Stopped by for a quick lunch during our trip to Santa Barbara. Our server was amazing!! We got the clam chowder, snow crab, calamari, and shrimp cocktail! Everything was fresh and hot. The view was perfect! read more

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I'm still trying to figure out what "fish" was used in their grey with black streak fish and chips. I expected regular white colored cod, moist light fish in light batter. This was 2 dry squares like a fish shake n bake. I was really wanting to send it back. I was also half expecting to get food poisoning later but luckily I didn't. Nothing is more disappointing than craving something yummy then being handed quite the opposite. I really tried to like it. Im really not picky either. I'm sorry we had such a lovely day otherwise. read more

First restaurant I dine in since the pandemic began. The staff was really nice especially our waiter wish I remembered his name he was bilingual lol if that's any help. We wore our masks to order to show consideration for the staff as well. The lobster was super good and my family was happy with everything they ordered too. If you're in the area should definitely try this spot :) read more

Moby Dick Restaurant - Lobster Bisque Lobster Bisque Lobster Bisque - American Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

While visiting Santa Barbara we decided to stop for drinks, apps, and a good view. This place had 2/3. Our cocktails were delicious and exactly what we were looking for, but we found out very quickly that this place doesn't have a single appetizer or snack-type item on the menu. I don't know if this is a COVID related change or if they never have, but it was a major disappointment. Our service was average, but the view from the patio was awesome. Just wish we would've had some food too... read more

Moby Dick Restaurant - Hawaiian-made vodka with pineapple juice and house-made hibiscus syrup. Soooo good. - American Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Came to Santa Barbara on a day trip (along with what seemed like half of SoCal :) and were gonna go to the Santa Barbara Shellfish Company at the end of the wharf for lunch. Unfortunately there was absolutely no seating. We yelped Moby Dick, but saw the dismal reviews and waited around at Santa Barbara Shellfish for a few more minutes. Then a woman had some kind of medical emergency there and people were calling 911 and running around, so... yeah, we went to Moby Dick instead. Despite the reviews, we had a nice experience. Service was friendly and there was plenty of room, both inside and out. We got a nice table by the window where we could look out at the water and ordered shrimp, scallops & chips, a bouillabaisse and a stuffed white fish. A common complaint I have about stuffed white fish is that the parts with the stuffing are usually too rich for me, and that was the case here, too. Maybe that's just me, though. The fried scallops were the best. They were fresh and with just the right amount of breading. Take a look at my photo and tell me you don't wanna eat that. Overall, this is a place I might not go all the time as it's crowded as hell all around the wharf. The restaurant itself is fine - a lot of families and couples on dates - but it's getting to it that's the ordeal. If you're on the wharf, though, it's a solid bet. read more

Moby Dick Restaurant - Shrimp, scallops & chips - American Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

My friend and I came here thinking there would be a happy hour. They don't have one, but if you do take out, you can get cheaper food. Wish we would have done that especially since we went to ParaNorman later that evening. We got seated outside, as we requested. We took our time deciding what we wanted, and settled on chips and calamari (there was a ratio of 1/3 calamari to 2/3 fries) and the mussel/clam appetizer. We contemplated trying the raw oysters, but the waiter had no idea what kind they were or their flavor profile. If a restaurant doesn't feel that it's necessary to have their staff know what oysters they serve, then I don't think I'd like to try them. The fries were good, the calamari was ok. The mollusks were cooked well enough but the broth fell flat. After we ordered we never saw our waiter again. He just abandoned us, leaving it up to the other servers to check up on us and the hostess to give us our check. We also saw flies hovering around and would have preferred that they weren't there. Definitely a touristy thing. The view is gorgeous, with views of the harbor and the beach. read more

Moby Dick Restaurant - Fries and Calamari, not so much Calamari in this, but the fries were good! - American Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

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This is one of the higher rated restaurants for their fish and chips and I now see why. Some of the better fish and chips that I've had. I also had the garlic clams that were really good too read more

