The Lobster, Santa Monica

The Lobster Restaurant is fine dining at it’s best, the oceanfront view in one of the most romantic settings imaginable, very charming and traditional, located at the Santa Monica Pier, this place features such unique offerings. The ambience actually achieves its objective of making everyone very relaxed and focused on the main business, which is the "Excellent Lobster", "Wonderful", "Imaginative Seafood" and "Ultra Fresh" fish that can make an encounter at The Lobster, which is a gorgeous establishment, with spectacular service, making our dining experience absolutely surreal! This restaurant holds about 150 people in the dining room, bar and sweeping terrace.

Entering this Restaurant, you will find a magnificent bar area, inside and outside
where you can also enjoy a drink while smoking a cigar looking at the ocean.

The bar has a spectacular menu of drinks and appetizers, while waiting for dinner, we ordered a Long Island Ice Tea, and I had the Mojito, both were made to perfection.

A sumptuous selection of local seafood specialties is offered as well as both classic and a unique, at lunch and dinner you can have delicious soups, and salads, lobster, shellfish, meats and poultry and an incredible selection of appetizers, from Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail to Dungeness Crab “Louis Cocktail”.

Long Island Ice Tea Mojito

Executive Chef Allyson Thurber, who cooked at the venerable Water Grill downtown, is the new executive chef. Thurber oversees a kitchen that turns out simple yet sophisticated, with a great selection of seafood dishes, everything from Lobster Salad w/ sweet corn & tarragon pancakes, to pepper-crusted big-eye tuna with balsamic-shallot reduction and whole roasted striped bass. Did I mention the Lobster, this is the most amazing lobster restaurant we have been to, it is served steamed, grilled or Pan Roasted w/ bourbon, chives, chervil & wild rice vegetable pilaf.

You'll also find a good California-heavy wine list and friendly service. Make sure you plan ahead and call for reservations, the place was full, and the happening bar scene gathers steam long before then, and keeps going until 1 a.m. on weekends.

Dungeness and Blue Crab Cakes

Our waiter was truly fantastic and guide us suggesting the best appetizers, so we tried the: Crab cake Appetizer, this is the real crab, a mix of Dungeness and blue crab, with ginger-black bean sauce & Thai squid salad.

Tempura Tiger Prawns

Ahi Carpaccio w/ marinated onions & wasabi tobiko, with marinated onions & tobiko wasabi, an excellent choice, the meat had great flavor, and it is also very filling, and the presentation was great.

Ahi Carpaccio

Tempura Tiger Prawns, with hot Chinese mustard, sweet chili sauce, ponzu & a bit of slaw, at this point, I must say that all these were absolutely worth of trying, one of the best tempura I have ever had.

Clam Chowder Dungeness Crab Arugula Salad

The last appetizer was the Sweet Corn Pancakes & Lobster Salad w/ sweet
corn & tarragon aioli, a very delicious salad, enough to share for 2 people!

We could not pass on the Dungeness Crab & Wild Baby Arugula Salad, with noodles, mango, asian greens, tomato & spicy sesame vinaigrette a salad not to miss, with big pieces of lobster and great greens,
combined with the vinaigrette, a wonderful salad!

Steamed Maine Lobster

Our entrees could not be anything but: Lobsters, yes, that is what we were
there for, and oh my God! These were the greatest winners of the night.

Steamed Maine Lobster w/ asparagus, roasted potatoes & drawn butter (per pound), do I need to say that it was amazing? The lobster were served with lemon garlic butter, and made to perfection, we loved it and yes, you can share that for 2 as well.

Pan Roasted Lobster

Also, I wanted to try the famous Pan Roasted Lobster w/ bourbon, chives, chervil and mashed potatoes served on a Jim Beam sauce, yes, this one, you can’t miss either.

I can’t tell you which one I enjoyed the most, since both were terrific and delicious… I must say that I want to go back for the Soft Shell Crabs that we missed. It started the day after we visited the restaurant. Heard from the chef that some people wait for this time of the year to try them out… Also, we were told that the Pan Roasted Alaskan Halibut was absolutely fantastic, but we will have to go back for that one.

Bread Pudding with Ice Cream

We were extremely happy with our choices and had a great time a great dinner and a surreal view all-blending with a great and superb service!

I must say that if you love seafood and in particular lobsters a classic dining experience awaits you at The Lobster, the experienced staff takes you back to another time… while a gifted chef Allyson Thurber prepares the most sumptuous unforgettable dinner. The Lobster is not just another seafood restaurant; it has set the standard for Santa Monica’s fine dining! This restaurant not only serves up expert cuisine and the freshest seafood and steaks, its waterfront ambiance takes dining to another level. This is an experience you won’t soon forget – and one you’ll want to share with your friends.

Highly Recommended!

Our special thanks to Chef Allyson Thurber for the great dinner we had and
thanks to Laurel Rosen for this great food experience.

For map and location click Here!

For more information please visit their website at www.thelobster.com

Today is: Wednesday, April 24, 2024