Char West Fast Food

doesnt deserve the hate it gets

WOW! This place has reeelly good fish and chips! The fish batter is suuuper crispy and thin! Just the right amount! and there are a lot of fish meat too! The fries are suuper delicious too! Regular, nice and golden fries that are crispy as well.
Their fish and chips is one of the best i’ve ever had! I just haf crabs and ice cream too! So this isnt hunger speaking. WOW! Just took another bite… SOO EFFING GOOD! Enjoying this outside on the deck :)

Way over priced and the clam chowder was gross. The fish n chips was good but not for the cost. I saw the other reviews and hoped they were wrong, they weren’t.

The tarter sauce for the fish and chips used to be the best in town. However after yesterday’s much anticipated fish dip order, I probably won’t go back. The sauce was disappointing, sour, mustardy, and nothing like I have always loved. Very sad indeed.

Great shrimp fries were just okay. Really enjoyed the breaded clam chowder. Cannot beat the view right on the pier the whole family enjoyed

Got fishermans platter– cream dipping sauce tastes so sour like it had been out since opening– the ketchup tasted fishy, and the fish filet was not fresh. I spent $ 16 and could have got an equivalent appetizer with chips at the end of the pier for the same price. Gross.

Worst fish and chips ever! Went with the family yesterday and spent almost $ 70 and not a single person ate more than half and we were hungry. The fish was definitely frozen and was mushy. There was zero flavor. It looked good too, which is what got us to go there in the first place. The clam chowder was from a can and tasted like it. How can you be on the wharf and screw these menu items up? So disappointing.

Very very good fish n chips !!! But what made it better was the view you have while eating, I enjoyed eating on the pier and looking at the coast of Saba Barbara! Also FYI they have double cheeseburgers but it’s not on the menu it is called the Gordo burger, but if you don’t ask for cheese it comes plain, and of course there is a charge for the cheese. Also the employees were closing down shop and there doors were locked but I knocked on the window to get one refill on my soda and they very nicely opened the door and accommodated me !!! But all n all awesome location and awesome fish n chips !!!

The pier jutting out from State Street in Santa Barbara offers some great food and shopping choices. Positioned poorly on the observe side of the center thoroughfare, and ironically adjacent to the restrooms, this fast food seafood hub offered slow service and a slab of unidentifiable fried fish.
Although it would be fair to suggest that eating at a self-​appointed fast food restaurant warrants the feasibility of subpar food, given the breadth of choices atop the pier it hardly seems worth avoiding the wait for a table at any of the other comparably-​priced dining options.
In fairness to Char West, the food is prepared right before the customer and the deep fry on both the clams and fish were a dark tawny hue and crispy to perfection. Unfortunately, the fish that entered the deep fryer was of such girth that it had to sit in the oil far too long in order to cook all the way through. While I received my money’s worth in terms of quantity, I can’t reasonably say I got my money’s worth in quality. Eat at another restaurant and put your name down for a table. It’ll be worth the wait!

I currently am eating a basket of fish and chips. the view is amazing. the food actually taste like — dirt. I have never wrote a Unilocal review before this. and I honestly have never had worse fish and chips before in my life. I’m speechless. don’t wast your money on anything besides the fries

