Spencer Makenzie's — Restaurant in Ventura

Place was a cool, local, small business vibe with a big business presence. You could tell people come from all over for these tacos, and I can see why. Can see the beach from there and is within a 3-5 min walk to get onto the beach. We went during two happy hours I think. So beers were like 4-5.50 depending on which, tacos were BOGO, so we each (2 of us) got one tempura fish taco and 1 grilled fish taco. Then we got 3 shrimp wontons and 3 jalapeño wontons.

Tacos were delicious. I think the fish is so light and flakey that for me, the tempura one was better. Just because the texture made you realize the fish was there. The grilled you can taste the fish, but because of the light and flakey texture, the avocado made it feel like one buttery flavorful taco of goodness. (That isn’t a bad thing at all). Lemon is for sure a requirement on these in my opinion. But you really need to try their hot sauces. Each that we had were so difference from one another but all delicious in their own way. Totally different flavor profiles which will elevate the tacos in different ways. I loved the hottest one. One critique for it was that because of the type of hot sauce and it not being full of preservatives, there needs to be a lid so you can shake it well and thicken it back up. The wontons were also really good. Think of a flat, ravioli like crab ragoon. But these had the sweet chili sauce on them already. The jalapeño one was better because of the texture. Shrimp one was delicious too, but I think they need to chop the shrimp up into small diced pieces instead of one, odd mouth feel, piece of little shrimp in there.

Outside was busy when we came up so we went inside, but by the time we were done eating, they cleared the line. So it for sure can be busy, but they move quick!!

Nice people working there. Friendly staff, nice vibes. Will go again to try...

Where to start with our experience here... I'll start by saying that I never leave a bad review unless it's that bad. After viewing the menu for the local sea food restaurants we chose Spencer Makenzie's. The inside and the outside of the restaurant were nice and it was clean. Customer service was friendly and wait times were not bad. We ordered about $55 worth of different menu items to try. The Clam chowder was my biggest issue, it was cold and not only was it lacking any flavor it was NOT edible for human consumption. The chowder we received LITERALLY tasted like floor cleaner and chemicals. I don't know if it was a bad batch or what happened but it was AWFUL. One bite and I knew there was something off and that could potentially make someone very sick. The fried fish tacos were bland and the grilled were halfway decent. The fish and chips came just that, no tartar sauce or anything. We received no utensils with our to-go order, so basically had to eat everything on the go with our hands... We also ordered a side of rice and vegetables, to which both were overcooked and mushy. The only edible things we received were the side salad (which did not come with dressing, luckily I just happened to ask for ranch before we left) and the sourdough bread that came with the chowder bread bowl. Beyond disappointed that out of everything that was ordered that was what was edible. Would not pay $50+ to only be able to eat a few of the items we ordered. I would not recommend eating here, nor would I have paid that pricing. Unfortunately, we were unable to bring the items back for a redund. Again I will say, that the chowder WAS NOT EDIBLE whatsoever. I wouldn't even serve...

Despite arriving before several other parties, we were not given water or menus until well after those who came in after us. We are still waiting. My boyfriend asked for the menu and was only provided one menu hastily. He told the young lady we were waiting for 20 minutes. The young lady did not make eye contact and understanding it is a busy place but did not pause as she did for the previous patrons that came after us. I did not get a menu offered. Additionally, the people next to ours, were seated after us and greeted ! Their area was promptly cleaned and set up, while we were left waiting and watching. Each person was provided a menu and orders were taken from the handheld device in front of us. The picture is of the food the previous customers left in front of us. There were two different parties after we sat and attended promptly and greeted. We sincerely hope that our experience wasn’t influenced by our background, but it’s hard not to feel disheartened when you notice these differences. Everyone deserves equal and attentive service, regardless of who they are or what they look like. Picture of the previous customers food in front of us. We are still sitting here while everyone else got their order taken and getting their drinks they ordered served in front of us. I had to leave as I was upset and felt invisible. I walked out. I told my boyfriend to at least enjoy the tacos as he is new to this town. We are very neutral people and I felt pretty...