Entrees were delicious- we did steak and lobster pasta. Mashed potatoes and broccolini were also outstanding. Appetizers were just alright, though. The ahi tuna poke was disappointing; it just mostly tastes like soy sauce. The service was good, and they comped our dessert since it was an anniversary dinner. read more

Decided to stop in at Ellwood for happy hour. They call it Golden Hour? We love Goleta beach and miss the restaurant that was there, so decided to give Ellwood a try. Great greetings and helpful staff. Sat at bar for a little unwind time, drink and snack. We love a good calamari ( always looking for the best in the area). Ordered a beer and house Chardonnay. Great tasting house Chardonnay and great beers on tap. Then we ordered the calamari; unfortunately cannot recommend. The calamari was so salty you could not eat more than one piece. I am sensitive to salty so I let it to my husband decide, but he could not eat it as well. We had to send it back. The service became noticeably cooler after that :(. Sorry, but I am just telling you what could be improved. read more

The Ellwood - Happy Hour - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Goleta, California

We loved the ambiance and atmosphere, especially the beautiful beachfront location. Unfortunately, the service was a bit slow and disorganized. While we were sitting at the bar, the bartenders prepared our drinks but forgot to give them to us. The drinks were left at the service station as if they were meant to be delivered to a dining table, while we continued waiting at the bar. After we were seated, our server also forgot one of the items we ordered. The food was not good, but for the high prices, we expected better quality. The catch-of-the-day halibut was overcooked and very dry. The broccolini also appeared to have been steamed for too long, it had started turning yellow, and some of the flowers had already bloomed. The server also forgot one of our food items where we had to asked for it. The beachfront setting is wonderful, but the service and food quality did not match the price point. read more

Went there for "happy hour" last weekend. Food took forever and was awful. Poke nachos came with a hand full of tortilla strips and 6 pieces of tuna. Beer took forever, not sure how. I wouldn't mind about any of it but for that ridiculous price, everything needed to be better. Still waiting for call back from management. Bring back Beachside Cafe. read more

I'm so glad there is a new restaurant in this location. We stopped in for cocktails before our evening flight. We wanted to get our last ocean views before flying north. The bartender and owner were a joy. The cocktails were on point. The space is beautiful and the location is hard to beat. Imagine, the parking is even free! read more

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A great experience overall that strikes the perfect balance of casual to elevated. I'm thankful that the staff was very nice and that when my friend accidentally left her credit card, they were quick to flag and kept it safe so we can come back to pick it up. Foodwise, dishes were good overall. Some like the Brussel sprouts were a bit on the saltier side but overall good portions. I love that it's close to the shore and has excellent views. Prime spot by the pier and parking is free as the very best part! read more

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The mushroom pappardelle had ok flavor, but needed more salt as it was a bit bland. It was a much better pasta than the lobster linguine as that was very bland and boring. There was no flavor at all with the lobster linguine, which was very disappointing. The short rib was dry, the mashed potatoes were below average, the broccolini was hardly cooked, the carrots were squishy and the red wine reduction sauce was weak. The scallops were ok and the risotto wasn't very flavorful. The Brussel sprouts were an odd color and looked/tasted old. The Mac n cheese was very good. The Caesar salad had a delicious dressing. The sourdough bread was most everyone's favorite part of the entire meal. The couple cocktails that we tried were great as well. The service was slow and not knowledgeable about the menu which is very surprising at this kind of restaurant. I expected superb service, but it was below average. The ambiance was nice and of course loved the ocean right there. I would not recommend this spot. read more

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Love the Ellwood. Beautiful setting, great outdoor patio with gorgeous views. The food is great but it's pricey for sure. Wine by the glass selection is really good. The staff is helpful and friendly. Management is also great. Perfect for a special occasion. read more

The Ellwood - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Goleta, California

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We were hoping for some amazing food and craft cocktails but unfortunately the experience was just so-so. The food was definitely the largest disappointment. Catch of the day was halibut and it was dry. Short rib was also dry and lacking flavor. Beet and burrata salad was refreshing but still bland. Broccolini was good. A little overcooked but had some nice spice to it. Cocktails were good and the ambiance was amazing. Service was also great. Very attentive. read more

