Founded in 1946, Anthony's Fish Grotto on Murray Drive near Lake Murray has served La Mesa diners longer than any other seafood restaurant in the city. The 250-seat property — 150 inside a coral-and-shell-themed dining room and 100 on a lakeside patio overlooking a private pond — anchors its menu around a proprietary fish batter recipe dating to the original Harbor Drive kitchen, a generational recipe vault that parallels the estate-bottled philosophy at San Pasqual Winery Tasting Room & Gallery in La Mesa Village. Now in its third generation of family ownership, the kitchen runs daily fish deliveries into a menu spanning fried and grilled catches, clam chowder, fish and chips, and a full raw bar. A dedicated Sunday brunch service adds egg dishes and lighter plates to the lakeside setting, and private-event capacity covers weddings, receptions, and corporate gatherings across the main dining room and a covered cabana. The outdoor footprint includes a bocce ball court and landscaped pathways along the pond — an al-fresco dining scope among restaurants La Mesa residents frequent that rivals the patio program at Petrinos Greek Restaurant on Lake Murray Boulevard. The signature fish-and-chips preparation dredges fresh fillets in the original 1946 proprietary batter — a light, non-bready coating — before a single deep fry, served alongside a house-recipe tartar sauce and red clam chowder adapted from a fisherman's stew base.