Nightlife on the N: Pacific Catch at 9th and Lincoln

There was no greater fan of the old Canvas Gallery than I – more than once when low-grade home Internet crapped out on me, the Canvas Gallery was a wifi safe haven to continue the bloggy goodness.

However, since it’s passing, we’ve had a new addition to the neighborhood I’ve found to be a pleasant replacement, Pacific Catch, in the refurbished Canvas Gallery space on 9th and Lincoln.

Now, I have to confess I haven’t actually had dinner here yet (although I’ve seen what others have ordered and it all looks great), but that’s because Pacific Catch has been luring me in there with an incredible happy hour, one that’s not only from 4-6pm , but also late at night (something we’ve needed around here for a while), and at both times they serve a great bargain-priced menu of assorted fish and deep fried items, along with some great cocktails.

For example, the spicy tuna roll, which is fairly sizable and quite well made, is only $4.95. I’ve also tried their sweet potato fries (normally an abomination, but here super awesome), and a friend of mine tried the calamari (also looked good). They also have their own specialty cocktails, which, although costing a bit more than their well counterparts, are made with some pretty exotic ingredients.

They make a great pisco sour, among other pisco-based drinks. But even more amazing? They have more than one kind of pisco! Unheard of, I know! My personal favorite is the “Lime in the Cocoanut” which features toasted cocoanut syrup muddled with limes and pisco, with a splash of soda.

But even if you order a nice, ordinary $4 well cocktail, you’re going to get a really well-made drink. No bar mixes, only fresh fruit juice, and the well pours are of good quality. Either way you can have a nice drink and a snack on the way home and get out of there for about $10.

But best of all, this is not some impersonal Tipsy McStaggers “chain” with impersonal waitstaff…everyone that works here is friendly, polite, and makes you feel welcome and want to come back. This is why I’ve returned as often as I have (about once a week, time and schedule permitting) since I sometimes work a strange schedule and actually have time at the end of the day to do something fun (while other times I’m chained to my desk until late).

Next time you’re done with a walk in the park on a warm day, check it out, and you’ll find yourself pleasantly surprised!

Pacific Catch
9th Avenue and Lincoln
1 Block from the 9th and Irving N Judah Stop
Right In Front of the 71 Haight Stop


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9 Responses to Nightlife on the N: Pacific Catch at 9th and Lincoln

  1. Alexandra V. says:

    they have takeout, too–So good!
    The grilled artichokes are really tasty, nicely salted & with caramel-y grill marks, and the poke’ comes with awesome wontons for scooping!

  2. Ciaran says:

    When is the late happy hour? I don’t see any mention on their site…

  3. Greg Dewar says:

    hiya, it starts at 10pm and ends 30 minutes before closing….you can always call ’em to confirm, but I think they’ll be testing this for a whlie to see the response.
    it’s well worth it. sometimes I am working late and skip dinner and then wanna go out and get something to eat after working all day at home, and for the longest time there were not a lot of post 9pm options, beyond pizza delivery or something. and it’s nice to have fresh fish and rice or some fries with a nice drink too.

  4. Greg Dewar says:

    @alexandra: oh good point I forgot that, the take out looks great…next time I’m there I’m going to get the fish tacos, since it’s not always easy to find decent ones and while there this evening I saw someone order ’em and they looked great.

  5. Mike says:

    Yum, sounds like it is time to make an excursion to 9th & Lincoln.

  6. sj says:

    I’m not sure what the big deal of this place is. We stopped by; It felt like a large suburban chain restaurant, plastic menus and all. The portions are massive, and unfortunately there is no sashimi. I’m not saying anything was particularly bad, but i would say its not worth a special trip.

  7. Greg says:

    @SJ: well everyone has their opinion, and that’s what makes things interesting 🙂
    I will note that this isn’t a nation chain – there are only 3 restaurants, total, and it’s locally owned. And as I noted in the review, I haven’t really eaten dinner here yet, I mostly go for the aforementioned happy hour, which is quite a bargain for what you get.

  8. tangobaby says:

    You mean the waitstaff aren’t wearing any flair? 😉
    It’s a nice place, though pricey for what you get, imho. But I will check out the happy hour menu as that seems to be more in keeping with my budget.

  9. Greg Dewar says:

    @Tangobaby: the happy hour is really the best reason to go – you can get a freshly made cocktail and a tuna roll for under 10 bucks, and they have a late night menu too at the bar, which starts at 10pm. I too am keeping the spending to a dull roar, and so any time I find a decent happy hour I steer towards it.
    Other places in the area have good happy hours, too, including the Blackthorn (of course!) and so on.

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