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My wife came here for the fresh uni (sea urchin), it was a mission accomplished. It's on the harbor and is truly a fish market- all kinds of fresh fish and seafood to purchase. She got her uni and a half pound of salmon sliced sashimi style. Both were pretty good but it was a bummer that there is no real place to eat- just a bench out front or you'll have to contend with patrons from the other restaurants for some of the picnic tables. The uni was $18.95, fresh and served on a tray of ice.
Really fresh live sea urchin prepared upon order served on a tray of ice and some lemons. Santa Barbara Sea Urchins are known around the world as being sweet, buttery and bright golden orange as you can see in the photos. They were still moving when it was handed to us. You don't need anything else but just a spoon or chopsticks since they're so delicate. Price: $18.95 + tax per sea urchin. As of April 2026. Also try the prepacked halibut ceviche $18.95/lb or ahi poke salad $25.95/lb. You can just get a small container for like $8. Parking is $3.50/hour on the main harbor, in front of the water. If you're lucky you can score free parking right before entering the lot.
My friend and I popped into Santa Barbara Fish Market while on the Santa Barbara Harbor. It's a small fish market with no seating inside so keep that in mind when going. We went specifically for fresh live uni, but unfortunately they did not get any in that day. So I would suggest calling first before heading over if you are very rigid in what you are ordering. The fresh uni is SO popular so best to double check first. However, if you do snag their fresh uni, it's more than $10 less than another place I won't mention on Stearns Wharf - that's a big win! We ended up getting a whole lot of cod to munch on instead. We got a whole pound's worth of smoked black cod - half candy flavored and half savory flavored for $32 with tax & tip. Absolutely loved them both and prices seemed great for such well flavored, fresh fish. We liked the candy a touch more than the savory but enjoyed both. Staff was pleasant enough, plus they have a bench outside that we sat at for a few minutes to eat. I'd love to go back in the future and try their acclaimed live uni~!
Excellent service, waiter checked on us very frequently. All of the food was awesome and was served super quick. I loved the loaded oyster and the lobster roll with uni. We sat outside but it got really cold after sunset.
This is literally a small fish market. There is one bench outside, but that's about it. There isn't any frills about this place. We stopped by a Tuesday afternoon and inquired about the live uni. They were so nice relaying the info. They didn't have any that day at all, but to call in the morning to see if they will have any. (I honestly thought they must get tired of answering this same question all the time.) We called promptly at 9 am to see if they had any live uni in that day. They told me to call back in about an hour because the manager will be in at that point and will know. At 10 am, we were just down the block and gave them a ring. Yes, they had 14 live sea urchins available! We were on our way! We got two off the bat and they were just cut and still moving. (The girl literally just cut it since we called, so she knew we were coming.). It came on a bed of ice and some lemon and it was just great. There is nothing that beats live Santa Barbara uni! We returned the tray and ended up getting three more! We enjoyed all that heavenly goodness because how often can one get live Santa Barbara uni in Santa Barbara? We left satisfied! They are about $20/each give or take. Parking can be a bit challenging, but we lucked out both times and scored parking right in front. The staff are really nice and friendly!
I love the fresh shucked Urchins; I can eat all of it if I can. The oysters were fresh and sweet; the urchins were so meaty and sweet as well. I love that they prepared it for you and everything is so fresh and delicious. Definitely a good stop! go to the market and pick out your favorites, you can't go wrong here. Tip: have a second person find a table outside before you order. There's barely anywhere to sit.
Truly some of the freshest fish I have ever had! The tuna and salmon poke were incredible, particularly the tuna. I normally prefer east coast oysters to west coast because their saltier, but these oysters were just so fresh and well dressed with lemon juice that it didn't seem to matter. I also really liked the uni, I had tried it at a few sushi restaurants and felt on the fence about it but this tasted so different! We treated this as an appetizer and got a little serving of oysters, uni, and poke to enjoy on the pier with a drink and I highly recommend it to anyone visiting the area! I would say the pricing was also very fair and the guys behind the counter were very kind and helpful.