Following our tour of SB, we walked over to Stearns's Wharf for a late lunch/early dinner at Moby Dicks Restaurant, we were told on the tour it had some of the best clam chowder. We had about a 10 minute wait to be seated which was worth the wait since we were seated in the patio. The server came right over and bc we hadn't had time to look over the menu all we could ask for was water and more time. We finally settled on 1 combo & chips (fish & shrimp), 2 Top sirloin & shrimp entrees w/Fries, and 1 Grilled sea bass w/Baked Potato. 2 the 4 ordered 1 small mixed green and a bowl of clam chowder, both were good. As for the adult beverage, we ordered the Captains Punch and XX Beer, the punch with a kick was tasty but needed a little more alcoholin order to move to adult beverage! Now for the food: The sirloin steaks were seasoned just right, tender and tasty, the shrimp however, was over cooked and tasteless, sad really that the cocktail sauce gave it taste. The fried fish was ok so I'm told but the sea bass not so good, also over cooked and in need of seasoning. Oh, can you believe we noticed after our meal was over that everyone was brought bread and butter bet we never were! Overall, fast and great service once seated minus the bread and unfortunately a hit and miss on the food, the view however, beautiful! I'll let you decide whether to stop in, clearly some of the food is great! Happy eating!! read more

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Don't eat here !! Stay away !! Over cooked fish, stale bread, coleslaw from a box, and fries undercooked. My fish was so old one of the apostles sent it back. Wish we had gone someplace else. Wait staff were the only nice part about this place. The manager did not charge us for the fish and chips either. That was nice too. read more

Birthday Lunch for my mom. Party of 8 with a baby. We are visiting from LA. Tbh, we ate here because we were already really hungry and the next door place was full and wait was long. We walked towards here, menu looked okay so we decided to try it. This place is hard to give a review. I'll start with the good things. 5 stars for: THE VIEW. The location is superb. Right on top of the ocean, open windows and the ambience was great. Seating area was comfortable. THE DRINKS: My mom definitely enjoyed the hibiscus whatever drink she got, it was recommended by our server. 3.5 stars for: THE SERVICE: They were really nice, our server, manager even the busboy. U ask for it and they give it. But, our waters never got refilled until we were finished eating. Maybe they were just busy, since place was really slow before we came in, and after we didd, everyone kept coming. They kept asking if food was okay, lol. Idk if we were going to be rude and say hells no. We just nodded awkwardly. 1.5 stars for: THE ACTUAL MFKING FOOD: This is a restaurant right? Damn we spent almost 500$ for food and tips. We were full alright but thats because we just gulped down everything. We almost ordered the special , thank God we didnt. But eitherway we still ordered a lot. We ordered Calamari, Oyster Breaded, Raw Oysters for appetizer. The first two was salty, thank God for the sauces and we asked for vinegar, that helped. Oysters did not taste fresh at all. It had like an after taste and my tummy hurt after. Mind u, my tummy never hurts. I loaded it with tabasco and lemon too, to mask the weird taste. Then we ordered surf and turf (medium well steak)- steak doesnt taste good, tastes old and chewy. It came with lobster- dry af. Idk if its salty or no taste anymore lol. Then we ordered two steamed platterss. Came with 1 rock crab, 1 lb of mussels and clam and something else im forgetting. The crab is the reason for the star. The only things thats fresh. Mussels were very small and shriveled, u know the mussels u would normally get prepackaged lol. Clams became really salty because of the soup. We ordered fried fish as well. Suprise, also salty. Then we had the pasta with lobster. Lobster dry af but tthats not new. Whats really sad is that the pasta tasted like nothing. Very dry and tasted like nothing. We put lots of lemon so we can eat it. Another good food is the Clam chowder. So 1.5 really for the crab and clam chowder. For a birthday lunch, this was definitely sad. We still made a good time out of it though. We came to Sta Barbara for fresh seafood we ended up eating chewy salty "food". But its our fault for not just waiting it out on the other place next door. To the business owner, or manager. I really think u should listen to the reviews. This place is a waste with bad food. read more

Moby Dick Restaurant - American Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

The food was horrible not worth what we paid for the food we paid $60 dlls total a side saldas was almost 8 dlls and it was horrible it was not fresh and the crotons tasted stale. They told us the had just opened so they must of been using old ingredients DO NOT recommend I questions the price of the salad due to the taste and they don't even credit me for that .... bad management read more

I ordered the steamed plate and it was amazing! The staff was very friendly and I will defiantly return soon!