Saturday afternoon was my first time eating here. The service was 10/10, Clair had fantastic energy and was very attentive! The burger was 10/10 with a delicious sauce, the fries were too hard for my liking, but the waitress did say they looked a bit harder than usual. You can't beat the outstanding beachfront location, and the restaurant was remodeled beautifully with a lovely ambiance. read more

The Ellwood - Burger - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Goleta, California

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While we were in the Santa Barbara area we made a reservation here . This restaurant has beautiful ocean views with a modern decor. We enjoyed Cioppino with shrimp, clams, mussels and with a tomato and wine broth. Everything was served hot & delicious. We topped it off with gelato. read more

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The good and the location of this restaurant are amazing, the service left a lot to be desired though. Located next to the pier at Goleta Beach, this is a beautiful location. Was there for sunset and it was lovely. The pier is just outside, so take the time to walk down it and see the view. The food was amazing. Tried the following and loved it all: oysters, burrata, crudite, sourdough with butter, and scallops. Some of the people with me got the short tub, salmon, and branzino as well. All of them loved their meals. The service was quite inattentive though. Left menus all over, didn't refill waters, etc. so don't plan to move fast or efficiently and just enjoy the food. read more

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We came in this last week for dinner. The server was friendly welcoming. We ordered the two braised beef short rib dishes. Mine was delicious and very flavorful. My friend's good but she felt was too salty and had it returned. The server was kind in bringing her a new dish. I got the burrata appetizer too. It was good but I felt lacking in flavor. Our experience was overall pretty good. I did feel the servers checking in and attention to us could have been better. There were long periods of time where he didn't check in with us. I also felt the food took quite a while to be made. I used to be a waitress in the past. I tried to make it a point to check in with my customers, always communicating when the food would be ready etc.. only advice I would give is to maybe train a little more for this with the servers. read more

The Ellwood - Mushroom Parpadelle - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Goleta, California

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This restaurant is gorgeous. The inside and outside patio are so beautiful. This is definitely a classy brunch spot. The food was pretty good too! The brunch/breakfast items looked amazing! We got an order of Oysters, a burger, and the clam chowder soup. Oysters: taste very fresh, kind of small. Burger: solid burger, sauce was the peak. Clam Chowder: good, more water than i'd prefer but it did NOT lack in flavor whatsoever. Service was good too! The establishment reached out to me as well to make sure we enjoyed our experience which I greatly appreciated! Lovely place, highly recommended. read more

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Gorgeous restaurant, gorgeous view, yummy expensive drinks, and that's all you're paying for. Service was awful. Our first dish took almost an hour to come out and it wasn't even that busy. A party of 10 sat after us and received their food before we even got our appetizers. Presentation was pretty but the food was incredibly bland. We ordered the Bad Bunny, expensive $19 cocktail for a shot of Mezcal. Potent carrot flavor, some might not enjoy. For apps, the clam chowder has a big potato in the middle with very little substance and was not very creamy. The bread is probably the only good thing about the meal because how can you mess up bread and butter? To close it off, the entrees really hit the nail on the coffin. The fish tacos and the steak frites had no seasoning. Was the dark sauce on the steak frites for show? Super disappointing to pay for a whole lot of nothing. God, this place makes LA street tacos deserve Michelin stars. read more

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The ambience was beautiful, we love the new rebuild and redesign for the Restaurant. Service was lovely, the food was lovely as well, the drinks were delicious. Have been here twice for lunch and once for dinner, we'll be back! read more

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What a nice calm brunch place. No loud music, the views amazing! The food was actually very delicious, it was a group of 6 of us so we tried each others food. The chilaquiles was the start of the show (we ordered them with the green sauce instead) the burger was also amazing (we added an extra patty) the cinnamon roll was enough for the whole table! The service was great! They were quick to bring the food and anything extra we needed. The place was beautiful, we gave it a 4 star only because one of the dishes had a hair in it & we kept asking for water which I feel the waters need to be getting refilled constantly specially if the table keeps asking for it. read more

