Santa Barbara: Boathouse at Hendry's Beach

The Boathouse at Hendry's Beach

Lovely atmosphere: right next to the beach!

The Boathouse at Hendry’s Beach is yet another example of how your experience at a restaurant can be completely decided by either the atmosphere or the food. We went to the Boathouse twice on our trip: the first time I was impressed by their atmosphere, the second time, by their food.

On our first trip, we were seated outside, which made all the difference in terms of atmosphere. The Boathouse is situated right next to Hendry’s Beach (surprise, surprise), its natural beauty made even more beautiful by the twinkling lights decorating the restaurant and the easy reggae music that floated through the air as we waited for our appetizers. My mom and dad and I split their Seared Ahi Tuna salad, Crab Cakes and a Chile and Lime Crab Cocktail. (If it isn’t already obvious, this place specialized in seafood). The Ahi Tuna salad was the only genuinely good meal out of the three. The Crab Cakes were decent, though a little salty and the Crab and Lime Cocktail was just mediocre. I also ordered a Blood Orange Margarita, which was delicious after I remembered to stir it; the first half of it or so was oversaturated with tequila (or maybe I’m just a lightweight). This trip, I paid more attention to my surroundings than to my food. 

Ahi Tuna.

Blood Orange Margarita.

We returned to the Boathouse, partially because we enjoyed our meal there and partially to satisfy my littlest sister’s beach cravings after spending an entire day “cooped up” at our beautiful beach house. It was a lot less fun than the last time: we were all hungry, we had a long wait, and we were eventually seated inside rather than outside. There were young guys at the table next to us making odd grunting noises, which we all thought was rather strange, especially my littlest sister, who mocked them rather loudly, causing the rest of my family to choke back our giggles and look down in embarrassment. (I could seriously start an entire blog on all the weird and funny things she does). The service was much less friendly and attentive than the first night when our waiter was super nice, likely because it was a busy night at the Boathouse. The only thing that I liked better about the second trip was the food and drink. I ordered the Mesquite Grilled Prawns, which were served on a slice of bread and infused with tons of butter and garlic, making them completely irresistible to me. My dad and I both ordered a glass of the Bridlewood Syrah, from the Central Coast, which was unbelievably good.

Mesquite Grilled Prawns were delicious! Photo Credit

            Both visits I came away enjoying the Boathouse at Hendry’s Beach, but for different reasons. Perhaps there will be one day when I return, get lucky and enjoy the atmosphere and the food simultaneously, but for now I’ll have to remember them separately.