Looking forward to a nice seafood lunch today , I pulled up to a parking space across from the front entrance . As I get out and put on my jacket, i see a person outside the front of the restaurant staring at me, and frowning . It went on for a long time , and made me uncomfortable as he seemed fixated on me . I walked toward the door and said "what's up " . He replied with a scowl on his face as if I had done something to piss him off . I assumed he was an employee as he had the restaurants shirt on , albeit a grubby green sweatshirt. Turns out it was the manager . I looked at the menu and looked inside , but after that incident , I really wasnt comfortable eating there. Maybe try greeting the guests with a smile , it makes them feel welcome . After reading the reviews, sounds like I made the right choice in going somewhere else. read more

On a recent trip from Los Angeles to Cambria, I had many lunch options for my stopover in Santa Barbara. I'd eaten at Moby Dick a few years previous with my dad and opted for comfort over trying somewhere new. I had the best possible view of the water I could've imagined. I ordered the fish filet sandwich and asked them to hold the onions, which I rarely do. The sandwich came with onions on it, which I didn't mind at all. I don't hate onions, I just don't love them. But my server asked me if there were onions and when I replied that there were but it was okay, he comped my dessert. Terrific service! I even lost my sunglasses somehow and returning to the restaurant, they had them in the lost and found. I wouldn't hesitate to return here for lunch or dinner. While leaving, there was a line out the door for the Santa Barbara Shellfish Company, but at Moby Dick, I was seated right away. read more

Good location, great views, nice server, BUT the food was bland and sad. Ordered a lobster sandwich and a sea food sandwich for my husband and we were so disappointed, the lobster was served cold (I guess that is the style) and it tasted like a 6 day refrigerated fish, was expecting way more. I rate the food 2/10. read more

First time we dine here on our short trip to Santa Barbara it became our instant favorite place to eat! The service is amazing and food is excellent, nice outdoor patios seating for the ocean views. We enjoy the relaxing atmosphere watching the sunset. Enjoyed so much we went back the next day for a 2nd round of dinner before leaving SantaBarbara. For sure we'll be back here again next time we're in town! read more

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I used to live a few blocks away, but never ate on the wharf. Decided to eat at Moby Dick Restaurant on a recent visit while in town to see a speaker at UCSB. Visit was around noon on a Friday. The ambiance was very good as we were seated by a window with a view of the harbor. The food was alright, but lacked the wow factor I was hoping for. In the rare mood to have a burger out, I ordered one but it was bland and underwhelming. The seafood choices were a little bit better but nothing stellar. Prices were pretty fair considering the location and this being a seafood restaurant. Server was friendly but one of those people who is a little too in your business as an attempt to be personable. Might consider giving this place a second chance; the ambiance and location is good for something. read more

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I visited Santa Barbara today and stopped by here, we ordered the fish tacos and fish and chips the food was unbelievably bad. Fish was dried out and flavorless and the fries and rice were stale and flavorless. Avoid this restaurant, it was once good but not now. read more

This place is incredible! The food was absolutely delicious and our server, Lee, was amazing. Everything we ate was great and we had a few drinks as well which were extremely tasty! We definitely will be returning next time we come to visit! read more

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Ordered the clam chowder in the bread bowl. Usually the bread bowl is a rustic bread, this was a white bread bowl and the clam chowder was pretty much tasteless. My husband ordered fried calamari, couldn't even chew it. Left half behind. Will never be going here again and won't be recommending to any of my friends and family read more

