When you consider the coastal casual elegance of the Santa Barbara resort and restaurant scene this place would probably rank more as a hole in the wall. Coming in from the sidewalk where it's a beautiful 80 degree sunny day - it's dark inside. But don't be mistaken it's not dank and cruddy. It's clean, chill, and the Mexican Corridos music is vibing. It's a simple local spot. Literally 13 tables in the restaurant. It's fast casual - walk in, order at the counter, take a number, have a seat and they'll deliver food to your table. I ordered ta bowl of the Mixta Ceviche - it's a huge portion. It really is a shareable, probably best serves 4 people. It was fresh, the seafood was NOT fishy or chewy. And as far as I could tell of the other dishes that other customers were having at neighboring tables, their other entrees looked really good too. Great place, recommend!! read more

Santa Playa Mariscos - Mixta Ceviche - Seafood Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

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Omg, this place may look like a little hole-in-the-wall, but the food is absolutely to die for! We tried the fish tacos, shrimp tacos, and the birria tacos--every single one was packed with flavor and so delicious. Just a heads up, chips and salsa aren't included, but they're worth getting. I also had a margarita, which honestly surprised me with how good it was. Doug was incredible--he somehow took our orders, served the food, and made the cocktails all by himself. It really seemed like he was running the entire restaurant. Our drinks came out a little late, but he was so apologetic and even brought us extra chips and salsa to make up for it. If you're in SB, this spot is an absolute must! read more

Santa Playa Mariscos - Seafood Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

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I don't give 5 stars often, but this place deserves it!!! Great food!!!! I ordered the ceviche with the house sauce, absolutely delicious! Very very fresh and so flavorful!! It came with some tostadas, mayo and avocado. My wife ordered a mojarra frita and she said it's one of the best ones she's ever had! Very fresh and delicious! The mojarra came with rice, salad and tons of veggies. They also offered us some chips and salsa to start and we got a pitcher of Modelo beer. The establishment is very clean, the service is a 10/10!!! Can't wait to go back! read more

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This place shares the same restaurant space with Yona Redz. Santa Playa specializes in seafood while Yona Redz specializes in Birria. Oysters were fantastic, very fresh, and topped with generous chunks of shrimp and octopus. Ceviche came with a choice of 3 sauces, red, green, or black. I picked green to go with my tropical ceviche. Ceviche had just the right amount of tartness, so the fish weren't over cured by the acid. This is the best Mexican seafood in the area. For the non-seafood lovers, you can also get great Birria in the same space. read more

Ordered a shrimp Tostada and Cucumber Agua Fresca. The agua fresca was good. The tostada came 30-40 minutes later and it was alright. I asked the cashier how long is the wait for the food and he looked through the receipts and said "it will be right out". I'm guessing they forgot or didn't read the order ticket. No explantion from the employees. If I didn't check in with the cashier I'm pretty sure we would've waited longer. Anyways, I will probably not come here again. read more

Santa Playa Mariscos - Cucumber Agua Fresca - Seafood Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

RESTAURANT DOES NOT EXIST - DO NOT ORDER ONLINE! After reading Yelp reviews on 2/26/26, we ordered online for pickup. Went to the physical location and it is shuttered!! We had to contest the charge on our credit card. read more

Fresh fish & lots of options to choose from on their menu! We ordered the camaron y atun botana along with the tropical ceviche and they were both delicious. I like that you get to pick what kind of sauce you want mixed in. I was surprised it was pretty much empty on a Saturday night. Def recommend! read more

Santa Playa Mariscos - Botana & tropical ceviche - Seafood Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Delicious food! Very neat aquatic ambiance with the octopus theme. Loved the shrimp tostada. Was probably the best tasting shrimp meat I've ever had. So soft and tender and juicy. Definitely coming back some time! The service was also very fast! read more

Santa Playa Mariscos - Octopus near entrance - Seafood Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Stumbled upon this restaurant while my husband and I were visiting Santa Barbara and it was the best decision we've made! I ordered the 3 street taco combo and the shrimp tostada and both were flavorful and had a lot of filling in each. The service was excellent and the food came out quickly. Plenty of seating and location of the restaurant is very nice. Highly recommend! read more

