Café Scuba

Food is alright, pretty pricey for something that has sloooooooow service so beware !!!

Food is ok… good choice vs restaurant wait. Beware that service is horribly slow though — so be prepared and get the kids a snack because getting here hungry is torture for them.

Ate here today while visiting the aquarium. The food actually wasn’t that bad — I had the fried fish tacos, which came with chips and salsa. Had a Bud Weiser as well, and overall it was a decent meal. On food alone, this place would probably get 3.5 stars. But the 2 stars came from the fact that over the 15 minutes I was at my table eating, I saw at least 3 children sitting and/​or standing on the counter where you pay. At one point, there was a kid standing directly on the counter (where people put their food!), and not two minutes later there was a child sitting in just pull-​ups and a shirt on the counter. Three staff members ringing customers up said nothing, and only the end of the transaction got these kids off the counter. I live and die by the hand sanitizer in my bag, so I was glad I had it when I saw grubby shoes and almost-​bare-​butts where my food had been not minutes beforehand. So gross!

Inside the Aquarium of the Pacific, this is main dinning option. Cafeteria style, but with stations to get grilled items, sandwiches, burgers, pizza, salads… All things considered it’s pretty tasty for a cafeteria. And about half the price of all the restaurants surrounding the aquarium. Under $ 10 per person easy. Freshly grilled burger was surprisingly delicious. Bonus points for super friendly cooks and staff. Note that it can get a bit loud with families not keeping rowdy kids in check. In any case, Scuba exceeded my expectations with their selection food, taste, and service.

I would give it a 2.5 to be fair. It’s a cafeteria in a tourist attraction so you know it’s going to be overpriced but the quality was serviceable. It’s not great and not too bad. This is the only restaurant in the place so if your like something more than burgers or pizza you should go to one of the restaurants near the aquarium.

Typical cafeteria style. Better than expected for this kind of place but by no means good. Decent variety of selections. Also Pricey but that’s expected. Saw a lot of people eating chili cheese fries, will have to try next time.

Little café/​lunch spot inside the Aquarium of the Pacific. It’s kind of set up like a cafeteria. You go in, order your hot food, grab whatever drinks and cold snacks you want, and then pay the cashier. They give you a number and then you find a table and wait for your hot food to arrive.
I ordered the kids Grilled Cheese and Macaroni and Cheese plate for my nephew. They brought the food to our table in about 5 mins. It was actually a pretty good sized portion of food for a kid. The sandwich and side could have easily fed and satisfied an adult. My nephew seemed to enjoy his food.

Café Scuba has a nice selection of salads, pizza, sandwiches, soups, and hot items. Look for the special sustainable menu item to do your part to keep our seafood thriving by eating sustainably.
The Sustainable Special of the Day was Parmesan Crusted Salmon served with market vegetables, roasted potatoes, and lemon compound butter. The salmon was cooked to a requested rare. The parmesan crust was flavorful adding a salty tone. The addition of sautéed vegetables and roasted potatoes made it a meal without it being not too heavy and just right for lunch. Rating: ⁵⁄₅
Half Sandwich and Soup Special is your choice of sandwich and a bowl of soup. Tuna Salad on Pumpernickel was okay. The tuna salad was your average run-​of-​the-​mill offering with mayo and such. The pumpernickel bread could have been softer. The addition of provolone, lettuce, and tomato gave it some texture and made it refreshing. The clam chowder was rich, thick, hearty, and creamy. It contained a healthy amount of clams and bacon added a salty, smoky flavor. It also had a nice mix of vegetables — potatoes, red bell peppers, and onions. Rating: 3.8÷5
The Brownies are more cake-​like than brownie. It was moist with a rich chocolate flavor. The chocolate chips were a nice textural and flavor surprise. Rating: ⁵⁄₅

This is the second opportunity I’ve given this location a chance while visiting the Aquarium of the Pacific. As a customer you have to realize this is still a museum café and should be held to those expectations /​standards.
We did enjoy the meal but not so much paying as much as we did. The order does take a good amount of time to be brought to your table seeing how each order is cooked to order. Good has generally good flavors and is surprisingly flavorful. Fish Tacos are probably he best item to order off their menu.

+ Reasonable prices for restaurant inside a special venue
+ Great views if seated outside
-/​+ Can get crowded on weekends
-/​+ Orders might take a while if there are lots of people
I wouldn’t say this restaurant is anything super special, but if you need some lunch while you’re at the aquarium, this is perfect. I had expected very high prices being that this restaurant is inside the aquarium, but the prices are reasonable. The burgers are about $ 8 instead of $ 15.
It is a little confusing as you first walk in because there are 3 sections where you can order food. A pizza/​salad area, a grill area, and another one I forgot. You can only pay in one area so you have to walk around the lines in order to pay. A simple re-​organization of the rope barriers might be helpful here.

This place is not bad compared to other museum/​theme park options. The pizza and clam chowder I had were pretty good. Comfortable seating and self-​served. It’s actually a better option than dining in all the touristy spots along the shoreline.

