We went to celebrate our anniversary and the service was amazing, food and drinks we delicious. Dominick L was very personable did a great job taking care of us. We had oysters and the warm seafood tower. The restaurant inside is beautiful and the view was perfect! read more

The Harbor Restaurant - Oysters and painted cave cocktail - Seafood Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Amazing food, amazing service. Josiah was an amazing server. 10/10 recommend, sat us down quickly and brought out food quickly. Also recommend the ceviche from the appetizer menu read more

The Harbor Restaurant - Salmon plate and Prime rib steak - Seafood Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Ambiance amazing!!! Staff attentive!!! Clam Chowder FIRE Passing through Santa Barbara with my boyfriend and will definitely be back!

Seafood restaurant by the sea/ harbor. Very pretty at sunset. Inside is chic. We got a window table and have amazing view of the ocean. Service is attentive and friendly. We enjoyed all the dishes including beet salad, crab louie salad, and halibut/ salmon dish, Cioppino. The salad portion here is relatively small compared to other restaurants. We made reservation in advance. It should be ok without if you don't need to sit by the window. I always recommend a reservation though so the restaurant knows to expect you and arrange properly. read more

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This is the type restaurant where you come for great views and good service. Cuz sadly, the food was awful. I would have sent mine back but I was enjoying my weekend getaway and didn't want to make waves. Pros - service, ambiance and incredible view of the harbor. We saw boats and kayakers and paddle boarders up close. It was also great to meet a friendly, enthusiastic employee and fellow Mets fan. Esthetically the restaurant is spacious and welcoming. Cons- as mentioned the food. My grits had jumbo shrimp, but both were over overcooked. Tough shrimp and lumpy underseasoned grits. Adding Tabasco sauce helped somewhat. The poached egg was good but the creamy yolk could not save the meal. My coffee was also weak My friend's shrimp cocktail was also very chewy. Her eggs Benedict with salmon was good enough. Prices were ok. There are two restaurants in one. We dined in the more formal one. Upstairs is a more casual patio. Might be good for drinks or happy hour. read more

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Went here Saturday, in the past we'd had great experiences however this visit was not a great experience at all. The most appealing part of the experience, was the hostess from Columbia who bonded with my children and my wife and of course the view of the harbor. Over the years, the food quality has changed. I had what was supposed to be a Prime Rib Sandwich. In apperance when served was very small in size, looked more like chipped beef and tasted nothing like Prime Rib! For $24 I'd have been better served going to Subway or Jersey Mikes. My wife hads a seafood stew, to which was not well at all, it had a very funny taste. Needless to say she did not finish it. One of my kids had an egg sandwich with bacon, and my daughter who rarely complains, mentioned the eggs had a foul taste. She did not finish the sandwich. My other kid had a hamburger, the only successful meal. A $9 up charge for a 6" piece of sourdough bread sliced in to 6 pieces? Seriously? The place wasn't all that busy, however service too a very long time. The view is wonderful, the drinks were okay...the food quality however, I don't believe we'll be going back again. read more

Great food - brilliant section of wines. Service was a little slower but very courteous. Front desk lady was amazing in accommodating the reservation. Ambiance is right on the harbor. Expensive side but worth a try. read more

The Harbor Restaurant - Seafood Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

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Such a nice place to enjoy the ocean and happy hour. The pineapple mojito was amazing! It took me back to being in the Maldives. Really great service here, Mitch makes excellent drinks! Highly recommend this spot for monday happy hour from 2-closing. The view is unmatched. read more

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I don't understand the contradictory reports to not being four or five at the least we enjoy the food the ambience, the drinks. The wine selection is fabulous. We haven't had anything to be negative about the service is fantastic not overcrowded. I like it that it might be a little bit pricey, but it keeps some space is open for others. That would just be here as tourism. You feel like a local when you're here. read more

The Harbor Restaurant - Beach view looking toward the pier where the harbor restaurant is - Seafood Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

