Santa Barbara Shellfish Company

The Santa Barbara Shellfish Company serves up some of the freshest and tastiest cioppino, clam chowder, lobster bisque, and crab in the area- and at a very reasonable price. The modest building is at the very end of Stern's Wharf, where a casual seat on one of the barstools lends a view of the Santa Barbara Harbor. A great place to eat and watch the sailboats go by!
Tanks of crab and lobster line the back wall. Check out the chalkboard of daily specials, which vary with season to include different types of crab and lobster, clams and mussels, or soups served in a sourdough bread bowl.

The whole dungeness crab special, steamed and cleaned, is served with butter and cocktail sauce, and comes with a cup of creamy clam chowder and a small caesar salad. Another delightful choice on the menu is the Cioppino, a tasty broth with half a dungeness crab, mussels, clams, shrimp, and scallops served in a bread bowl. You may also choose the pound of steamed clams in white wine and garlic broth served in a bread bowl, although the soup was spiced with a little too many pieces of thistle in it which was distracting to pick out.

Before you leave, make sure you take an oyster shooter! What's better than a raw oyster in a shotglass of horseradish, tomato sauce, and grated parmesan cheese? Get a round of shooters for the whole group, even the skeptical. SB Shellfish Company also serves beer by the pint or pitcher and wine by the glass or bottle. Sister restaurants FisHouse and Boathouse at Hendry's Beach make up the trio all located in Santa Barbara, California.