Nice fish market on the parking lot side of the harbor buildings. Small shop but has plenty of sea foods. Got some oysters they shucked for us. And ahi poke, since the salmon one tried years back was great. Oysters good enough for my kid to try! He ate one, but then didn't eat up the second one, lol. Good poke, kid ate it up like crazy. I think the salmon one I had before was even better.
Super fresh uni and oysters!! We stumbled upon this place walking around the harbor. Its a super small fish market. They also have poke. The workers are friendly and quick. There are some chairs and tables outside so it's a perfect spot to eat
Amazing selection of fresh fish everyday, staff is super friendly and helpful and the quality is always on point. Join their rewards club and get a standing 10%, you can't beat it.
Spent $47 after tax for $22 uni blocks and 30% Upcharge for slicing half pound of blue fin tuna on a recent visit. The uni was super frozen so it was more like a savory Popsicle, lol. They ran out of the fresh scallops that we actually came for. Glad we were able to try the yellow tail, salmon, and scallop sashimi from a previous visit. Probably won't go out of the way to return. Parking was a bit hard, but eventually found a spot and used the pay to park for an hour to hang out at the harbor.
FRESH SEA URCHIN!!!! Yum Plenty of parking to sit right in front of the fish market to enjoy your fresh, creamy UNI!
SB Fish Market was our first stop on sea urchin tour of Santa Barbara. The uni at the market was fresh and sold already shucked in little faux wood boxes as well as in the shell. For the price and quality, I think this was the second best uni we had in the area. I also took two sets of oysters (Beau soliel and Blue Point), both of which were shucked poorly. Little bits of shell were in the oysters, but they tasted great and I especially enjoyed the Beau Soleil's briny flavor. Keep in mind this is a fish market (not a full service restaurant), they don't have rice or anything really to accompany the oysters/uni. So, we ended up going down the way to buy a bit of rice from the nearest sushi spot. Pro-Tip: Bring your own fixings (rice, cocktail sauce, tabasco, salt/pepper, and lemons) to enjoy your fresh seafood right away!
So glad I got to try this place before leaving SB! It's a small local spot right by the harbor, and everything looked so fresh and good. The two young staff members were super friendly too. I got a little bit of everything: ahi poke, salmon poke, crab, candied salmon, oysters and of course the sea urchin. Everything was really good, but the sea urchin was seriously on another level. I've had uni at a lot of different places, and this is hands down the best I've had so far. Totally worth the $22 each My husband and I literally couldn't stop thinking about it after we left, so we decided to bring our family back next weekend so they can try it too. I just wish they had clam chowder because I'm a huge fan lol. But maybe there's a reason they don't make it and just want to focus on what they do best. And honestly, I can't complain because the uni was that good! P.S. I forgot to mention they also have treats and meal toppers for dogs! I bought a bag of wild salmon for my dog, and he absolutely loves it. I guess he'll be getting something from here every time we stop by now read more
Business owner information
Brian C.
