My spouse and I enjoyed drinks at the Fantail Café on a Wednesday afternoon in early July 2018. (“Fantail” describes a stern [back end/aft] that starts at the water and widens as it goes upwards. On the USS Midway, it refers to the overhanging rear deck.) The outdoor café is open during museum hours (approximately 10:00 am until 4:00 pm), and you must purchase admission to reach it.
The Fantail Café is located
aboard the USS Midway Museum, a decommissioned aircraft carrier anchored aside
Navy Pier in the San Diego Bay. Positioned on the stern of the ship, you reach
the café by walking through the museum store on the hangar deck. Seating is
available at round high-top metal tables with barstools, or at regular-height square
metal tables and chairs either on the fantail or on an adjacent side deck area
(on the ship’s elevator platform that was used to transport aircraft from the hangar
deck to the flight deck). The fantail offers views of Tuna Park (with the Bob
Hope and V-J Day statues and Fish Market/Top of the Market restaurant), the
city, and the Embarcadero/Seaport Village. An additional counter-service option
on the fantail serves Starbucks products, and another smaller seasonal café is
positioned on the flight deck.
The café offers
burgers, sandwiches, pizzas, soups, salads, snacks, and drinks (including beer),
which you stand in line to order and receive. We only enjoyed some drinks, but many
people were eating full fast-casual meals when we visited. Past reviews
complain about the prices, but we did not find them expensive when you consider
that you have no other options during your tour.
The Fantail Café
provides a cool (literally and figuratively) place to take a break!
