Lisko Deli & Fish Market

Lisko Deli is closed, so don’t waste your time driving to ECB. But Kosta has opened a new place, Grill House at Big Ben, in National City of all places.

High marks are for the organic eggs; these were the best eggs I’ve ever had-​and at a great price. They just tasted fresh; the whites were firm and the yolks were large and bright.
However, the clam chowder was very mediocre. It was too thick and there was not enough clams or seasoning.

So bummed this place is closed. It was good food and really frustrating that they closed.
What’s next for this building now? Another shitty taco shop? Or, wait I’m sure the neighborhood can use yet another smoke shop… there’s already five within a one mile radius. It’s sad to see one of the good guys had to close down.
Good luck to the owner… though we hardly knew ye.

The truth? The truth is that I can’t remember which sandwich I had, but I CAN tell you that it was amazing, that it was bbq related, and that it might be the bbq brisket. Ohhhh… so good. I think the sandwich was served on ciabatta, which was delicious on its own. The sandwich was nicely seasoned, and spicy enough to clear my sinuses. Most importantly, it was a good size for the price paid.
We came here looking to try their sandwiches because of what I read in the reviews. We clearly weren’t disappointed when we visited one weekday afternoon. Lisko’s was not packed with customers, but the handful of workers that were there were super nice and helpful. I think the owner was behind the counter, as well; he was very down-​to-​earth and even helped make my sammie decision.
They have a selection of organic fruits and veggies, a little dessert area, and some good looking meats and fish. I wasn’t able to try any of them, but I’ll be sure to do so when I come back. That’s if I have room after I stuff myself with another one of their delectable sandwiches!

My family always allows me to choose my birthday lunch or dinner restaurant. I was craving fresh seafood and decided to check out Lisko’s. I’m so glad we did.
Clam Chowder: Fresh, yummy & LOADED with clams. Some people try to pass potato soup with a random clam off as clam chowder. Not this place! You WON’T be disappointed with this bowl of soup!
Salmon: Parents got salmon. They were a little disappointed because it was undercooked, but the owner graciously cooked it to their liking.
Sweet potato fries and Chicken fries: Yuuuuuuummy! Just the right amount of seasoning on them and cooked to perfection.
Quinoa: I read a previous review about the quinoa being undercooked. Maybe the commenter just picked a bad day, or maybe (as he suggested in his review), he isn’t quite sure what quinoa should taste like. My mom and I are consummate quinoa diners. It was PERFECT with just the right amount of additional spices and flavors.
Shark: I cook shark all the time, so I definitely know a good piece of shark when I get one. (In fact, my fiancé jokes that when I cooked him shark on our first date, he got hooked and hasn’t let go since: o). This was DEFINITELY a fresh and tasty portion of shark.
The owner was so nice… he came over and talked with us about his home country of Australia and even gave me a treat for my birthday!
**One warning… we decided to eat in the restaurant. It was FREEZING! It’s both a deli and a restaurant, so they have large refrigerators where they keep the items cool. And if you’re sitting in there, you’ll definitely be cool as well!**
Finally…how can you not love that they sell local produce?! And their fish is fresh, so the goal is to not have any fish left when the store closes at 7pm. Go support this small business owner… you’ll be glad you did!

5 stars w/​over 100+ reviews? I’m so there. The bar had been set sky high. This place is definitely a solid 4 stars, but the pricey-​ness of it keeps me from giving it a 5.
We were headed to the nearby SDSU for a concert & wanted a quick bite before venturing over there. Parking was pretty easy (street), but we were there quite early on a Friday night (around 5:30pm). The place was cozy & cute: a seating area in the middle (probably seats about 15? they also have patio seating), farmer’s-like market on the aisles, at one corner — all the fish on display, and at the other corner — a coffee shop like display with yummy desserts.
The workers are very friendly and offered great suggestions. They allowed us to sample some of the sides so we can be confident in terms of taste for what we ordered.
— Salmon sandwich: the salmon was fresh (no fishy taste at all) & I really liked the bread and greens in the sandwich.
— Shark hot plate: Shark meat was on the fish display so of course we had the try it. Unfortunately, it tasted kinda bland. The hot plate comes with 2 sides of your choice: we got the potato salad (which I loooooved) & the chicken fries (fries w/​some sort of chicken seasoning — this was very good also).
Overall, a healthier choice than the usual fast-​casual place.

