Hendrys Beach — Attraction in Santa Barbara

I should be clear, this is for the Boathouse Restaurant: I've been coming here for many years, and this was the best experience I have had. We were anxious when we arrived as the beach and the restaurant were packed, and a lot of folks weren't wearing masks. However within 20 minutes (the exact wait time we were told to expect), we were lucky enough to be seated outside the patio area along the walk in front of the restaurant, well separated from other tables and people. We had a surprisingly good, interesting cocktail, followed by an amazing seafood platter...the middle size was perfect for 2 for a meal, and everything was very fresh and delicious. A lot of variety as well...clams, mussels, oysters, shrimp, crab legs, ceviche, poke. My only very small complaint was the amount of lettuce/cabbage the ceviche sat on in proportion to the amount of ceviche. While it is not inexpensive, I did think it was fairly priced for the quality and quantity. Their wine selection was quite good, with some nice and unexpected local selections. We had a favorite Sauvignon Blanc from a relatively small producer and it was surprisingly reasonably priced. I appreciate this; knowing a bit about wine and retail costs, i get very frustrated when restaurants jack up the prices unreasonably high... it's the difference between them selling me a glass or a bottle, so worth keeping the prices appropriate. The service was really good...our server was experienced, very polite and warm but professional. She was knowledgeable about the menu, and when asked, she articulately expressed her opinions, which I VERY much appreciate in a server who really knows the menu. She guided us perfectly. We also didn't feel rushed despite it being a fairly busy evening. Quite honestly, I've always come here for the location in the past, but after this experience I will be returning more frequently for the food and beverages. Overall an...

I grew up near here and spent a lot of time at Hendry's as a kid. Now i spend a lot of time here with my own children. We love it here....our "locals" beach. Also known as The Pit to a of us long time Santa Barbarans. One side is off leash dog friendly the other is on leash walking. Lots of tidepools at low tide. Parking cam definitely be a challenge especially on a beautiful day. There is a restaurant ( The Boathouse) on this beach which also makes parking a challenge. Famy friendly beach. It does get crowded at times but you can usually find a spot even on the most crowded days. Can be foggy from time to time eben when there is no fog anywhere else. Can usually see dolphins out in the water, birds diving for fish, etc. A great...

Went in June based on the high reviews and it was absolutely filthy. I appreciate it when any public state property can be made dog friendly but I do not recommend this beach to anyone with dogs. The off leash side is very short, because this really shouldn’t quality as a “beach”. There was a rotting seal carcass left on the sand and I was horrified as the stench around the poor animal’s dead remains was left there for dogs to interact with. This beach needs to be cleaned and checked for public health. The entire sand was covered with jumping sand fleas and flies. I don’t just mean a small part of the “beach”, I mean the entire length of the sand was...