Moby Dick Restaurant
Whether you're after breakfast, lunch or dinner there�s sure to be something on the menu to please. Fried favorites at Moby Dick Restaurant include clam strips and chips, chicken wings and chips and many others. You can also order burgers, sandwiches and vegetarian fare. Fresh seafood specialties include grilled Cajun swordfish, bacon wrapped shrimp and grilled fresh salmon.
Safety precautions
- Surfaces sanitized between seatings
- Common areas deep cleaned daily
- Digital, disposable or sanitized menu provided
- Sanitizer or wipes provided for customers
- Limited number of seated diners
- Distancing maintained in common areas
- Extra space between tables
- Waitstaff wear masks
- Diners must wear masks unless eating or drinking
- Sick staff prohibited in the workplace
The ambiance and the service was outstanding. But the taste of the food was fair but not upto the mark. Would love to visit again because of the ambiance.
Moby Dick is a restaurant that I truly and wholeheartedly enjoyed. The food was tremendous, everything just appeals to the palate. I recommend the clam chowder and Santa Barbara crab. The service was incredibly friendly and considerate. Like the titular white whale, I'll be chasing this restaurant down till the end of time. 10/10
Great! I loved the environment. Very happy. Staff was great!
Great brunch on the water! Portions are perfectly sized. Service was fantastic. I had the Lobster Benedict. Wish they had put the lobster on the Benedict, but it was served on the tail shell to the side. My son had the French Toast and it was gone in less than a minute - probably too small of a portion for an 18-year old. Hubby had the pancakes and they were perfect. We will definitely visit again!
Overpriced for the value and quantity. 17.99 for a hard hot dog bun with a small scoop of seafood spread over it and fries.
Fish tacos were very good tender fish and the seafood sandwich was wonderful filled with crab, lobster and fish it’s chopped up fine though I was hoping to get a chunk of lobster to identify it from the mix but it was still tasty. The clam chowder has always been one of our favorites we grew up in Santa Barbara so it was nice to visit Moby Dicks and find the food to be consistent after all these years.
The butter appeared to be mixed with oil and the seasoning on the food was of low quality, msg maybe?
The seafood itself was excellent.
Friendly staff, great view, good food.
Takes reservations, which was much appreciated.
Great outdoor experience right on the wharf!
So glad they are open after the pandemic shutdown.
Great view and know for it’s seafood❣️
I did not care for the Lobster roll (just not my thing) fries were cold
I will never go back to this place or recommend anyone! I reserved for a company lunch and they never opened!
It was closed, update your system
We had reservations for 3 today at 1:00 for 3 people. I received an email from Open Table to confirm the reservation, which I did. I drove from San Diego and the other members drove from Benicia, north of San Francisco, and Santa Cruz. We all agreed to meet in Santa Barbara at Moby Dicks to no avail. The restaurant and Open Table need to communicate better. Both Open Table and the Restaurant deserve a 0 Star rating.
While we do miss dining inside this classic harbor restaurant, we found the outdoor seating satisfactory, and the view was great! We had a very capable, cordial and accommodating server. Our lobster dinners were promptly served, properly prepared. and tasty.
Close at 4, but allow reservations until 4:45. Will shame you if you made reservations not knowing what time they close. We just left. Big plastic sheet obscures the once-great views.
Very friendly staff and yummy food! Service was great. Gave lower score for ambiance just because they only have temporary outdoor seating due to Covid and it’s right next to parking lot- not their fault but not the usual outdoor type ambience since just temporary. We had a casual lunch with the kids and everyone enjoyed the meal.
Hi Jennifer P. We appreciate your visit and feedback. We hope you see you soon again. Thanks for your business.
Beautiful view, wonderful server and great good. We’ve been coming to Moby Dick’s for 35 years, and it never disappoints.
Hi RyanB We appreciate your visit and comments, we hope to see you soon again. Thanks for your business.
We were disappointed by the food. I ordered Red Snapper - the fish tasted old and oily, veggies were cold, potatoes tasteless. My wife’s halibut was not quite so bad but pretty dry. We heard good things and were looking forward to the meal but will not be back. The house Pinot and Chardonnay were fine
The service for seven persons was fast, friendly and efficient. We had early reservations to enjoy the sunset and were seated at a perfect table with views of the islands and mountains. Our four-year-old granddaughter was thrilled to receive her birthday dessert and blow out the candle. Several delicious appetizers complemented a tasty variety of seafood entrees. Our out-of-town guests always enjoy Moby Dick.