This is another place I pass by every day and didn’t even think about it until investigating a bit more on Unilocal.I’m so glad I did.
We stopped in for a late lunch on Sunday afternoon. We pretty much had the place to ourselves which made it easy to explore a bit, and there is lots to look at here. Fresh pastas, sauces, produce, meats, cheeses, oils, EVERYTHING.
I ordered the Little Italy sandwich. I thought the sandwiches came with a side (they don’t), but the employee helping us was awesome enough to throw in a free side for me since it was our first time eating at Lisko. Bravo! I chose the potato salad. My husband ordered the fish plate with Mako, potato salad, and coleslaw.
The food came out in a timely manner, but since we were exploring the deli we didn’t even notice the wait. My sandwich looked perfect, but we were both a bit surprised at the small portion of fish my husband received on his plate. We understood that it’s fresh fish and for $ 13 the portion will probably be smaller, though. The fish was delicious. It was light and had great flavor. My sandwich was AMAZING. I cannot wait to go back and get another. Also amazing was the potato salad. I think it has jalapenos in it because it has a bit of a bite, which was unexpected and wonderful. My husband said his coleslaw was really good. It’s purple. Purple coleslaw. Cute.
So we will be back, but we probably won’t order the fish plate again since it wasn’t enough to fill my husband up. I ended up splitting the last half of my sandwich to share with him to make sure he got a little more in his belly. He says next time he’ll order the fish sandwich instead.
We didn’t try any of their desserts, but that will be soon enough. I’m also planning to stop by on my way home from school one of these days to pick up some fresh pasta and some of that walnut pesto pasta sauce (which I tasted and was so delicious).
Thanks, Lisko! We’ll soon be regulars!

Being the hungry college students we are, my boyfriend and I were searching for a healthy and cheap restaurant to eat lunch at during the week and this is what came up on Unilocal when we searched for healthy foods!
Right when we entered, we were greeted by (whom I assume to be) the owner of the little restaurant. It isn’t anything fancy; when you walk, the place looks like a mixture of a deli, pastry shop, mini grocery store and restaurant.
I wasn’t sure what I wanted to order so I asked the owner for help and I ended up ordering a fish sandwich. I can’t remember what fish it was but in the store they have a display of freshly cut fish and other seafood that you can choose from. My sandwich was delicious! It was baked and well seasoned; it was moist and juicy; everything you could ask for in a fish sandwich. However, I didn’t enjoy their macaroons. In fact, I was extremely disappointed in them because the owner was raving about how customers buy this flavor and so forth. Once I bit into it, the macaroon completely fell apart. They were dry and old. I’m not sure when they were cooked but they definitely were not freshly baked. I will give him props on giving us free samples of them though before we bought them (I felt bad that he gave us 2 free samples so I had to buy some).
Summary: their food is amazing but their macaroons suck.

Pretty special spot. Best place if you have the money to get quality fresh seafood. Pricey but worth it. Home made pastas and hummus look amazing. Their freshly made clam chowder was great. Signature lamb sandwich was very impressive. Marinade was a little strong, but the french bread, cuts of meat and the cucumbers with yogurt was on point.
They have a nice selection of organic produce. The bakery was very nice. Coffee was a little less than expected. Very nice people working here and take pride in what they do.

