Santa Barbara Seafood You Must Try
Known for broad sandy beaches and epic surfing spots, Santa Barbara calls itself home to the newest booming culinary scene. Santa Barbara may be the smaller cousin to its bigger neighbors LA in the south and SF in the north, but this idyllic beach town is a destination on its own.
Santa Barbara’s reputation as a seafood destination grows with each new restaurant opening throughout the beach town. One of the newest nautical eateries brings several items that are a must try for any seafood enthusiast. A hub for locals, road trippers, and beachgoers, Broad Street Oyster Company splashed onto the scene years before the restaurant opened. What started as a mobile pop-up steadily escalated into a mini chain of seafood splendor and now across the US; when its Santa Barbara location opened up a brick and mortar off historic State Street.
Broad Street Oyster Co. in Santa Barbara:
Known for their world famous lobster roll, Broad Street Oyster Company reimagined the traditional New England dish. On a lightly toasted bun, they serve it two ways: warm with butter and cold with mayonnaise. This lobster roll starts gaining its sea legs when topped with caviar and uni. It’s a naughty and irresistible combination, but one you’ll keep coming back for. This must-try seafood item at Broad Street Oyster Company launched them into oceanic lore, creating a tidal wave of buzz.
Marrying an East Coast sensibility with a laid back West Coast vibe, Broad Street Oyster Company has plenty more to offer than the roll. The seafood shack started as a raw bar and hasn’t lost the oyster shucking touch. Another must try item is the seafood tower from Broad Street Oyster Company. A bed of pebbled ice embraces freshly shucked oysters on the half shell that dot the perimeter of the platter. Add in shrimp cocktail, stone crab claws, briny caviar, live sea urchin, or daily crudo to round out the cast of crustacean and shell. Accompanied by classic condiments like a mignonette, hot sauce, horseradish, and lemon wedges, the seafood tower offers one flavorful bite after another.
If raw seafood isn’t your cup of tea, there’s plenty more menu must haves from Broad Street Oyster Company in Santa Barbara and the other locations. Both the fried fish sando and fish and chips are crispy and satisfying, the former served with a chili aioli and the latter with a homemade tartar sauce. Served with sourdough toast and an anchovy butter, the cioppino will give your nonna’s a run for her money, celebrating the feast of fish year round. Captain’s catch is a revolving serving of the day’s freshest seafood, a different surprise depending on what latched to the line, but always accompanied by roasted vegetables and charred lemon. Sea urchin spaghetti has been growing in popularity, and the Broad Street Oyster Company's take on this pasta dish is silky from the Santa Barbara uni butter and bright from the aleppo pepper.
The Santa Barbara seafood scene is a bounty of underwater treasure, but drop into Broad Street Oyster Company for the best seafood items to try. It’s the ultimate seafood destination, and there’s always a fridge full of cold beer and natural wines no matter what you choose. Come for the food, and stay for the party.