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If you are into seafood and in Santa Barbara, you have to visit Stearns Wharf. For me, the sea breeze, calm horizon, the captivating ocean vistas and restaurants, are irresistible. On this trip, I decided on, The Harbor Restaurant, which I was told had been recently renovated (with new owners) and a revamped menu. The inside dining space is tastefully decorated with lots of light and beige dining chairs. The water and sail boat views from seating by the large windows, is nothing short or relaxing and magnetic. The staff is polite, inviting and attentive. As it transpired, this was the day of the week where they had their lobster specials. For $59.95 (usual price $88.99) you could have a whole one and a half pound Maine lobster (poached then seared), with mashed potatoes, broccolini, drawn butter and bearnaise sauce. That looked like a good bargain to me. The plate came out beautifully presented and was mostly occupied by the plump lobster that was cut in half. There was ample meat in the dish (including the claws and knuckles, which were partially cracked) with the crustacean skillfully prepared to retain succulence, texture and meat tenderness. Dipping in the butter and/or bearnaise sauce enhanced the dining experience. The mashed potatoes deserve commendation, they were soft, silky and flavorful. This lobster dish can easily give serious competition, to any of its counterpart establishments, anywhere in this vicinity. The Harbor Restaurant is now also open for breakfast. Needless to say, I will be coming here soon, to try more of their attractive breakfast and lunch menu items, or once again, it will be difficult to ignore.....that fantastic poached and seared, lobster special entree. read more

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This place sucks. We got seated And no one came by. We went to the bar ourselves to order and they wouldn't take our order and told us to sit down and they'll send the server. We continue to wait and no one comes by. We flagged the server and he still didn't come by. After 25 mins of waiting, we got up to leave. The hostess noticed and asked if anyone helped us... obviously not. What bad service. read more

Got the Brioche French Toast and devoured it within 5 minutes! Host/server was super kind and helpful with recommendations and great about checking in on me. The only negative I would say was that there were a lot of flies in the lobby and one kept flying around the window I was sitting at. I didn't get the sense that the restaurant was unclean in any way, so if they could be more attentive to those flies, I'd give 5 stars! read more

The Harbor Restaurant - Brioche French toast - Seafood Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Another beautiful visit at The Harbor Restaurant. This time we were able to get a table near the ocean view and the view was stunning. I had to stick with my go to of their seafood pasta because the squid ink pasta is one of my favorite dishes. I noticed some changes this time I was in and the menu had upgraded from paper menus to more durable elegant menus. I also noticed they had upgraded their plates and they look stunning. I am loving these amazing changes and as always dinner had a great execution thanks to the amazing and talented chef! read more

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Wow, the Harbor Restaurant underwent a beautiful makeover! When I walked in, I was happily surprised. It finally has such a modern, clean feel to it. I'm finally happy to see a beautiful restaurant on the pier; it was much needed. We went all in on the chilled seafood tower and it was worth every penny. The quality of seafood is chef's kiss. The broccolini was perfectly cooked with a nice garlic spread. My favorite was the service. Most of the staff were from Stelle Mare's, so it was nice to see familiar faces! Now I have a reason to visit the pier more! read more

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The Harbor Restaurant received more than a paint job to elevate your dining experience. Tuesday night brought our party in for the newly launched "Locals' Live Maine Lobster Specials". For $59.95 you get a 1 1/2Ib freshly cooked , live Maine lobster with béarnaise sauce, mashed potatoes, and broccoli; or Surf and Turf with half of the lobster and a 4oz NY strip. The entire table ordered the special in one for or another and I opted for the béarnaise on the side. I'd prefer drawn butter but did try it. The lobster was perfect and come on, mashed potatoes!?! Yum! A great presentation and delicious food. But wait. There's more. Before the lobsters swam in we feasted on the Oyster Rockefeller $18, Shrimp Cocktail $18, Harbor Crispy Rice with 1/2 Salmon and 1/2 Hamachi $27, and bread with rosemary butter, dried tomato tapenade, chimichurri $9. All paired nicely with the Mer Soleil Reserve Chardonnay. I did start off with a glass of the Pascal Jolivet Sancerre which I highly recommend. The space is beautifully redone in a way that fits Santa Barbara's refined yet beachy attitude. There is now a lounge area near the bar to relax hat high tops, sofas and low back chairs to snack on Happy Hour treats or listen to live music on Wednesdays The service was great and the food delicious. We used to come for the view now we'll enjoy the food too. A special thank you to Kyle behind the bar and Roth running the floor. We had a great night. read more

