brophy bros.

great service.goodatmosphere. super view ! enjoyed the calamari, sirloin, and crab cakes! fun place. would go again, after dinner ... walk the harbor!

when trying to decide where to eat in a new city, we ask around a lot.  sometimes we get a lot of different suggestions and sometimes we get one restaurant recommended over and over.  such was the case with brophy brother’s restaurant and clam bar in santa barbara.  we were told that we had to go there and we had to get the clam chowder.  beinggoodtourists, we did what we were told and it was perfect!!

omg, great seafood, great harbor dining. best new england clam chowder we've had in a long time, you know, creamy, tasty and no skimping on the ingredients. seafood pasta was so very delicious with plump tasty shrimp and scallops. we sat outside along the knee wall looking at a travel photo view of the harbor fishing boats nearest and sail/power boats and yachts a bit further. all the vivid colors of the boats, rental kayaks, shimmering water and the well heeled hillsides of santa barbara served as a visual prelude to the delightful tastes to come. the unloading fishing boats nearby spoke to the freshness of the fish we ate. this place is one of those harbor fresh and delicious seafood gems that delight your taste buds and not just your surveying eyes. howgoodwas it? we're going back a tonight and we only have one more night in santa barbara. yuuuuuuummmm!!! looking forward to it. aside: one of the waitresses was humorously taken by my black tee-shirt and the beer, stick and donkey navigation/gps system depicted on it that she "took a picture for the internet."

i'm ready to go back!. food, drinks and people asgoodas the views!

not a bad first impression. i've heard locals talk about this place for a while, and finally tried it. the view is fantastic - santa barbara harbor is an invigorating environment all on it's own. but the restaurant adds another level of excitement.

went there for lunch with an associate around 12:30pm on a wednesday and the place was packed. granted, it's tourist season. we only had to wait about 10 minutes for a tiny table on the patio with a primo view. accommodations are tight. if you're a larger person, you may find the seating to be too constricting. otherwise, you're going to enjoy yourself.

i'm not a fried food junkie any more, but decided to take a chance on their fried calamari plate. i was pleasantly surprised. yes, it's a heaping plate of fried calamari and french fries. but it wasn't dripping in grease. the french fries were very crisp and not soggy. the calamari was lightly breaded/fried and had a slight spiciness to it. it was remarkably light tasting as fried calamari goes, so i could actually enjoy the flavor of the seafood and not just grease and breading. i didn't try the cole slaw, but it appeared appetizing.

their better dishes are a bit on the pricey side for lunch - $20 on average for their real seafood dishes. their offerings for roughly half that are limited to non-seafood items or fried seafood items. my colleague ordered their fish and chips and seemed pleased with his fare also.

i'd like to try some 'real' seafood here sometime, and this first experience wasgoodenough to make me want to come back. albeit not for lunch in august.

high quality seafood. i really enjoyed the chowder and beer boiled shrimp. really nice view from the upstairs bar. verygoodservice and high quality food. small crowded space

my expectations were high after hearing so much about this place. the food wasgoodbut i was a little disappointed after being told this is the best place for seafood in santa barbara. the clam chowder was slightly bland and the swordfish was mediocre. nothing really stood out to me; i have had better seafood elsewere in california. i may give it another shot and try something different.

best bloody marys. downstairs serve the best bloody marys we could find in santa barbara. make sure you ask for the "one eyed jack" special w/ a jumbo prawn. honestly... upstairs the bloody marys are terrible.... get them downstairs

the food in the restaraunt was good. the clam chowder and scampi were excellent.goodservice too. get there early or just drink the "one-eyed jack bloody marys" downstairs while you wait.

best clam chowder ever. they have agoodseafood menu, and the marina is fun to explore while waiting for a seat. the real reason i kept coming back again and again was the new england clam chowder. i loved it. it was like ambrosia.