Thank you Zoey! We're stoked that you enjoyed the assortment! Our…
1 month ago
My wife came here for the fresh uni (sea urchin), it was a mission accomplished. It's on the harbor and is truly a fish market- all kinds of fresh fish and seafood to purchase. She got her uni and a half pound of salmon sliced sashimi style. Both were pretty good but it was a bummer that there is no real place to eat- just a bench out front or you'll have to contend with patrons from the other restaurants for some of the picnic tables. The uni was $18.95, fresh and served on a tray of ice. read more
5 months ago
Really fresh live sea urchin prepared upon order served on a tray of ice and some lemons. Santa Barbara Sea Urchins are known around the world as being sweet, buttery and bright golden orange as you can see in the photos. They were still moving when it was handed to us. You don't need anything else but just a spoon or chopsticks since they're so delicate. Price: $18.95 + tax per sea urchin. As of April 2026. Also try the prepacked halibut ceviche $18.95/lb or ahi poke salad $25.95/lb. You can just get a small container for like $8. Parking is $3.50/hour on the main harbor, in front of the water. If you're lucky you can score free parking right before entering the lot. read more
My friend and I popped into Santa Barbara Fish Market while on the Santa Barbara Harbor. It's a small fish market with no seating inside so keep that in mind when going. We went specifically for fresh live uni, but unfortunately they did not get any in that day. So I would suggest calling first before heading over if you are very rigid in what you are ordering. The fresh uni is SO popular so best to double check first. However, if you do snag their fresh uni, it's more than $10 less than another place I won't mention on Stearns Wharf - that's a big win! We ended up getting a whole lot of cod to munch on instead. We got a whole pound's worth of smoked black cod - half candy flavored and half savory flavored for $32 with tax & tip. Absolutely loved them both and prices seemed great for such well flavored, fresh fish. We liked the candy a touch more than the savory but enjoyed both. Staff was pleasant enough, plus they have a bench outside that we sat at for a few minutes to eat. I'd love to go back in the future and try their acclaimed live uni~! read more
Excellent service, waiter checked on us very frequently. All of the food was awesome and was served super quick. I loved the loaded oyster and the lobster roll with uni. We sat outside but it got really cold after sunset. read more
This is literally a small fish market. There is one bench outside, but that's about it. There isn't any frills about this place. We stopped by a Tuesday afternoon and inquired about the live uni. They were so nice relaying the info. They didn't have any that day at all, but to call in the morning to see if they will have any. (I honestly thought they must get tired of answering this same question all the time.) We called promptly at 9 am to see if they had any live uni in that day. They told me to call back in about an hour because the manager will be in at that point and will know. At 10 am, we were just down the block and gave them a ring. Yes, they had 14 live sea urchins available! We were on our way! We got two off the bat and they were just cut and still moving. (The girl literally just cut it since we called, so she knew we were coming.). It came on a bed of ice and some lemon and it was just great. There is nothing that beats live Santa Barbara uni! We returned the tray and ended up getting three more! We enjoyed all that heavenly goodness because how often can one get live Santa Barbara uni in Santa Barbara? We left satisfied! They are about $20/each give or take. Parking can be a bit challenging, but we lucked out both times and scored parking right in front. The staff are really nice and friendly! read more
3 months ago
I love the fresh shucked Urchins; I can eat all of it if I can. The oysters were fresh and sweet; the urchins were so meaty and sweet as well. I love that they prepared it for you and everything is so fresh and delicious. Definitely a good stop! go to the market and pick out your favorites, you can't go wrong here. Tip: have a second person find a table outside before you order. There's barely anywhere to sit. read more
Business owner information
Brian C.
Thank you for the kind words Christine! We love providing fresh,…
Truly some of the freshest fish I have ever had! The tuna and salmon poke were incredible, particularly the tuna. I normally prefer east coast oysters to west coast because their saltier, but these oysters were just so fresh and well dressed with lemon juice that it didn't seem to matter. I also really liked the uni, I had tried it at a few sushi restaurants and felt on the fence about it but this tasted so different! We treated this as an appetizer and got a little serving of oysters, uni, and poke to enjoy on the pier with a drink and I highly recommend it to anyone visiting the area! I would say the pricing was also very fair and the guys behind the counter were very kind and helpful. read more
