16 Waterfront Restaurants

This acclaimed San Diego restaurant is actually three dining destinations in one. Take your pick of experiences, from fine dining in the main restaurant, California Modern, to more casual eats on the rooftop ocean terrace and at George’s Bar.

Honored as one of the “10 best foodie spots” in San Diego by USA Today, California Modern certainly lives up to its name and reputation. With a spacious, contemporary interior and star chef Trey Foshee’s seasonal fare (including the locally sourced yellowtail and sea bass entrees), this is the “it” spot in the region for special nights out. Consider the fixed-price tasting menu for splurge-worthy experience.

Upstairs from California Modern, relax with handcrafted cocktails and vistas of turquoise blue La Jolla Cove at George’s Bar. Or take in panoramic ocean views while digging into tangy ancho chile shrimp tacos outside at George’s Ocean Terrace—named one of the world’s “hottest rooftop restaurants” by Travel+Leisure magazine. 

The views, the architecture, and the food: It all comes together at Studio, perched atop an oceanfront bluff above the Orange County coast at Montage Laguna Beach resort. Walk into this modern Craftsman-style beach cottage—with its elegant wood details, vaulted ceiling, and windows opening to the Pacific Ocean—and you might start plotting how to move in permanently.

Catch of the day (and it really is that day) seafood is star here, but Chef Craig Strong also highlights organic produce from local farms as well as the restaurant’s own fruit trees and kitchen gardens, creating California-inspired modern French cuisine as spectacular as Studio’s setting. Struggling to choose between the seared swordfish with spicy lentils and the king salmon with heirloom carrots? Don’t worry: indulge in the tasting menu and sample it all.

It’s a two-for-one at this waterfront restaurant, a chance to scope out the dynamic Santa Monica beach scene out the windows while you dine on locally caught seafood and grilled vegetables sourced from Santa Monica’s famous farmers’ market. Located in the historic Hotel Casa del Mar, Catch has a relaxed elegance that makes it easy to hang out with cocktails at sunset, then order dinner once the stars come out.

Dining options include shellfish from both coasts, as well as local fish entrees such as a mustard-marinated California black cod with green and yellow pole beans. Or start your day with breakfast at Catch with tempting dishes such as lemon ricotta pancakes topped with fresh berries.

Stroll the entire 2,000-foot/609-meter length of this city’s historic 1873 Stearns Pier and you’ll get a nice reward: a chance to enjoy first-rate seafood in an unpretentious, everyone’s-welcome setting. In a building that originally housed a buying station for locally harvested shellfish, the Santa Barbara Shellfish Company stands out as a longtime local favourite, replete with weathered lobster buoys hanging from the roofline.

If it’s a nice day—and that’s just about any day in Santa Barbara—grab a table outside on the deck and watch the sun set over the western mountains (Santa Barbara Harbor faces south). Or head inside to nab a counter seat, where you can watch the chefs in action as the skillets flame up and the smell of fried scallops fills the restaurant. Scan the chalkboards above the grills for specials, or check out seasonal favorites such as fresh local Dungeness crab or spiny lobster. 

Sierra Mar at Post Ranch Inn gives you the feeling of dining at the very edge of the continent. Looking westward from the dramatic, contemporary building, cantilevered down a stretch of Big Sur coastline, you feel like you’re floating above the ocean. Reclaimed woods and slate floors lend an understated, natural elegance—nothing too flashy to compete with that incomparable view out the restaurant’s floor-to-ceiling windows.

Magical? Yes, and so is the menu, with many dishes drawing inspiration from the Big Sur region—such as Morro Bay oysters, Monterey red abalone, and cheeses from Monterey County’s Schoch Family Farmstead. For the full experience, try the nine-course Taste of Big Sur tasting menu, complimented by Sierra Mar’s award-winning wine list, for dinner. Prix fixe or tasting menus are also available at lunch.

Set above the shallows of Tomales Bay about two hours north of San Francisco, Nick’s Cove Restaurant and Oyster Bar feels like a secret retreat along a wild and beautiful coast. After a hike at nearby Point Reyes National Seashore, head up the coast to this remote charmer. Order a craft beer and some fresh local oysters, then settle into a seat on the broad deck to watch sandpipers and egrets dabbling in the water.

This area, known as West Marin, is a premier location for sustainable ranching and farming, and local ingredients are the stars at Nick’s Cove. Relax in the main dining room, dressed up to feel like a stylishly worn hunting lodge. Entrees make use of fresh fare raised at the region’s farms and food purveyors. Choose from Tomales Bay clam chowder, butter roasted California halibut, or decadent Dungeness crab mac & cheese (featuring local Spring Hill Cheddar and Point Reyes Toma cheeses).

Insider’s tip: Make a night of it and splurge on one of Nick’s Cove’s rustic-chic luxury cottages.

Visit this tucked away eatery, in the morning, when the local fishermen hang out over coffee and donuts, and you’ll quickly realize that this is an authentic spot, not some gussied-up tourist joint.

Surrounded by bobbing fishing boats, gulls squawking and rigging clanging, this place can’t help but serve fresh-as-it-gets seafood, including award-winning chowder. It’s well worth a drive along the wild coast to get here—San Francisco is about 2 hours south via breathtaking Highway 1. Spud Point serves the absolute freshest of crab and king salmon, straight from the boats of owner Tony Anello and his son Mark. There are also outstanding crab cakes, and sandwiches featuring the catch of the day. Nothing fancy here—and it doesn’t have to be: the view is all you need. Settle in at a picnic table outside and watch the sunlight dance on the bay while you enjoy your meal, or watch the fog roll in over signature Bodega Head. Note: Spud Point is open 9 to 5 daily.

Insider’s tip: Wildlife watchers, bring your binoculars. Bodega Bay is known as a terrific spot for birding. On clear days, drive to the top of Bodega Head for excellent whale watching, typically December through March.