This place is great. It's in the perfect location. The building is amazing. Just walking by and being able to look in makes you want to go inside to see what is happening. Everything from the service, to food, and drinks are top notch. They did such a good job with everything. read more

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Herb & Sea is one of the trendiest places for a date, special occasion, or family dinners that we have in Encinitas. The food is always incredible - get any of the veggies (baby carrots, Brussels sprouts, potatoes, mushrooms), Fennel sausage pizza, fresh catch, oysters - you can't go wrong. Love this place and it's always such a treat to go back and bring family and friends. read more

Celebrity chefs don't always deliver but Top Chef Brian Malarkey has hit a home run with this restaurant. Perfect ambience for a beach community, delicious food, and a friendly, attentive staff. The tomato and burrata was bursting with flavor, the linguini and crab was in a perfectly balanced sauce with the sea greens adding a freshness and distinct taste, and oh that budino I had for dessert! This is a must try restaurant that is going to become my go to when I'm in San Diego. read more

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This is the third time we have been here and all the meals have been excellent: Branzino, pork chop, NY steak, Summer Squash all delicious. Lava cake was great and I am a chocoholic. Great service with friendly, attentive people. Outdoor seating is nicely arranged, very comfortable and feels like a restaurant rather than patchwork for the pandemic. Highly recommend. read more

Omg! I will never give this restaurant another chance for dining after being asked to leave because I forgot to wear my mask to use the restroom. Perhaps our waiter should have given us instructions upon leaving the table once we were seated. The sad part is.. I had brought my 92 year old mother and my daughter here for Mother's Day to experience the different dishes I've enjoyed in the past. We were treated as if we committed a crime all the while being shamed by a family of four. Which by the way started this situation. I wasn't even close to anyone and the bathroom was 20 ft from our dining table. I made an honest mistake but to be shamed in the not so cool. read more

The owners have done a really nice job with the space. The bar is lovely, the dining room is well-designed, the lighting and sound are great. This is an excellent place to get a (pricey) drink before going someplace else to eat. Why? The food is way overpriced for quality you'd expect. There is plenty of quantity - the business model seems to be give the customers 25% more food to justify the prices, which I suppose is fine if the quality was there, but it's not. The $40 pork chop was dry and flavorless; the endive salad was inexplicably doused in grated cheese; a side order of broccolini was large but had no distinctive flavors; and some crazy large bowl of caramel for dessert that was far more than any two adults can or should eat. Some prices are just off the wall - $25 for 6 oysters? But the place was packed so there's no shortage of wealthy Encinitas folks willing to shell out some serious cash (some brought little kids). Go for a drink - great wine list and lots of colorful drinks emanating from the kitchen - but eat elsewhere. read more

Pure excellence. The service is flawless, the flavors and menu variety are spectacular, the ambience is perfect for any occasion, management is authentic and on point...I could go on and on and on. Also, the bar setup is vibey and chic yet welcoming. It's a fantastix dining experience -- easily the best in North SD County. read more

Herb & Sea - Amazing salmon dish - Seafood Near Me - Encinitas, California

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Not a great experience. Everything was extremely underwhelming. The food was not great, the service was terrible and the wait times were horrible. We waited 25 minutes just to get our drinks. For how expensive everything is I guess you have to buy customer service separately...? I would not recommend. read more

Worst customer service! We called ahead and asked if we could bring our dog. Arrive and are told by a very rude manager service dog only. For a restaurant with a big name celebrity chef you need to train your staff much better. read more

First off, the fish was all of excellent quality. The ceviche and embered beets were very good. I thought it strange that one fish entree (halibut) came with only a relish, while the sea bass came with a side of orzo. The orzo was horrible. It tasted like it was cooked in canned tomato juice. The sea bass was salty, the halibut way under salted. Both were slightly overcooked. Finally, our server, Robert, seemed completely uninterested. Fairly curt service, hard to get his attention, always at the waiter station gabbing with coworkers. So, not the best experience for us. read more

Amazingggggggggg! My first bone marrow and oysters and they set the bar high! Perfect flavors that just zing in your mouth and made to perfection. The bourbon and Broncos is my favorite drink now. Just perfect balance of liquor and peaches and bubbly. The hamachi is perfection I'll jump to go here any day! read more

An exciting new spot in Encinitas just off of Pacific Coast Highway, my 2 closest buddies and I had our monthly dinner here. A beautifully appointed restaurant sets an intimate setting with a nice dining room and generous bar space. Menu is has a nice variety but was a little to specialized for me but will appeal to the North San Diego county demographic. They can easily accommodate large groups with a reservation. To be clear, the food was excellent and the Chef works out in front with her staff to ensure food is exactly how she wants it presented. This is a lovely new restaurant definitely worth experiencing. read more

