I’a Fish Market and Cafe

Since the overall star is 4 and half, I decided to put 1 star here. The clam chowder is not hot, it must have been there for a long time and dried out. It is one of the worst clam chowder I have had, although the clam chunk is big and good but not the overall chowder. The fish and chip, fish is not fresh, fried to very dark color but not really fully cooked inside, chip is pretty OK. The salmon burger, I was surprised that the salmon is not a real piece of salmon (like I had eaten at a restaurant near sea world), but frozen patty of minced salmon meat and some weird taste herb or veggie, which tastes even worse than the frozen patty I bought from Costco. Over all, very disappointed.

I was craving ceviche and gave this place a try after reading the Unilocal reviews. Needless to say, I was not disappointed. Sat at the small bar and was greeted by friendly, attentive service who poured me a refreshing Boylan’s birch beer and promptly delivered a well-​presented and reasonably sized portion of traditional white fish ceviche (served beneath a fan of sliced avocado with a side of tortilla chips). Fish was super fresh and damn tasty! I followed that up with perhaps the best New England clam chowder I’ve had west of Nantucket. Very pleasantly surprised. Not cheap, but I’ve paid a lot more for a whole lot less. I’ll most certainly be back for seconds!

LOVE this little restaurant. I was travelling and they offered to cook the mussels for me. Their oysters were bomb. Price is way better than the seafood at the pier. MUST-​GO if you love seafood

Great service, tasty food. My favorite was the clam chowder, followed by the mahi mahi tacos. Ceviche and calimari were also pretty good. We didn’t know there’s a 2 – 6 pm menu but we happened to walk in right at 2:00 so we got a great deal. So much food and a reasonable price. Fish wasn’t fishy either. The servers were pretty attentive considering this isn’t really a true restaurant. I was impressed and will be returning.

Double OMG… Wow! SO GOOD! We were wanting clam chowder and the ambience of having it on the beach or pier was our aim.
Since we grabbed an affogato at the Santa Barbara Public Market from Rori’s Creamery (also VERY good), we decided to at least try their clam chowder.
I kid thee not, this was the best clam chowder I’ve ever had. Mind-​blowing even. Like Clam Chowder Nirvana if such a state exists.
We instantly bought the largest container they offered. It’s that good. And yes a bit pricey for clam chowder, but it’s so much better than most that it isn’t even fair to compare it on price.
The staff were very friendly and checked on us at the table, brought us a small sample of mango salsa (really great) and raw tuna without us even asking.
It’s also a great location. Honestly, we couldn’t have asked for more. I don’t usually give 5 star reviews unless utterly impressed. This time I most certainly was.

In santa barbara for a week, freshest seafood I’ve taste in SB! My girlfriend took me for my BDAY. Best natural service, Thanks to Vincent for making us feel special. The oysters were the best we ever had. Vincent gave us a taste of clam chowder, we had to have we returned the next day for it. Will be back.

This place is on point! We have tried many fish tacos But these have been the best so far in our book. The cioppino soup was excellent, nice and perfectly spiced. The lobster role was also delicious, my honey always finds the perfect spot, Vince the cashier & waiter was friendly and very welcoming.

Another gem in the Santa Barbara Public Market! The menu is small and casual but the food never fails to impress me. The clam chowder alone is worth the trip and I have a hard time even entering the public market without ordering a bowl. I’a serves up some of the best fish and chips in Santa Barbara with a unique batter that has an excellent flakey crunch to it in the best posibble way. If you are looking to change it up a bit and stray away from tradition, I recommend the salmon burger. Salmon is high in protein and great for your skin and tastes surprisingly good served as a burger! As long as you are sitting at the official restaurant seating, (not the public market seating,) you can enjoy wine by the glass or bottle, and for a reasonable corkage fee you can even bring your own. It’s the perfect spot for a casual date night, (grab an ice cream after at Rori’s and stroll around the corner to the iconic Arlington Theatre,) and it is an even better dining experience when the SBPM is having live music, (check the website.)
What to expect:
–Classy but casual atmosphere
–Fresh Fish
–Small Menu
–Moderately priced
–Delicious food
–Great People watching
Check it out! (GET THE CLAM CHOWDER)

Located in the Santa Barbara Public Market. Best Kusshi Oysters ad Calamari! The oysters were so fresh and served with a delicious mignonette, cocktail sauce and lemons. The calamari was very freshly, perfect breaded and was so good. They have Happy Hour from 2−6pm.

I’m bringing the big guns out with FIVE stars! You can’t satisfy all tastebuds but ours were excited. We all have and will have a different experiences but I have to say that our experience was amazing. Vince and his staff are intelligent and great! We had three different type of oysters, tuna poke, clam chowder, shrimp tacos, and lobster roll. Everything was prepared to our expectation. We are foodies and love great quality food, so if you’re looking for in and out, this isn’t the place for you. Quality food takes time, and costs are worth it too! If you’re looking for anything specific just ask, everyone knows how to serve to satisfaction.