You know those friends you have who swoon over the prepared selections at Whole Foods, rave about their fish selection or quality meats, and you secretly think have no idea what they’re actually talking about? They would absolutely lose their shit if they knew about Lisko’s. Believe me, I am one of those people who winds up shopping at Whole Foods multiple times per week, not because I live in some fantasy world where all this organic only crap matters, but because it’s a Hell of a lot better than the only other walkable option in my neighborhood, the desolate Dupont area Safeway. There is nothing like Lisko’s near me in DC, and if there were I might wind up there nightly (if I weren’t going out for dinner elsewhere) to facilitate whatever it was I wanted to cook at home.
The fish, meat, dairy, and vegetable selection here are all top notch. The tuna steaks available (
) were absolutely massive, with a beautifully rich, deep red color. They carve off meats to order, and will also use them in their sandwich options which are surprisingly cheap considering the quality. They’re barely more (
) than Subway, incredible!
On our particular visit we happened to be in need of some sweet treats to take to a dinner party, and Lisko’s had exactly what we had in mind. They’ve got extra large macarons if that’s your thing (for some reason they seem to be quite the rage these days), but for us the miniature pastries (
) were ideal. There were close to a dozen to choose from, making our contribution to the party quite popular at a surprisingly good price.
The space here is tiny, but damn do they make the most out of it!

The outside can be deceiving after driving by this place so many times I didn’t even realize it and always wonder what this place is. So finally I was looking at Unilocal reviews and stumble on this page and saw it had a 5 star review. Oh man, I wished I found this place sooner! But I found it sooner than later right? that’s all it matters. What a cute little market/​café place inside with fresh fish displayed as I entered and a chalkboard full of sandwiches options, and to my left there were fresh pasta, hummus, and to my right there was a counter filled with desserts goodies, I’m impressed!
How does this work? So you pretty much order the food and then sit down, then after eating you go back the cashier to pay I was a bit confused so I just watched other customers first lol.
Anyways I’ve been here three times and only my to-​go experience was a bit disappointing. So they forget the coleslaw in the brisket sandwich and also the bread wasn’t toasted and we didn’t realize obviously until we got home. But it was still okay… Their sandwiches are amazingly fresh and delicious! I don’t think you can go wrong with any of the options and so far I’ve tried a good amount of them.
Sandwiches that I have tried/​shared: Rolando, Montezuma, Mediterranean, Little Italy, Talmadge, and the Brisket sandwich. All were good!
I’ve also gotten to try the macarons and they are huge! Big like my fist!
The sandwiches are full of flavors and it even comes with a side! Except for one time… I don’t know if it comes with it or that they were just generous the other two times. But, I do love that this place is so close by to me and that they are also reasonable priced! Being a college student it’s good to see that there are organic, fresh options of food that are reasonably price!

We first encountered Lisko’s at the Little Italy Farmer’s Market. It was the most memorable sample that we had when we were in San Diego for the first time and it was definitely a Have-​To-​Buy item when we officially moved here. When we realized they probably had a store location, we decided we had to go.
The service at the deli was great! Everyone was super friendly and very helpful. It’s a small place with maybe five or so places to sit inside the deli and outside on their tiny patio. They have a limited selection of seasonal (I’m assuming) produce, eggs, and fish as well as a small bakery counter. I got a vegetarian wrap with feta (freshest feta I have ever had which gave it an unusual texture) and my boyfriend got the Rolando sandwich with roast beef. (He says he gives it five stars.)
We had to get more pesto… the day after the farmer’s market (sad, I know, but it’s THAT GOOD). My favorite is the walnut basil pesto which is just sweet enough to compliment and enhance every ingredient in the concoction. We also really liked the garlic basil pesto which has pretty standard flavors, but you can’t beat the big chunks of basil and the all-​natural ingredients! We also got the jalapeño hummus the day before… it stayed in our fridge for a while but was eventually finished off. It had an interesting flavor, more of jalapenos then chickpeas, and maintained a significant heat (oddly enough). The portions are a bit on the small side for $ 5 each, but with pesto this good, it’s easy to pesto yourself out.

Bought their hummus at hillcrest farmers market today… got the $ 15 deal for three containers of hummus and three ciabbata buns.
The artichoke garlic hummus is meh… kinda bland. Prefer the tahini garlic and jalapeño cilantro flavors. Unfortunately, they gave us the tzatziki sauce instead of the jalapeño cilantro by mistake, although it is good.
Reason why i’m not giving them more stars is that they only fill the containers up halfway. Kind of a let down. I spend less at Trader Joes for a full container.

