The Lobster

Always a great meal, but abit pricy...but the view makes it worth it. more

Lobster is great..its amazing their food is delicious.. I love the location very accessible and the place is cozy which is important for me when it comes to dining.. Lets not forget about the food..its superb! more

It was my wife's birthday and we had talked about having lobster so I surprised her and made a reservation at LOBSTER in Santa Monica. What a disappointment! To begin, the service at the front desk was only fair. Why? Our reservation was for 7:15 and we arrived at 7PM. There is a lovely seating area in the reception area where we could have comfortably waited to be escorted to our table yet we were hustled to the crowded bar and told to ""have a drink."" People like choices. Suggest the seating area for 15 minutes OR the bar. We were 15 minutes early, not 45 -- must we be hustled for drinks when we would have been quite comfortable seated on the sofa than crushed at the bar? After 15 minutes at the crowded bar where we could not sit, we were seated for dinner. We asked for their 2.5 pound lobster @ $31 lb., a regular staple on the menu. After all the place is called LOBSTER. We were immediately told they didn't have the 2.5 lb. lobster but we could get the 3 pounder @ $31 lb. No other suggestion was made although the menu is extensive. Again, people like choices. As a film producer, I've eaten in some of the finest restaurants in the world and have never been told the only lobster I could get was the 3 pounder or nothing. There were 1 1/2 pound lobsters on the menu. Why not suggest one of those? As much as people LIKE choices, that's how much they DON'T LIKE to be hustled. My wife, who has owned her own restaurant in New York immediately smelled something ""fishy."" How can you be out of a staple at 7PM on the Saturday evening before Valentine's Day? I went ahead and orderd the 3 pounder and got a well cooked though miniscule, lobster. I thought it was an empty carcas! The little lobster meat that was there was delicious. My wife ordered only chowder just to order something as she is less tolerant than I. We ate and left and expressed our disatisfaction with the reservation desk. I don't recommend this restaurant and I am not alone. My wife and I heard the comment, ""Next time we go to the PALM,"" by some diners on their way out. So, we ate at LOBSTER twice in one night -- the first and the last. more

I'm so excited to go to this place. Not really for me but for my wife. She's a seafood lover and I can't wait to show her the place. We went there just in time for the sunset. It was perfect. We ordered of course, lobsters and fish for me. As expected, the food was phenomenal. They were all fresh. It was a great moment for us. Eating great food with the great view of the sunset. The service was excellent. No complaints. It was one of the best dining experiences we ever had. Will definitely come back here. Maybe in our next special occasion. more

Our service was great and the waiter was adorable. Ambiance was romantic and definitely recommended. For the music,,,I would recommend jazz or house and the people were cool. Portions were good. more

had this restaurant not been highly recommended, we would not have gone because it looks a bit touristy especially with the pier location. we were surprised by the wonderful atmosphere, service and food. more

I have to admit, I am not into sea food, but now I have changed my mind and a regular visitor!!! mmmm more

This place is wonderful! The atmosphere is quite gorgeous! It sits next to the pier and has a view of the Pacific Ocean. A great place for date night. I ordered a smal lobster and was pleasantly surprised at the size. It was soooo good! If you like lobster, you must try this place out. If you don't, try it out anyways just for the view :-) more

On July 30, we had my mother's 80th birthday party at The Lobster. The staff, from manager, server to front desk were so very kind and helpful. They allowed us to drop off hostess bags and a cake on the day of the event. We had flowers delivered. The Lobster cared for these items as if it were their own party. \r \r The food was fabulous. Although known for lobster, the fish selections were fantastic and ranged in price from $26-29. They sat us at a table for maximum privacy with a superb view of the pier and facing the setting sun. \r \r I would recommend this locale for any occasion but truly appreciate all their help (especially Shirley the manager that night). more

The Lobster is really a great place for an outstanding meal. The food is really good…not too expensive considering the location and quality of food. The view is stunning, you get the feeling you are on the beach in the middle of a vacation spot. I really love coming here! more

Nice restaurant over looking the ocean and the pier. I was able to find street parking 2 blocks away. My... more

Nice restaurant over looking the ocean and the pier. I was able to find street parking 2 blocks away. My boyfriend and I were seated right by the w... more

Went here with a couple of friends last Friday for dinner, and I was pleasantly surprised to find the... more