Great service, awesome drinks and tasty dishes. My granddaughter felt like a princess because our waiter asked her how was her pizza. read more

Herb & Sea - Seafood Near Me - Encinitas, California

Pretty hip place. But the food was rather underwhelming. It felt like they were trying too hard to be cool and forgot to let the food stand on its own. I had the halibut and someone had the pork chops. Both were just ok. The best is probably the roasted potatoes. Food is served a la carte, so you have to order sides to share. For the price for the entrees seems too extra to charge for the sides. But it is definitely the place to be seen. And that is what you are paying for when you come here. read more

Well we had a little of everything, I loved it all! I was invited to meet there with my PR firm and was very happy with the vibe, fish, and my drink. I will be back!! read more

Herb & Sea - Power meeting - Seafood Near Me - Encinitas, California

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Four of us had a delicious experience last night Great food visually and flavors outstanding Service excellent and the constant changing of plates and silverware is an added delight All these dishes were super Appetizers Crudo/ Octopus & Artichoke/ Shrimp Toast Entrees Salmon/ Branzino Three desserts also Great food read more

The food was really disappointing and their servers attitude not nice. It was unbelievable. The only thing I liked it was a ambiance. read more

Get the potatoes - you won't be disappointed! I've been many times and, with the exception of one dinner, I've had excellent service. My husband and I've tried most of the menu and it's all been delicious. read more

So freakin happy this opened up in our restaurant lacking north county!!!! Went last weekend and we are in love with this place!!!! Oysters, oysters oysters!!!! Yum!! omg the bone marrow here is the best I've had since NYC. Service is excellent, plenty of staff working. Looks like management is spot on! Interior design makes this the nicest place in town. So cool and hip! Great bar scene Thank God! I mean THANK GOD they didn't put another mexican restaurant, coffee bar or pizza joint on the 101!! I LOVE that the restaurant is bustling and exciting (married to a "loud talker" over here). Nothing worse than a whisper quiet type of restaurant. No complaints of noise from me!! Everyone is having a great time in here! read more

This will be the easiest review I've ever written: 1. The food is very, very good. 2. The restaurant is very, very loud. I wonder if this place is exceeding the fire code or if there is some better explanation for the sound level. Its deafening, and on top of the people talking they are playing music, just to amp up the atmosphere a bit more. This therefore is a great place to go with a group, because you will be yelling anyway. However if you want to have an intimate conversation, or go on a date, I would not recommend coming here. read more

We stayed in Encinitas over a Saturday night and wanted a very nice place that we could walk to as we were staying near the tracks near the center of town. Our reservations were at 7 PM. We arrived around 6:45 to restaurant full of people; standing, sitting, and twirling around the restaurant much to our surprise and delight. For some reason I thought that there would be but a few people at that time. I was surprised that the place was packed; my ignorant bad. Our table was yet not ready so the hostess suggested we go to the bar. Great in concept but the bar was packed and so were the aisles near the bar as people were lined up to get seats at the bar. We snagged a couple of great drinks and after 15 minutes of doing the bar shuffle we were taken to our table. The music and the noise were high, but the atmosphere and sun light from the street mixed nicely to create an overall enchanting experience that I soon accepted and ultimately delighted in. We met our waiter John, who very patiently took us through the options. We ask a lot of questions as over time we have learned that shopping for our meal is almost as fun as eating it. I see the menu changes quite a bit, so i will talk in generalities about what we ordered. We had a wonderful seafood appetizer and then moved into the fish special that we split, along with a side order of mushrooms. We then topped it off with a desert that we once again split. Overall the dishes were wonderful. I grew delirious over the herbs that were used on both the mushrooms and fish. At that point my wife smugly said with a "da" look on her face "You do understand the name of the restaurant is Herbs and Sea?". Which I of replied "Oh, I guess it is. Da". In summary, I just loved this place and would really like to go back. The food was excellent and creatively prepared. if you are looking for something interesting along the seafood line, then I highly recommend that you check it out. read more

We had a glorious time! Last minute reservations when other plans fell through, and they got us seated right away. We sat right next to the beautiful open kitchen and had a great time watching the chefs hard at work and the lovely dishes as they headed out to the tables. The restaurant has an open feel but noise didn't seem to be a problem at all. The menu isn't overly large but well curated and has a good selection for all palates. Have to give a shout out to our waiter Nick, who made sure that our experience was beyond expectations. Will definitely be back! read more

