Barbara Walsh’s story began long before Barbara’s Fishtrap opened by the harbor. A former dental assistant, Barbara started by selling homemade ravioli in Pacifica. She later built a catering business, serving parties, weddings, Farm Bureau dinners, and Sunday buffets at the Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society.

In 1971, her catering business grew into the first Fishtrap restaurant. A complete kitchen was installed in a building later occupied by Flavor Restaurant, where Barbara began serving seafood and Mexican takeout alongside a small upstairs dining room.

The restaurant found its permanent home in 1978, when Barbara took over the former Hazel’s Seafood location at Pillar Point Harbor. Hazel’s had been part of the waterfront since 1942, operating as a seafood restaurant, bait shop, and fish market. The building needed considerable work, but Barbara restored the property and opened what was originally called Paul and Barbara’s Fishtrap. According to the restaurant’s history, Paul was the local harbormaster. After he passed away, the restaurant became simply Barbara’s Fishtrap.

Barbara kept the location’s seafood tradition alive while adding recipes of her own, including the clam chowder that remains one of the restaurant’s best-known dishes. In the early years, she could walk down the adjoining pier and buy squid directly from the fishing boats. Much of the menu has remained unchanged since 1978.

Barbara passed away in 2017, but her legacy continues through her daughter Melodie and the family. Customers who first came with their parents and grandparents now return with children and grandchildren of their own.

More than five decades later, Barbara’s remains what she intended it to be: a family restaurant where people can enjoy good seafood, harbor views, and time together.