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Bluewater Grill

3.9 (1.3k reviews)

Bluewater Grill Photos

BLUEWATER GRILL ATMOSPHERE

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Christian A.

We randomly decided to try this place and we weren't disappointed. We were seated quickly and orders were taken quickly. The oysters were fresh and the duo soup were good, Lobster Roll and the fish were perfectly prepared. Really can't complain. Definitely worth checking out in the area.

Lobster
Edie N.

Easily top 3 favorite meals.. ever! We made a reservation on Fourth of July weekend for an early dinner to catch the sunset and got so lucky and was sat outside on the top deck. The views were stunning! I would recommend trying to get a seat at least upstairs! Food was INCREDIBLE. OH MY GOSH. My mouth is watering just thinking about it! My boyfriend got the surf and turf and I got the lobster. Both came with this amazing side of potatoes that we keep talking about until this day! It's probably the best potatoes I've ever had, please never take that off your menu! Our seafood appetizers were incredibly fresh, I would recommend getting the sashimi scallops they were so good! Service of course was great. They work as a team so everything came out quick and we were always attended to even if our server wasn't around! Loved how kind and bubbly their staff is here! Overall experience was a 10/10! Next time we're down in Santa Barbara we will be making this our first stop!

Fish and Chips
Ramon J.

Stop by for lunch today on our way to Solvang. Nice location and great modern decor. We ordered clam chowder, fish and chips and fish tacos. The food is excellent and fresh. Great selection of local beer (IPA). Friendly and courteous service by Marco. Must check out when in Santa Barbara.

Crab cake
Harrison W.

Food: 3.5/5 Service: 4/5 Ambiance: 4.5/5 Took a nice day trip to Santa Barbara and decided to stop by this restaurant for lunch. Since it was the weekend, parking was pretty tough to find. Once I arrived, I opted to sit at the bar because I was hungry and didn't want to wait the estimated 10 to 15 minutes for a table. All the staff were friendly, and the bartender was knowledgeable, he recommended the Cali-Squeezed Blood Orange Hefeweizen, which turned out to be very refreshing. For food, I started with the crab cakes as an appetizer, then had the cioppino and pesto pasta for my main entrées. Everything tasted great, though I've had better cioppino elsewhere. Overall, it was a good experience. I'd definitely come back and recommend this spot.

Peter T.

We live in San Diego. We've hit a few of the Bluewater's around town. This one seems to be the best. It leans to the nicer side versus casual. Hostesses are always super friendly as are the servers. The food here may be better than in OB and Carlsbad. The clam chowder was bomb. My sand dabs (basic white fish) with white caper sauce was decent. 7/10. One downside is that the sides were ice cold, as in maybe they tried to serve the prior evenings portions cold and I had to send it back. They brought back piping hot sides maybe 2 minutes later. This may also be one of the more family friendly restaurants. Boosters, well trained staff. We don't let our kids iPad often but when we are meeting up with other family members and need a more social dinner we let them do art till food comes then iPads as they eat. Great spot. Not too expensive either, and pretty nice.

Cpam chowder
Melissa L.

We had a huge party, amd the service was fantastic when she handled all 20 of us. Very happy with our waitress. The food was superb. Omg very tasty. The ambiance was very elegant. We were very happy celebrating a Bachelorette dinner at this establishment. I will be back again. Thank you for a wonderful dinner for my ladies.

Mai Tai
Sue H.

Happy hour happiness! I will remember the view and the quality drinks and eats as some of the best from our Santa Barbara trip. Arriving at 4, we joined a solo diner at the upstairs bar for happy hour and view. Unfortunately the specials aren't available on the patio, so we had our hostess redirect us to the bar. Service wore crisply pressed shirts but was unpretentious. The view is superb, right across the street from the beach. I started with the captain's Mai Tai, and it was large and strong and I truly didn't need another drink afterwards! Good humor on the enamel mug drink cup as well. Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum! Husband had an amber draft very value priced. Our charred edamame was delicious but deadly hot. I focused on eating the rich and cheesy crab and artichoke dip, which was a very large portion and served with tortilla chips. The blackened fish tacos were excellent, we both ordered the same dish. Two beautiful grilled tacos for $9 on quality corn tortillas, with a huge slice of fresh avocado on top. I am not always a fan of green sauce but the tacos did not need any more garnish. Service changed over before we left, there was a new bartender but no further drinks were required. Sign me up again matey, next time I am in town. This was my favorite place!

