What started as an unexpected day trip to Half Moon Bay turned into the perfect beach day. The…read moreweather was beautiful, but first things first -- we needed to eat! When we arrived at Barbara's, it was a little hectic, which was completely understandable considering it was Labor Day weekend. Luckily, our two friends had arrived before us and already put our names on the list. One thing to know: don't get overwhelmed when you see the long line outside! That line is for takeout and is separate from the dine-in waitlist. We got lucky and scored a table right next to the window, which made the experience even better. Everything we ordered was delicious. The oysters were incredibly fresh, the fish and chips were amazing, and the service was great despite how busy they were. Fresh seafood, great service, and a beautiful Half Moon Bay day -- what more could you ask for? We'll definitely be back!

Based on the two dishes we had, clam chowder and linguine with mussels, this is as good as it gets!…read more The clam chowder was well prepared. I don't usually like my clam chowder this thick, but most people do. Well flavored with plenty of herbs and a strong note of celery, the clam chowder had tons and tons of tender clams in a very, very generous portion. There was easily enough for the two of us. We also shared the linguine dish. The mussels were plentiful and very tender, very fresh. We chose the traditional Italian preparation, a cream sauce. The was plenty of sauce to soak up with the very fresh sourdough bread. Service was friendly, efficient, and very fast We will be back again.

While in Halfmoon Bay, we wanted to try a new Restarant we haven't tried yet…read more Cute Restaurant inside & out. The weather was amazing to sit & eat outside on the front patio. Clam chowder was yummy. The fish & chips were fresh. Downside, no complimentary bread, and coleslaw didnt come with my fish and chips automatically. Couldn't believe my husband got a beef burger at a seafood Restarant, but it is what it is. lol He enjoyed it anyways. The host was very nice. I forgot her name! But sh had purple hair! We definitely will consider coming back.

Nice portions, up to par food and service…read more Come here just for the crab toast and your trip will be worth it. Loads of crab, tender bread. Could use a dipping sauce but it doesn't need one, so much flavor. The other dishes such as the louis salad, and pasta were nice. The popcorn shrimp can be skipped. The tartar sauce was defnitely from Kraft, it didn't taste fresh but it didn't miss any marks. You'll like it. Service is ok, took the gentleman maybe 8-10 minutes to get to us which is a looonngg time when you have kids but the food was worth it. Tons of seating too.

Came here for lunch on a Friday, and even though it wasn't the same madhouse it is on a weekend, it…read morewas still pretty packed. I don't think I've ever driven by and not seen what looks like full/almost full parking lot - though I did learn they have a bit of extra parking that isn't visible from highway 1. We lucked out and were able to get a window seat with an ocean view. They also have plenty of outdoor seating, but it was quite windy when we were in, so we opted for the protection of dining inside. Lots of stuff on the menu sounded good, but I saw two people eating lobster rolls and knew that was what I had to get. They have both a naked and dressed option, I went with the dressed for more flavor. The roll was loaded up on the lobster, no skimping here. I also got some oysters, which were the highlight of the meal for me. My dad wanted to sub out something on the dish he wanted, and our waiter was very happy to help him build something custom. He also got a cup of chowder, which was very good. It is Sam's Chowder House, afterall. Even though it's probably the most popular spot in Half Moon Bay, I wouldn't say it's the best. The menu is quite expansive though, so you're bound to find something good, and there will be something for everyone.

We had such a great dining experience here tonight. After spending the day at Bean Hallow Beach…read morewith the family and dog, we wanted something satisfying to eat before driving back over the hill. We normally get Barbara's but tonight we decided to try Sam's Chowder House. We were pleasantly surprised that they didn't just serve chowder. We tried the shrimp scampi with linguini, the fried seafood sampler with fish, shrimp, calamari, crab cake and fries. (Fish and shrimp were the main star!) We also tried the meatball appetizer, shared a large bowl of clam chowder (great deal because it was practically 5 small cup sizes) and spicy roasted garlic shrimp with linguini. For dessert we had the chocolate swirl cheesecake and that was delicious. The restaurant is right at the water with lovely views of the water and jetty. It just happened to be sunset time and it was the perfect t weather. No fog, not chilly, clear beautiful evening. We were able to sit outside in the back since we had our dog with us. Paulina was our server and she was AMAZING! She was great with recommendations, answered my many many questions and was absolutely made our dinner perfect. She was attentive and made sure we felt appreciated and valued as a customer. Unfortunately I didn't take a picture of any of our food because we were so hungry, but we did snap one photo of our lovely dessert. We look forward to coming back and trying the clams, cioppino, gnocchi and the ice cream. Thank you so much for a great evening!