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The food was delicious, and our server was very kind. They offered a selection of mocktails, which we really appreciated. I ordered a mocktail margarita, and it was quite good. The area itself is beautiful--sunny weather with an amazing beach view. You really can't argue with the beauty of Santa Barbara. read more

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The Ellwood has a location most customers would enjoy, combining an ocean view adorned by a fisherman's pier. That's where the positive experience ended. With a reservation, we weren't greeted for nearly 15 minutes by our waiter. He managed nearly 12 tables but only 6 were full when we arrived. The glass of Chardonnay was $23, a small bowl of clam chowder with a couple pieces of Au Gratin potatoes in it was $17 and our half dozen mini oysters were $22. We were a bit disappointed with the portions for the price point, but we ordered a Cioppino figuring we'd get some fish. We'll the small piece of fish took all of 2 bites, there were 7 mussels and 5 clams, of which 1 was unopened. The sauce was watery and not flavored to the expectations of a $32 Cioppino. My wife had 2 bites and lost her appetite for it. We asked the waiter for an extra piece of bread, in which he replied, "I'll see if I can, and never returned with it. The staff was confused on who ordered what at the table throughout the delivery of the food. I had to ask for water refill. Brian, a partner in the restaurant, came around to greet us, and after I expressing our dissatisfaction in a professional way, offered me a glass of wine, which I was not drinking, and asked me to come back and give them another chance. That will fortunately not be the case as there was no accommodation on the bill and a 20% tip automatically added to the bill of $120. My wife left hungry. She vowed never to return. Brian, service and quality are an issue in the absence of value. You don't get to ask for repeat patronage when it is expressed but not honored. read more

Wow! What an amazing redo of the previous restaurant. A completely new experience, and it's spectacular! Our first visit was a Saturday lunch. The chopped salad, Crud it e platter, Avo toast and butter cake for dessert. The quality, presentation, and creativity of everything is top shelf! Truly inventive! The bar menu is equal to the food, inventive and high-end. The only area to improve is service, not that it's bad, but it's not on the same level of quality as the food. Our server was absent after taking our order. I had to ask a runner two times for water during our meal, despite other servers and the runners refilling other tables. read more

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What a lovely surprise finding out the old Beach House Restaurant has re-opened (now The Ellwood) and more bougie with the same incredible atmosphere and views being right on the beach! Plenty of parking and seating especially on the patio! We came on a a Saturday during happy hour (3pm-5pm) which offers a very limited food menu and a decent selection of slightly discounted drinks. Wish they offered more to choose from to eat during happy hour? We asked our server but he said not until 5pm I would have given 5 stars but I just couldn't because we had some small issues with our food/service. Our server was a nice young man (*young) a little "flighty". Very nice and gave some excellent drink suggestions but wasn't as attentive as he could've been. A food runner brought out our short rib appetizer WITH SESAME SEEDS!! And my husband cannot have them and told our server and we sat there waiting forever for him to come our way to check on us so we could have it corrected. I finally saw him from a distance and made eye contact-he was truly miffed as he positively told them not to put sesame seeds on the order. Took a while for the corrected order to come... Also we wanted to order more appetizers and our server was very slow to come around and check on us. Everything was so good! The short ribs were a little over cooked but tasty! The oysters were amazing! The shrimp cocktail was also delicious and then we shared an order of clam chowder which was tasty but different! A food runner brought out the bowl with scalloped potatoes at the bottom and then poured from a small pitcher, the chowder over it. Again very different... The chowder was kind of watery off white w/a yellow hue. Not creamy white like most clam chowders. But tasty! All in all everything was delicious and we enjoyed just chilling and taking in the ocean view from our table right overlooking the beach! Strangely, our server never came to see if we wanted to order anything else - assumed we were done and brought us our check? We even said "oh are we done? Guess so!" Made a joke out of it and then he scrambled off. Highly recommend dining here and I look forward to coming back for dinner! Suggestion, for your younger inexperienced server...? A little more training would be wise! Keeping your head in the game, sharp and attentive at all times *KEY! read more

