sandy's hb

our first experience with  sandy's of hb  was during the to live and dine chef challenge in august 2013 where they offered up a sample of a variation of their layered seafood cocktail (lobster, shrimp, orange chili sauce, and avocado) in a cucumber cup with shiso leaf. a gorgeous little morsel, it gave us an insight into what to expect when we came out by invitation to try the food at sandy's. it was the perfect weather for a late morning/early afternoon visit, and the restaurant's location on the beach was superb. if you know where the huntington beach pier is, you'll easily find sandy's. it rests just below the pier (take the stairs to the left of it) so you have an eye-level view of the surf and sand. the outdoor dining area where we sat was protected by the comfort of a wrapping windguard so we were also able to people watch without breeze blowing sand in our eyes. our server that morning was kimmy who happened to be familiar with these type of visits - her own grandmother used to

much more unique menu than their affiliated duke's upstairs. wonderful surprise with great server & service. only regret is there is so little time on vacations. would love to be a regular at this great restaurant.

service was terrible last night.  sat at the bar to grab a bite and a beer with a neighbor, birthday boy, and was approached with the intent to provide great service, however our waitstaff pulled a houdini on us.  gave us our stone ips (ripper, so good, not a plug, just great ipas) and then he never came back. after having my menu taken by another waitstaff member, who did not even acknowledge me, look at me or even ask if i have already ordered, i became irritated at this point, not to mention hungry.  then, to top it off, the guy sitting next to me, an off the clock waitstaff complained, and complained and further complained about his tips . . . eating his shift flatbread, shut the f&%k up already, no one wants to hear about it, much less you scared my bartender away, not to mention five other employees.  go ride your skateboard home dude, no one cares how little you made if you're going to treat everyone else like s h i t and cause problems while other people are trying to relax.  

there are many places i can go to downtown and grab a beer and a burger . . . this one has been crossed off my list.  way to go sandy's - another two employees ruined it for another two families who frequent dt hb quite regularly . . . and we have three kids each . . . should've hired and trained your staff better . . . bad service - poor management and frustrated patrons . . . better luck, nope, there will not be a next time for me or my friends . . . peace out bitches . . . :) :(

ran down to the beach from downtown la to see the sights!
walked the pier and saw "sandy's" under "dukes" (owned by the same restaurant chain)
food, service and atmosphere... beyond excellent!
the perfect blue sky and women's volleyball right on the beach did not hurt the experience either! :-)
well worth your time and hard earned after tax money!
enjoy west-morry

nice location and good atmosphere despite the large size of the restaurant. had a wonderful shrimp and lobster cocktail with avocado as starter, very recomendable. had the chef's special as main course, grilled halibut. fish was good, the sauce a bit dominant. waiters were attentive and nice.

this place has a great view. it is right on the beach across from the huntington beach pier. i had the fish taco, which were excellent. the service was slow and inattentive, however.

really good lunch stop. try it.

the location of this restaurant is absolutely amazing, with view on the ocean. in a chilly day, the heated patio comes in handy! their surf burger is my favorite entrée, while the popcorn shrimps are my favorite starters! they are spicy, and their crunchy texture is truly unique. the staff is very friendly!

awesome atmosphere and open space. the ahi tuna sandwich was the best!!!! the fries are perfect and the fish tacos, blackened, are good too! blake was a great server. really enjoyed the meal and people watching in the beach!

food, fun and unbeatable views. sandy's beach grill is an awesome place to have a family get together or a romantic dinner. great food, great views and a super chill attitude!

about the space:
they have three seating areas; the outside (enclosed patio) which looks right out at the volleyball action to the south of the huntington beach pier, the side patio which is actually outside and provides a few bar tables and low tables with couches to give the feel of a private beach house hangout, and the interior (great for chilly nights and specials at the bar's happy hour).

about the people:
the ambiance is further set off by a terrific staff with a very friendly, casual and beachy attitude. my favorite server there is a cue-top guy by the name of sean (or shawn?) and my favorite of their bar staff is melissa, but everyone i've been served by has the same laid back attitude and i've never had bad service on my now 20 + visits. can you tell i'm a local?

about the food:
as a bit of a critical palate, i have to say, sandy's meets and exceeds my expectations every time! while the rating says three $$$, that does not take into account taco tuesday with $2 tacos, $4 margaritas and $5 buckets of beer, you can get some great deals on excellent and flavorful foods!! i love their gilroy garlic fried green beans and if i'm in the mood to lay down some cash i enjoy their pecan crusted sea bass with shrimp cous cous. ;) as for cocktails, melissa hooked me with their hawaiian iced tea and their mango margarita. yum!

entertainment:
on tuesdays they have a very chill live band playing while tacos are being slung, with guitar, bongos and a mix of reggae style and a jack johnson type singer/songwriter beach dude mystique it's always a nice way to break up the work week. the same band is there on fridays as well.

long story short - one of my top 5 in hb at any price, and that's saying alot! ;) happy dining & aloha!

good service. we stopped by early friday afternoon. our server was upbeat and happy and was thrilled to help us even though we were only splitting an appetizer and having a drink. we had an off menu appetizer yummy lamb chops. they were great had just a hint of spice and were very moist. my drink was ok i had the watermelon martini and felt that it needed to be more melony but aside from that the service was great the view was awesome and the food was fantastic.

the food is good. like it's been mentioned in other reviews, the menu is way more interesting and flavorful than duke's upstairs. the location is awesome, and the patio is the perfect place for happy hour apps and cocktails. do not miss the mango martinis, they are delicious.

cool beach location with tasty cali beach seafood with a good beer selection as well.

steak brought to the table cold. my friend and i each ordered the same thing, steak cooked medium rare w/fries. the waitress came along about 30 seconds before the kitchen brought us the food and said "they'll be right out, they're sizzling up right now." my friend's steak arrived barely warm and mine was actually cold as if it had been chilled, with both of our fries being barely warm. it wasn't busy and we were just 20 feet from the kitchen. there was some excuse about the serving table being near the door and a cold wind blowing in.

great food and service. food was very good. friendly service. nice location. very impressed with the manager on shift when we were there (amy, i think was her name), she was very friendly and helpful.