The food was delicious. The family owned atmosphere was enjoyable and made for a fun birthday…read moredinner celebration. We hope to come back next time we are in the area. Great service and some complimentary chocolate ice cream for the birthday guy.

Combination Seafood Paella is our go to dish when in Half Moon Bay. It's the best. This dish…read moretakes time to prepare so be patient because it's all worth the waits. Service is great very friendly stuff .

Excellent food. Thank you to Teresa for the nice service…read more We will come back. The ambiance is the best.

This was the Italian restaurant we should have gone to. A few nights ago we went to one down the…read morestreet that even has Michelin rating, but was weak to deliver on taste. Visited this one today and what an amazing restaurant! The food ! The selection! Table side service. Get your camera ready! Bucatini a hands made pasta table side parmesan wheel tossed with flaming liquor. Dry aged meat! Wood oven fired Pizza! Perfectly thin. They have options of fresh baked bread, five different types to choose from. Housemade salami you can try one or all 12. Cheeses you can try 1 or all 8. Even the Italian wine list was amazing. Glass small pour large pour, or whole bottle. I highly recommend the Amarone Della Valpicella region. The Italian Napa. Full body, fruit forward low acid. My dessert I ordered is the lava cake. Gluten free. I have no issue with gluten but wanted to include that for anyone else who may need that. Can't wait to try it white, milk ands dark chocolate with a scoop of vanilla gelato. Ok dessert was so good. Forget dinner. Just go straight for dessert!! The lava cake was divine!!! Marco was our server. He was very good. Even when I gave him unusual requests. Handled everything like a pro! Went above and beyond for us. When I come back? Definitely. Would I bring my friends or family? Definitely. Would I recommend this for large groups? Yes.

New favorite place in HMB!…read more Incredible clam chowder and delicious seafood options. The staff is amazing and quick. The restaurant is nicely decorated and clean.

We had planned to go to a nearby restaurant on this day, but it was much too crowded and long of a…read morewait, so we decided to go here instead. I was glad we made that decision because we were served quickly and the food was solid. We had ceviche and calamari for the table. The ceviche was fresh and had watermelon radishes, which added some sun crunch. The calamari was good, though it is usually good everywhere. Everyone got an entrée of either fish and chips or crab salad or fish tacos. Each of these dishes are also a classic and worm well made. I will say the prize were a little bit chunky for my taste, but the rest of the seafood was not too heavily battered. This is a great option to skip the lines and have a relaxing lunch in Half Moon Bay!

Perfection is the only suitable word i can use for this place! Freshness, yumminess and etc comes…read moreafter it...We stopped by here because it was on bucket list for so long...I heard so many great feedbacks of this place and finally i got a chance to try it myself... First thing, forget about free parking, the whole street was packed with cars....Restaurant itself was fully packed and long line...Eventhough everyone was sharing tables and i loved that great ambiance...Everyone was there for great food and that warm ambiance was bueno...The customer service was great as they famous peeled shrimp with their famous lobster soup was in another level... The only thing, forsure dont miss this place and also dont waste timr for parking. There is a huge paid Marriot parking for 1 hours $14 and then it goes up so plan accordingly...You cant park the free bay parking whilethey mentioned on the sign if you are there for New England dont park your car!!!! Also there is a sign on the main street for what type of car you can park so if you have SUV keep this in mind! Also, you can buy fresh, live lobsters besides oysters and etc.

Right off the bat, I loved how they emphasized their selling the sea and market vibes with the…read morelighthouse and fisherman gear decor. Briny, buttery, savory--those were the scents I was greeted with during my visit here. I decided to keep my order simple, but with a bit of indulgence so I settled for 3x3 oysters, half Fanny Bay and half Blue Point and added the One Pound Lobster Platter. One of my favorite things was that the lobster was pre-nipped and cut to make it easier to get to the meat and they also included a seafood cracker tool as well! The lobster was yummy, and meat the melted butter with the lemon juice added so much richness to the meal. The toasted bun was as delicately sweet as it was warm. The potato chips also had a lovely crunch and I like that they weren't pre-salted. As for the oysters, my goodness they were a delight! The Fanny Bays were briny and full of a meaty sea salt flavor and the horseradish and nice sulfury zing to it. The Kumamotos, however, were my favorite. They were sweet, mildly buttery with a touch of soft salinity, I wish I ordered more! I need to visit this place once again when I'm back in NorCal!