Santa Playa Mariscos - 3 street tacos - asada - Seafood Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

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The Baja Gobernador shrimp taco was comparable to los agaves, smaller but a good value. 5 . Came back to get a gift card for my dad cause he loves authentic high quality Mexican food. read more

Santa Playa Mariscos - Decor - Seafood Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

We really enjoyed the food here! We came for lunch and it wasn't packed. You order at the front and they're super knowledgeable and friendly. They even give free chips and salsa. We loved the ceviches, tostadas and aguachiles! The seafood on the tacos was a little skimpy so I wouldn't order a taco again but really enjoyed the seafood. The salsas also had good flavor and heat. read more

Santa Playa Mariscos - Tacos - Seafood Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Came here because the reviews hyped it up. But it was so bad! Each shrimp taco had one piece of shrimp that was mainly batter. My daughter's taco came with 2 tortillas and the smallest fish ever! We paid $90 for 6 pieces of shrimp and like 12 tortillas!! Insane! I do not recommend, sadly. :( Server was super nice, quality and quantity was very poor. read more

Santa Playa Mariscos - Fish taco - Seafood Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

I honestly don't know how this restaurant could get things so wrong. The lady taking our order had a bad cough. Initially, she was coughing into her elbow but then proceeded to cough directly into her hand. We didn't notice her washing her hands before bringing our food over to us. Afterwards, she was playing with a dog that someone brought into the restaurant, and again, we didn't see her washing her hands afterwards. My shrimp taco had only one shrimp in it, and my fish taco only had a tiny piece of fried fish in it. Both tacos were filled with mostly chopped lettuce and tomatoes. The two burritos we also ordered came with a strange cheese that tasted like cheese used for fondue, absolutely nothing like Mexican cheeses typically used for such dishes, like queso fresco or cotija. We were so disappointed, especially after seeing such high Yelp ratings. read more

The food here is amazing! You can tell the quality is top tier. Wife ordered the carne asada tacos while I ordered the birria tacos. We also ordered a ceviche tostada. I am definitely coming back when the wife and I are in the area. The service is great too. Very friendly and attentive. Ambiance is great too! The interior is has a lot of seating. The quality in meat and shrimp is there. I highly recommend this place as well as Yona Redz. read more

Santa Playa Mariscos - Seafood Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

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Really good tacos and nice service! This is our second time here. The shrimp tacos are delicious and Al pastor has amazing flavor.

Fish tacos and guac were yummy. Excellent customer service who was attentive to our needs. Would come again!

If you're on the north part of State Street, please do not skip out on this establishment. The staff is kind, and the food is well priced and 100% authentic!!!! read more

Stoked to have quality mariscos downtown! Perfect on any occasion. First of many visits to come for sure as I had a tough time on deciding what to order considering there was a lot to choose from which is always a great problem to have. For this first trip I settled on some aguachiles de pulpo y camaron con salsa negra. Everything was very flavorful and fresh. A good portion as well. I ended up ordering it to go but will have to dine in next time. Very nicely decorated venue inside with a great ambiance. read more

Stopped by from coming in from Lake Cachuma. Great tasting food. I ordered the Ceviche, and the Aguachiles. Others ordered the Yona Tacos. All was very good and tasting. Food didn't come in all at the same time, and we sat a little. They forgot a dish too which took longer. I also ordered something, but they told me they didn't have it. But all around good tasting food. I would go back! I would rate it a 3.5/5 if I could! read more

I had a wonderful experience at Santa playa mariscos! The food was delicious, the ambiance was lovely, and the staff were very attentive and friendly. I'll definitely be back!" Great customer service thank you Aaron, Andy and of the employees that works here! read more