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This is a wonderful place. It is on the pier. The view was glorious. The staff was very pleasant and helpful. The food was delicious. We went for my birthday. read more

I was staying in Santa Barbara for a couple of months and had the opportunity to have dinner at the Harbor Restaurant. Usually, I shy away from restaurants on piers or oceanfront, because they tend to be very touristy and more about the location than the food. I'm so happy to be wrong about the Harbor Restaurant. It was absolutely fantastic! The service was friendly, relaxed, and professional. One of my favorite things we had was a halibut ceviche appetizer. Absolutely a must try; bursting with flavor, beautiful and fantastic. We had a New York's steak cooked perfectly, that came with unfortunately amazing au gratin potatoes, which I stole most of and loved every bite, and I had the braised short ribs, which were divine. They also have a very nice wine list both by the glass and especially by the bottle. The bartender is also excellent as we had a couple of lovely martinis. We topped off the meal with dessert with an amazing chocolate cake that was rich and not too sweet, as well as a wonderful key lime pie. In fact, I enjoyed it so much that I came back two other times during my trip. Once for lunch where I had an absolutely fabulous Harbor Burger and beer, also, may I say cook perfectly not overdone. And then the last time I came back, was for a happy hour where I had, a couple of sauv blancs as well as the halibut ceviche again and the crispy rice with hamachi-delicous! read more

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I went to breakfast with my son and daughter-in-law on a beautiful Saturday morning and was seated in front of a large bay window. We had an amazing view. I ordered the Kir Royale to start, because it is one of my favorite drinks and very few places serve Kir Royals. It was delicious. Our group ordered the prosciutto Benedict, avocado toast, and the lobster Benedict. Everything was plated elegantly, and the eggs were perfectly cooked, nice and runny and delicious. The lobster Benedict had large pieces of beautiful lobster and gorgeous, bright green asparagus; the holiday sauce over the eggs was the best hollandaise sauce I had had in a long time. I adored the small Purple new potatoes that accompanied the dish. The avocado toast had delicious avocado. We all commented on how beautifully the dishes were plated. The wait staff here is very well trained; many from Stella Mares, and Chef Ironside from Stella Mares has really transformed the menu. I do hope that chef Ironside puts his delicious Moules Frites on the menu. Dining here is an exquisite experience. My son and daughter-in-law from LA loved it! Can't wait to come back! read more

I visited this seafood restaurant with some of my friends during my bachelorette and if I could put zero stars for this restaurant I would. It was probably the worst experience I had as far as establishments in Santa Barbara. Upon arrival there was initially no one at the front so we had to wait grab someone's attention then they guided us to our table. Our waiter did not even make eye contact with us when taking our order and skipped me while coming back to me at the end although it was my bachelorette. Every other restaurant in Santa Barbara made our experience so special with exception of this restaurant. Service was also very slow. We had to wait an hour for our food to arrive. The food quality was also just sub par and not amazing. I believe I even got sick after eating at this restaurant. Although the restaurant is beautifully designed with view of the harbor unfortunately the food quality and service is suffering. To make matters worse days after visiting this restaurant after checking my account I noticed the restaurant had charged me more than what I had signed and agreed to pay which had to be disputed with my credit card company as thankfully I had a screenshot of my receipt. I unfortunately would not recommend this restaurant and would ask you to avoid this restaurant as Santa Barbara has many other restaurants with great food as well as service. Updated note: The response from management is extremely disappointing as this was an honest feedback from myself and my friends. We did not make another reservation after that visit as that was our last night in Santa Barbara. My credit card was charged a different amount as the amount signed on the receipt did not match and I had to dispute that with my credit card company. If desired I can send you screenshots. Instead of bashing an honest feedback maybe try to train staff at the restaurant to provide better service to guests visiting your restaurant. read more

The Harbor Restaurant - Seafood Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