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The long awaited rebuild on Goleta Beach! The Elwood is both casual yet sophisticated! Exquisite food, great ambiance and a killer location! Sunset was incredible! The special find was the Cha Su Pork shank! oooh so delicious! A great place for a summery happy hour or an elegant dining experience! A must! Our service was also EXCELLENT! read more

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Being Gaucho alumni from back in the 90s, we were excited to revisit one of our favorite places that had been revitalized after a big storm some time ago. The Elwood did not disappoint. We didn't have a reservation, but we were early enough to get a beautiful table on the outside patio and enjoy the sunset. The service was wonderful with multiple people attending to our table. The food was outstanding and it was a delight to enjoy new takes on typical dishes. I highly recommend you visit The Elwood. read more

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What does The Elwood, Holiday Inn, truck stop coffee, and any movie with Kevin Bacon, have In common? They're all meh. Are there worse restaurants, hotels, coffee and movies? Absolutely. But there are a lot better ones, and as far as The Ellwood is concerned, a better place is worth going to. The entire waitstaff looks like Abercrombie and Fitch models, which isn't a bad thing, but it's clear this is their first time working in a restaurant. Our waiter sat us, then returned when we were about finished and asked how everything was. It would have been better if I didn't have an empty glass of iced tea for most of my meal. Also, I have never seen smaller beverage glasses. 4 ice cubes and they're full. There was no salt, pepper, or any other condiment on the table, which is odd for a place where seafood is the main fare. Also, no bread or butter was offered. I got fish and chips which were pretty average, but the portions were small. My partner got a tuna melt which was better than mine, but still on the smaller side of average. If all you want is to sit at the bar and watch the surf with small drink, go to The Ellwood If you're 20 something and Tinder isn't ur thing, go to The Ellwood If you want a full meh experience, The Ellwood is the place But if you want good seafood brought to you by people who know how to serve, go anywhere else. read more

Service was fantastic, she was very nice and walked us through the menu. Sitting by the water was very nice as well, we had a great view of the ocean and the vibe was very calming. It wasn't super noisy and I was able to actually hear my table mates! The food was great as well but a bit pricey. The French toast was the perfect amount of custardy on the inside but my omelette was a little overcooked which is a bit disappointing when ordering an omelette. We got drinks as well which were tasty but truly over priced for what they were; we ordered a spritz that was supposed to come with a foam and it did not. Or the glasses weren't correct for the drinks either; the cocktail situation was a bit odd and I wouldn't recommending getting a drink there. Overall the food was great but if you wanted to do a boozy brunch with the gals I would not recommend. read more

The Ellwood - Asparagus omelette - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Goleta, California

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We spent nearly $1,000 expecting an exceptional dining experience to celebrate a special occasion. Instead, we received some of the worst service we've experienced at any fine dining restaurant, and it overshadowed the celebration we came to enjoy. The evening started with forgotten drinks that we had to ask for multiple times. Our soups and entrées were delivered at the same time. When I asked our server, Aiden, why he wasn't coursing the meal, his response was, "Because you didn't ask me to." That is not the level of professionalism expected at a fine dining restaurant. My $90 steak arrived pre-sliced without anyone asking if I wanted it prepared that way. Throughout the evening, every concern was met with an excuse instead of an apology or solution. We were then told to keep our dirty forks and used soup spoon between courses because the restaurant was "short on utensils." Dirty plates remained on our table even after we asked for them to be cleared. I eventually got up and asked Assistant Manager Andrew to have someone clear the table. He said he would come by and do some "damage control" but he never did, and the plates remained. The manager apologized and asked for my email address and phone number, assuring me he would follow up personally. I provided both, but I never heard from him. We left sorely disappointed. Save your money. There are plenty of restaurants that provide exceptional food and service for the same price, or less. read more

