The Lobster

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1602 Ocean Ave (at Ocean & Colorado)
Santa Monica, CA 90401

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(310) 458-9294
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The Lobster - Santa Monica, CA
The Lobster - Santa Monica, CA
The Lobster - Santa Monica, CA
The Lobster - Santa Monica, CA
The Lobster - Santa Monica, CA
The Lobster - Santa Monica, CA
The Lobster - Santa Monica, CA
The Lobster - Santa Monica, CA
The Lobster - Santa Monica, CA
The Lobster - Santa Monica, CA
The Lobster - Santa Monica, CA
The Lobster - Santa Monica, CA
The Lobster - Santa Monica, CA
The Lobster - Santa Monica, CA
The Lobster - Santa Monica, CA
Reviews
( 63 )
( 46 )
( 18 )
( 3 )
( 7 )

Best

Our service was great and the waiter was adorable. Ambiance was romantic and definitely recommended. For the music,,,I would recommend jazz or house and the people were cool. Port...

Worst

Great view. Everything else....over rated. Over priced decent food. Service below average. Great view. Pros: view Cons: price, staff, food

Great place to dine 6/25/2007

Went for my first time to this place last week. And it was a great experience. Great food and service. more
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The worst Restaurtant in Santa Monica 6/20/2007

I took my boyfriend to the lobster for Father's Day and I made our reservations almost a month in advance to be able to be seated by the window. This was our first time at the lobster and I definitely won't be going back. My first complaint is we got seated by the kitchen where we had the pleasure of seeing all the waiters go in and out with peoples food. Second when I explained I requested a table by the window I received a nasty response from the hostest stating well as you can see all the tables by the window are taken. I explain but I made a reservation and she replied even nastier by saying everyone seated at the window tables have reservations. So finally we just accepted seating by the kitchen our waiter came over never introduce himself by name, once we receive our food by someone in the kitchen our waiter never once asked how our foods was or to refill our drinks. Then at the end of our meal we received the bill I decided not to leave the waiter a good tip, I did leave a tip but not what he would have earned if he had just did his job. After we paid for the bill and started to walk towards the front door we got stopped by this angry waiter wanting to know why he receive such a little tip. I was so embarrassed, never in my life have I been chased down by a waiter for the amount of a tip. this was not only scary but totally unprofessional, My boyfriend explained to him that we did not feel we received any type of customer satisfaction from him and that he did not attend to our table like he should have. Even when we explained the sistuation to the manager he just brushed us off. This restaurant is the worst, the food was not good and the service was simply awful. This restaurant doesn't deserve any stars Cons: service is awful and the food was disgusting more
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The best seafood restaurant in Los Angeles! 6/4/2007

Let me just say that I have been eating at the Lobster for 7 years and I have had the most wonderful food every time. How can you beat the Lobster? The staff is by far the friendliest in town they even address me by name every time I walk in the door and make be feel like family. Sitting watching the sun go down, eating a crab cocktail which is amazing and being treated like a queen, now come on, how can you beat it! If you have not been there, GO! You are missing out! Pros: Great food, warm and inviting staff, amazing view more
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Unbelieveable food with the nicest staff. And you can't beat the view! 5/24/2007

I've been going to the Lobster since it re-opened and have always found the menu to be intriguing and the food delicious. I'm a stickler when it comes to the preparation of seafood. So often the sauce is there to hide the low quality and overcooked entree. But Allison has found so many wonderful ways to highlight my favorites without losing the natural flavors of the scallops, the sea bass, the shrimp -- well you get the idea. I have always felt welcomed by the staff and treated as a valued customer. Wonderful experience all around. Pros: Good food and friendly service more
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Why? 5/21/2007

I visited The Lobster for the first time about two years ago and was pretty disappointed by the food. The waiter recommended something that was not to my liking. What made matters worse, I heard him talk the table behind us out of ordering the same dish. When I confronted him about it, he said he would comp our dessert. I just wanted a good meal. I didn?t care about dessert. Recently a friend talked me into trying it again and I was disappointed yet another time. This time the food was totally bland. I?ve had much better food down the street at Ocean Ave. Seafood. I don?t know why people love The Lobster so much. And the view is not all that spectacular. I?ve seen much better in L.A. Cons: everything more
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The food and view were great; just try not to get offended by the server?s comments 4/30/2007