From start to finish the food and service was exceptional. We started with the Hamachi Crudo and Roasted Oysters & Bone Marrow. The Hamachi was a perfect bite with citrus and some heat balanced out with an avocado mousse and a bit of crunch with sunflower seeds. The Oyster and Bone Marrow is my new favorite, if I could get this every week from now on I would be happy. For our main courses, my husband had the Whole Branzino and I had the Halibut, and we had the Crispy Boardwalk Potatos for the table. Everything was delicious! Fish was cooked perfectly, our food was all timed well and our table was never crowded with food. Our server, Tosh, was attentive and friendly from start to finish and really made the experience top notch. We couldn't end the night without an H&Spressotini (Nitro) and the Ironsmith Coffee Semifreddo. This espresso martini is one of the best I've had and the semifreddo was a perfect pairing. I would highly recommend Herb&Sea for a great dining experience with fantastic food you will not soon forget. read more

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This place is amazing! I went with my Other half on a date and it was so packed! There was an hour plus wait or self seating info the bar. We decided to test our luck because of how crowded the bar area was. It was shoulder to shoulder. But we got a seat within 15 minutes! Ordered from full menu and enjoyed our night there! We have returned and will continue to come back for amazing food, great ambience, and overall excellent experience. read more

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Best restaurant in Encinitas, but also the priciest. Food is fantastic and have never had a bad meal. We go here for special occasions.

The sound was deafening but they kindly moved us to a quieter table. We got different kinds of fish, and it was all excellent. Warmly received and good service. read more

This is a cool place to be for dinner and drinks. They've done a great job of keeping the building architectural spirit intact (this is the second oldest building in Encinitas). My two trips to Herb & Sea have consisted of Easter Brunch, which was pricy but not very memorable, and then sitting at the bar for cocktails and the raw bar - which is giving me a reason to come back. There are 3 types of Oysters on the menu, Pacific, Atlantic and Baja; I've been eating oysters for decades, I can't tell the difference. But, all 3 types were fantastic... and made me wish I'd ordered more. The Octopus ... was somewhere between "tough" and "hard". I had high hopes here, the flavor was great but the octopus was a jaw workout! The tuna Crudo, I fully endorse this! The cocktails: we ordered about one of everything, they definitely didn't have as much booze in them as I'd like but all were a welcome compliment to our raw bar selections! Like after 3 cocktails I didn't even have a head change... read more

Ah-mazing food & drinks. Loved the staff and service. We definitely will be coming back. Thanks for the sweet gem addition to Encinitas. read more

Herb & Sea - Salmon - Seafood Near Me - Encinitas, California

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disappointing. coming from the SF Bay area, most recently Sonoma, i was expecting fresh, farm to table ingredients and a sophisticated ambiance. the food was ok, nothing to write home about. my caesar salad was blah, the only interesting element being the incongruous crisp chicken skins. not an anchovy in sight. the mussels in a cream sauce were ok, but the thick slabs of bread underneath added nothing to the concept. my friend had a peach salad and the ceviche, which were also ok, but nothing special. the service was not up to par, slow and not very attentive. the ambiance was loud and crowded. just another tourist trap. will not return, needless to say. read more

Meh...food is ok...wine list is lacking AND way overpriced. $136 for $34 bottle of Super Tuscan is well outside acceptable. I'll pass.

I just left and I already can't wait to go back and try more dishes.. this place was even better than I thought it was going to be. I definitely recommend getting here ASAP! The flavor combinations are perfect and the atmosphere was great too. Something for everyone.. see you again soon! read more

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Great employees and lovely atmosphere, but something is up with the acoustics in the restaurant because I find it hard to have a conversation with friends because the music is a bit too loud and I find the music they play seems geared more towards people in their early 20's versus the demographic that can afford to dine in the restaurant. The Baja Shrimp Cocktail is delicious and my husband loves the Wood Fired Pork Chop. I found the pizza to be so-so. Please bring back the bucatini puttanesca which had so much delicious flavor. read more

I'm all the time looking for new places for inspiration, this place is definitely one of this! If you want to try something new, go there! This place has a big tables so for our company it was the perfect place. Because I'm going pescatarian, I found perfect meal for me- "wood grilled salmon" and "garden and field greens salad". Everything was delicious and plates are not to big. Salmon tasted delicious, I liked it. Also they have very good pizzas with crunchy crust I love. This place might be a little bit pricey but quality and taste are good! read more