3 months ago
Nice fish market on the parking lot side of the harbor buildings. Small shop but has plenty of sea foods. Got some oysters they shucked for us. And ahi poke, since the salmon one tried years back was great. Oysters good enough for my kid to try! He ate one, but then didn't eat up the second one, lol. Good poke, kid ate it up like crazy. I think the salmon one I had before was even better. read more
Super fresh uni and oysters!! We stumbled upon this place walking around the harbor. Its a super small fish market. They also have poke. The workers are friendly and quick. There are some chairs and tables outside so it's a perfect spot to eat read more
1 month ago
Amazing selection of fresh fish everyday, staff is super friendly and helpful and the quality is always on point. Join their rewards club and get a standing 10%, you can't beat it. read more
9 months ago
Spent $47 after tax for $22 uni blocks and 30% Upcharge for slicing half pound of blue fin tuna on a recent visit. The uni was super frozen so it was more like a savory Popsicle, lol. They ran out of the fresh scallops that we actually came for. Glad we were able to try the yellow tail, salmon, and scallop sashimi from a previous visit. Probably won't go out of the way to return. Parking was a bit hard, but eventually found a spot and used the pay to park for an hour to hang out at the harbor. read more
9 months ago
SB Fish Market was our first stop on sea urchin tour of Santa Barbara. The uni at the market was fresh and sold already shucked in little faux wood boxes as well as in the shell. For the price and quality, I think this was the second best uni we had in the area. I also took two sets of oysters (Beau soliel and Blue Point), both of which were shucked poorly. Little bits of shell were in the oysters, but they tasted great and I especially enjoyed the Beau Soleil's briny flavor. Keep in mind this is a fish market (not a full service restaurant), they don't have rice or anything really to accompany the oysters/uni. So, we ended up going down the way to buy a bit of rice from the nearest sushi spot. Pro-Tip: Bring your own fixings (rice, cocktail sauce, tabasco, salt/pepper, and lemons) to enjoy your fresh seafood right away! read more
11 months ago
2 months ago
Had to stop by to try there famous Uni. It was amazing. Highly recommend it. Also got some fresh tuna to go and made some s sashimi with it. Melted in my mouth read more
Business owner information
Brian C.
We are so happy that you enjoyed it!
I wanted to try some fresh seafood so I decided to visit this spot. I ordered the sea urchin, oysters, and the salmon poke. It took awhile for the food to come out since they were busy. I am not a huge fan of uni but it was tasted fresh and worth for $18 compared to other spots. I enjoyed the oysters and poke a lot more, I recommend the kumamoto oysters and the salmon poke. It was a nice spot to have seafood and walk around the harbor. read more
Food: fresh. Service: ok, not the friendliest people. You can sample some. Limited seating area outside. But you can use the bar table. Self serve napkins, seasoning etc They have a lot of fresh seafood included sea urchin, oysters, poke, smoked salmon. Everything is sell per lb. Overall quality is good. read more
2 months ago
Each and every time we've been here it's always been an amazing experience. Especially with the fresh seafood on hand. It's always nice to know that whatever you choose, it's always fresh and tasty. In-between waiting for our table at the restaurant next door, we needed a little seafood refresher. Of course the uni was a must. It's always fresh and chuck right there and served fresh with slices of lemon in a bed of ice. Fresh as it can get. Seafood on hand is always fresh. Whatever fish you're craving, crab, oyster and they also have prepared dishes as well. Package ceviche and also poke on hand. Always a must whenever we're here. read more
Seafood doesn't get as fresh as this. You walk into a hole in the wall deli type of place and wonder initially "did I walk into the wrong place?" No. You didn't. And even if you did, you're here now so you better order up. Before I go any further, you have to get uni. They will literally crack and clean it for you so you can eat it while the sea urchin continues to move. No, I don't feel bad cause sea urchins are an absolute menace to sea society. The uni is so smooth, sweet, and buttery, I was floored by how much uni we got in one sea urchin. If I was richer, I'd have gotten 3-4. Salmon poke was another banger here. It's been soaking in the marinade and so every bite essentially melts in your mouth. Pair that with the sauce and it's just the perfect mix of flavor. It's comparable to Hawaii poke heh. So all in all, if you find yourself in Santa Barbara, you better stop by here for some amazing seafood. You won't regret it. read more
