Clark's Oyster Bar - Montecito

Incredible seafood and top notch service. One of the best tasting oysters this side of the Pacific Ocean. Everything on the menu is simply delicious and you can’t go wrong. They serve warm sourdough bread while you wait for the main course to arrive. Drinks are equally impressive so you have a choice of wines or cocktails. They were also very accommodating to kids. The staff are professional and friendly! If you’re in the area you should check it out.

Just as outstanding as their flagship location in Austin! Clean, fresh, and delicious oysters, yummy fresh sourdough and homemade butter, and the Sea Bream was substantial and superb. Our server was great too, but the real service star was the bartender Michael who made our cocktail dreams come true, even with off menu requests. Sangrita! Will definitely be back!

Fantastic. Service was wonderful, food... beautiful. We tried each of the Oysters, Uni sushi and a dirty martini. As someone who loves the ocean and has found herself trapped inland for a while, this was the perfect way to break back into the wonderful flavours of the coast. We went on a Oyster "tour" of USA and Canada and have definitely found new favourites. 100% would recommend for service, food quality, ambiance. When I return to Santa Barbara, I'll definitely be coming back here.

Enjoyed a lovely birthday lunch on a beautiful sunny day. All our dishes were tasty and had interesting nuances to them. Service was excellent. We look forward to going again!

We shared the seafood tower and the quality of the food was good. Service was also good, only recommendation I have for the staff is make sure you provide 2 sets of cutlery to eat seafood when there are 2 people.

I finally got to check out this new(er) addition oyster bar in Montecito. It has been on my list and didn’t disappoint. Especially the service was super friendly and accommodating. I only had a clam chowder for lunch on a damp day, which was perfect. But I have to come back for more to add to this review. 🦞🦪

Best restaurant in Montecito to be honest. Love the oysters and the cocktails. I love the manager. The tall guy, and all the other people are good at their jobs.

The oysters were amazing, rockfish was good, and the clam chowder was spot on. The shells and cheese were over salted and the kale salad was unnecessarily overseasoned and spicy. Service was slow and inattentive after we ordered. Overall would still come back for the seafood

We stopped by Clark's Oyster Bar in Montecito for our anniversary lunch on our way to our hotel near Sandpiper Golf Course -- and we're so glad we did! We decided to spend the afternoon in the Montecito area, and Clark's turned out to be the perfect choice. The restaurant has such inviting aesthetics -- a cheerful blue and yellow color scheme and a beautiful blue-tiled patterned entryway that immediately caught our attention. The weather was mild and perfect that day, so we chose to sit al fresco and enjoy the relaxed outdoor atmosphere. Our server greeted us right away and offered great appetizer recommendations, making our choices easy. We went with the Kumiai and Shigoku oysters, Clark's wedge salad, and the Santa Barbara clam chowder -- which ended up being our absolute favorite! It was rich, flavorful, and perfectly balanced. For our main course, we shared the whole oak-grilled Mediterranean branzino, keeping our lunch light since we had dinner reservations later that evening at Marisella, the coastal Italian seafood restaurant at our hotel. Everything about our experience -- the food, the ambiance, and the attentive service -- was spot on. It was a lovely way to celebrate our anniversary and spend the afternoon. We'll definitely be coming back to Clark's Oyster Bar the next time we're in Montecito!

Cane last night with old friends and had the most amazing dinner here. Between the six of us, we were so fortunate to try a dozen West Coast oysters, a dozen East Coast oysters, bluefin tuna carpaccio, the jumbo shrimp cocktail (some of the biggest most succulent shrimp ever), the Grilled Spanish octopus (amazing), mussels and clams with white wine and herbs (really flavorful and tender), and the ciopoino, which was a little difficult to share, but delicious. Had some great white wines to pair - a Greek Assyrtiko from Santorini, and a lovely French wine, I think a Sancerre. Our waiter, Joshua, was the best. Loved it so much we came back the next night for happy hour! Bartender Charles was awesome - we had a half price martini (just $10), a half dozen West coast oysters - $4/oyster, .50 off; loved them all; happy hour white wine to pair ($10), and split a Wedge Salad - ice cold and so flavorful. Loved this place! Will be back!

Every dish was fantastic. Incredible company, delicious dishes, and excellent service and ambiance. The outside area was nice and a bit quieter than the inside seating area. The service was great with excellent recommendations, the oyster options were all delightful in their own ways, and I especially enjoyed the generous portion of fish for the crude plate.

