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Herb & Sea, Encinitas, CA

Herb & Sea

4.6
4.6
2803 Reviews
$30 and under
Californian

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 p.m.
Booked 53 times today
Experiences are available.
  • Good for special occasions
  • Lively
  • Great for creative cocktails
Blending classic East Coast culinary traditions with a modern Californian sensibility, Herb & Sea is Chef Brian Malarkey’s venerable companion restaurant to the much-loved Herb & Wood in Little Italy. Quickly becoming one of the most sought-after tables in town, the concept shines with a menu that focuses on simple, clean, bright flavors. Located steps from Moonlight Beach in Encinitas, the vibrant space is housed in a 1920’s art deco building that has been restored to its original glory.

Daily operations are helmed by Executive Chef Aidan Owens. The menu includes a mix of raw bar staples, fresh seafood, meat dishes, and roasted vegetables. A variety of pizzas and pastas round out the offerings, alongside dessert and a dedicated kids’ menu.

The spirits program is bright and playful, emphasizing citrus and floral notes that utilize the same ingredients found on the menu. The wine list offers a similar sense of whimsy, highlighting labels meant to complemen

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Californian, Seafood, Oyster Bar
  • Hours of Operation
    Dinner Tue–Sun 5:00 pm–9:00 pm
  • Phone number
    (760) 704-8300
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Smart Casual
  • Executive Chef
    Brian Malarkey and Sara Harris
  • Private party facilities
    Herb & Sea’s chic coastal ambiance meets a neighborhood-friendly vibe that can fit events of all shapes and sizes. The concept shines with a menu that focuses on simple, clean, bright flavors. Come into our home, where we think of it all so that you don't have to.
  • Neighbourhood
    Encinitas
  • Cross Street
    D Street and 2nd Street
  • Parking details
    Convenient street parking is available. The entrance is located between West D Street and West E Street on the East side. You are more than welcome to call the restaurant, (760) 704-8300, if you have further questions!
  • Public transit
    Encinitas Train Station: 25 E D St, Encinitas, CA 92024
  • Additional
    Banquet, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Chef's Table, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Counter Seating, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Vegan, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Experiences

  • Thanksgiving Dinner

    US$92.00 per person

    Nov 28, 2024 only
    Gather your family and friends to come celebrate Thanksgiving with us at Herb & Sea! We are excited to offer a pre-fixe menu for all to enjoy. Pricing will be $92 for adults and $38 for children for this year's feast. We look forward to celebrating with you and your loved ones this Thanksgiving.
    Thanksgiving Dinner photo
  • Christmas Eve Dinner

    US$92.00 per person

    Dec 24, 2024 only
    Gather your family and friends to come celebrate Christmas Eve with us at Herb & Sea! We are excited to offer a pre-fixe menu for all to enjoy. Pricing will be $92 for adults and $37 for children for this year's Holiday dinner. We look forward to celebrating with you and your loved ones this Christmas Eve.
    Christmas Eve Dinner photo
  • New Year's Eve

    US$100.00 per person

    Dec 31, 2024 only
    Gather your family and friends to come celebrate New Years Eve with us at Herb & Sea! We are excited to offer a pre-fixe menu for all to enjoy. Pricing will be $100 for adults and $38 for children for this year's dinner. We look forward to ringing in the new year with you and your loved ones!
    New Year's Eve photo

What 2,803 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.6
4.6 based on recent ratings
  • 4.6Food
  • 4.5Service
  • 4.6Ambience
  • 4.2Value

NoiseModerate

Loved For

  • North San Diego

    Californian

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Herb & Sea offers a "delicious" dining experience with "amazing" food and a "cool vibe." Guests praise the creative menu with standout dishes like mussel toast and tuna specials. The service is often "excellent," enhancing the lively beach ambiance. Despite occasional noise, it's a favorite for "great food and celebrations."

2,803 Reviews
  1. Dr. Bill

    San Diego

    236 reviews

    vip
    3.0

    236 reviews

    Dined 1 day ago

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    Nice guy server & ambiance, with only wine by the glass problems (not yummy, cheap taste at high price) & food prep problems: shrimp cocktail seasoning HORRIBLE (who needs seasoning on great steamed shrimp), my Skate fish dish was FLOATING in brown sauce (YUCK) making the already wet moist white fish soggy as heck (yuck) & wifey’s basic Halibut very very bland. Yummy chocolate cake dessert & sorbets, but the lemon sorbet WAY too mild lemon flavor (watered down WAY too much I say). My girly cucy Gin drink upgraded with Hendricks was nice & “refreshing” as they advertised. Most of the neighboring tables were ordering near RARE STEAK. Sad & odd that a “Seafood” based restaurant can’t do lotza seafood & do it well…but this is a CHAIN restaurant with the Owner trying to”different CONCEPTS” at each placed based on “the market.” Not a good thing. Not a keeper.