We came in for happy hour on oysters and tried so much more! Shrimp tacos were delicious, not sure what the sauce is but it sure makes the tacos great. Better than some I’ve had around my town. Ahi tuna tartare was my favorite. I’ll be stopping in when I can just for the tartare. Had the ceviche, pretty good also.
Staff working was knowledgable about the oysters and even got my SIL to try an oyster shooter even though she was kind of grossed out about raw oysters. Yay. Lol
Staff were pretty friendly.

They make fresh poke! Also the happy hour is from 2 – 6 Sunday through Thursday’s! They are friendly and the environment is great! Also they have an oyster bar! Check it out!

Had the best ahi tartare here! It was so fresh that the pieces of ahi looked like super red tomatoes. The pieces just melted in my mouth. This had to be a first where there was actually more ahi than avocado on the plate. Along with that I tried the grilled salmon salad. The salmon was good but not fantastic. I wish they had options of seasonings on it other than just lemon. It was cooked perfectly, crispy outer layer with a smooth fall of the fork inside. Portions of big dishes were huge! I though the tartare would be small and a perfect small dish but it was large enough lunch portion to even have leftovers (but I ate it all!).
It was surpassingly slow and not so crowded for a Saturday so service was quick and friendly.

The New England Clam chowder is the BEST! A must try if you’re in SB. Also had the albacore tuna salad… Great!

Came here on a Sunday and had no problem finding a spot at the bar. They have a good selection of fish, and even have a couple of different burgers on the menu.
I started off with a small bowl of white clam chowder that was the best I’ve had in a while.
Up recommendation from the staff, I went with the swordfish sandwich with a side salad. The fish was nicely grilled on grilled sourdough with homemade aioli.
If you want to avoid the long lines at the noodle place, go around the corner and give this place a try.

There a few businesses and eteries inside the Santa Barbara Public Market. l’a Fish Market and Café became one of our stops, since it was one of the places that served seafood. Their fresh selection of seafood on display made it an easier sell.
We had the shrimp tacos, and a set of the fish tacos.
Unfortunately, the experience was sub-​par and very «flat», for a lack of better word.
The shrimp was cooked well, and tasted well. But the price to quality ratio was simply off. It was a slow weekend just after christmas, and we were expecting bold flavors and more ingredients. The seafood tacos were mediocre, and really nothing to brag about, unfortunately.
Service was fine, although the workers seemed apathetic, and showing absolutely no interest to interact and explain their menu options. (Sure, the menu is up there, but when you don’t have other customers in front of you, why not spend some time and explain what you recommend, any specials… or just bust a joke about the shrimp). Sigh.

This is a small fresh fish market located inside the Santa Barbara Public Market. They have an assortment of fresh fish and shellfish dishes such as pastas, sandwiches, and oysters.
We were a bit stuffed already from our food adventure but we couldn’t resist the urge to try their lobster roll. For $ 18, it’s not too out of the ordinary. The 10% discount also helped!
Although the lobster roll was solid – huge lobster chunks galore – it’s a very small roll. Literally several bites and you’re done. The sandwich comes with fries, but they were on the meager side. The roll itself was nothing spectacular, and for me, the lobster should be as good as the bread that it comes with.
The restaurant has full service which gives a nice little restaurant feel. If I were you, I’d resist the temptation to try the lobster roll and get either something more unique to this fish house or move on to another eatery.

The oysters were great, got to try 5 different kinds. A dozen for $ 36. Hard to tell which’s which after they were half shelled on the plate but all delicious. Some were sweet, some mildly salty, some creamy, some had a crunch. Our shucker man was nice and good at what he does… Everyone else was just bleh. They didn’t smile or greet us from when we were checking out their seafood display to when we sat at the bar till when they cleaned up our plates… not a smile or any kinda personality.
Anyway, that and the fish n chips ($ 15) were crap. The oil was too hot or something because it seriously browned the outside of the batter yet left uncooked batter inside so the fish was slipping out of the mush. Sooooo gross.

Service has always been fantastic. The staff is very friendly.
The white clam chowder is the best in town. Definitely in my top 3 outside of the Eastcoast. The lobster bisque is also excellent, and Im not particularly one who eats lobster bisque.
They also sell fresh fish.

I loved the fish market so much that I went back 2x in a weekend. I’ve now tried their fish and chips, ceviche, clam chowder (New England), tuna tartare, and swordfish sandwich. No complaints here! Every meal was delicious and I left completely satisfied both times. The staff was friendly and helpful — making suggestions when I wasn’t sure what to try next. Their seafood is also always fresh looking — I can’t wait to take home some fresh salmon or maybe get some sashimi grade tuna to do homemade sushi. I love that they sell local catches!
Overall, I will be coming back on a regular basis. I’a is a great addition to the Public Market!