Had a great experience for an afternoon lunch Montecito starting and finishing with the service. From the moment we walked in we were welcomed at the door. We had our dog with us and you could tell they are dog lovers, offering a dog water bowl and genuinely interested in her. The ambiance, with a blue and white decor was so inviting, perfect for a beautiful December day of people watching on the Coast Village Road. We had the lobster roll and hamburger both did not disappoint, the lobster was perfect, only thought was a little less bread. We were continually checked on by our servers and it was a truly delightful experience.

In Montecito for the weekend, and enjoyed drinks and for Happy Hour at Clark's. Sat at the bar that was almost full at a little past 3. Folks were mainly inside since it was drizzling. Since we had dinner resy back on State, we decided to split the espresso martini and our server was wonderful to come back with the cocktail split into two smaller glasses. Started with bread and butter which were amazing. A couple of oyster shooters and oysters - just enough to kick off the night. Loved the vibe at Clark's

Stopped by Clark's Oyster Bar on Saturday before a birthday party in Santa Barbara, and it was a great experience! My husband had a cocktail that was absolutely delicious--I couldn't partake since I'm pregnant, but the menu looked amazing, and I can't wait to come back for one. We sat at the bar high-tops, and the service was excellent--attentive, friendly, and accommodating, even letting us bring our child. The ambiance was upscale yet welcoming, and everything was spotless. We only had a quick bite, but the shoestring fries were next-level--extra crispy, perfectly cut, and fried with rosemary for incredible flavor. They also served fresh bread, which was a nice touch. Yes, it's on the pricier side for cocktails, but that's expected in Montecito, and the quality made it worth it. Definitely looking forward to returning for a full meal and a cocktail (or two)!

My family and I visited Santa Barbara recently and Clark's Oyster Bar was highly recommended. We had lunch there and had a great time! The decor of the place is unique and the food was very good! The service was excellent!

Beautiful very warm new staple restaurant in cute little Montecito town. Excellent for weekend brunch. Great to enjoy the outside scene of the town. Staff and service take care of you and make you feel welcome. Had the oysters, great cocktails, lobster roll, clam chowder and ceviche. All were well done. Don't much care for those extremely thin and crispy whispy fries just not my style. The chowder was a little watered down. Limited clams, mostly potatoes. But all in all great place for date or family.

Been here a few times and will keep coming back--absolute amazing experience. Great food, stellar vibe, and A1 service. 10/10

If I could give this place 10 stars I would. The ambiance is incredible and the design of the restaurant was so welcoming and fun! The staff was AMAZING. They were so knowledgeable and helpful- SO fast with their service. If there was any chaos - as a patron we would of never noticed. We tried many things on the menu but my top 2 are definitely the Oysters Rockefeller and the Cheeseburger. Let me tell you- that was hands down one of the best cheeseburgers I've ever had. The oysters themselves were so fresh and dressed to perfection. Crudo was so refreshing and buttery! I can't wait to go back and try more menu items!

Friends selected this place for dinner last night. We selected an outside table away from the Main Street. I'll apologize for not remembering our excellent server. (April 14th) ? Was her birthday and I think her grandfather's birthday. We ordered various Martini's and their delicious bread and butter. It was a party of five. One of us immediately tipped over their Martini and it made a mess of the table. The servers immediately returned with napkins to clean it up. They also replaced the Martini at no charge. She said it happens all the time. A very nice touch. We ordered the burgers.... Mussels... grilled kale salads... beet salad.... and chopped salad. Everything well prepared. All entrees just delicious and so was the service . A very well operated establishment would/ will return.

absolutely the best oysters in Santa Barbara. Great selection, very fresh, expertly shucked. This is our go-to place to quench that oyster urge

Half Price burgers and Martini happy hour 3:00 to 5:00 M-F. New spot in montecito nice new clean spot. Good servers and food

Food was over priced and nothing close to special... Calm chowder tasted like hotdog soup... got the crap cake which was $36 for one... and it looked like it came out of a frozen box from Trader Joe's. The Carpaccio blue fin tuna tasted nothing like fish... felt like we were eating olive oil and peas... Cocktails were good so that's why I left a two star... waiters/waitresses were polite and very nice... but come on... the prices, smallest portions ever, and disappointing taste of simple foods was a bummer

Incredible spot! Great wine list, food is to die for, service exceeds all expectations. Yes, expensive (per Montecito), but you are getting the whole experience, and it is WELL worth it. Patio was lovely to sit on and building is beautifully decorated. MUST GET: Shells & Mac, Bloody Mary, shoestring fries, and *obviously* oysters - chef's selection.

