Ocean Ave Seafood

I have food intolarences due to a recent developed health problem. I called and spoke with the manager to see if they can accomodate someone with food allergies. All i needed was grilled fish on a separate pan so it won't touch the grill with other seasonings, and my fish to be prepared with butter or canola oil but not olive oil. The manager said it's simple and asked me to put a note in open table when making my reservation. I made a note, and also explained to the waitress that i wanted a plain fish w/ no olive oil, and plain steamed broccoli without any seasoning, especially no pepper. She assured me that it was no problem. Our food was delivered and i started eating my fish when my friend asked me how come my fish has grill marks. It took 10 minutes for our waitress to show up so i can ask her. She assured me that those were not grill marks! #1 request ignored. After insisting, she finally took the fish to ask the chef. In the meantime i started eating my broccoli which was full of pepper. #2 ignored. My throat starting burning and i had to ask her again. She casually said they'll make another plate for me. By then my friends were almost done with their food and she pretended like it was no big deal and as if i haven't explained her how i didn't tolerate these items. She never apologized just a bunch of excuses. In the meantime, next table there was a rude couple who accused our table for making a big deal of the issue. They insulted me and my friends. The manager came to apologize but at this point the whole night was a nightmare. I had food related pain for two days now. I have once again realized, there is no service like the one you'll get at simple Houston's or at Ruth Chris Steakhouses. Ocean avenue has mediocre food, and mistakes happen in the kitchen. But food allergies if mentioned 3 times, needs to be taken a little more seriously. more

We had a really nice time here. The food and wine are excellent. I took a chance with the monkfish which was absolutely delicious. The only drawback is that is seemed kind of slow so we were almost waited on too much, or maybe our server was just over eager. All in all great views and good time as always! Pros: Wine List, Desserts, and of course seafood! Cons: almost too attentive service more

I rated this as a One Star because it's on Citysearch list of Budget Dates...are you f****en kidding me?! This is one of the priciest restaurants in SM/W. LA. \r \r Hey Citysearch, why don't you do a better job at separating Church and State and come up w/ some original and worthy reviews of your own lists rather than blatantly patronize your sponsors. \r \r Yelp it is! more

I decided to try Ocean Avenue again after years of not touching any of the chain restaurants on Ocean... more

I decided to try Ocean Avenue again after years of not touching any of the chain restaurants on Ocean Avenue in Santa Monica. My first experienc... more

Such an amazing experience. The staff is friendly and the restaurant is cozy and clean. The food is amazing. I would highly recommend this establishment to anyone!\r \r Thank you for giving my husband and I such an amazing experience. We will be back! Pros: the location, the food, the cleanliness, the staff Cons: nothing more

Get with it, this place is the best little secret in the town. No frills, just the bomb food. Go at sunset with a date, get some oysters and wine, and thank me. Pros: Oysters, Amazing Cocktails, View, Steak, Lobster, Services, Parking, View Cons: Wine is pricey more

I can eat seafood all day long, I love it. I went to Ocean Ave. Seafood for dinner the other day and was blown away! First we sat at the oyster bar and watched the guy serve up live oysters on the half shell and they were awesome! I don't really see a place where you can sit and watch that and eat them while having a nice white wine to accompany it! For dinner I had shrimp that was stuffed with crabmeat, nicely seasoned roasted potatoes and crisp sauteed vegetables. I'll definately be back! Pros: Ambience, and service Cons: N/A more

While Ocean Avenue Seafood has valet parking, a nice view, excellent shellfish, and some good menu selections, it is expensive and poorly managed. Our party waited an inordinate length of time to be waited on, to be told that they were 'out' of several selections. Non fish items were mediocre, portion sizes small, and it was obvious that the restaurant itself is poorly managed. Pros: good shellfish, nice location, valet parking (expensive, however) Cons: poorly managed, bad service, non-fish items inedible, more

I love seafood and this place had come highly recommended from a friend, but I was very disappointed. The fish was plain, tasteless and expensive. I won't return. Pros: Great location Cons: Disappointing, tasteless more

This place is in a great location and looks very nice inside. However, the very high prices do not match the quality of the food or the service. The appetizers were okay, very small salads. Seaweed salad was interesting. Clam chowder was watery, but the crackers helped. The appetizers and the main course took a looooong while arriving. Once the main course arrived, it was cold. The food tasted okay but was nothing special. The fish was a bit dry. Overall, we were not impressed. If we are in the area again, we will not be eating here. Pros: Ambience, Location Cons: Prices, Food more

They always have had great seafood here. I always order the special and been happy with everything. more

My husband and I checked out Ocean Ave Seafood because of the reviews here. It was also highly recommended by the front desk at our hotel. The seafood dishes we tried were all excellent (manila clams, shrimp fettucine, crab cakes, fresh oysters, perfectly cooked salmon) and the mixed drinks were also very good. The cost may be a bit steep for the quantity of food you ge but it was delicious. I didn't have any issues with the service. more