Excellent food, excellent service and a very nice ambiance. I had the Adobo (tender, juicy,…read moreflavorful huge chunks of pork) with Potato Gratin (I want the recipe for both!). Our waitress, Jucinda (I apologize if I misspelled your name), was so personable, fun, professional and sweet and took great care of us! We were celebrating our 49th anniversary. We were too full for desert but Jucinda still brought us these nicely plated cookies with cream and a candle to celebrate. We will go back soon! And I hope our waitress is Jucinda again! But I will say everyone we interacted with were great!

I was really looking forward to enjoying this place for all the great reviews. I booked a table for…read more4 since we were celebrating a birthday. The greeting was great, it was the service and lack of attention that went seriously wrong. Our server was Mark, he started off well with explaining the menu and greeting us. Once the intro was done, everything else went downhill from there. The food took a while to get to us, had to ask for water and drinks multiple times since we were told it was coming but it took a looong time. We ordered ceviche's and oysters, the items that were missing were the silverware. Again, we asked for them.... It took a looong time. The birthday girl ordered leche de trigre dish.... No silverware in sight.... When Mark came by he brought the biggest spoon he probably could find which added even more insult to his lack of attention and service. Our drinks continued to take a long time to make it to our table.... I had to ask four times for a box to go.... Which later I had to ask another four time for a bag to place the box to go. We didnt even wanted to try dessert or anything else since the experience was very underwhelming. Sadly it wouldnt be a place I would recommend:

Friendly hospitality. It is a sit yourself and order at the counter restaurant. Creamy clam…read morechowder, HMB grilled cheese sandwich so cheesy and delicious, lamb gyro was tasty, trio sampler was filling. Fountain drinks comes with the meals too! Love the chill vibe and atmosphere. Definitely recommend Andy family and I will return.

The Fisherman's Taverna has a great variety of seafood dishes. You can get fried and grilled…read moreseafood. Bay Area staples like cioppino, Louie salad, and bread bowl clam chowder. The ceviche was amazing, the fried trio sample was good, and the fish tacos were great. This isn't a high end place but the vibes and the food are perfect for a family looking for good food. Shout out to the lone waiter, he handled the whole front of house. Beers on tap, and a self service soda machine.

The Barn is our favorite lunch spot after spending time at the beach. Order inside, then all…read moreseating is outdoors. Plenty of tables and space for families and pets. I would recommend trying the Mac Attack. They are deep fried mac and cheese cubes and the main reason we keep coming back. Staff is always super kind and helpful. Restroom is smart and clean.

I've eaten at The Barn many times over the last couple of years and have always enjoyed it. Today,…read moreunfortunately was very disappointing. The food was good as usual. The service and cleanliness were the issues. I arrived with my wife and our 2 year old grandson for an early lunch and walked in about 11:01. Yelp said they open at 11am so I had no reason to think that would be an issue. The young woman at the register, whose name I did not get, seemed to be somewhat in charge as she was asking other employees to do certain things. I ordered when she was ready and went out to the patio table areas where the kids play area is. My wife asked me to ask them if there was a pooper scooper because there were a couple piles of dog poop on the play area grass. I went back to the register and just let them know there was dog poop out by the tables on the grass. She said she knew and would have someone clean it up soon. I said thanks. As I walked out of the restaurant and past the outdoor pick up window I hear her say to the other workers "you know what I hate is when people get here before we open and start asking me to clean stuff up." First, I wasn't early. You were open. Second, it's a health issue and I felt I was very nice in how I kindly let you know there was an issue that you would probably want to address. So I return to the tables and start to realize how unkept and dirt the whole place really is. Please see the attached photos. Where I probably wouldn't have left a review or photos before, the rude and incorrect comment about me letting them know there was dog poop where kids play before they eat made me decide this deserved a review. Please see the attached photos. The cashier/manager? at the very least deserves significant retraining. Maybe a list needs to be made of specific tasks a staff member is responsible for every day before opening and that staff member would initial that they completed the tasks. You know... 1) check for and clean up all dog poop on site. 2) wipe down all tables and benches. 3) clean up all trash, including all little bits of food, napkins, pens, etc off the ground. 4) check all napkin dispensers that they are full and tops are on and they are in the same place on all tables. The poop photo is the last one listed. I couldn't seem to get it first in the list. I didn't take photos of everything (more poop and trash) because I hadn't yet decided I would write a review. But here it is.