Stopped here for lunch driving back from Paso Robles to LA. Chose this restaurant for the ocean front views, atmosphere and the tempting pictures of the food. Lovely restaurant, beautiful decor, kind staff, and great views. I was so excited as the first two shared appetizers clam chowder and Chinese chicken salad were phenomenal. Then the disappointment came. -Butternut squash soup had way too much cloves and cinnamon, and trust me, I'm not one to shy away from rich flavours. -The hanger steak in pepper souce was just not good. The saoucecwas not good and the meat texture was off. -The chicken sandwich had the best butter toasted bread, but, the downfall was it had tiny tiny flat strips of cold chicken in there. Almost felt like they ran out of chicken and took a few chicken strips off a salad and stuck it in there. It was also quite bland, but it was eatable when topped with ranch. This sandwich should have a big grilled chicken pirce in there.or liberal slices of freshly grilled chicken. -Burger was just ok, not great. I was dissapointed that the entree's were just not good. If probably give them a try again if in the area, at least for the clam chowder and salad. read more

Stopped here for lunch on vacation near the Santa Barbara airport. BEAUTIFUL views by the ocean and you're greeted by a sign saying you agree to being filmed by entering the restaurant though I never saw any indication of that. :) I ordered the club sandwich which was quite good highlighted by the fresh sourdough bread. My cocktail, Coastal Caviar, had a very overpowering passionfruit flavor but the foam texture was amazing and one of the prettiest drinks you'll ever see. My fam enjoyed their meals as well which I didn't get to try because my baby had a reaction to the tomato soup (cashew cream) - whoops we're still figuring out her food allergies. Recommend checking it out! read more

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Came here with my husband for dinner. We didn't make reservations but were seated right away. The hostesses up front were pleasant. Our waitress was also friendly. We were sat in a corner by the window facing the beach. There were about 5-8 flies along there and while they didn't get in our food, it was distracting. We enjoyed the clam chowder au gratin so much! Very creative and delicious twist on clam chowder. It is $16 but $12 on happy hour. It's a nice size and could be eaten alone. The fish and chips was hands down the best i ever had. The fish was perfectly cooked and flaky. But the star of the show was the house made tartar sauce! I know it sounds silly but we asked for more of it because we couldn't get enough! The pistachio butter cake had fantastic flavor and there is nothing i would change! Something I noticed during our meal was that we didn't get any bread to start us off which was disappointing. read more

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I had the most wonderful time last night celebrating my birthday! From the moment we entered we were greeted right away and seated on the patio with a great view of the ocean. Our reservation was 5pm so they weren't too busy. The timing of the pouring of the water, taking our order, bring out each of our dishes was really perfect. My water glass got refilled with me not even noticing it! So service was spot on. Everyone was attentive enough without being distracting. Each dish was presented beautifully and was flavorful and tasty! No salt needed. See pics. We will definitely be going back! read more

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The ambience was beautiful and the service was attentive. We came toward the last 30 minutes prior to closing and at the time for last call for kitchen. I will say, even though the hostess was kind and helpful it was kind of overkill to keep apologizing and making small talk while stating " Glad it's your first time. You came close to closing. Sorry we can't guarantee you getting a seat, but I'll talk to my manager to see if it's ok to seat you." I basically heard this 5 or 6 times, I feel like I understood the concern lol Ok, spoiler, we got seated :) We ordered the clam chowder. Again, it may have been bc we're were near closing time, but the whole buildup felt rushed. I couldn't even get my camera ready to video the setup and the pour over of clam chowder into the cup. But I'm sure this would be much slower pace and easy going if we were there earlier. I would expect the guest would be able to pour their own soup over their bowl, but I'm not sure. It was delicious especially with the potatoes au gratin. I'm not a big fan of bacon flavored clam chowder, but the potatoes off set the flavor and the soup was really good! For a cup that costs close to $20... you really could focus on other dishes or appetizers. HAMACHI CRUDO Cucumber Agua Chile / Avocado / Citrus / Jicama (GF) Good and beautiful presentation. Flavor didn't match the vibrant colors. Definitely lacked a citrus kick and a spiciness that I would expect from agua chile. If you like sushi, this would be a great option, but ask for extra lime to make it bright tasting. SHORT RIB & MUSHROOM PAPPARDELLE * Braised Short Rib / Wild Mushroom Soffritto / Crème Fraiche / Parmigiano-Reggiano The most flavorful beef pasta dish I've had in a while. Mushrooms were large and comparable to the cut steak pieces in the dish. Creamy and savory with each bite. There was enough to share and take home. I would definitely order this again in the future. Thank you again for the wonderful dishes and friendly staff! read more

