Best Waterfront Dining in Santa Barbara

If you see a lighthouse, you're in the right place! Pop into Bluewater Grill for seafood with a sea view. Located just across the street from the beach, it has three levels of dining space and two bars. The menu includes traditional options - like cedar plank salmon and crab cakes - and less traditional fare, including their legendary ponzu scallops, served raw in the half shell. Not a fish lover? No problem, they serve salads and steaks too. You'll also find cocktails and a decent local wine selection if you're in the mood for a tipple. Plenty to walk to nearby, including Stearns Wharf and Municipal Winemakers.

Can you beat a seafood restaurant and bar that's right on the beach? Of course not! The Beachside Bar-Cafe is the place to go in Goleta if you want to enjoy a meal and perhaps an adult beverage while watching the waves. Many of their signature drinks include nice tropical garnishes, like umbrellas. Just the kind of thing to sip before a stroll along the sand. Stop by for happy hour during the week. If you happen to work up an appetite after a cocktail or two, try the fish tacos. They're scrumptious! Free parking in the lot right out front.

The motto at the Santa Barbara FisHouse says it all: Usually local, always fresh. If you're looking for some fresh catches and pretty view, head to the FisHouse, a welcoming seafood restaurant located just across the street from the Pacific Ocean. The menu celebrates sea creatures of all kinds, including local halibut. Reserves a table in the dining room or on the patio or belly up to the full bar. Large aquariums and various decorations set the under-the-sea tone. Themed cocktails and local wines round out your visit. Traveling with a picky kiddo or two? No problem, they have a great kids menu, too.

Is there a prettier beachfront restaurant in Santa Barbara County? We don't think so. Overlooking Santa Claus beach, a local favorite, the Padaro Beach Grill boasts a park-like outdoor dining room that's ideal for day dates and impromptu gatherings. Enjoy fresh salads, savory burgers and sinfully rich milkshakes that are blended by hand only after you place your order. A large sandbox encourages the kiddos to play while grownups indulge in refreshing beers and local wines. Try the shrimp salad or one of the 100% prime chuck burgers. Live bands are common on the weekends. Free (but often crowded) parking right out front.

If you're looking to enjoy a nibble and a cocktail someplace very beautiful and a little bit fancy, look no further than the Ty Lounge in the Four Seasons Resort the Biltmore Santa Barbara. This elegant bar boasts high ceilings and sweeping ocean views. Classic cocktails, seasonal specialty drinks and hard-to-find wines by the glass comprise the beverage menu. To eat, sample a variety of Spanish tapas. Avocados fritos, saffron paella croquetas and warm octopus are just a few of the many available dishes. The delightful patio overlooks the Coral Casino and Butterfly Beach - truly one of the finest cocktail hour views in Santa Barbara.

Located just past the train tracks on Linden Avenue, mere steps from the beach, is The Spot: a trusty little shack of a restaurant that all the locals know. Serving up delicious burgers and fries for more than 100 years, The Spot is Carpinteria's go to for a quick, savory bite. The surprisingly vast menu also includes veggie burgers, select Mexican specialties and fish n' chips. There's no dress code so come in your bikini or trunks if you please. There is seating outside OR you can just walk across the street to the park or sand for an impromptu picnic!

The Boathouse is a Santa Barbara seafood restaurant with the best location in town... it's right on the beach. Tucked away in a quiet part of town and facing Hendry's beach, this is a great place to go for a romantic date, family dinner or birthday celebration. Enjoy fresh surf and turf on a beautiful patio that's sunny during the day and nicely heated at night. Local seafood is served as available. Frequent Santa Barbara catches include Spiny lobster and Dungeness crab. Brunch, lunch and dinner served daily. Happy hour is from 3 to p.m Sunday through Thursday. Parking is free but does get crowded.

Seafood doesn't get any fresher than this. At the Santa Barbara Shellfish Company, you can pick your lunch right out of the tanks. Established in 1980, this restaurant began as a shellfish shop before popular demand (and secret family recipes) transformed it into the bustling eatery it is today. Their menu includes all types of shellfish but live abalones, crabs and lobsters - many locally sourced - are the real stars. Local and national beers are available on draft and pair nicely with a bread bowl of chowder on a cold or foggy day. There is bar seating inside, table seating outside and even walk-up window for to-go orders.

Unbeatable harbor views issue a siren's call to patrons at this popular restaurant. Of course, their menu full of delicious seafood doesn't hurt business either. Bustling and busy, Brophy Bros. serves up some of the city's most coveted clam chowder, along with awesome garlic baked clams and hefty portions of cioppino. Fresh, grilled fish is also a fine choice, along with a host of other fresh-from-the-sea options. Grab a table on the patio overlooking the water for the most romantic experience. These are the best seats, even on wet, gloomy days when they pull down the transparent siding to protect you from the elements. Arrive early because weekend waits can be over an hour.

If you think you've had a great lobster roll but you haven't been to Broad Street Oyster Co., you should probably think again. This LA-based raw bar and shellfish experience pops up almost every weekend in front of Municipal Winemakers in Santa Barbara's Funk Zone. It serves easily the best lobster roll on the West Coast. (We think it would even win in a taste test against most East Coast lobster rolls.) You can also get raw oysters, locally fished urchin and sometimes extra treats like razor clams and caviar. When you see a shaded tent with some happy shuckers wearing chic aprons surrounded by loads of sea creatures, you're in the right place. And when you see someone who looks like a young King Triton himself - locks flowing, kindly eyes beaming - you'll know you're talking to Chris, the man behind Broad Street.