Welcome to the neighborhood Herb & Sea! Encinitas has needed an upscale, trendy restaurant for a long time. Just ask the 30 or so people waiting in line for the doors to open at 5:30. There were no reservations available tonight when we came, but knew we could eat at the bar since Connor (bar manager) gave us the tip to come early. The talk in line for the 30 min prior to the opening was all about how to get the best spot and what to order. There was a definite buzz. People walking by got in line, just because. The name says it all. Lots of delicious seafood. I especially liked the octopus and artichoke small plate. The aioli was superb and needs to be paired with the Chardonnay by the glass. I also liked the Crab Louie Avocado Toast. So many great flavors. Ryan, the GM, welcomed us warmly, and asked for our input. The entire staff are helpful and want to please. I love eating at the bar so I can get a good feel for the traffic flow, conversations among the patrons, and the viewpoint of the restaurant can't even beat. Other reviewers have mentioned the noise. I won't argue that it's noisy but will say that the noise is a direct correlation to the excited crowds that can't wait to eat here. The bar area was 3 deep and this is only 10 days after the opening. This place is a hit. The most coveted spots in the restaurant are the comfortable low chairs around low tables in 3 conversation areas. Once ensconced, people don't leave. These are great spots for noshing, cocktailing and people watching. My tip: come around 5pm. Wait in line. Eat at the bar. Ask Connor or Eileen what's the best pairings with each dish. Talk to your neighbors. And order the small plates to get a taste of everything. Kudos to Herb & Sea and the Puffer Malarkey Collective. I will go out my way to eat here often. Save my seat at the bar. read more

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This place has a little bit of everything that is amazing! Decor, ambiance, food and drinks were right on and made to perfection. It's a pricey place but worth it for the quality and excellent service. read more

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This Main Street Encinitas seafood restaurant should be on your list of in the area. Inside the restaurant is a nice open layout and a clean kitchen toward the back. The restaurant while big doesn't feel to big nor get to loud. We started with a few cocktails which were well prepared. We ordered a dozen oysters, the Hamachi Crudo and Octopus along with a Kale salad to begin, the Kale salad was amazing and I'm not a Kale fan! For entrees we ordered the Branzino the chicken, the pork and Margherita pizza. The only negative I had was the Branzino was a bit undercooked. Overall I have been to Herb n Sea several times and have not had a bad experience. read more

I have been to this restaurant twice (post COVID) and the food is absolutely amazing. Very conveniently located in the heart of Encinitas but none on the main strip so street parking is pretty easy. They also offer Valet and you can pay with your phone if you don't have cash. The bar area has plenty of seating so you can enjoy a drink while you wait for your table. I highly recommend that you make a reservation, but be warned that you may still have to wait. My second time there, we had to wait 45 minutes past our reservation time to get our table. We almost left and were pretty upset (it was a birthday celebration) but the manager was amazing and personally came to apologize and sent some complimentary items to our table. We always order several items and share which is great because you can have a taste of everything!! The desserts are fantastic!!! All in all, I love this restaurant and think its a great choice for celebrations, date nights and for dinner with friends. read more

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Such a treat to have this gem in our neighborhood, great for date night or girls night out.

Awesome place! Had a reservation right at 5:00 PM on a Saturday when dinner service started, and people were already outside waiting for it to open. We sat outside on their gorgeous moonlight deck (to be a little more safer!) and the tables were spaced out and each accompanied by a heater. All the staff wore masks and they were very attentive throughout our meal. My water never went empty, we didn't wait long between each course, and it was a relatively fast dinner. Food was delicious. Parker House Rolls ("secret" menu item that we saw on their Instagram haha) were soooo buttery and herby. The branzino and salmon were cooked perfectly. My husband found a star in the portobello mushroom side and couldn't get enough of the dressings they used on them. I absolutely loved the bone marrow and oysters, so lemony! We were there for my birthday and they gave us a free birthday dessert, which was a shortbread cookie, vanilla ice cream, and blueberries. If we knew it was coming (we never assume even though yes, it usually happens) we wouldn't have ordered the butterscotch budino for dessert. It was good, but we were full by the end of our meal and the caramel was a tad too sweet for us to finish it. The birthday dessert would have been more than enough for us and my husband liked it better than the budino. I loved the gluten free almond flour shortbread cookie though, so I was glad to have it twice :) Overall, a hit from Chef Malarkey (yup, Top Chef fan here). Can't wait to try Herb & Wood next, as I'm sure it'll be just as awesome a place to dine. read more

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I only really write reviews when I think a place deserves one, and I came to Herb and Sea last night and I had probably the best time I've had at any restaurant on Highway 101, and definitely from any place. The staff were extremely exceptional, and the food was incredible. The bartender made us amazing drinks and the waiter was incredibly attentive and extremely knowledgeable about the menu. It is higher end, but it is SO WORTH IT. 11/10. read more

Herb & Sea - The cauliflower was amazing and the bucatini pasta was insane. Incredibly delicious entrees. - Seafood Near Me - Encinitas, California