While spending Thanksgiving in Santa Barbara, my family decided to try Moby Dick when we were at Stearns Wharf. We didn't know that we would enjoy it so much. My wife ordered the whole fish, and my son and I both ordered the Moby Dick's Seafood Roll. The fish was grilled exactly the way my wife liked it, with the skin crispy and the fish soft and flakey inside. The rolls were fantastic too. We loved it so much that we returned the next night and ordered their garlic fries with steak bites (delicious), steak tacos, fish of the day and the snapper. It was so wonderful that we decided that we would make Moby Dick a must stop whenever we return to town. Enjoy! read more

At the very end of Stearns Wharf in Santa Barbara is this great place that has amazing water views from every table. Thoroughly enjoyed the Seafood Eggs Benedict that had shrimp, lobster, crab and fresh tomatoes piled on top. Came with a side of fresh fruit to balance it all. Watched seals splashing in the water and pelicans flying over the heads of paddleboarders while I enjoyed my breakfast. Staff was friendly and fast, always stopping by to see if I needed a refill or anything. read more

Moby Dick Restaurant - Their special seafood eggs Benedict. - American Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

My coworker told me that I should enjoy the seafood while I was in town instead of eating Mexican food from Los agaves everyday (I guess fish tacos doesn't count). Yea, note to self, don't listen to Dylan. Here's what I ordered The ceviche The clam soup The ciopanno Lobster roll The ceviche was about the same level as an average mariscos restaurant. Nothing to brag home about. The clam soup was good. The ciopanno was good. The lobster roll had great filling but just meh bread. So why the 2 stars instead of 3 or 4? It was the service. My server (blonde, maybe college aged girl) did not provide great or even good service. Full disclosure, I was on my phone the entire time during dinner. I ate outside on the patio area. Behind me was a team high-school cross-country kids and that's all the people that was outside. So I wasn't disturbing anyone. Anyways, I got served the clam soup and the ceviche to being with. I received the phone call when I was about halfway done with my appetizers. 30 minutes later I noticed that I still didn't receive my last two entrees. So I walked into the restaurant to ask where my food was. The guy behind the counter told me that my food would be right out. I saw my server and she said that she didn't know I was finished with my appetizers.... Okay.... How long does it take someone to finish an app? Anyways, I get served my entrees and no one comes by even once to ask me how is the food or would I like any water. She does come by to pickup my finished dishes and I think her everytime. I go inside to pay for my meal because she sure as hell wasn't coming back. My meal was $80 and I left a 10% tip. Needless to say, I won't be coming back. Maybe you guys will have better luck. read more

Had a great visit this weekend at Moby Dick! Had the fried calamari to start the meal, which I thought was slightly overcooked but still breaded well and delicious. The New England clam chowder was tasty and full of clams, and not excessively creamy like you'd find at other places. I had two seafood cakes which were definitely the highlight of the meal- the seasoning, light breading, and amount of seafood in these cakes was more than worth its cost. Service was attentive and checked up continuously. Gorgeous view on the pier, definitely come here! read more

We came here because it was recommended by our hotel as a nice place to eat, and they gave us a 20% off card. We got a nice table right next to the window looking out upon the ocean view. I ordered the Bouillabaisse and I did enjoy it overall. The clams, mussels, prawns and crab were wonderful! Super fresh and delicious. I loved the thin tomato broth, in fact I prefer it this way over the thicker tomato Cioppino served at some fish places. The chunks of fish were the only part of the dinner that was not great...kind of fishy and tough, maybe overcooked? But despite this, it was still a nice meal. read more

This was a great spot for a decent meal with a nice view. We were driving through the area, and went here based on the other recommendations - and we enjoyed it! They served a pretty good breakfast, and I had this steak Benedict that hit the spot. The decor is cute/kitschy, and sitting right by the window provided nice people (and sea lion) watching too. We also just enjoyed being on the pier (and driving/parking on the pier - that was a new experience!), and there are lots of cute places nearby to walk around after your meal too. There's nothing exceptionally amazing we experienced, but it was a nice, probably reliably consistent place for a good meal. read more

Moby Dick Restaurant - American Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