The table was not what I expected or requested especially after making a reservation weeks in advance but the food and the view was great. Kara our server was a little too helpful, when I was looking at the wine list she came over and made it a point to say that one side was their reds and the other their whites and when I joked that the names of the grapes gave it away she seemed to get offended. Then she tried to talk my date out of the stemmed lobster because she said it was expensive. She also told my date after she placed the shell bucket down that it was for her lobster shells, which once again forced my date and I to look at each other and shake our heads. I guess we just looked young. My date was going to joke about her dishwashing skills but we were afraid Kara would get even more worried / offended. Overall the food was fantastic and the view would have been even better if we had received a better table as requested in the reservation. more
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Good food, great service & wonderful view 3/31/2007

My husband and I had a terrific meal here a few Friday nights ago. It's a bit crowded and noisy, but luckily, we were seated in the back corner of the restaurant and had a wonderful view of the Santa Monica Pier. Unfortunately, we had an 8:45PM reservation and were seated about 20 min late, so they had already run out of 2 of the lobster dishes and one of the fish dishes. However, the quality of what we were able to order and the service made up for it. My husband loved their oyster sampler and the calamari was good as well. He also devoured the seared ahi tuna, and the accompanying Asian salad was delicious. I ordered the ivory wild salmon, which was pretty good. We brought in a Citysearch coupon for a free dessert and they gave us 2 choices on the house. more
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The Most Overrated Seafood Restaurant Ever. 3/31/2007

First, the menu was severely overpriced with a poor selection. I selected the sea bass because it was just about the only fish item and it was absolutely inedible, mushy and tasteless, I ate only half. The bread was hard and meager. I cannot understand why people give this restaurant such good reviews. I went to this restaurant with my boyfriend solely based on these reviews, and we were very disappointed. His meal was substandard, as well. The only good thing about this restaurant was the view of the people in the park below. We were still hungry after this horrible experience so we drove down by the ocean and stopped at a little unassuming seafood restaurant. We had a great meal of tasty trout served on paper plates. It was so much better and we were finally filled up. I would never come back. And I love seafood restaurants. Quite possibly the most overrated restaurant ever. Cons: Overrated more
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Very Special Place 3/19/2007

This is a great place, beautiful views and great food. Most important, the staff there is wonderful. We requested a window seat but none was available. When I mentioned it to the host, he apologized and explained that ?everybody requests a window seat?. We had just started our meal when he came back and said that a table just opened up and that we could move! I don?t EVER remember a restaurant doing that after you have been seated. We had a wonderful, memorable family event and will return time and time again to the Lobster! more
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The place for dry, overcooked seafood 3/17/2007

If you want a nice view of the pier and don't mind paying $30-50 apiece for dry, overcooked seafood (we had the spiny lobster, the Maine lobster, and halibut), then this is the place for you. Apparently the technique here is to cook the hell out of the lobsters (boil and broil) then cover them with sauces and mushy potatoes (that taste like they are from a mix) so that you don't have to actually taste the sea. It's a shame when you think how many lobsters they must ruin every night in this way. The oysters were a highlight--because, being raw, there was no chance to ruin them! more
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Great location, good food, a little overpriced 2/19/2007

Located at the top of the Santa Monica Pier, looking out the window you've got a great view of the ferris... more
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Great location, good food, a little overpriced 2/19/2007

shaomai Provided by Partner
Located at the top of the Santa Monica Pier, looking out the window you've got a great view of the ferris wheel overlooking the beach. I think this... more
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Great food, ambiance and service 2/12/2007

