santa barbara shellfish company

santa barbara uni (sea urchin) is def one of my fave things to eat, so we took a drive to santa barbara for some live uni. on the way to santa barbara we stopped by malibu pier heading to santa barbara we arrived at santa barbara fish market. we got some live uni, too bad there were only 2 left. they clean out the uni for you. dont eat the uni out of the shell because it would take very salty. you have to rinse out all the seawater first. probably one of the best unis ive ever had. they were heavenly!!! so amazing! super fresh, very sweet, rich, creamy, melts in your mouth. daymn i wish they had more! santa barbara fish market 117 harbor way ste 7 santa barbara, ca 93109 get directions phone number (805) 965-9564 sbfish.com heading to another pier santa barbara shellfish company we got a 3lb spidercrabas recommended, but it wasnt good at all. didnt taste all that fresh. the meat wasnt tender and flavorful. santa barbara shellfish company 230 stearns wharf santa barbara, ca 93101 get

seafood in santa barbara – that’s the deal.  it’s not that san diego and other places on the west coast don’t have good seafood, but there’s something about santa barbara that seems to make it taste a littler fresher and brighter.  the santa barbara shellfish company at the end of stearn’s wharf is a must visit if only for the experience of having a 5 lb. cooked to order spidercrabplaced in front of you. with other fresh out of the live tank options such as sea urchin, dungeness and rock crab, depending on the season, there’s plenty to enjoy here.

they also consistently have some of the best and briny oysters i’ve had south of san francisco.  get there early, they open at 11:00.  by 12:00, expect a wait of 15-20 minutes for a seat.  all of the seafood is prepared fresh, so at peak hours expect to spend a couple of hours between waiting and eating.  totally worth it.

filthy tourist trap. liter.... filthy tourist trap.
literally filthy - dust, crud on the counter, on the windows, unbelievable stench (not fish or food - but like dirty wet rugs).
food quality is pretty bad: burntcrabcakes were pre made and microwaved to order - hence still cold inside. soup - barely warm and clumpy, onion rings - way undercooked, their famouscrab- boiled in plain salty water, no spices, no flavor.
and the presentation of the dishes - nothing like on the pictures posted here. very sloppy, unpleasant.
don't buy into the advertising - the place is not worth your time or money. huge disappointment.

this is a very good place to grab some seafood. it's a littlecrabshack with bar stools and the cooks right in front of you. good food. reasonably priced. as low as $10 and up, no limit.

this place is a little bit touristy. it’s on the wharf and it’s expensive, but i’ll be damned if the food isn’t delicious. eating localcraband drinking anchor steam next to the pacific on a sunny day is a treat for sure. the service was good, the portions were huge, and the food was all well-prepared, if not memorable. one deviation from the standard american s

great view, great crabs!. not much setting available. great views at the end of the santa barbara pier. the localcrabspecial was fantastic.

fresh, fresh, fresh. amazing location, right on the pier with seagulls and all. (be careful, they might want a sample of your food) small place, so it's busy and wait can be a while.crabwas great =)

after a push to get us in the first restaurant on the wharf a woman told us to try thecrabplace in the shack at the end of the pier - after a wait we loved the food as well as the waitress - worth the walk down the pier