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Absolutely amazing experience. Top tier waitstaff, food and ambiance. They have a skilled guitar player playing relaxing music and the view of the ocean is spectacular. I can't wait to be back. Shout out to Ulysses! read more

The Harbor Restaurant - Scallops and ceviche - Seafood Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

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offers an exceptional dining experience, highlighted by stunning panoramic ocean views, fresh, modern seafood, and attentive service. Our server Nelson was knowledgeable about all dishes and specials and guided us to the items he thought we would most enjoy. 5 stars for Nelson too read more

Ambiance , Service, Food, and everything was 5/5 . We went on a Sunday at 10am and had the best time. Nice and quiet and relaxing and got to sit with an ocean view read more

Had a great Lunch here. With a great view of the ocean and Pier. The service was attentive and friendly. read more

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The food is a 10+!! The sauces are amazing with each of our dishes! The view can't be beat! Our server was also great! Very good food as it was prepared excellent! read more

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The service, food, view, and ambience were wonderful! The restaurant has amazing ocean views. We'll definitely come back! read more

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Great place to sit and have a bite and drink and beautiful view. If I lived here, I'd be here all the time. read more

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Came here for a private wedding reception. They have tons of normal seating but also have private rooms to reserve for your party. The staff in charge of serving us was super friendly and fun. The view is unbeatable and the food was very good! read more

Everything is literally great at this place: the views, the food, the prices, the waiters. We were a bit concerned because pier restaurants can indeed be a bit touristy, but we had a very great experience on a March 2026 Saturday night. Highly recommended, especially for the views! read more

Group of 14 of us booked the window spot in the restaurant which was beautiful...however there were some less than pleasing moments thought out our meal. The waiter came up immediately and asked us for our drinks and we told him we had not looked at the drink menu and he rolled his eyes. I asked if he could grab us another drink menu because we did not have one so he grabbed it from the opposite end of the table and handed it to us and then asked what we wanted. It felt like we were in a rush. Oysters on half shell were delicious. The beet salad was delicious. I ordered my filet mignon medium well and it came out soooo red I could not eat most of it. My husband ordered the prime rib and got a sauce but our friend who also ordered the prime rib didn't get any sauce at all. Some inconsistencies there. And then we had the check situation. So to reserve a large party we had to put a deposit of $300 down which would go towards the check. Our friend is a CFO at his company so he knows math. The manager came out and told us we could not split the bill with the deposit that was put down and our friend explained to him how to make it work so we could split it. The bill split 6 ways would have been $175 per couple. The manager kept telling us that his computer was calculating it to be $225. We said calculate it on your phone to which he did and recognized the computer was wrong. He said it was impossible to fix... Eventually he did fix it but it took about 30 minutes to deal With that entire situation If you're a big party I would think about who's gonna pay the big bill... read more

The Harbor Restaurant was always the place my family would meet up for their different Holiday Buffets. Even when I had moved far away we would still meet up on Stearns Wharf for our family gatherings. And now with the new ownership and redesign of the dining and bar areas we are enjoying it once again. This year we were there for their special Christmas Day Menu and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. The new clean look of the dining room is fantastic. And still with those ocean views . . . truly magical. The Bar area too has a fresh look and am looking forward to going through their specialty cocktails menu. Upon our arrival for this year's Christmas Dinner the restaurant was pretty full and seemed pretty hectic at first. The host sat us pretty quickly and we had a nice table looking towards the ocean. Our waiter James alerted us to how busy things had been all day and he made sure that we knew he would be taking good care of us. He prepared us for the possible worst, but as the evening went along he made it all the absolute BEST. For their special Christmas Day Menu we all enjoyed the Organic Beet Salad, Ceviche, House Prime Rib, and split both of the specialty desserts amongst ourselves. We also had the pleasure of meeting Executive Chef Gonzalo, and were able to have him describe each of the dishes we enjoyed. He has an interesting history as a Chef and we're looking forward to going back to try so much more on their menu. Thanks James and Gonzalo for making our Christmas Dinner a special dining experience. read more

The Harbor Restaurant - New and improved. - Seafood Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

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Came in for a quick happy hour bites. Next time, I definitely want to try their full service menu. I ordered a pineapple mojito...delicious! And the ceviche..so fresh! The location is also so perfect for sightseeing while enjoying the food. read more

