12 Best Restaurants in The Central Coast, California

Cambria's best place for seafood fills up soon after it opens at 5:30 (no reservations taken, but you can put your name on a waitlist at 5:30). Those in the know grab seats at the oyster bar and take in spectacular sunsets while watching the chefs broil fresh halibut, steam garlicky clams, and fry crispy calamari steaks; if you arrive to a wait, play cribbage or checkers in the game room.

Captain Mark Tognazzini catches seasonal seafood and delivers the bounty to his family's collection of down-home, no-frills, harborside enterprises—a fish market with patio dining and up-close views of Morro Rock (Dockside Too) and the original Dockside restaurant. Local musicians play live music nearly every day at the outdoor patio at Dockside Too.

The specialties at this casual, family-oriented restaurant in Ventura Harbor Village are fresh fish-and-chips and homemade clam chowder. After placing your order at the counter, you can sit outside on the patio and enjoy the view of the harbor and marina.

The outdoor tables at this casual harborside restaurant have perfect views of the marina and mountains. Staffers serve enormous, exceptionally fresh fish dishes, and if you walk in without a reservation, which are very limited, they will text you when your table's ready so you can stroll along the breakwater and explore the harbor while you wait.

The Ventura outpost of the wildly popular Santa Barbara restaurant provides the same fresh seafood-oriented meals in a spacious second-story setting overlooking the harbor. Feast on everything from fish-and-chips and crab cakes to chowder and delectable fish—often straight from the boats moored below.

This traditional New England–style crab shack imports fresh seafood daily from Australia, Alaska, and the East Coast. Fish is line-caught, much of the produce is organic, and everything is made from scratch.

This restaurant overlooking the harbor has satisfied local appetites since 1942 and serves straight-ahead dishes such as cod or shrimp fish-and-chips or calamari tubes sautéed in butter and wine.

Fresh, sustainably caught seafood charbroiled over a mesquite grill, a well-stocked oyster bar, specialty cocktails, and a wine list heavy on local vintages lure diners into this slick, nautical-theme space downtown. The menu, which emphasizes the use of organic vegetables alongside the local catches, includes tacos, sandwiches, and salads.

Across from the promenade, beach, and pier, Ocean Grill serves up fresh seafood to diners who typically arrive before sunset to enjoy the views. Boats anchored in the bay provide much of the seafood, which pairs well with the mostly regional wines on the list. Southern California craft beers are also well represented.

Folks stand in line down the block for clam chowder served in a sourdough bread bowl at this wildly popular seafood stand. You can also order beach food such as fresh steamed clams, burgers, and fried calamari at the counter (no table service) here and at Splash's second location in San Luis Obispo, which has an on-site bakery and additional menu items.

Diners at this second-floor restaurant view the sunset through giant picture windows. Meanwhile, fresh fish and other dishes incorporating local ingredients emerge from the wood-fired oven in the open kitchen, and oysters on the half shell beckon from the raw bar.