Santa Barbara Shellfish Company - Santa Barbara (CA)

5 /5 Go with Belle: This place is a gem.My husband and I had a weekend getaway in Santa Barbara and one of my friend recommended this place and my hotel was walkable ,So why not give this place a tried. Food : Can’t get any fresher than this! We ordered spiny lobster,Lobster tacos,linguini clams and steam clams.Everything was fresh,Delicious.They have an open kitchen and cooked it right in front of you. Service : We went in about 6.30-7 PM on Friday night.It was 65 degree and nobody was in there at all,So we picked a counter bar and the bartender/server came to us right away.He was nice and friendly and always checking on us. Vibe : Relaxing and chill vibe.Everything was open and we loved it. Next time we’re visit Santa Barbara.This restaurant will for sure be our first choice,No doubt about it.

4 /5 Navita B: Walk up and right your name on the clipboard. It goes much faster than you think. We went on a Sunday for lunch and there were 13 parties in front of us (if I counted correctly, might have been 14). It took about 20mins for our name to be called. Food was good and atmosphere was what you would expect. Nothing was “extraordinary” where I would rate it high to come again. It was priced pretty high but it’s California after all and we are ordering fresh seafood items, so it’s kinda justified. Also parking is free for the first 90mins on the pier. You can also find street parking as well that is 90mins free.

5 /5 Angel: We got the clam chowder, 1.5 pound maine lobster, ceasar salad, lobster roll with uni and onion rings. Everything was delicious, the onion rings were the crispyest I ever had and the ranch goes perfectly with them. Our server was very friendly and hard working (didnt get his name).

2 /5 H K: This place is located at the very end of the Santa Barbara Pier, and honestly, the atmosphere is amazing. When you sit on the patio, it truly feels like you’re in the middle of the ocean. There are fewer people around, the ocean breeze is everywhere, the air is cool and refreshing — it’s a very unique and beautiful experience. Atmosphere-wise, it’s a 10/10. But the food… I honestly don’t understand what happened. Usually, at restaurants like this — especially when you’re surrounded by seafood on all sides — you expect the dishes to taste incredibly fresh. That’s the whole point of going to a place literally located on a pier. We ordered the clam chowder, a seafood bread bowl, a fried calamari sandwich with onion rings, and drinks. The clam chowder was actually really good. Creamy, flavorful, comforting — we were excited and thought the rest of the food would be just as great. And honestly, maybe it was a mistake that they brought the chowder first because it set our expectations high… and everything that came after was a complete disappointment. The seafood bread bowl was basically a bowl of bread filled with sauce — a strong tomato sauce that completely overpowered everything inside. I could taste the bread. I could taste the sauce. But the seafood? Nothing. I could see the mussels, the scallops, the crab pieces, the clams — but they had zero flavor. Absolutely none. It felt like eating bread soaked in tomato sauce, with seafood that tasted like nothing at all. The calamari sandwich was the same story. The fried coating was nice, the bread tasted like bread, but the calamari itself had no flavor whatsoever. Chewy like resin, absolutely no seafood taste. The onion rings were okay, but that didn’t save the dish. It was so strange and honestly disappointing. We came there wanting to enjoy fresh, flavorful seafood — especially in a place located on the ocean — but we couldn’t find any actual seafood flavor in the dishes except for the clam chowder. I wish the experience were different. I wish the clam chowder came last so we could leave with at least one good impression. But unfortunately, everything after it was bland, sauce-heavy, and missing the fresh taste you expect from a seafood restaurant on a pier. Atmosphere? Wonderful. Food (except the chowder)? Unfortunately, a big disappointment.

5 /5 Maissah Amin: This place is the real deal. If you want fresh, locally-sourced Santa Barbara seafood in an idyllic setting, this is the spot! Incredible and friendly service. Beautiful ocean views from the patio. And absolutely delicious seafood! Shout out to our server Dominic for the hospitality, he was so kind and gracious and really made our experience. Everything was insanely delicious. Cannot recommend enough