Chicken
Jenna A.

Attended a birthday dinner at Bluewater, and the service was impeccable, especially for a large party! Jake was extremely helpful and accommodating, while also bringing on the fun vibes! While seafood isn't my typical choice, I did enjoy the Chicken option, with some substitutions made for fries instead of potatoes and vegetables. A wonderful recommendation for a lovely bite to eat, especially if you do enjoy seafood!!

Arta S.

While visiting the Santa Barbara area, I decided to try this lovely restaurant by the water and I'm so glad I did! From start to finish our waiter was attentive and helpful. I ordered the half chicken with rosemary infused garlic potatoes and asparagus, and everything was incredibly flavorful and delicious. This spot offers amazing service, great food, and beautiful views, making it a must visit when you're in Santa Barbara.

Daisy G.

What a wonderful place to eat when in SB! We opted to have lunch here on a sunny Saturday afternoon. So glad we decided to check out the menu! The ambiance is relaxing with nautical vibes that tie you into the Santa Barbara charm! Our waiter was super sweet and attentive. The food was delightful! We ordered the crab dip and it truly set the tone for the meal! Everything was full of flavor and fresh. Can't wait to eat here again!

Jason L.

Spontaneity made a trip to Santa Barbara and stumbled upon Bluewater Grill after browsing through Yelp. I highly recommend ordering the oysters. Tasted very fresh and was pretty big for an appetizer. I would definitely come back for the oysters alone. The prawn linguine was good as well and had a good amount of prawns. It wasn't too packed when I arrived. Service was pretty alright, not bad.

Don M.

Came here on my last night of a Santa Barbara vacation. Close to the hotel and came with a recommendation. Dined a bit early on a Saturday (5:30pm) and was seated immediately. Place was cozy with a good atmosphere. Lighting a bit dark for me, but that's a personal preference. Service was very friendly and attentive. Bread was good. Ordered the Scampi Linguini and it just missed the mark. Probably should have taken the server's recommendation of their seafood (blackened swordfish). Generally a good dining experience.

Ara M.

One of the best artichoke dip I've EVER had is right here at Bluewater Grill! It arrived at our table still so warm and full of flavors! It was a great start to our meal. We ordered the gemelli pasta & the shrimp and scallops were cooked to perfection. The NY steak was the perfect amount of juicy and overall we loved our experience here. If you can, try to get a view on the balcony as it was so stunning watching the sun set on the pier.

Maryland Style Crab Cakes

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1 year ago

Food was great and service was amazing. The patio has a great view of the pier and ocean.

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2 years ago

Happy hour cocktails.. sat at the bar . Everyone had food around us. And it looked amazing and fresh. Service was awesome and prompt.

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8 months ago

Crispy crispy skin on the striped bass. Super crispy fish and chips but missing salt :(. Nice warm location nearby wharf. Friendly servers.

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1 year ago

The people on the phone were great about my July 4th reservation . They were nice , I was calling from abroad .. etc . Really nice service

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8 months ago

Good food and location, easy access if you are on a walking tour around Santa Barbara as well.

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Ask the Community - Bluewater Grill

Hello...Do you have a Corkerage fee?

Hi there, the first two bottles of wine are free. Any bottle after that is $10 each

Do you serve Uni?

We have fresh see urchin in the shell when we can get it locally. It is a delicacy caught by a well-known local female diver. You have to call the restaurant ahead of time to make sure they have it…

Can I make a reservation and still take advantage of the happy hour? ALSO, when is HAPPY HOUR!? :)

Their website says "Happy Hour: Mon to Fri 4pm-6pm, Call ahead for wait times or large parties on day of." ...And it looks like you can make a reservation during those time on website too :-)

Do you take reservations for large groups (14)?

