sunset. Arrive early to secure a coveted bar seat. For happy hour, the lobster roll, smash burger, and steak on a plate are must-tries. From the main menu, my go-to dishes are the Grilled Maine Lobster and the King Salmon, Santa Barbara Uni, and Herb Noodles. Whether you're there for the view, the food, or both, this place delivers every time.

Santa Monica Pier was the final stop on our trip to the 2024 Rose Parade and Rose Bowl. A few years ago my Daughter-in-Law brother lived in the Santa Monica Pier area and he shared some great area dining options. "The Lobster" was his HIGHLY recommended restaurant. Note that I made a 3 pm reservation and was glad we did since there were quite a few diners even at that time of the day! We were promptly seated at a table with a view of the Pier on the Pacific Ocean. If memory serves me our server name was Andrew (he's originally from Dallas TX area ) and he was absolutely wonderful. He made us feel very welcome and definitely added to the overall incredible dining experience! Since we had never dined at The Lobster he helped us navigate their great menu. His suggestions were perfect to include the Maine Lobster Cocktail and Yellowfin tuna starters. The tuna starter was delicious. In hindsight I think we should have had two (2) of those as starters! As an added note, the table next to us had the seafood platter (photo included). It looked absolutely fantastic and by the looks of it they seemed to enjoy it. For entrees, my boyfriend ordered the seared rare yellowfin while I had the grilled day boat scallops. We ordered the brussel sprouts as our shared side. The brussel sprouts beautifully complimented my scallops making for an absolutely delicious meal. My boyfriend liked his meal. Bear in mind that I'm definitely the more adventurous diner. We ended our dinner with the fantastic warm chocolate truffle cake with the vanilla bean ice cream along with a cup of cappuccino. Our cocktails as well were perfect to include the great expresso martini. Overall an outstanding way to put an exclamation point on a wonderful few days in that area......many thanks to my son and his wife for making this wonderfully memorable meal our Christmas gift.

Delicious food. Good ambiance. Pricey, but reasonable given its location in the universe. Planned a large group event here, and it went great. Happiness is reality minus expectations. Mine were high, so this very good restaurant gets 4 stars.

Have been coming here for years, this time we came with our dog and we were seated on the back patio, not the best spot for the view but you can check out the crowds heading to the pier. It just felt a bit like we were in the back alley, and our server was also a bit surly. He was the bartender, the bar is near the door into the restaurant, and seemed to be put off or something by having to wait our table. Had this weird sarcasm trying to be funny but not. We started with the calamari with shrimp, some veggies and fried olive, and it was presented with three sauces; aioli, soy, sweet chili. Very good, nice and crispy. I had the Crab Gumbo, good but just not quite that good. A little underwhelming. Lobster roll was good but meager portion. Grilled Octopus over a bed of Edamame Hummus nicely done. Warm Chocolate Truffle cake was a decent closer. If you can sit inside here, enjoy the view and the ambience. The food is decent, but I wouldn't race back.

Tried their happy hour, the mule was decent and only $12 and the truffle fries were perfectly crisp. The lobster roll for happy hour was $25 and had little lobster and not much flavor. The king salmon taco was much better with the salsa macha, fresh fish. Overall a bit pricey but location is good right by the Santa Monica pier. Parking is easy in the public lots in Santa Monica. Friday is all day happy hour.

You know places that has three dollar signs, and you had been waiting so long to go there, and when you did, it was blaaah?!? Yeah, this place is not like that. We ordered calamari, crab cake, seared yellowfin, and crab gumbo. All three were amazing, and one (gumbo) was okay. The calamari mixed with prawn and fried olive, and it was presented with three sauces; aioli, soy, sweet chili (i think). The seared yellowfin served on a bed of rice and it was amazing. The crab cake was served with salad in which, honestly, maybe good enough for my dinner. The gumbo was quite tasty, but something was missing. Just felt a little bland. The service was great, water always filled and we didnt have to look for help throughout the meal. St Monica's Pier-night time view set up a great ambiance and the restaurant lighting was perfect. Their specialties are lobsters but since I felt very tired after work, I didn't feel like it. They also have extensive selection of wine. Dessert menu also available. Since I am trying to lose weight, I didn't order alcoholic beverages/ desserts.

Located at the entrance to the Santa Monica Beach Pier. Valet parking is down below and the restaurant entrance is at the second level. There is both indoor and outdoor high table and chair seating with heat lamps. We had to move two tables together and chairs to seat four of us. They welcomed my dog to join us for dinner outdoors. It's mainly seafood with surf and turf. Our server he was very helpful and provided great service he made us feel comfortable. I wanted to order food for my dog and our server suggested an off the menu unseasoned grilled chicken breast which was brought out sliced into pieces. All the food was delicious. It's a great place to people watch and enjoy good seafood. It's no wonder they've been around and celebrate 25 years.

The Lobster is a beautiful restaurant with a stunning view overlooking the Santa Monica Pier. We were seated right away on a Sunday afternoon and even got the seats right next to the windows, which was a pleasant surprise. Dining with the backdrop of the pier made for a great experience along with a relaxed atmosphere. Our server, Giselle, was fantastic! She was super helpful with recommendations, and the other staff were just as attentive, making sure we were enjoying our food. For appetizers, we had the charred octopus and corn and lobster bisque. The charred octopus was a highlight--though there were only five pieces, they were some of the best I've had. The corn and lobster bisque, however, was just okay; it didn't really stand out too much from bisques I've had from other similar restaurants. As for the main entrees, the grilled California spiny lobster was excellent. It was perfectly cooked, fresh, and juicy. The black chitarra pasta was another winner, packed with a variety of seafood (calamari, clams, mussels, lobster, shrimp) and topped with a flavorful sauce that brought everything together. The only downside was the portion sizes. For the quality and price, I was left wanting more food. That's where they lost a star--delicious but not quite enough for the price. Overall, The Lobster is a great spot with amazing seafood, top-notch service, and an unbeatable view. I'd recommend it, but be prepared to splurge for smaller portions.

SUMPTUOUS SEAFOOD WITH A STUNNING VIEW I haven't been here since the pandemic, so I was excited to attend their 25th Anniversary. This awesome restaurant has the best view in Santa Monica! The previous time I was here, I ate - of course - lobster with a friend. This time, they had a stellar raw bar, where I devoured some delectable oysters, shrimp and mussels. Their little smash burgers were surprisingly good, too. I also had a chance to try things I don't normally order - ceviche (nice and spicy), tomato and braised fennel brushcetta (couldn't eat just one), crisp calamari with smoked sriarcha aioli (one of my faves), pork belly taco (sweeter than expected), and arancini with pink sauce and fried basil (a mouthful). This is the perfect place to bring out of town guests.

Perhaps the nicest dining view in Santa Monica with the right table, ours had a direct view of the famous Santa Monica Pier along with the ocean. We came with a specific mission of having the best lobster (to include her wearing a t-shirt with a lobster on it) and this goal was accomplished! We shared a perfectly prepared whole x3 pound Grilled Maine Lobster between the two of us, along with a Seared Rare Yellowfin served on top of Dungeness Crab Fried Rice. It was exceptional, but star of the show is still definitely the lobster. It's pricey and worth the wait for the preparation, but certainly a special treat. If you had a specific desire for lobster as we did, this would be a good a spot as any to fulfill that.