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  2. Robert

    New York City

    204 reviews

    vip
    3.0

    204 reviews

    Dined 1 day ago

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    Based on the great reviews and location, we chose H&S. The night was off to a good start with a couple unique cocktails and some creative tasty raw/cooked appetizers. The Hoecake was spectacular! Then the evening took a less desirable turn when both of our Halibut entrees came out mushy. I can’t even explain the odd mushy texture. We sent the entrees back and the chef cooked 2 fresh pieces. The second set were cooked perfectly but oversalted (to our liking). We did not send back again. The service was great and we tipped the waiter generously. As we had to wait a solid 15 mins for the new entrees, it would have been nice if the restaurant comped one or both entrees or even a dessert. They did not. In any case, we probably would not return. We wish them the best of luck.

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  3. Donna

    San Francisco

    1 review

    vip
    5.0

    1 review

    Dined 1 day ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    We ordered the scallop entree and it came with only three scallops. We figured that came to about $10 a scallop!!

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  4. Beth

    San Diego

    3 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined 5 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Rachel was a great server- knowledgeable and attentive. We were celebrating a birthday - was a great place to celebrate. Food was delicious and the mescal drink was great.

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  5. Sharon

    Seattle

    2 reviews

    4.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on November 17, 2024

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 4
    The food was really excellent. Literally everything we ordered was absolutely delicious. My main issue was that we had a 7:30 pm reservation, that required a credit card to hold, and saw that they claim to have only a 5 minute grace period, and yet we were kept waiting 35 minutes to be seated. That was outrageous and they need to either change their policies or compensate their guests for that kind of inconvenience. I was only granted a 5 minute grace period to show up for my reservation (despite parking challenges) but had to grant them a 35 minute grace period? Sorry, that's bull. We won't be back.

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  6. Ariela

    Los Angeles

    1 review

    4.0

    1 review

    Dined on November 17, 2024

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    The food and service were excellent. They would have received 5 stars across the board if it weren’t for a manager who was wearing a Palestine flag pin that made us feel very uncomfortable and almost made us leave.

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  7. fred

    San Francisco

    4 reviews

    5.0

    4 reviews

    Dined on November 17, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Food and service were great It was crowded at the bar but understandable with people waiting for tables  The bartenders did a great job at making sure the appropriate people got seats at the bar once seats opened up and dealing with challenging situations at times from other diners. I appreciated their calm under pressure Oh yes the food was great too and I regret not being able to try more things on the menu as we were faced with some difficult choices deciding on the menu

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  8. Paige

    San Diego

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on November 17, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    AJ was our server and he was wonderful! Made our anniversary dinner feel special and was an incredible experience. 10/10!

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  9. Taylor

    San Diego

    5 reviews

    5.0

    5 reviews

    Dined on November 16, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 5
    We had a great experience dining here! Would definitely return!

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  10. Sean

    New York City

    10 reviews

    vip
    3.0

    10 reviews

    Dined on November 14, 2024

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 4
    I have been here on three or four occasions, and typically the food is pretty good. This time though, I found the food to be mediocre and the service was slow.

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FAQs

Herb & Sea is rated 4.6 stars by 2803 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 p.m.
Booked 53 times today
Experiences are available.
Google Map for Herb & Sea

131 W D St, Encinitas, CA 92024-3516

Additional information

  • Cross Street
    D Street and 2nd Street
  • Neighbourhood
    Encinitas
  • Hours of Operation
    Dinner Tue–Sun 5:00 pm–9:00 pm
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Californian, Seafood, Oyster Bar
  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Dress code
    Smart Casual
  • Parking details
    Convenient street parking is available. The entrance is located between West D Street and West E Street on the East side. You are more than welcome to call the restaurant, (760) 704-8300, if you have further questions!
  • Public transit
    Encinitas Train Station: 25 E D St, Encinitas, CA 92024
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive Chef
    Brian Malarkey and Sara Harris
  • Additional
    Banquet, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Chef's Table, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Counter Seating, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Vegan, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine
  • Phone number
    (760) 704-8300
  • Private party facilities
    Herb & Sea’s chic coastal ambiance meets a neighborhood-friendly vibe that can fit events of all shapes and sizes. The concept shines with a menu that focuses on simple, clean, bright flavors. Come into our home, where we think of it all so that you don't have to.
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