Of the 92 reviews I’ve written thus far, this place gets my second ⁵⁄₅.
Everything I’ve tried was delicious. The prices are reasonable for quality and quantity.
I ordered the Fish Sandwich. It is $ 7 something for your choice of any fresh fish that is not sushi grade. (If you get the Wild Salmon, the guy said it would bump the price up to $ 12 something).
I got the Halibut which they sell for almost $ 15 a lb. They cut a thick ¾ of an inch slab, put a dry spicy rub on it, and cooked it when I ordered it. The bread was crispy on the outside, and soft and warm on the inside. It tasted very fresh and delicious. And they put a good amount of greens, and a hint of horse radish.
Two days later, I went back, and they had a different selection of fish. I got the Swordfish the second time. They use a unique blend of spices for each fish you chose, and you know the fish is fresh, if you go back 2 days later, and the selection is completely different. The swordfish was good. It was a solid steak of fish. It wasn’t quite as large as my cut of halibut. I would say it was about a quarter of an inch.
My boyfriend tried the Yellowtail sandwich on his second day. He really liked it.
My bf got the Rare Roast Beef for $ 6 something. It was a nice slice (quarter of an inch thick) with a good amount of pink. That thing was definitely rare. They used the same bread, and put it over some tomatoes. It was yummy.
We also got their take on a baklava, ($ 2) which has a syrupy bottom, soft center, and noodley top. I’ve had baklava with a noodley top, before, but it was crispier when I had it before. The baklava here wasn’t quite as good, but it wasn’t bad.
They also have Macrons. Get the large ones for $ 3. They are worth it. I’ve heard all the hype about macrons, but I never understood it until I tried Lisko’s Macron. I got the strawberry. It was sweet, with a flaky outer meringue and a soft, moist inner meringue, and of course, cream in the center. The second day I got the vanilla, which is less sweet, and has vanilla beans in the cream. It is definitely a more adult taste, which would be good with a cup of coffee.
Service was awesome. All the foods were delicious and fresh. The market is cute. And it is so small here, everyone seems to be a regular. Also, while we were waiting for our food, the owner chatted with us, and offered us some fresh organic white peaches. I’m sorry Ralphs, your produce does not even begin to compare. The fruit was so ripe, sweet, and juicy. It was delicious, albeit pricey. The people here really know their food, though. This will be a regular stop on my trips to SD.

Yum yum yum yum yum yummmmm times infinity.
Okay, I think that was enough yums. Small place, maybe 2 spots in their parking lot and 1 handicap. I parked on the streets pretty close.
Walking in, on the right are the bakery goods. Macarons, cakes, etc. The front is where the fresh fish, hams (pretty much the deli portion). On the left, you see drinks hummus, pastas, etc.
The food was great. The price was reasonable. I had a coupon so it was even better. The sandwiches came with a side. Both the sandwiches and the sides are tasty and fresh. There are tables and chairs so you can dine in.
My bf got the Rolando and I got the Mediterranean. We split & trade sandwiches since they’re cut in half. the Rolando was juicy and good except for the fact it was a bit spicy. like wasabi. But then I realized there was horse radish in there — doesn’t matter, the bf loved it. The Mediterranean was for me. All of it was good.
We ordered the some macarons to go, small ones $ 1. They’re really small. They were a bit dry but still good.
Service was amazing. The food was good but the service was seriously A+++++. The guys here are so nice! It was our first time here and the guy noticed so he tried to help us figure out what we wanted. He was also knowledgable. Heck, all of them were. One of the guys even gave us some macarons on the house just to try it out.
Everything here is quality quality quality. *Two thumbs up!*

San Diego has a lot of places that make sandwiches, but not many as in Lisko’s understand that seasoning a sandwiches’ ingredients takes the whole eating experience to a another level. Today I ordered the Montezuma with roasted turkey, locally grown avocado, heirloom onion, heirloom tomato, pepper jack cheese on rye, instead of their traditional ciabatta for $ 6 and some change. (
)
The sandwich was excellent. I asked for light Lisko mayo, but their mayo is so flavorful and well seasoned that it still permeated the sandwich in a very good way. The avocado was very fresh and so were the tomatoes and onions. The turkey was tasty and there was a good amount of it. (
) Although the cheese was pepper jack, I did not sense that it, but it was good. The rye bread was good, but it did not have that strong rye flavor that I prefer. However, all together, it was a very successful sandwich. That being said, I am a fan of this place.
The people who work there are very knowledgeable and friendly. The place also has a small bakery and coffee shop. They sell fresh fish, organic vegetables, pasta, and salads. Great place.