Overall, the food was mediocre. The fries were decent and cheeseburger was okay. Very overpriced. I did not get all the condiments that were supposed to come with the burger (pickles, etc) so I had to ask for them. The burgers do not come with fries; they are $ 3.75 extra. If you do go, just order fries. The staff is varied. Some care-​very few. Some don’t-most. I would go to the aquarium again, but I would not eat here again. Go to Bubba Gump’s across the street, pack your lunch, or eat before you arrive. If you leave the parking structure, you will have to pay again. There are shuttles that take you downtown so you can probably get better service and food down there.

I like all the different selections.
For drinks they have beers, frescas, starbucks coffees, sodas and tazo teas.
Fancy cafeteria food: Pizzas, pastas, salads, sandwiches, burgers, dogs…
Good selection of condiments
They have a patio if you want to eat outside.
$ 40 to feed 3 adults, 2 small kids

We loved the food. The view and the service. Prices are quit reasonable and the food seemed to be healthy.

Café Scuba is the café that is in the Aquarium of the Pacific. Downstairs it is really nothing special. If you have the chance though, go upstairs and to the patio. The view is really nice with the boats in the harbor all in plain site and you can sit under shaded outdoor seating and just relax. Prices are «standard cafeteria», like pizza or hamburgers for about $ 8 maybe a touch more. A 20 oz Diet Coke was about $ 3.50 and a bag of cookies was like $ 5. I’ll tell you what though, when you are battling the crowds in the aquarium and need a moment of silence there is just nothing better.
Perhaps just me but the one thing I found kinda odd was that they sell fish and chips there…

Oh Café Scuba. Why do I keep going to you?
Is it because your clam chowder is truly tasty?
But your service is such a fail.
Last time I went, they completely forgot our order. After waiting 20 minutes, I walked up and was like ‘what’s the status of my food’. They looked confused, then realized the ticket RIGHT IN FRONT OF THEM was not processed.
I’ve been several times and the service is consistently bad. The food is OK, but the operational details really ruin the experience.

WARNING: This place is awful! Waaaay overpriced and the food is terrible.
I ordered a salad and coffee to eat light. Both came out like crap. The coffee was «Starbucks» but was burnt to a crisp and tasted like it had been sitting on the burner/​warmer for 3 days. $ 2.75 plus tax for nothing.
The «salad» was a joke. $ 8.75 for a $ 2 salad. The balsamic dressing on it was so sugary it tasted like maple syrup mixed with vinegar and lemon.
The only thing that was good was the tap water, which was free.
The staff was nice though.
I suggest packing your lunch when you come to the aquarium.

Lol never thought id be reviewing a theme park café but yeah.
It was surprisingly good. We got the fish and chips, fish tacos, and mahi mahi. Maybe food has improved over the years, but the batter on the fish and chips were bomb! Crunchy and flakey and the fish was so perfect. The fries were also cooked perfectly. definitely the favorite.
The fish tacos were good. Definitely not as good as LA /​Mexican joints but surprisingly decent for a café like this. Didn’t eat the mahi mahi so can’t say anything for that.
The food came out fast, everything was prompt and efficient. We killed the food, wish the portions were bigger as I could still eat more. But we were really satisfied. Only problem– a Gatorade was $ 5…

Café Scuba is what it is. Once you’re in the Aquarium, food options are limited, and they’ve got you by the short and curlies.
It’s located on the second floor, with indoor and outdoor seating that provides a nice view of the aquarium. You can see the sea lions’ and the lorikeets’ habitats depending on your seat selection.
A cafeteria setting, Café Scuba offers some basic fare such as pizza, sandwiches, soups, and burgers. They have a few seafood dishes as well, like fish tacos, fish n chips, and a special (filet of sole that day). The mark-​up on drinks is ridiculous ($ 3 bottled water), but they do have a nice selection of Karl Strauss beers, which was a pleasant surprise.
A good amount of dishes are ready to eat at check-​out. But if you order anything that needs to be prepared, get ready to wait, even on a slow day. Portions are so-​so, and the prices are not friendly. But if you haven’t planned out your eating choices before or after your Aquarium visit, they offer some reasonably tasty options at a premium.

Café’ Scuba is exactly that a cafeteria styled eatery. Pretty standard layout to serve the masses at a tourist destination. They are to be commended for their variety with lot’s of offerings for adults and kids. I did get a chuckle when I asked if the large spiny crab may be available in the tank I saw downstairs but… ahhh no.
As you walk in each section is very well designed so you know exactly what you are getting at what price. Large screens hang above each station and sample itemsare on display taking any guesswork out of the equation.
And for the kiddos, grilled cheese, hot dog, corn dog or mac n cheese. They have fresh fruit too. Seems fish sticks would have been a nice choice as well ?
We got a few items from the various stations. They also have a great variety of drinks in all shapes and sizes. Again don’t expect a bargain but it’s nice to have choices. I tried the two taco combo, one grilled and one fried. Think Rubio’s but not that good.
Café Scuba is a good alternative if you don’t want to leave the Park as it is very convenient. Leaving for lunch and coming back takes time and energy. The café overlooks the sea lion exhibit, sort of, and the large windows provide scenic blue sky’s. The food is passable and the staff was super friendly and attentive.
The food did take a somewhat long time, nearly 20 minutes to make it to the table, but at least it was freshly prepared and not sitting under a heat lamp.
All in all a nice spot to enjoy a meal on site.