4 months ago
The sea urchin we received had very little uni and looked almost empty.(first picture) When we pointed this out to the staff, they told us it was "normal," which was disappointing. Afterward, we visited another store just down the aisle, and the difference was obvious. Their sea urchin looked fresh, full, and much higher quality. It was also cheaper, and they even offered a quality guarantee.(second picture) Based on our experience, this store did not provide good value or customer service. I would not recommend buying sea urchin here when there are much better options nearby. read more
1 year ago
I'm not a big seafood guy to be quite honest but being in Santa Barbara, I knew I had to come here and give some of the food a try. I saw that people like to order uni here so I figured that would be a good place to start since I've never had it before. I'll come out and say that I wasn't the biggest fan of it but it wasn't awful either. Just a really strange texture, not something I'm used to eating all the time. I did have some of the other things they had like seaweed salad and poke. I enjoyed these two very much. I felt like the portions were just right for what they charged me and it was fresh and filling. read more
2 years ago
High quality and delicious fresh uni. Came by this fish market while visiting SB for the sole purpose of getting fresh uni. When ordering, you let them know how much you want and they will crack the uni open for you and put it on ice. Really can't beat scooping uni straight from the shell. Uni was a vibrant yellow color without anything off putting about it. Take a spoon and just go right in. The flavor was sweet and creamy and tasted a bit of the ocean. Texture was delicate yet firm. Perfect to eat on its own but also had gotten some pizza picked up that also was tasty to add a few uni dollaps too. read more
10 months ago
Came here two days in a row when I was in Santa Barbara and loved their fresh sea urchin. They do a nice job cleaning it up for you and it really doesn't compare to anything else. Don't miss their other offerings too - really really good salmon and tuna poke and solid smoked fish dips too! read more
2 months ago
So glad to have stopped by while in the area! The (well priced) whole uni was fresh and delicious as was the salmon poke. We went early so luckily there was no line. Service was efficient and courteous. There were tables outside so we were able to enjoy our food there. The parking lot was quite full when we got there but there was an event that weekend so not sure if it's usually like that. Looking forward to the next time I can eat here again! read more
19 days ago
1 year ago
The food here is absolutely great, my complaints will come after. The salmon was so buttery, yet tasted so fresh. It felt like it was melting on my chopsticks before it reached my mouth. 9/10 (it's prepackaged and served with packet soy sauce and wasabi) The tuna poke was mixed with tons of seaweed, green onions, and sauce which made it taste really meaty and umami. The fish itself had the texture of al dente pasta so it was really satisfying! 7/10 (so salty, so fishy, would be amazing with rice) Finally we got 2 oysters. Though they were tiny, around an inch of meat, they were put on a ginormous box of ice with slices of lemon. They were also delicious, soft, and delicate. 6/10 (someone came to sit next to us with ginormous oysters they paid the same price for at a different shop. Soured the taste a bit) Now the bad parts. The cashier was serving a few guys before us, so we got in line behind them but once the guys left? The lady just glanced above our heads and helped the group behind us that just walked up to the case. Okay, maybe she didn't see we were waiting or we didn't seem ready. And then after she helped them? She glanced over our heads and walked away. Okay, maybe she's busy, maybe she's on break that's all fine, great! It's tiring working in a fish shop I get it! Now there's quite a few people behind us waiting. We wait a few more minutes, we try to wave someone down, it is quite clear we are being seen because the huddled circle of staff giggling with each other is slowly turning towards the only wall away from us. We are a foot away, a few despaired hellos in a general direction and it looks like it's almost time to give up. Then a wonderful man, clearly busy with many things, drops everything and takes over the register. He was really kind, got us everything we wanted fast, and professionally stopped someone behind us who tried to start ordering on top of our order. It's right next to the ocean so the ambiance is really beautiful, but when there are plenty of equally delicious places around that definitely have higher bangs for your buck, I see no reason to risk wasting time and money here. read more
1 year ago