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When we went there for lunch they didn't offer fish & chips. Disappointed. Now, to read reviews that are poor on such, I wonder how a seaside restaurant can make it without great fish & chips. I'm not returning until they get that basic down. SB Fish Co does great at a better price. read more

The Ellwood in Goleta, California is a chill restaurant on Goleta Beach. I ate delicious calamari, some wonderful vegetable crudité, and a pretty good chicken sandwich. The beignets were just ok I was not impressed with them. They were just a waste of calories in money to be completely honest. I enjoyed the chicken sandwich a lot more. The calamari was one of the best things I ate. The thing that makes this restaurant nice is the view. The service was pretty good too. read more

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Scrumptious! We dined here last night to celebrate a friend's birthday, and everyone loved their cocktails and meals. I had the braised beef short rib and the El Jefe Espresso Martini both were excellent. Our server, Mila, was fantastic and even took a few group photos for us. read more

The Ellwood - Braised Beef Short Rib - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Goleta, California

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We came in for brunch for the first time since they opened and really enjoyed the experience! Service was great and attentive. The ambience is chic coastal and very comfortable, especially loved the ocean view we had on such a beautiful day. Started with the shareable cinnamon which is huge but delicious! The cinnamon crunch toasts as a topping was a surprising but tasty addition, definitely recommend trying this sweet treat for the table. The burger was great, flavorful, juicy and well-cooked with lots of fries on the side. The asian salad is good too, refreshing and tangy. The fish and chips was the only thing we did not like as much, the fish was small for the portion size and overcooked while also lacking flavor. Overall would come back to try some of the other options and enjoy more of the views! Tip: request the fully covered patio on a sunny day as there is another part of the patio that had little shade and got hot quickly. read more

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A very impromptu meal here on a sunny Saturday afternoon. We had brunch and both ordered the chilaquiles. It was mid at best. I would try something else in the future. Our waiter was excellent. We sat outside and enjoyed the beach and breezes. Will give it another try because can't resist a beachside restaurant. read more

A slice of heaven in Goleta Cocktail was great Food was amazing Sitting on the patio is a must to get the amazing view of the ocean Service was outstanding! read more

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I've heard so many good things about this spot, so was excited to come try it! The new owners did a beautiful job with the renovation. It's gorgeous! We made a reservation 30 days out for a Saturday night. Reservations can only be made 30 days out. We noted on our reservation details that we were there celebrating our anniversary, though unfortunately this wasn't acknowledged our entire visit. We ended up going earlier than our reservation but they were able to seat us sooner, which was really nice! It took quite a while for our server to come to our table to order anything or get water. However, the server was very kind. All of the staff waiting on us were friendly. We ordered cocktails, which their drink menu has some fun drawings of each option! The coastal caviar was delicious! We wanted to order a second round but unfortunately our waiter was too slow and our entree's come up, so we decided to forgo them. We opted for the clam chowder to begin and it is so good. I ordered the salmon Poké bowl for my entree and my husband ordered the whole fish. We ended up sharing everything. So tasty. The fish was all very fresh. We ordered Brussel sprouts on the side and they were okay. Definitely not the best Brussel sprouts I've ever had. The setting of the restaurant is so great. Definitely try to sit outside if you can. They've got a fireplace and heaters, in case it's chilly by the water. read more

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Excellent service, great view, delicious fresh food options. Forgot to take a photo of the papdelle pasta but that was the big winner of the table -- we ordered 2 orders it was so good! The fish is super fresh and delicious too! Highly recommend this place and we will definitely be back! read more

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Firstly, this is a beautiful restaurant with a lovely view. That's what you are paying for, because it isn't the food. The food is just OK and horribly expensive. Definitely better options in SB. read more