I came in with my mom and had the Molajecete a LA Cucaracha and also ordered the Mixta ceviche and Santa Playa Botana, wow everything tasted extremely fresh and was an absolute delight to eat. The servers were also beyond attentive and very patient with how extra my mom is lmao. Leaving blown away and thoroughly pleased with how excellent the food was. 10/5 stars, would absolutely recommend. The owner is also super chill and always willing to do what's necessary to make your visit better. read more

Santa Playa Mariscos - MolaCajete a LA Cucaracha - Seafood Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

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This place is awesome! Ordered the Mojara and Baja fish tacos with sides of rice and beans. When the food came we were amazed and even more amazed as everything was as delicious as it looked! Even the beans and rice were off the charts! The presentation of the mojara was so artful and beautiful too. Looking forward to coming back very soon! read more

Santa Playa Mariscos - Mojarra - Seafood Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

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On a positive note, the place was clean. I was expecting more seafood so it was disappointing. We ordered the mocajete. The flavor was really nice but the lack of seafood in it was tragic. There were large mussel shells with very little meat in them and the same for the clams. The octopus was a no show. I would say they need to look at their supplier and make an upgrade. The shrimp botan was also a bit confusing. The marinade was good but how do you make a tostada with giant cucumber slices. Listed as ribbons on the menu. Impossible to eat as intended. Sorry to say we will not return.. read more

I had the pressure to finally try Santa Playa today for lunch. I ordered the battered shrimp and fish taco and it was delicious! It reminds me of my trips down to Baja California. The fish and shrimp are all locally sourced. Yona definitely brings you "Sea to Fork"! The tacos are well presented and garnished. They come topped with cilantro, tomatoes, cabbage and drizzled with two homemade sauces. While you wait have a few oysters and a beer. The service was very welcoming and friendly. The ambiance compliment the food perfectly. I love the color combination and decor. Thank you Yona for bringing Baja CA to Santa Barbara!! read more

Santa Playa Mariscos - Seafood Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Excellent food! The fish tacos were so fresh and cooked perfectly- light and crispy. Salsa and chips were also fresh and really tasty, same with the rice and beans. My husband enjoyed the horchata too. Will definitely be coming again. read more

As a San Diego native I know a good fish taco I've had hundreds. After moving to sb, there are so many fish tacos around but none of them are authentic, legit, or quality. Seriously name any I've tried it. Santa playa mariscos is where I finally found a Baja fish taco in sb that is made correctly. And for a good price. read more

Awesome Ensenada-style fish tacos! Actually the best we've had in a very long tine. We also tried the ceviche tostadas and oysters. Everything was absolutely delicious. Service was great and the ambiance was relaxing with peppy music playing. read more

Santa Playa Mariscos - Seafood Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

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Amazing quality seafood with a great ambience, couldn't have ask for anything better in Santa Barbara.

terrible, shit service, super loud. Long said time. Food was mid and cost $20 and more just for a small portion

Horrible service went for my husband's birthday and he ordered everyone else got their food and he didn't he was told that they didn't have his food after waiting for so long he was told he didn't order read more

A must try! Folks along state were stopping at our table to take pictures and ask about it. Takes a little longer so be sure to order something to eat/drink while you're waiting. I suggest a Michelada and the Octopus tacos. Yona came out to chat and ask what we thought. Loved the entire experience. read more

Santa Playa Mariscos - Worth the wait! - Seafood Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Wow! Very fresh & simply delicious mariscos. We had a "mixta" tostada (octopus, shrimp & fish ceviche) at one of their little tables outside, since we were walking with our pup. Plenty of room inside. Looks like a fun place to meet up with friends that enjoy some brews or Margaritas with the magnificent food. Delicious salsa & chips & an attentive waiter made the whole experience perfect. We'll be back soon! read more

The food was absolutely one of a kind and the breading that they have created was absolutely the best I've ever had. It will be our go to place,every time we are in Santa Barbara highly recommend this place. read more

Amazing food, a must visit in Santa barbara, the Baja fish tacos and tropical ceviche with the verde salsa were incredible, only thing better was the service by their staff, specifically Alejandro. He is the one of the best servers I've encountered in a long time. read more