You bet! Please call in for availability. 8058455121. Tonight we can accommodate anything today before 6:00.

Is this place dog friendly?

Unfortunately they only allow service dogs but there are several in SB that are dog friendly.

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Amazing bar with a highly skilled bartender (on a Tuesday night) who managed to deliver…read moreconsistently perfect cocktails with zero help, to a crowd. The cocktails are highly creative, diverse in flavor and design, and really could stand up to any you would find at a top cocktail bar in a major city. The exterior doesn't scream "must come in" but you absolutely should. Is it a tiki bar? Yes, but in the best way. And the bartender deserves applause for pulling off 3+ quite complex cocktails every 5 minutes off of memory and without any support.

Test Pilot lands somewhere in the orbit of tiki without fully crash-landing on a bamboo runway, and…read morehonestly, that works in its favor. In a stretch of Lower State packed with breweries, wine bars, and roaming weekend energy-drink humans in vintage bowling shirts, it threads the needle nicely between cocktail bar and tropical escape pod. The menu leans tiki-adjacent rather than deep-cut exotica, but the drinks are smartly built and avoid the "every problem can be solved with more rum" philosophy. There's a solid spread of spirits across the board, which makes the place feel more welcoming to a broader nightlife crowd instead of strictly rum disciples clutching vintage Trader Vic's mugs. The Oaxacan Dead was the standout for me. Smoky, balanced, endlessly sippable. One of those drinks where every sip quietly talks you into ordering another without turning into a sugar avalanche. The Jungle Bird was also great, though presented more in the direction of a Negroni than the punchier tropical versions you usually see. Bitter, restrained, and easy to settle into. Crowd-wise, things tilted a little frat-floaty as the night rolled on, but the staff handled everything smoothly and kept the vibe from turning into full pirate mutiny. Service stayed friendly and composed even when the volume of the room started climbing like a malfunctioning theremin. Big bonus points for the location and outdoor seating. Being right in the middle of Lower State makes it an easy launch point or final stop depending on your evening trajectory. Grab a drink, people-watch, drift between breweries and wine spots, repeat as necessary.

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Bananacapa and Oaxacan Dead cocktails
Bananacapa and Oaxacan Dead cocktails
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Dusk Bar

Dusk Bar

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Oysters hh 2 for 5 Drinks were about 10 to 12 each…read moreTheir paloma was great Not a whole lotta food options during happy hour fyi

For some reason, this is considered the top cocktail bar in downtown Santa Barbara, however, we…read morefound the experience underwhelming and the service remarkably slow and unenthusiastic. When we arrived on a Tuesday evening, there were about seven patrons throughout the bar and the outdoor seating area with the live music drew us in. We were told to order at the bar, so while the rest of our party was seated, I stood there for five minutes before someone took my order. Totally fine, but no sorry for the wait or even smile or any warmth from the male bartender, who disappeared for a five minute break shortly after taking my order. The tables at the outdoor seating area were very sticky and since there were no employees in sight I (and the other patrons who arrived then) cleaned the tables ourselves. After waiting 10 minutes I went up to the bar and assumed since our drinks hadn't been delivered, I was supposed to pick them up, I was told don't worry, we'll bring them to you, and after another five minutes, our drinks arrived. The cocktails were decent, nothing revolutionary but I am spoiled in this department, well made but nothing to get excited about . After 30 minutes of enjoying the genuinely nice outdoor area we ordered another round, three shots took another 10+ minutes. When we realized we had to leave to make our reservation, we asked for a box for our untouched food, and we were told we don't have boxes. They ended up finding one for For us, but it appeared to be a pastry box from somewhere else. The female bartender who took over after the male clocked out, was much more personable, but not much more efficient. To their credit, this bar has an excellent selection of tequilas and Mezcal's, so if you're not in a rush and you enjoy those spirits it's definitely worth stopping by. The music was really great and was definitely the highlight of that bar.

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Pleasant decor
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Ah huevo and Oaxacan old fashioned

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Cute decor!
Cute decor!
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Accident in paradise and Stay Ready cocktails.

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Bluewater Grill - seafood - Updated July 2026

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