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Jon’s Fish Market in Dana Point announces closure after 46 years

May 2, 2026

Following more than four decades as a constant at the Dana Point Harbor, Jon’s Fish Market will serve its last catch this weekend. The longtime seafood counter and casual eatery is slated to shutter on Sunday, May 3, according to owner Shala Mansur O’Keefe, who cited a mix of personal and financial strain behind the decision.

“While I am devastated to be closing the doors, my health and the daily weight of small business operations have led me to what I feel is the right decision,” said O’Keefe, in a written release, adding that she plans to spend more time with her family. “I cannot possibly express my gratitude to the generations of community who graced our patio and fish case. I would also like to thank the harbor, my team and the fishermen who set us apart.”

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Opened in 1980 by commercial fisherman Jon Mansur and his wife, Sharon, Jon’s Fish Market grew into one of the harbor’s defining businesses, offering a direct line between local catches and the plate. For O’Keefe’s brother, Todd, who grew up working in the market, that experience started early.

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“I cut fish there growing up, cutting up 20,000 pounds of fish,” he said in an interview. “To find a place like Jon’s Fish Market that bought fresh for so long — it was a rare jewel.”

The harbor fish house’s roots stretch back even further. Before the Mansur family took over, the location operated as a small, struggling restaurant called The Lobster Trap. Under the family’s prowess, it expanded into a larger dining room (after taking over Gaylord’s Closet in 1982) and, for a short time, leaned into live entertainment with regular Tahitian music and dance nights that helped turn the eatery into a beloved hangout.

Most notable, of course, were the Neptunian staples, like fish and chips, fish sandwiches and fresh, locally caught local offerings.

In 2018, O’Keefe returned to take over daily operations, bringing her expertise as a boat captain and Alaskan commercial fisher. Following her father’s death, she continued to run the business as a second-generation family operation, maintaining its ties to Dana Point’s working waterfront.

Her brother said he stepped away from ownership in 2023, leaving O’Keefe to lead the business.

“I relinquished my share and let her run it how she wanted,” he said. “I am very proud of her and her endeavors.”

Like many independent restaurants, Jon’s navigated a shifting culinary landscape in recent years, from pandemic disruptions to rising costs, all while making incremental changes to stay afloat, including adding beer and wine and participating in the Dana Point Harbor Certified Farmers Market.

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Dana Point Harbor Partners, which oversees the area’s ongoing redevelopment, said the closure comes as a loss to the community.

“We are deeply saddened to see this harbor mainstay leave so unexpectedly,” said Bryon Ward of Dana Point Harbor Partners, in a written statement, noting that there had been conversations about how the business could evolve alongside the harbor’s next phase.

For generations of locals and destination diners, as well as gaggles of tourists who flock to the coastal enclave each year, Jon’s Fish Market has been a lighthouse of both a reliable meal and a signal to the harbor’s commercial fishing past, served by the people who knew it firsthand.

The closure comes on the heels of other harbor restaurants that shuttered over the past year — The Brig, Harpoon Henry’s, Gemmell’s and Beach Harbor Pizza — in the wake of the multimillion-dollar redevelopment.

Jon’s Fish Market will remain open daily from 11 a.m. until 8 p.m. through its final day of service.

Orange County Register

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Jon’s Fish Market in Dana Point announces closure after 46 years

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