We decided to go to the Santa Barbara Pier for our anniversary and ordered some seafood and when we thought we were done ordering the waiter decided to let us know they were out of rock crab and lobster which we ordered. Then we ordered drinks and a bowl of clam chowder. We got one drink and no soup. Waiter was more concerned about chatting it up with his co workers than ensuring his customers had what we needed. Food was barely ok. Salty and overcooked. Go elsewhere for seafood and good service, because you won't find it here!! read more

It's such a shame that a restaurant that is in such a wonderful location beautiful location view awesome scenery, magnificent great surrounding feeling would have such horrible food. It was very disappointing. I was really looking forward to some awesome seafood, tacos, and calamari even clam chowder , was a disappointment even the clam chowder lacked flavor, really disappointing. I'm so sorry because it's a wonderful wonderful location. The servers am kind of mediocre. They look overworked not too engaging and not too pleasant are happy. I hope this helps not to criticize, but to improve. read more

Open for outdoor seating. Great food! Very nice atmosphere! Loved the lobster. Manager was kind enough to park our bikes within view because we forgot our bike locks. read more

Moby Dick Restaurant - My yummy lobster! - American Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Can't say enough good things about this place. Our waiter, Steven was the bomb! He has such s great personality and made our entire meal so fun. Our food was amazing. Calamari strips off the chain!!! Drinks were delish!! Coming back fo Sho read more

Not good, not bad just average. The location was the best part though. Got here really early on our way to Sta Ynez. Our server was nice. Ordered pancakes, bagels with salmon, omelette and breakfast patty with eggs. Very average, nothing special. read more

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When in Santa Barbara, crab on the pier is the thing to do. Moby Dick had good reviews and we wanted a view of the water. At first we were seated outside on a corner but when we asked our waiter if we could sit closer to the water he was more than willing to accommodate our request. We got to see a couple of seals swimming around which was neat. We ordered a couple of drinks (as shown in the picture) but nothing that I loved or thought was really good- just okay. The popcorn shrimp I enjoyed. Shrimp was well cooked and the buffalo sauce had a nice heat. The crab was really succulently good - crabtacular, one might say. Great time and good service to go along. read more

Moby Dick Restaurant - Having a Moby Dick and a sunset sangria with some popcorn shrimp! - American Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

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Waiter didn't check on us once . Yes it was happy hour but we spent 30 on wine alone and didn't order any food from happy hour menu. Haven't been in years so it was nostalgia for my mom and I but that was about it . She liked the chowder. My salad was so overpriced and boring. We definitely won't be back sadly... read more

Another satisfied lunch at Moby Dick, forgot pictures for the drinks! Great quality as usual. Very generous portions. Thank you all for working hard during the pandemic and limited resources. read more

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Horrible, overpriced, greasy and just unacceptable. Stay away from it, not worth it, greasy frozen seafood, that's what you get read more

I gave it 2 stars for the view, the service was bad, the food was poor quality, we had the fried seafood combo for 2, it was greasy and tasteless tried the shower, it tasted as it came out of a can. It is sad to have such a beautiful view with no attention to food quality and attention to service our waiter seemed rushed and rude and as he did not care read more

AMAZING ocean view but very average seafood for the price. We ordered the stone crab and seafood linguine that came with New England clam chowder + bread and butter. The crab wasn't very meaty, but everything else was filling (but again, nothing special). Come here for an easy meal and friendly service but look elsewhere if you want a real seafood dining experience. read more

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It's a decent place to catch a meal and a beautiful view. I feel the burgers could have more flavor, but it's one of the places my father says has good seafood. Service is good and it's quiet, we had a relaxing lunch! read more

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This place was okay. Went here the day after 4th of July. It was pretty empty in comparison to Santa Barbara Shellfish Company. We had booked a harbor cruise so we couldn't wait too long and Moby Dick didn't look too busy. Food was okay. I had the fried shrimp and chips and my husband had the seafood roll. The fried shrimp was pretty good. My husbands seafood roll looked a bit sad but he said the flavor was okay. Overall, it was an okay experience. read more

I came here with my family and I am glad I did. Our server was Luis. I have nothing but nice things to say about Luis. He is what you want every waiter to be. The food was amazing and the french fries are to die for with their homemade ranch. read more