Went here with a couple of friends last Friday for dinner, and I was pleasantly surprised to find the lobster as a dineLA entree option. Unfortun... more

Food was good and the views of the sunset awesome. The ambience was great and so was the crowd. Pros: beautiful view, good ambience more

Love this place. Pros: Food and ambiance more

The atmosphere is great- at the base of the Santa Monica pier, overlooking the ocean. The scene is very Santa Monica trendy. You do pay for the view. Went for DineLA, and they were out of Lobster! Terrible. Service was really poor. I understand that it was a crowded Friday night, but at the prices you typically pay at that place, that's not an excuse. Pros: Water front view, on the pier more

I'll start of by declaring that I'm a jaded West LA native who spends most of my dinners at restaurants, and comes from a family of European chefs. I initially passed off The Lobster as a tourist trap with a beautiful view...then 3 years ago, fate would have it that my boyfriend wanted to check it out. Upon entering without a reservation, we waited and got a great table with an ocean view (on a Saturday night!), and our meals were perfectly portioned (not too small!) and rich with flavours that paired beautifully with every ingredient in the dish. I've consistently been treated like a welcomed guest- and I'm very familiar with places that do treat you like ""table number 118"" and not like individuals trying to have a great experience- this is not one of those places. We have consistently been treated with warmth and authenticity from every staff member I've met. The usually remember me when I come back and greet me by name.\r Things to keep in mind: ALWAYS MAKE RESERVATIONS atleast 4 days before. I see a lot of reviews by people who were outraged to have to wait, or not get a great table. The Lobster is the only restaurant with that kind of a view and good seafood in downtown Santa Monica- you will have to wait atleast an hour for a table without reservations, and the tables with direct ocean views are limited. My only criticism is just that- I've had lengthy conversations with the person booking my table about it being a very special night (anniversary, my birthday just last night), and how I will even wait for an ocean view...and it never seems to actually effect where we are sat- but none of the tables are truly crappy views. \r \r I think The Lobster may actually be my favorite restaurant for a nice evening in LA- it's the best combination of ambience and food I know! Pros: Best view, food, and service in Santa Monica! Cons: No way to guarantee a direct window table! more

First and foremost, I like The Lobster, just not the same way anymore. Probably will happily never return or at least never book a reservation again. If it is logistically convenient to walk in and have a drink or bite to eat at the bar that will be fine. If it is unavailable, no problem, many other restaurants work hard to earn your patronage. We booked a dinner last night for 2 and I notified the restaurant via opentable that it was my wife's birthday. We arrived dressed in formal attire. The host greeted my wife with a happy birthday which was nice and he told us to proceed to the bar and have a drink and we will come find you. We grabbed a nice bar table and a waitress quickly gathered our order and returned with a glass of wine and a martini. In a blink of a eye, a hostess came up, told the waitress she was going to seat us next, fully aware we just got our drinks. We were then ushered off to what I believe to be the worst table in the restaurant. A 2 top squished against a wall of interior glass in a dark corner with a family of four or five with their children's faces smashed against the glass looking at us. Reminded me of an interstate McDonalds or worse an Arby's. I told the hostess that this was unacceptable and she rifled off - that was the only 2 top available. I notified her we were happy to wait. She responded it would be awhile. I reminded her it was my wife's birthday and that the table was unacceptable now as well as any other time and we were happy to wait. We went back to the bar, of course we had nowhere to sit or stand but outside at this time and wait. Disappointing but not a big deal. I quickly went back to the main host and reminded him of the occasion and if he could find us a suitable table. He had the nerve to tell me that that table was his favorite. Please! Finally the host took us to a so-so skinny table that basically summed up the dinner as well. So-so. Done. Meal marred by seating. Many 4 tops available for the majority of our meal. Pros: The busboy flipped a leave to make the twig of a table we were at bearable. Cons: Tiny 2 top tables for 6ft plus people. Move-em in, move-em out mentality. more

I went here for my bday and the food was very good. I'd the scallops and they're just delicious, and the fish was just really good. I loved the view even tough we did not get to sit at the window like I requested because we're 20 minutes late. My fav part was the chimichurri w the bread it was just delicious, I never expected chimichurri in a place like this, and it was totaly delicious. Plan 2 be there for my bfriend's bday. more