Santa Barbara Seafood restaurants have a wide range of fresh seafood to choose from and there are a number of top spots to explore. With local ingredients and skilled chefs, a seafood dinner in Santa Barbara means a delicious experience.
Perched by the abundant waters of the Pacific Ocean, Santa Barbara provides local seafood restaurants with fresh, beautiful seafood to create magnificent meals. Whether your taste runs to oysters or expertly grilled fish, there’s a place to check out and make your favorite. Here are a few spots that have caught the local seafood aficionados’ attention.
Brophy Bros. at the Santa Barbara Harbor is the first place that comes to mind when it comes to clam chowder. Their chowder is made from fresh ingredients and has won several local awards and Brophy’s is known as a great place to go to meet up with friends. It’s a smaller spot that does not take reservations, so be prepared for spending a bit of time taking in the sea air and chatting with your friends while you wait for a table.
For those that want an upscale fine dining experience, downtown Santa Barbara’s Seagrass restaurant is an excellent choice. With peaceful décor that includes sea grass wall coverings, vaulted ceilings, and very comfortable chairs, just walking into Seagrass is delightful. Focusing on seasonal ingredients provided by local farmers markets, the restaurant is known for only serving the best of what Santa Barbara’s farmers and fishermen have to offer.
Across the street from the beach is the Santa Barbara Fish House. Known for their fresh clams and oysters, the Fish House is one of the better known seafood restaurants in town, with the food leaning towards a Pacific Rim style with a strong Classical French influence. It’s always a wonderful meal out on their patio as the sun sets and the fire pit begins to glow, so do your best to get an outside table.
The Bay Café is a great choice if you are looking for a little restaurant with a more casual atmosphere. The fish for the day is displayed in a large fish case as you walk in along with a tank of lobsters and abalone, and the menu has a number of delicious options. The Bay Café has a reputation of cooking fish excellently, and is a top spot for locals.
A major advantage for Santa Barbara seafood restaurants is the ease in getting fresh ingredients for their creations. Whether you’re yearning for a great bowl of chowder or a perfectly seared tuna steak, there’s a place in the city to please your palate.