I stopped by Clarke's before heading to the Santa Barbara polo fields last weekend. The service was very friendly and attentive when our drinks were getting low. As we only had time for a few drinks, I will definitely be going back for a full meal soon!

Overall, ambiance, food and service were excellent. Prices high but worth it for an occasional bougie meal. Lunch was $120 including tip but we ordered quite a bit.

2nd visit let me down. Last time i had the ciopino and it was great. Tried to do that again but since i asked if I could do a little less of the clams and mussels the server told me it would be more expensive and would check with chef. Since the ciopino is already $55 I said I would take as is. But when it arrived it was entirely clams and mussels. It was $55 rip off. Was the chef irritated I asked? WTH. It has never been an issue to make the request before. Also the service was just weird. We had 4 different servers for the night. It wasn't that busy and although our friends were late, they took forever to take our order. Dinner was 6:30 reservation and we left at 9. Giving 3 stars for the appetizer and also the bartender made me a delicious cocktail. I wish he was our server for the night. I might come back for a drink and appetizer but the entrees are a let down.

We had a very good meal at Clarke. You gotta remember this is in Montecito so prices high but the quality of the ingredients and the dishes were prepared very well. The tuna Carr Pacho with capers and olives was excellent clams and mussels with the fresh sourdough bread that you could dip in the sauce was amazing although I will say perhaps the clean the muscles were just a little tiny bit overcooked The rockfish was the star of the show local fresh be right over polenta 10 out of 10 on the rockfish

All staffs were great, kind with prompt good service. The food was flat, mediocre to me. Any seafood restaurant wherever I go, I always take an order this. My favorite seafood!! My main course was Cioppino ($55). Worth to try? Not at all! The source were mild. The contents were below my expectation, rating -C. The crab legs was too small to eat, I felt I need toothpicks to extract this meat from these thin claws. I complained this to the waiter and one staff. No responded! So I didn't touch, this meatless crab legs. The fish, no mentioned what kind of fish, was tasteless. Only clams and Mussels I could recognized. Spending almost $300, but little satisfaction. Never go back to this place and never recommend to anyone. What a waste time!

We had the most amazing dinner! We got the Crudo Plate which was incredible, Grilled octopus that was my favorite, shells and cheese with crab which was so big we had to take half home, and the lobster roll! Absolutely will be returning and raving about this meal to all of our friends. We were also lucky with the kindest and best server Andres (I hope that's how you spell it) who recommended perfect glass of wine! Thank you and we can't wait to come back!

A varied menu featuring fresh seafood was a favorite for us land locked Coloradoans. The staff was very friendly and knowledgeable. The noise level was a bit high, but not annoying. Our meals were delicious. Try the octopus starter. Parking was a little challenging, but certainly was worth walking a block!

I recommend trying Clark's. The food was pretty good, the atmosphere was really upbeat and fun and the service was great. The oysters were fresh, the crisp plate was very yummy, the crab cake was large and easy to share, the clam chowder was decent (although I'll always love Brophy's clam chowder the best). The linguini with clam had some room for improvement, it was not as hot as a fresh dish should be. I wish it was a steaming hot dish and maybe it was just a one off. We thought the burgers were very small, almost like a slider size which was odd for a $26 burger. Overall i think it's the perfect spot to meet a friend and sit at the bar for a few shared dishes and come drinks.

Beyond disgusting! As soon as we got out of the car in the parking lot, we were overwhelmed by the overwhelming smell of rotting garbage. In the parking lot there are three dumpsters that are full of putrid waste and are left open, attracting a massive swarm of flies and mosquitos. We were so disgusted that we decided to go eat elsewhere.

Nice spot with a great happy hour special - half priced burgers and martinis. We visited with our dogs and enjoyed the patio. Service was great - we'll be back.

Highly recommend. Excellent service, diverse and captivating menu. Hard to choose among the very enticing options. Had steak tartare with shoe string potatoes, a Rye Manhattan, mussels, and clams, and Basque cake. Service and ambience excellent. Can't wait to go back.!!

Chocolate Mousse Cake. Best thing that's been in my mouth bye. Fries are top tier. Definitely needed this place for the montecito dining rotation.

