Anthony’s Fish Grotto on the Embarcadero will close Jan. 31 after 70 years of operation as the Port of San Diego begins redevelopment of the iconic restaurant site.
“I’m grateful to the patrons who have been loyal to our restaurant over the years,” said Craig Ghio, grandson of founder Mama Ghio, on Wednesday. “We’ve served more than 22 million people during our 52 years at the Embarcadero, and in recent months we have received thousands of emails expressing sadness about Anthony’s upcoming forced closure.”
“It’s been incredibly heartwarming to hear from so many of the people we’ve had the honor of serving,” he added.
A year ago, port commissioners voted to allow the Brignatine restaurant group to take over the location and redevelop the site.
A fixture on San Diego’s waterfront since the end of World War II, Catherine “Mama” Ghio opened the original Anthony’s as a 16-seat diner at the old downtown ferry landing in 1946. The restaurant moved to its current location in 1965.
In celebration of Anthony’s 70th Anniversary, Anthony’s will serve “secret menu” items at both the Embarcadero and La Mesa locations, and offer free online giveaways. Details will be unveiled on social media.
