 12pm-12am
  Price: $$$$ $$$$
  Payment Types: All Major Credit Cards
• Attire: Casual
  Features: Kid Friendly, Patio/Sidewalk Dining, Private Party, Smoking, Takeout, Wheelchair Accessible
  Serving: Dinner, Lunch
  Alcohol: Beer/Wine
• Reservations: Accepted, Recommended, Online Reservations Available
  Parking: Meters

Description

Owners Nelson Sanchez and his wife Mayneth (the cook, better known as Fifi) have brought a warm neighborhood seafood eatery to North Beach, and residents have responded by packing the joint nightly. They come mostly for fresh selections of the day, such as hog and mutton snapper. Customers choose whether they want their fish served whole or filleted and then decide among grilled, steamed, or fried. We tried grilled whole hog snapper, which came to $16. The fish was not so much grilled as griddled, but the texture was delicate and the taste pristine. Bites of the fried version boasted more flavor. Fussier treatments are offered as well, like black cod in miso sauce, and paella ($45.99 for two) -- reputable if not riveting. Prices aren't as low as one might expect at so humble an establishment, but items for $16 and under include shrimp in garlic sauce or over yellow rice, and a fillet of grilled or fried Pacific swai. Entrees include a salad of sliced avocado and tomato over greens, and choice of mashed potatoes or black beans and rice. Fifi's welcoming spirit, relaxed environment, and unquestionably fresh fish make it worth catching.