AS Naked Fish Bar & Grill regulars are sure to tell you, the food and drink offerings at the Garapan restaurant are a critical reason the establishment has reached its milestone of two decades in operation.
And while Naked Fish is going to spend the rest of this week celebrating its accomplishment with live music, comedy, and promos, we know you—our readers—are going to be celebrating alongside them with the menu items you’ve come to love.
We spoke to Rissa Viola, operation manager; John Paul Isip, bartender; and Chef Bucky Manzanares to highlight some of the food and beverages that you definitely have to order when you visit Naked Fish this week.
Let’s start off with the Big Three—Naked Garlic Fish, Naked Poké, and Garlic Octopus. These are the three dishes that have been around since the restaurant opened in 2004.
The Naked Garlic Fish
The Naked Garlic Fish is the bar and grill’s signature dish, namesake, and proof that there is goodness in the world. It’s a fresh parrot fish served at market price. Naked Fish chefs fillet and then cube the fish before lightly coating it in a dry batter. Chef Manzanares and crew deep fry it to golden brown perfection before finishing it in house-made garlic oil and serving it alongside pickled cucumbers or papaya, titiyas, and either fina’denni’ or house-made remoulade.
Naked Fish Bar & Grill Chef Bucky Manzanares.
The Naked Poké is fresh tuna tossed in a house-made poké sauce and comes served with furikake, sesame seeds, and a garnish of garlic flakes. It is available in small ($13), medium ($20), and large-sized orders ($28) for your small, medium, and large-sized friends. Titiyas, of course, completes the order.
Finally, the Garlic Octopus is a dish to tell all your off-island friends about (as this reporter has often done). Tender octopus gets coated in garlic butter, oyster sauce, and garlic chips, then is served hot and fresh with titiyas. When you have your bite, you may just bust out your best Netty Cee impression, because this dish is “so, so good.”
Chef Manzanares also recommends the Birria Tacos, which are a former “off the menu item” that he worked on himself before it made its way to the regular menu. Certified Angus Beef is slow-stewed before being stuffed in crispy grilled corn tortillas, with melty cheese, jalapeno cream slaw, and birria sauce.
Any pasta lovers out there? Chef Manzanares specifically mentioned the CAB (Certified Angus Beef) Steak Pasta, which is pasta in a soy cream sauce finished with fresh greens and parmesan cheese.
The Mågas Burger
Also, this reporter personally knows the Mågas Burger is a showstopper, featuring ½ a pound of Certified Angus Beef, a shiitake garlic spread, Swiss cheese, bacon, and beer-caramelized onions served on Herman’s Modern Bakery Sweet Bread. Seasoned taters come with the standard order, and garlic parmesan taters are available for $1.50 more.
Isip starts his recommendations with the Chamorro Punch—which he assures readers is available just at Naked Fish. For the drink, Isip or another of the bar’s mixologists will throw in Jack Daniels, Evan Williams Bourbon, Crown Royal Peach, pineapple juice, sweet and sour, triple sec, and grenadine. If you wonder what is punching you, it might be this drink.
However, Isip says his favorite beverage is the Bourbon Honey Lemonade—a refreshing mix of Evan Williams Bourbon, local lime juice, honey, simple sour, orange bitters, and club soda.
Naked Fish Bar & Grill operation manager Rissa Viola.
As for Viola, she says she’s most partial to the bar’s Cucumber Quenchers.
“It’s very refreshing,” she says, laughing as she adds: “After a long day, you need one.”
The Cucumber Quencher features Jameson Irish Whiskey, and muddled cucumbers, mint leaves, triple sec, and lime juice.
Viola adds that food is not the only menu items that get the “off the menu” treatment. She says that when fruits such as mango, watermelon, or dragon fruit are in season, the bar has been known to add them as mixers in margaritas, mojitos, and more.
While we’re on the subject of drinks, it should be mentioned that during Happy Hour, Asahi Draft gets served for the promo price of $3.99 and is served in 13.5 oz ice-cold mugs, which is a whole 1.5 oz more than if you ordered it in a bottle. So not only do you get a deal, you get more beer, too.
Prior to ending our interview, Viola made sure to echo the sentiments of Joe Guerrero, the bar’s owner. She says that customers and their experience come first at their establishment.
“The No. 1 key is customer service,” she says. “For the food, the ambience, the location, the interior—customer service is key at Naked Fish.”
It should be noted that Viola is a longstanding employee, having started in 2006.
“We want the customer to really enjoy the night. If it’s your first time, it’s not going to be your first and last. It’s going to be your first, and we’ll make sure you’re going to come back.”
The Dynamite Chicken
Chamorrita Kiss on the left, Green Flash on the right.