As usual, this place was packed. I had the oysters, dungeness crab and arugula salad and the pan-roasted lobster. the oyster were fresh, the salad was amazing (lots of crab, not drenched in dressing, good texture with the pine nuts) and the lobster was great (how can a place called The Lobster mess up their sig. dish anyways). Highly recommended. When you make a reservation ask for a table with a view. With a glass or wine or two it will cost about $60-75 per person ($12 for salad, $45 for the lobster, $12 for a glass of wine, $12.50 for oysters). This place is well worth it. The seared ahi is amazing also. more
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Love the Lobster cocktail 1/26/2007

I highly recommend the Lobster. Great location, Great View, Great Food. Try the Lobster Cocktail ... yummy! This is great for lunch or dinner. Be sure to make reservations. more
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Good food, Love it - but a little noisy 1/22/2007

I love this place. The food is wonderful - the view is nice and the service is great. Not for a quiet dinner, as it can be noisy. Pros: Food, view, everything Cons: If I had to pick a con, maybe the noise more
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Exceptional service, exciting menu, great vibe and an incredible view 1/12/2007

Of all the restaurants in L.A., and all the places I love to eat, The Lobster is the one I insist on for my birthday every year! It is my first choice for any occasion my husband I want to celebrate with a special dinner. We made a reservation to celebrate our engagement and we were treated exceptionally well. Our waiter let us know that they had our table ready, but there would be a window table opening up shortly if we wanted to wait for a ""better"" seat. The food is first class and the atmosphere is refreshingly lively. Love this place. Pros: Great food, service, view and atmosphere! Cons: Can't think of any more
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Not Bad. Not as good as expected. 1/5/2007

Had dinner there tonight. Surprisingly, it was not crowded. Service was friendly. Crab cakes were high quality, lots of fresh crab. This may sound stupid, but I like crab cakes that are not almost only crab. The Chilean seabass was excellent, but the kobe beef was somewhat on the tough side. Maybe that's what you get for ordering beef at a seafood restaurant. Beautiful view of the ocean. more
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Beautiful Views & Yummy Food 12/12/2006

I recently had lunch at the lobster and it was one of those days when everything is fabulous - the weather was phenomenal so we had a beautiful clear view of the ocean waves; the service was prompt and friendly; the bread and olive oil dip was delicious. My friend and I each had the lobster avocado salad - sweet morsels of lobster, crisp, fresh greens and ripe avocados - what could be better? We also shared a great bottle of Trimbach pinot gris which complemented the lobster wonderfully. The entire experience was simply lovely. Pros: Great View & Yummy Food & Good Wine List more
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Two words: 12/8/2006

The Crapster. more
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Beautiful! 11/16/2006

Great place for a couple of post-work drinks at sunset. We sat at the bar and shared a couple of appetizers (the calamari was awesome) and some very nicely mixed martinis, a couple glasses of wine. The bartenders were nice and entertaining, and the crowd was pretty friendly for it being such a 'destination' spot. I would definitely go back! more
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Menu for The Lobster


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Voted "Best Seafood" in Los Angeles by Citysearch voters!

Owner Message

  • Rich in history, "The Lobster" stands as a tribute to the family that built its reputation. Established as a Lobster Shack in 1923, the remaining original structure within the foundation and walls of the main entrance and footprint still stand at the corner of Ocean Avenue and the Pier. "Established in 1923", recessed in the corner stone, greets guests in the spirit and heritage that only belongs to "The Lobster".

    The menu is classic American seafood featuring whole live Maine lobsters. Guests can sit at any seat in the restaurant or bar area and enjoy 180 degree views of the spectacular Pacific Ocean, accented by it's breathtaking sunsets, even celebrate the sea spun sunset phenomena called the 'Green Flash'. The terrace provides fresh coastal air for those who love to dine outdoors.

Editorial

  • This is a Santa Monica staple located at the Pier with excellent service. Come for happy hour with $6 cocktails and discounted food items.

  • 4/25/2012 Provided by Citysearch
Additional information
  • Hours: Mon - Thu 11:30am - 10pm Fri - Sat 11:30am - 11pm Sun 11am - 10pm
  • Payments: Discover, American Express, Master Card, Diner's Club, Visa, Carte Blanche
  • Neighborhoods: West LA, Downtown
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