Thanksgiving. It was goid.
Lovely great food and service
I usually don’t write reviews but I feel like I should for this meal. I grew up going to Moby Dick’s as a special treat with my parents so since my kids and I were in SB, I thought I’d take my kids and I was excited to go. Well the meal was pretty disappointing.
The food was overpriced and mediocre. My son’s 6 “jumbo shrimp” meal for $28 + $3 for a salad was pretty sad. The shrimp were not jumbo at all and for the cost I was expecting more. My $30 lobster was small, over cooked and mealy, unfortunately. I was still hungry so I ate some of my daughter’s fish sandwich. That was actually pretty good for $16 and the fries were good as well, crispy and well seasoned. But the service was slow, they should get more waiters to help; although the waitress was pleasant when I did see her and the gentleman who served water and bread did a good job.
The outdoor seating was hot and loud. I was sweating by the end of the meal and had to move over to the other side of the table to hear my son.
It was an overall disappointing experience.
Very pleasant pier restaurant with a lovely ocean view at sunset. Halibut was OK, could have been better seasoned. Great soft bread, good service although a little slow at the end.
We went to Santa Barbara for our anniversary dinner. The view was outstanding and the dinning experience excellent.
Lee our server was very ice and friendly. Worked there for 20 years and likes her job.
Waitress was kind, lovely, manager was personable, flexible, food was great, fish was excellent
Excellent views across the waterfront and great service and food.
Food was great! Had table next to ocean- waiter was awesome!
A lovely place to dine...food, ambiance & service😊
TOO LOUD. I wanted to listen to my beloved adult son, in town for a while. The acoustics are marginal to start with, in the outdoor area, and they added mood music over the speakers to make it a bit worse. Not super loud music, but enough to make listening a chore. Also the blinds didn’t keep the sun from shining right in my face, so I had to switch chairs.
Excellent drinks, excellent food, amazing views.
The server Lee and the entire staff went above and beyond the call of duty. My son’s birthday was a great success.
She even carried a tiered cake to the table and helped me serve it
I greatly appreciate everything the experience! And the manager was completely accommodating to guests coming and going!
Thank you
Halibut was completely over salted 😟
Rude impatient waiter (Craig), very annoyed by the people ordering water and did not refill water glass even one time.... But made sure to offer to refill drinks that were paid for. The green beans were limp and overcooked, the salmon was undercooked, gray steak, tasteless rice with the"seafood mush" on the tacos. Not sure what the greasy goop was they served with the 2 lobster meals, but it definitely was not butter. The waiter rushed us, asked us to help put things on the table when he did not feel like walking around, snapped at us when we tried to hand him our menus. Overall a truly awful, overpriced dining experience. The supplier of the seafood did a good job.... Just a shame they did not do the calamari or salmon justice by the cooking of it. He was really rude to the people at the next table also, who caught my eye every time he did something "off" to them too.
Excellent service and amazing food...as always when we visit Money Dick’s
We LOVED this restaurant- everything about it! We sat outside and viewed the water. Our server was excellent!!! Our food was delicious!!! The dessert was amazing (I had the chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream)! We got back to our hometown and told our friends if they are ever in Santa Barbara it is a MUST!!!
Good for casual dining
Absolutely, I have and will continue to recommend Moby Dick Restaurant to my family and friends.
Nice, fresh seafood well prepared. Our server Lee was excellent — friendly and attentive without hovering. Prices are reasonable and a nice view of the harbor at sunset. Self-parking on Stearn’s Wharf pecan be difficult so we recommend the valet parking, which is complimentary. Be sure to tip your attendant.
The food was some of the best seafood we’ve ever eaten! We will definitely make plans to go again some day. It’s about a 2 1/2 hour drive for us, but would be totally worth it! Great service as well!
FAQs
Moby Dick Restaurant offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (805) 965-0549.
Moby Dick Restaurant is rated 3.9 stars by 77 OpenTable diners.
Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable. Due to local restrictions, this restaurant may not be accepting reservations at the moment.