What a beautiful spot!! Been waiting for Clarks to open and they didn't disappoint! The service was on point, Drea made crazy good recommendations!! Drinks, oysters YUMMY!! The food was spectacular, your chef does it up!Crispy snapper OMG!!!!!the flavors are so good! Key lime pie!! To die for!! The restaurant it self is beautiful, a great vibe! We will be telling our friends and joining you often ! Welcome Clarks!

Great service, every Beverage & Dish was excellent including Dessert, I have a background in 5 Star dining and currently dine out several times a week. I am local and my experience was exceptional, Clark's stands out beside the other Restaurants in Montecito.

The tuscan kale salad tastes like it was crafted by the hands of God and caressed by angels

If looking for tiny portions and high prices, this is your place. Outdoor seating gets you a view of an old apartment building. Not our vibe. Service was subpar but friendly enough.

I can't tell you how great my crab Louie was! Joshua was an excellent waiter. The service was unbelievable and the bread was absolutely to die for. I will definitely be back

Clark's Oyster Bar in Montecito was absolutely EXCELLENT. The oysters were fresh, the bluefin tuna carpaccio and crudo plate were perfectly balanced, and the rockfish was cooked just right. The crispy marble potatoes also were a great side. Service was absolutely spectacular. Friendly, attentive, and made the experience even better. Note that there is outdoor seating if you prefer! Perfect for a warm Santa Barbara evening! Highly recommend. Will definitely be going back ASAP.

Beautiful restaurant and delicious food. Loved the lobster roll, some of the freshest tasting Maine lobster I've had!! and the Greek red wine recommendation was on point by server Luke. Thanks for the amazing service, LUKE!!!

Visited for lunch two days in a row. Service super friendly and attentive (esp Gabby). Excellent wine list I think the best in the area with lots of gems. Food wise oysters, crab cake and the BLAT were exceptional. The lobster roll was a bit of a disappointment. Fresh lobster that looked like a lot but was sadly propped up by undressed Bibb lettuce underneath so the whole roll didn't have a lot of taste. Shoe string fries so good not so much the other side of cole slaw. I will go back next time I am in Montecito.

This is seafood and service done right. Open just ten days and they were rocking it. Our server anticipated our every need, things like bringing extra cocktail sauce and horseradish for the oysters before we even requested it. Great ambiance, full bar, excellent cocktails, housemade bread(that is actually free) is delicious. Best oysters we have had in a don't know when and we eat oysters frequently. Wonderful ceviche as well as crudo. My only criticism is no chips with either which actually was pretty weird.

We came here to celebrate our 30 year wedding anniversary. The staff was very friendly. They even had a sign to celebrate our day. That's the best part. The food was overpriced and overcooked. We started with clam chowder that was mostly potatoes and raw celery. Runny. I had to search for a clam. My husband had the halibut, super skinny piece that looked fried to death. The skin couldn't be cut. My dish was average. For the price we expected better quality food. Wont be back.

Had an amazing experience for dinner! Everything we ordered was better than the last. Drinks were great. Our food came out pretty quickly for it to be their grand opening. Service was smooth and flawless the entire time! I definitely recommend. Can't wait to go back for brunch

We went on their opening night. The food was very good, service was slow but we expected that because every one of the employees are new. The place looks beautiful, light and cheerful. It was quite expensive though. I will leave the negative comments out this time. Hopefully the next time we go there all the negative stuff will be worked out.

Really like this montecito restaurant. I wouldn't recommend the pasta with clams. It was extremely salty but the clams were excellent. Now, I should have mentioned the very salty pasta but I didn't. I was enjoying the Pimm's cup drink that I had ordered. The service was great. The ambiance was tres bien.

My mom and I had a great time at Clark's last night. The octopus was perfectly cooked and charred. I wish there was more on the plate! The clams and linguini was elegantly prepared and very flavorful. I liked that it wasn't too salty and the sauce took on the flavor of the clams. Lastly, we had the key lime pie which was absolutely delightful. The crust went perfectly with the custard, with a great crunch too. Overall, the ambiance was great and lively. The drinks were delicious too, with interesting ingredients I hadn't heard of before. One draw back was the service. At first we weren't paid attention too - but I gave 5 stars due to the manager coming over and ensuring we were taken over. We will be back for happy hour!

Great ambiance, great staff and incredible food! This place just opened and I took my girlfriend for a romantic meal. It was everything I hoped for. We were greeted with incredible hospitality and felt taken care of our whole meal! Excited for the evolution of this place.

