Lionfish Modern Coastal Cuisine in downtown San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter occupies a two-level space inside the Pendry San Diego on Fifth Avenue, where Executive Chef JoJo Ruiz has run the kitchen since the 2017 launch in partnership with Andy Masi of Clique Hospitality. Ruiz — a San Diego native who holds James Beard Certified Smart Catch Leader status and Surfrider Foundation Ocean-Safe certification — sources directly from a personal network of local fishermen, a sustainable supply chain uncommon among the upscale dining concepts on Fifth Avenue like Born and Raised next door. The menu rotates through sashimi flights of Hawaiian Big Eye tuna, Baja hiramasa, and Ora King salmon alongside robata-grilled plates and prime steaks, structured around a shareable small-plate format that lets tables build multi-course progressions. A glassed-in kitchen and 5th-Avenue-facing cocktail bar anchor the ground floor, while a second-level dining room delivers a more intimate, design-driven experience with booth seating. Ruiz also runs Serēa at the Hotel del Coronado, and his commitment to zero-waste operations — biodegradable containers, compostable straws, food-recovery donations through Waste Not San Diego — extends to both kitchens on the same bayfront corridor that includes Garibaldi on the waterfront. Private dining buyouts of the second-floor space with custom tasting menus and sake-pairing flights handle the highest-value events Lionfish books on the Pendry's Fifth Avenue footprint.