The Harbor Restaurant - Ceviche and pineapple mojito - Seafood Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

We had a great time, live music, the clam chowder is amazing, the burger was really good, hibachi crudo was also fresh and thickly sliced. Yummy but too much jalapeño. The service was good and the restaurant has been recently updated so it's clean and chic. read more

The Harbor Restaurant - Seafood Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

We visited the Harbor Restaurant with a group of friends to celebrate a birthday which happened to coincide with the parade of lights. The restaurant is beautifully refurbished and totally decked out for Christmas with trees and twinkling lights. They were offering a prix fixe menu for the parade, 3 courses which were all delicious and came out nicely paced while we visited and enjoyed the parade and fireworks with a front row view! Our server was polite and attentive, even though the place was packed. It ended up being the perfect place for our celebration! Can't wait to return for breakfast/brunch another time and hopefully catch a glimpse of the dolphins read more

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Extremely rude hostess with no care in the world and absolutely no etiquette.. poor experience before it even started. Went on 3/30 at 4:30pm read more

We came here on the 5th and sat at the bar top. First time checking out this place and the pier. Such a pretty restaurant and a beautiful ocean view. We walked there but if you drive they do have parking and I think it's free for the first 3 (?) hours. Scott was our bartender and he made great cocktails. We ordered the duck, squid ink pasta, and shrimp cocktail. All fantastic. We will come back most definitely to enjoy the tables in the restaurant (or sit at the bar again we love bar tops haha). read more

The Harbor Restaurant - Seafood Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

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We went here after my fiancé proposed to me because it was right at the pier. We kinda just wanted to celebrate with a drink. Once we came inside we were pleasantly surprised to see how nice this place is inside. We ordered some drinks and decided to get a quick bite. The beef tartare was a first for us and we loved it! It was delicious we literally almost licked our plate because it was so good! I ordered the Lobster soup afterwards and was also delicious! All the food was amazing! Our server was super friendly and checked on us frequently. I have nothing but good memories from this place! read more

The Harbor Restaurant - Showing off my new - Seafood Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Just had a private event at The Harbor Restaurant in one of their private rooms with the most stunning sunset views over the Ocean! Excellent service and yummy food. I highly recommend this place for a beautiful evening on the water or spectacular special event. Had breakfast the next morning there too, equally yummy and great. read more

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Came here for a graduation celebration with a party of 9. Positives: - The restaurant was able to accommodate our large party one hour early before our reservation. - The interior of the restaurant and view on the pier was very nice. In addition, the presentation of the food was aesthetically pleasing! - Oysters were fresh and tasted great. However, the sauce with vinegar was overpowering. Cons: - Service was not great. It took almost a hour to get our entrees. We finished our appetizers and were sitting there for a long time. We were checked on once in a while for water refills and it wasn't even a full house for the entirety of our meal. - They forgot one of our party's entree and I had to politely check on the order. - Clam chowder: Was noted to be cold by a family member. - Fish and chips: Fish was bland and fries were cold when we got them. - I ordered the seared halibut and it was very dry which ruined my appetite after waiting so long for our food. The purée of mashed potatoes was lacking and very thick. Another member sent the dish back. Overall, would definitely not recommended. The location is promising with an excellent view. Unfortunately, the experience by my family and lackluster food lead for much to be desired. (Images show some but not all of the food ordered) read more

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reserved a table for an early mother's day celebration and it was a beautiful restaurant inside and out. service was wonderful and we felt cared for. as for food, we had the baked scallops, broccolini, channel islands halibut, fish sandwhich and short ribs. everything was very tasty but my only complaint is that the food came out so cold which felt like a waste! we did ask to heat the food back up and it really helped. solid restaurant and you just can't beat that view! read more

Great view! But Tuesday afternoon lobster was a bust. So chewy I had to spit it out. I like the flavor but it was ridiculously chewy. I had to spit it out in the end. I also ordered the Firestone Sauv Blanc but I did not find it as a good pairing. I tried the Foley Chardonnay as a replacement. It was better. read more

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