We had a wonderful experience at Ocean Avenue Seafood last weekend. From the moment we entered the restaurant, the staff was firendly, pleasant and professional. It seemed like they really enjoyed working there. The General Manager, Chris Hopgood, even came to our table to see how things were. The crab cakes, oysters and grilled shrimp were excellent. Both the bartender and waiter were very knowledgable about the wines, which we found reasonably priced. The service was excellent. There was the perfect gap of time between the completion of the appetizers and the arrival of the entrees. Our water glasses were never empty and we never had to pour our own wine (the waiter was very attentive). Overall it was an excellent experience. Pros: Excellent food and service Cons: Slow valet more

My girlfriend and I went to Ocean Ave for the first time in a while last night. The bartender was one of the best in LA as we were greeting immediately and she knew her wines. We moved onto dinner where the great service was maintained. We split the blue cheese and walnut salad which was great. Our server was not scared to steer us in the right direction on dinner which I really appriciate. We both ordered the Alaskan King Crab legs which were such a treat. I subbed the sweet corn for the potatoes and highly suggest this if you go. We must have said to each other during dinner, why don't we come here more often? The only negative I could say is it is not a over done stylish decor so the ambiance is not trendy, but in some ways that is it's strenght too. It does not try to be something it is not. It is just high quality seafood in a simple clean and quiet environment. This is perfect for a night of good food and good conversation as trendy places tend to be so loud that chatting over dinner can be a strain. High marks for Ocean Ave. more

I recently dined at Ocean Ave. Seafood with some friends from out of town. It was recommended by a concierge at the hotel my guests stayed at and I couldn't be more grateful. Ocean Ave. Seafood is in a perfect venue that has a patio that overlooks the ocean. I was greeted by friendly hostesses and did not have to wait for my reservation. We sat on the patio and after a few minutes, a manager came by with a small complimentary appetizer sent by the concierge! Wow! It was a bite size (heck, it was free) tuna tartar on small coins of cucumber with seasoning and sauce. The manager explained that this item is not on our menu, but they work together with the concierge to present something special and unique to out of town customers. I thought that was pretty cool. Anyway, the menu is mostly seafood, of course, and a massive winelist is on the back of the paper menu. The winelist is extremely extensive and I got the impression that quality took precedence over name brands due to the absence of bigger wineries. Most of the stuff I did not recognize, but what I did recognize, I knew to be smaller artesianal wineries that packed much more value for your buck. Even the beer selections reflected this - I love that stuff.\r \r We started out with oysters (along with the wine sampler) after the complimentary offering and they were delicious. The freshest oysters I've ever tasted. Then we ordered a bottle of Pinot Noir (called 'Kynsi"" which was absolutely incredible! ) with dinner. I had the Halibut and my guests had the Surf & Turf and the Salmon. All were cooked perfectly and had good sized portions. After finishing, we did not have room for dessert although it was explained that they offered many home made creations.\r \r Overall, the experience was memorable and delicious. The service was impeccable and I could not have asked for anything more. I can't wait to go back. Pros: Great food, fantastic wine, and perfect service Cons: Traffic on the 405 more

I recently took my out of town relatives to lunch at Ocean Ave., and almost left as soon as I walked in. The hostess was so rude to us, that it almost made me leave. She was condescending and plain nasty. We ended up staying, because we were on a time crunch, or else i would have taken them elsewhere. The waitress was fine. the food was good for the most part. The tuna tartare was excellent. The seared ahi was bland. The crab cakes were really good. The beet salad was wonderful. The fish chowder was just ok. My initial opinion of the restaurant was bad based on the attitude of the hostess, but the food made the experience alright. Pros: food, location Cons: service more

It used to be a great seafood restaurant for pretty casual dining. It has pretty much turned into a tourist trap/pick-up joint. There are tons of other great seafood places in Santa Monica. Save your money for The Galley (classic Santa Monica seafood), or the Lobster (best view in the city). Pros: Location Cons: Valet, bathroom out of the restaurant, and crowd. more

If you're an oyster fan, this is the place to go. Ocean Avenue Seafood has at least 9 different oysters on their menu at all times. Some from the East Coast and some from the West Coast. Their Oyster Bar is manned by friendly wait staff that are eager to talk about their food and beverages. The wine list offers great value and they also do a wine and oyster pairing with the oyster sampler. They do all the thinking for you. There are also some amazing appetizers and plenty at the raw bar to enjoy.\r \r If you want to enjoy a more formal dining experience, I would recommend dining in the dining room in the back of the restaurant. It is more quiet and the booths are very romantic. The prices are really not that high although it will cost you a bill and a half for two if you do wine, appetizers, entrees and dessert. \r \r The managers are always moving thru the restaurant checking on the customers and making sure everything is working properly. This is a really good sign of hands on management. I have always appreciated it when I get a visit from one of managers at my table.\r \r I highly recommend Ocean Avenue Seafood. They've also been in Santa Monica for something like 20 years. Pros: Food Wine List Great Service Nice People Cons: The bathroom is in the lobby of the building, kind of uncomfortable with the attendant more

I saw the great review on citysearch so I decided to go try it out on a weekend. The service was excellent, people were very friendly and helpful. I ordered the crab cake dinner and also a seafood pasta. Food was alright, it wasn't as good as i expected. I think it's a bit overated for this restuarant! Pros: romantic Cons: n/a more