First time visiting, clean fish market, fresh seafood, delicious food with generous portions. They had quick friendly service, indoor & outdoor seating & plenty of parking in plaza. The fried fish tacos & clam chowder were very good. Will definitely return next time we're in the area. read more
6 months ago
Came for uni, this was my first time here. Definitely delicious and a good amount of uni with each serving. No seating inside, it's outside seating that's first come first serve, that shares with the other surrounding restaurants. Great experience read more
This place is a gem! My wife and I wanted fresh seafood while on our SB weekend trip, but we didn't want to pay crazy sit down restaurant prices. We just wanted someone casual, quick, and authentic. We found SB Fish Market on Yelp. We parked on the street for free and walked 10-15 min into the harbor for less-stress. There was no line when arrived around noon on a Sunday. We ordered ahi tuna poke ($25 pound), fresh uni ($16), and six oysters ($4 each including $0.50 shucking price). The poke was really yummy and was only made with clean ingredients. It was also a plus they used wild tuna! It needed some rice but I understand why they don't sell rice -- they are a fish market after all. The fresh uni was the highlight. Soooo buttery, creamy, refreshing, moist, and delicate. One of the best uni we've ever had and completely worth the $16 considering how expensive average uni is at other places. The oysters were solid. $4/oyster was just a little pricey. Service was really friendly and fast. Come for the uni! FYI Mark Weins on YouTube went here in his SB food tour video. read more
The staff inside (two guys) are really nice and chill. They were patient in explaining everything and served well in my requested dollar- portion sizes. Theres lots of condiments and some utensils for your beach eating needs. Not much parking but huge public parking lot nearby where if you go on the right side (non-gated) there's like a self pay option. The other side is 3.50/hr. The smoked salmon was really good, not too smokey but also not dry w/ some sweet molassesy honey flavored. I didn't like the ahi poke, it's better to go to a commercial poke store it didn't taste fresh anymore. But mixed with seaweed salad/soy. I did go around sunset near the end of the day so I think that affected the freshness. Unfortunately they didn't have uni because of high tides. No seating, card accepted. Overall, better to go earlier. I think I was unlucky with timing and service is great! read more
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More info about Santa Barbara Fish Market
117 Harbor Way
Unit A
Santa Barbara, CA 93109
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(805) 965-9564
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http://www.sbfish.com/
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Ask the Community - Santa Barbara Fish Market
Do they ever run out of the live uni is it better arrive early or do they have it all day?
They don't have it all day or even every day. You can call ahead to ask if they have any for the upcoming day or the current day.
How much is uni is the website prices accurate?
I see you sell sashimi style fish and poke, do you sell rice/ sushi rice with it?
To answer your question 2 years later haha they do sell rice to go with the poke or uni. They also sell the humongous nori (seaweed) sheets that sushi restaurants use. I wish I bought some rice and stuff because I can't eat a lot of uni by itself.
Is there a place to picnic with alcohol nearby or a wine bar that allows outside food to enjoy the seafood?
Not really. It's a pier that isn't that nice. Also there is not much food you can just eat there from the market. Most needs to be either cut or cooked
Do they have live sea urchins everyday?
Hi Thank you for reaching out! Live urchins availability depends on fishing conditions, but we…
Do you have uni everyday or only on certain days?
Of the times I've been there in the afternoon, there has always been uni -- but only a few trays left. I'd recommend going earlier on in the day to ensure you're able to snag a tray!
Will you accept the axxess deal 25% off first purchase if I use it towards a fish box?
Yes
How much are the fresh uni?
When I was there in the beginning of May, it was 12.95 a pound... it's 17.99 a pound in Rodando Beach... amazing deal!!! They are from SB... hence the price difference...
Are they open on Labor Day?
Yes! Our Retail location will be opened for Labor Day.
Do they sell golden pomfret and sea bass whole for Cantonese style steaming? I like my fish whole or alive where I can do the gutting and opportunity to get lucky with fish eggs discovery (for those of you who like fish roe)
Pretty sure they do, but just join their regulars club for 10% off and you can specifically ask for certain seafood and preparations ?
Review Highlights - Santa Barbara Fish Market
Why does Yelp recommend reviews?
29 reviews that are not currently recommended
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