I was looking for a place where I could swoop in to SB and get a quick lunch with a solid burger (which is code for avoiding parking near State St). During my research I found that Char West was a good option on the pier even though they mostly had seafood. Since I was looking for a burger, I ignored all the bad reviews about their seafood and thought I would give the burger a fair chance. When the day came, it went smoothly, got off the freeway, cruised down Cabrillo and then out on the pier, there was plenty of parking just steps away from Char West (and they validate). I would say it was less than 30 minutes from getting off the freeway until we were eating.
Char West is a simple place with a simple menu, not the type of place I would expect world class seafood. They had packets of ketchup, mustard and mayo, which just reinforces the simple and casual style. They had a Cheesburger, and a «Gordo» burger, which is just a double cheeseburger. Considering they have the word «char» in the name, I was surprised there were only two burger choices.
I ordered the Gordo and I have to say that it is truly a great burger, still a bit pricey, but it comes with a ton of fries and service was prompt. I am fairly certain it is fresh beef, the patty had an irregular shape on the grill. It had great flavor and was juicy. Shredded lettuce was a mess as always, but overall the burger was decent. I asked the lady about the whole chips vs. fries issue, and she said they only serve fries now… Fries are decent as well.
The seating was great, right outside on the edge of the pier, and at the time I was there, the birds were not aggressive at all. Overall, this place is what it is. A solid 3 star, not great, but not bad place to get a quick bite on the wharf. Locals probably do not make an effort to go there, but like me, we all have to drive out on the wharf once, so I would say, save your money and palette for a nice dinner downtown, and have simple, quick lunch at Char West.
As a side note, the public bathroom right next to Char West was very nice, I was really surprised, not what you would expect on an old wharf.

Last Friday, at 3pm… ordered fish and chips. It was tasty and fresh and crispy. Amazing.
We shoulda just came by here for lunch!!!
At 2pm, we went to their neighbors and the food was awful.

Went for a walk on the pier and saw Peats Coffee at this place so thought we could not go wrong but we were wrong. The coffee sucked tasted like they made it from old coffee grounds my wife had a mocha and could not even drink it and the staff seemed to not care at all so stay away is my advice.

We wanted a quick bite since we were enjoying the day at the pier but i left this place before even looking at the menu. We walked in there were 2 ppl standing in the front 1 guy who was smiling and pointing at another girl (i guess he couldn’t just say ”I can’t help u guys but she can”) but he was just pointing and smiling. like a moron. the other girl… she just stood there starred at us. we proceeded towards her my husband said ”well that was confusing.” she replied ”i was looking at u guys the whole time.” OOOOOKK how about saying HELLOO, WHAT CAN I GET YOU. her attitude was ridiculous and i refuse to give business who would have someone like that with a shitty attitude representing them. we walked out and that was the BEST thing we had done that day. no wonder why it was empty on a saturday!

I was nervous after reading many of these reviews. But I was pleasantly surprised! The fish is fresh and tasty. The price is a bit more than other places but I love the hole in the wall feel of this place!

Their shrimp and chips are bomb!!! I did not try their famous fish and chips but if it’s anything like the shrimp and chips then it’s probably good. It’s $ 13 but totes worth it. Best place on the pier that I’ve tried. The end

This is old school fried seafood and it’s yummy. The haters may want their raw bars and wen pairings, which I like too, but sometimes you just want some hot fried fish and tartar sauce. Don’t judge.

Got the Gordo burger but wasn’t impressed, the staff was friendly, but the «local favorite» food did not meet expectations. The view was lovely though just being attacked by mosquitoes and pesky flies inside the restaurant didn’t strike my fancy

We came here late Sunday before heading back to LA. It was a clear sunny day and the views were terrific. We walked up stairs and grabbed handfuls on peanuts and dropped them on our table. I order fish and chips and the kids got a burger with large baskets of fries. The food was decent. Cold beers on tap and a rather large selection. Music and conversations fill the room with a lot of laughs.
I’ll come back. Yes a little pricey, but you’re paying for the view and it was worth it.
Relaxed atmosphere. I wore flip flops as did most everyone else.

Came here because it’s on the pier. An order of fish & chips is $ 12.45. It was alright but to be honest a little pricey for what I paid for. You can order more quality fish n’ chips from a sit down restaurant for about the same price. Don’t know if I’ll be back!

Overpriced, long wait & dull food
Everything on this place is stuffed between a small bun. A chicken sandwich in bun’s
a burger of course. When i write small i really mean it! It’s open for touristst only and
the free restrooms and the view are the only PRO’s i have to give. Two stars.