3 days ago, my sister took me and our cousins to this place for lunch. They are from Long Island, NY, and so, were digging the fine, sunny weather and the side-patio ambience...They've had plenty of great seafood over the years in the Northeast, and were keen on comparing their seafood dining experiences with what California had to offer. Before I get to the spectacularly fresh seafood offerings, I want to first mention the service, ALSO spectacular. It was the kind of service you really don't get anymore: attentive, enthusiastic, (genuinely) cheerful and unforgettable. THIS kind of service is spelled K-A-Y-L-E-E. Yup, that's how you spell it. Kaylee blew us away with her enthusiasm about the menu, her gracious, smiling demeanor, and her constant, effortless 'turning-on-a-dime' to obtain the table items we were asking for. Did I mention 'cheerful'?! She MADE this luncheon experience! The seafood was just the icing on the cake...Her personal fave recommendations were spot-on too. (When we remarked to her how great her service was, Kaylee modestly credited it to having worked in a local resort, three years prior, and to the owner of said resort for having instilled in her the art of hosting guests. Clearly his mentorship took, because Kaylee's service is old world, gracioius service. YOU DO NOT SEE IT ANYMORE. Except at Clark's. ) Now, on to the yummies! Kaylee said the crab cake was incredible, and it was! My cousin Tony and I both ordered it and were very pleased indeed. The crabbies are NOT breaded! And they are HUGE! Nearly all sweet, succulent crab served with some very tasty spicy red sauce. The big bowl of clammies and mussels were tender and very flavorful, swimming, as it were, in a broth that was so delicioso that Tony and I could've sipped it through a straw from 16oz mugs! The oysters were simply the freshest I have ever eaten, anywhere, Soooo briny and delish I almost cried...Incredible. We had some lobster and crab still in their shells that were aces too. This seafood is worth a stop, worth a drive, and probably the most enjoyable (and newest!) dining spot on CVR these days...I cannot wait to return! And did I mention KAYLEE?!

Place is gorgeous, feels like Greece a bit, my martini was phenomenal as was the food. I suggest some oysters, the crudo and the linguine with clams. Our server Ben was so cool provided amazing service! Highly suggest

Went to Clark's Oyster Bar on Saturday night. Pretty chilly night and got seated outside. Heaters weren't working, so it was less than comfortable. Ordered a few things including their large seafood tower. We've ordered towers at Maestros in Laguna Beach for years. This was an extremely cost reduced version. To add insult, our waiter chose to address our concerns with a wise-guy attitude. A few hours after we returned home, my wife spent most of the night with stomach issues. Clark's needs to step it up. You only get one first impression. This fell short.

Everything was excellent. The photos online don't do it justice. A worthy addition to the neighborhood. Welcome!

Please, please rethink the Louie salad. A $34 plate of an abundance of shredded iceberg lettuce with a dusting of capers and red onions and a sprinkling of crab (and that is all) does not a Louie salad make. That's what the menu said, so I should have read it more carefully. That being said; beautiful fresh oysters and a good variety. People at other tables had lovely looking tuna sandwiches and burgers and my husband enjoyed a wonderful wedge salad with 3 beautiful shrimp. Nice front patio & dog friendly. An enjoyable visit and we will return but I'll just order differently next time (unless you rethink the Louie, which is always my personal favorite).

Food was delicious, especially the oysters. Service was diffident at best. Had to flag down server, ask for bread and wine, and food did not come out all together. Fries were cold. Very slow.

Tried this little gem a few days ago and honestly it was one of the best seafood meals in the area I've had in awhile. Not cheap, in fact pretty pricey overall, but I'd say worth the treat. The service was great and the staff were friendly and accommodating. The cocktails were mixed just the way we wanted them by an attentive bartender. They have a nice assortment of gin, which makes me very happy. We ordered a few oysters and mine were sublime. My friend had one really bad one but of course they didn't charge us for it (they did offer her another one but now she was a little traumatized!). The crudo was sensational. Fish so fresh and covered in some kind of delicate sauce that made it difficult not to pick up the plate and lick it! Oh and the bread is amazing! Sourdough made in house served with sweet butter. We ordered the linguini clams -- oh yes! So good, fresh clams in the shell and perfectly cooked pasta. Cioppino was also excellent served with roasted bread (as if we needed more). Not a huge amount of fish, but the sauce was delicious and all of it was very fresh. We also ordered a side of kale, which I'd normally not be interested in, but it was seriously delicious, kind of charred with olive oil, pine nuts and parmesan. Except for the bad oyster ( no one's fault) it was a lovely experience!