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“Not sure it is worth the wait..”

Santa Barbara Shellfish Company
Ranked #23 of 532 Restaurants in Santa Barbara
Cuisines: Seafood
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Restaurant details
Good for: Local cuisine
Dining options: Lunch, Late Night, Dinner, Breakfast, Reservations
Reviewed July 11, 2016

This is a small restaurant at the end of the wharf with limited inside seating (probably too cold on some evenings to eat outside). You sign up and wait for your name to be called-don't wander too far or you will miss out! We got to sit at the bar-highly recommended if you get a choice. The restaurant does work smoothly once you get in. The bartender/waiter was very busy but also very personable. We had shrimp/scallop pasta and clam linguini-good but not the best or even the second best we have had. However, it is worth eating there at least once if you are going to be in the area very long.

Date of visit: July 2016
    • Value
    • Service
    • Food
Thank Susan R
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
justine b, Guest Relations Manager at Santa Barbara Shellfish Company, responded to this reviewResponded July 20, 2016

Thank you for your feedback and we are happy to hear you had a nice experience.

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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Reviews (1,736)
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550 - 554 of 1,736 reviews

Reviewed July 10, 2016

We wanted a quick, light lunch and found this place on the wharf. It's at the end of the wharf and small enough to make you feel like a local. There can be a wait, especially around the lunch hour. Write your name on the list outside the door, stay nearby and they'll call out your name soon enough, worth the wait. Food is served either at the bar, along the windows on bars and tables outside. There is a public seating area nearby where you can have takeout food, but no alcohol. Food is fresh and delicious. Staff is friendly for being so busy. A nice experience, highly recommended.

Date of visit: July 2016
    • Value
    • Service
    • Food
Thank Anita S
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
justine b, Guest Relations Manager at Santa Barbara Shellfish Company, responded to this reviewResponded July 20, 2016

We are pleased to hear you had a nice experience while dining with us recently and that both the fresh food and service were great.

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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Reviewed July 8, 2016 via mobile

Nice place, long wait. Will come back again, with more time. We recommend the place for sure. But should be willing to wait.

Date of visit: July 2016
Thank 824kaylaf
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
justine b, Guest Relations Manager at Santa Barbara Shellfish Company, responded to this reviewResponded July 20, 2016

We do hope to see you back for another good experience again!

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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Reviewed July 5, 2016

we had a lovely lunch here and the food was excellent. though very busy we didn't have to wait long. there was a queue to get a table outside but if in a hurry you can get a takeaway and picnic tables offer an alterative.
we sat inside and the atmosphere was informal and good fun.

Date of visit: June 2016
Thank Glynis2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
justine b, Guest Relations Manager at Santa Barbara Shellfish Company, responded to this reviewResponded July 20, 2016

We are pleased to hear you did not have to wait too long to get seated inside and that you enjoyed a fun and delicious meal with us!

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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Reviewed July 4, 2016 via mobile

Worried that we weren't going to get a seat. But something opened up and was definitely worth it. Had the oysters and crab louie that was very good.

Date of visit: July 2016
Thank vam518
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
justine b, Guest Relations Manager at Santa Barbara Shellfish Company, responded to this reviewResponded July 20, 2016

We are happy to hear you were able to wait until we could accommodate you and that you had a lovely meal with us.

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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

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