The first time I came here, it was closed. I should always check restaurant hours before driving anywhere to get food lol. This place is small and cute. You can also sit outside in the patio… I really wanted to try their giant macarons and decided to get a fish sandwich while I was there. It was delicious and filling. So fresh! The eye candy wasn’t bad either. The giant macarons were only $ 3 and were good, but I think something like that tastes better when it’s smaller. Plus they only had 3 flavors. However, there were more flavors of the smaller version for only $ 1 each.

Excellent sustainable market! This place is by far the best organic market in the college area. Everything they sell here, except their desserts, are all made fresh. They sell fresh seafood (can be cooked to order), meats, cheeses, soups, sides, produce, pastas, sauces, and breads. Most of the stuff is prepared by the market itself. While you can buy their meats and seafood raw, you can order sandwiches and plates, which is what I did.
I ordered a swordfish steak dish with a side of fries and homemade N.E. clam chowder. The swordfish was perfectly seasoned and juicy. The fries were pretty good; not the best, but I wish I had asked for sweet potato fries instead of regular potato fries. As for the clam chowder, it was also not the best clam chowder I have ever had. The broth and the ingredients were different than traditional N.E. clam chowder – it was a little lighter. Unfortunately, that is all I can say about that meal since this was awhile back. However, I still greatly enjoyed it. Normally, this dish is $ 12, but I had a coupon that charged me only $ 10.
Continuing on – I had a Groupon for this place I needed to use so I bought some other stuff. I bought some jalapeño tomato pasta shells, sun-​dried tomato pesto, a whole wheat roll, and a couple of desserts. While I could taste the pasta’s flavor, it did not fully live up to my expectations. On the contrary, the pesto was hands down the best pesto I had ever had! The roll was also tasty as well as the desserts.
Overall, despite the imperfectness of everything I had, I still believe this place deserves five stars. There are not many organic restaurants and markets in the college area, and this is the best one. Also, for an organic market, the prices of most of their seafood is a lot cheaper than the prices of many fish markets in all of San Diego. Finally, the owner, who is Australian, is extremely friendly knowledgeable about what he sells. If you ask him anything, including recommendations, he will immediately answer and explain why. I will definitely come back here and try something else when I return to SD in August!

Besides the parking availability. THIS PLACE IS A SOLID ⁶⁄₅
The prices are not bad, for sandwiches get the Aztec and the Montezuma, You will not go wrong.
1 Dollar for delicious macarons?
3 Dollar for large macarons?
4 large macarons for 11 bucks? How can you not get them?
Check my pictures this place is REALLY GOOD
The sandwiches ranges from 6 – 9 bucks and its worth EVERY dollar, not to pricy, and not too cheap but i mean ingredients are fresh.
So I was skeptical about the large macarons, which I should be, large ones? won’t they pop? yes they do pop, but they’re still delicious!
I use the Unilocal deal, the owner thought it was kind of weird, made me feel uncomfortable but with these prices and freshness who cares!
This place is awesome, if the drive wasn’t 40 minutes I’d go every week!
You see the 5 stars this place has? It deserves it!
Taken from the website and they MEAN EVERY WORD OF IT
«We’re bringing you fresh, local, sustainable, organic and all-​natural food. And we’re excited to share how delicious and affordable it is!
Thanks for stopping by!»

When people talk about wanting to support local businesses and shops, THIS is what they are talking about. Lisko is a very small shop with fresh produce, freshly made pastas, sauces, soups, hummus, and pastries. They also have deli meats, cheese, packaged sausage and FRESH sausage they make in house. They also have prepared food like sandwiches. Last but not least, they have a selection of fresh fish and seafood.
The people who work there are laid back and super cool. The owner gave me a free cherimoya because he saw that I was excited to see them (and it was really ripe).
You’d think their prices might be really high because they are a small specialty store, but they really aren’t bad at all.
This place rocks.