Dining by the ocean is my favorite! On a recent visit to Santa Barbara, I did a quick google search to find out the best place to eat at by the water. The Boathouse at Hendry’s Beach immediately popped up. It was a short drive from downtown and it is the only waterfront restaurant I’ve been too in years that offers free parking. If you can try and eat here close to sunset I would highly recommend it.
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I wanted to eat outside but the tables were all full. Indoors ended up being perfectly fine. There is a mirror along the wall inside so even though my Mom’s back was facing the ocean she could still see the gorgeous view in the mirror.
They have heaters in the outdoor seating for when it gets cold. You really can’t go wrong with a seat indoors or out. Each one will provide a fantastic view.
My Mom and I ordered the chowder fries, which ended up being our favorite thing on the menu. I would definitely order it again on my next visit. We also ordered the mussels and ahi tuna poke. Both of those items were okay but not as amazing as the fries.
If you order the ahi tuna poke I highly recommend the wonton chips.
For dessert, we order the ice cream sundae. The food was all very tasty but the view was by far the best part. I really hope you get a better server than we did. The service was incredibly disappointing and extended our visit by at least thirty minutes because of how long our server took to bring the bill.
Right next to the Boathouse there was a beautiful staircase that was adorned with rocks. It was more than picture-perfect.
Some of my other favorite California restaurants that I have written about are Malibu Farm and the Polo Lounge at the Beverly Hills Hotel.
