Fisherman's Restaurant Halfway Through Its Upgrades

Fisherman’s Restaurant at the San Clemente Pier has completed half its $1-million renovations and has halted construction until the summer season is over.

The iconic San Clemente restaurant that leases the old boathouse from the city got a lease extension late last year so it could put in the work needed to replace all the wood paneling, brass fixtures, art, bar and kitchen systems.

Some of the obvious work includes replacing the dark-wood paneling in the bar area, said Bob Novello, operations manager for the company that runs Fisherman’s. The company owns several restaurants in the Southwest and Pacific Northwest.

Novello said Fisherman’s needed to upgrade to compete with all the restaurants in town that have either just moved in or have been newly remodeled.

“We’ve got some great restaurants that came into town, and they’re all sparkly and nice, and they’ve got the ‘wow’ factor,” he said.

One of the upgrades Novello is proudest of is the new refrigerated beer system that allows the restaurant to have 27 beers on tap at once.

The system of tubes runs back to the walk-in cooler, where the kegs are stacked, and each tube is equipped with a fob that prevents that first rush of foam from a new keg.

The aim is to finish up the rest of the renovations this winter, including flooring, a new bar and more efforts to make the place comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Click here to read the article on the renovations we published last year, before San Clemente Patch launched; it's on Facebook.