Seven Seas Bar and Grill Vista — Restaurant in Vista

My wife and I went their opening week and were deeply disappointed. With all of the hype hearing about the restaurant owner and watching them remodel the space, we had really high hopes. Unfortunately they were not met and mediocrity was the theme. Quick summary, the food we decent at best, poorly portioned, and for the price, not worth it. Our server was nice, but timing between dishes was terrible and the team wasn't fully trained on dish names. The atmosphere is that of a more upscale restaurant, like having no menu prices, but it's only a facade. We also sent a thoughtful message to let them know our thoughts since we knew they just opened and wanted to offer our feedback so they could improve, but we never got a response.

For the food, which was most important, we ordered the ahi and mango poke, the crispy oyster po'boy, and the crab and shrimp luis salad. The poke was where the mediocrity started, the fish was cut up into totally uneven pieces ranging from little shreds to half in cubes. The mango was totally unripe and deterred from the flavor and the sauce was overpowering. Even the wonton chips had issues since half were overcooked, I am not sure if they were trying to get two colors on purpose, but the flavor missed. The entrees came out before we were half way through, but continued to disappoint. The po'boy was just a sandwich, wrong shape and wrong ingredients. It had three oysters, which covered half the space of the bun, and tasted as if they were fried, but not fully cooked. Tartar sauce is listed, but it tasted tremendously of garlic and overpowered the oysters. Finally the crab and shrimp salad was done in TJ Caesar salad style with 4 small uncut lettuce leaves, which would have been fine if it were a mini salad, but the ratio was totally off. 4 lettuce, 4 shrimp, crab somewhere, and a gallon of thousand island dressing.

As for service, as mentioned above the timing was terrible. It seemed like we were forgotten for a bit at the beginning. The entrees came out about 10 minutes after the appetizer and we were only half way through. It would have been worse if there were multiple hot foods where one or more would start getting cold while eating the other. The only plus is that we weren't rushed and allowed to chat and sit without many interruptions.

As for the atmosphere, the restaurant looks like it's going to be a nice sit down with someone taking you to your table, but then drops off. The music didn't fit, the space didn't feel like it was upscale, and the prices, which aren't listed, are ridiculous for what was received. We could go to Dinnys and at least have a view of the ocean. And a patio that doesn't look like it has a temporary tarp ceiling.

Lastly I am disappointed not to have heard back. I've written places before and usually my feedback is at least given notice of thanks, we received it, but no email response from Seven Seas. I don't want a free meal, I just would like them to fulfill...

We got there for an early dinner. Almost too early as there was only 2 servers trying (and doing a great job) to serve everyone in the restaurant. It wasn't until about 30 min after we got there a few more servers showed up. Now on to the food. It's well worth any wait you might have. I had the Lobster and crab Carbonara and the clam chowder. My wife had the fish and chips. I've traveled up and down the central coast and this clam chowder ranks top 5 for sure. Same for the fish and chips. The Lobster and Crab Carbonara was prepared well and had great flavor. I would have went with a different pasta as this one ate a little difficult. Plenty of Lobster meat and crab inside the dish for sure. Our waitress did an amazing job dancing from one table to the next. At that time she had the whole floor and patio while the other server took care of the bar area. I'll definitely be back to try a few more dishes. I hope this one...

🐙 New seafood restaurant alert!

Seven Seas Bar & Grill in Vista Village opens 5/9/25. It’s in the former Lush Coffee building and looks completely different.

I got a sneak preview today, and the mahi tacos are excellent. (Only one taco pictured bc I ate the first so fast!) My dining partner got the Siete Mares and said the seafood was super fresh and cooked to perfection.

If you like seafood and want to support local businesses, Seven Seas is a must-try. Family owned, mom and dad started the Lighthouse oyster bar in Oside, I heard.

Can’t wait for the fish market portion to open soon. What a great idea!

Atmosphere was hip and modern. Tables are intentionally small. If you have a party larger than six, plan to reserve the one big table in the back.

Shout out to Chef Paul and his team for creating the diverse menu. Looking forward to trying the non-seafood offerings, as well...