I shop here all the time for seafood (the freshest in the city), but have never been to the cafe so I decided to give it a try. I ordered the taco trio and my partner ordered the tuna melt. Obviously since it's a seafood market the scent isn't ideal to eat in, but it comes with the territory. The ingredients were super fresh and we were very happy with our orders. The service was was super quick and we were in and out in about 35 minutes. Looking forward to trying other things on the menu !

The food was excellent, the fish and chips were probably the best I have had in years, maybe ever. The Manhattan clam chowder was fresh, filled with chopped veggies and would have been excellent if there were clams in it. Whoever is serving the soup needs to be reminded to scoop from the bottom of the soup pot. I am looking forward to a return visit. The food was so memorable in a most impressive manner that I know it will be great. I really like Manhattan clam chowder and would like to have a bowl that has clams in it. The room was crowded, noisy and comfortable. I have no complaints about the restaurant and the comment about the soup is easily managed. Oh, yes, I have gone to this location often to shop for fish to cook at home. That fish is also excellent. This site provides fish for many westside restaurants.

This place is rad. The fish market is really cool. There is an ample selection of fresh fish and produce to buy. You can basically walk in, select your fish, select all the accompanying ingredients, and walk out with a complete dinner. I like to browse the display case and aisles because the selection is very impressive. We don't usually buy fish from the market because we live over an hour away, instead we opt to have an early dinner in the bistro. My husband and I usually eat at the bistro, we enjoy the casual ambiance and service. We order shrimp cocktail, sea bass, or halibut, and sometimes one of each to share. We also order oysters and white wine. Absolutely delicious. The last time we dined there we had the caesar salad and ate dessert as well. I haven't been disappointed yet.

10/10 - easy. The service, the ambiance, the food - top of the line. There isn't much seating, but if there's a wait, it's worth it. Our waitress offered us fresh uni, and it was out of this world. Very laid back feel, with high class service. If you're craving seafood, this is where you have to come! Special thank you to Mollie for providing such great service!

Visited Santa Monica Seafood Market for a weekend dinner and tripled down on orders of the wild fish tacos. It's worth trying all three options as each have a unique flavor but the clear winner in all our books was the shrimp taco. It was loaded up and had just the slightest kick of spice. Topped it off with some dessert. The tiramisu was light and nicely balanced between the sweetness of the cream and the bitterness of the coffee. The only skip was the cannoli. For those driving in, lots of metered parking both on Wilshire and the side streets.

We had a great meal at SMS! Pro-tip: Make a reservation in advance since the indoor seating area is small. On a Sunday night, the wait was around an hour without a reservation so we are glad we made one! The cafe shares space with the market, so it smells a bit fishy but you get used to it. The servers were very kind. We ordered the tacos - you can pick three and I got one of each to try them all ($22). My favorite was the shrimp taco, which came with a generous portion of shrimp and was really flavorful with the fresh tomatoes. The fries were also surprisingly good. We finished the meal with tiramisu, which my friends really enjoyed, and the cannolis, which were a bit bland. The desserts were $9 each, bringing the total to around $35 with tip. It wasn't as expensive as I thought it would be, although some items on the menu were at a higher price point. But this makes sense since the seafood really is fresh and wild caught! I would get the tacos again! Other details - free parking lot, bathrooms on-site, and the market has a lot of things to choose from beyond fish like sauces and dips etc to buy and make your own meal at home. You can also place orders online for pick-up. Overall I would come back to try other menu items (or get tacos again)! Thanks SMS!

Four Star because upon entering there was a strong fishy smell. My friend just wanted take out, so she took a number and waited her turn. She loves their chowder so she ordered both the New England and the Manhattan. Meanwhile I browsed the grocery store amd was impressed with the variety. The seafood in the chilled cases on ice all looked good, but I couldn't get over the fishy smell inside the air conditioned place. The staff are all friendly and nice. Free parking lot in the back. You enter on 10th street, south of Wilshire.

We had lunch with friends and really enjoyed it. The oysters and shrimp were fresh, calamari crispy, mussels yummy, and the crab cakes delicious. We had a bunch of appetizers and drinks in lieu of entrees and totally loved it. The market is impressive and I was tempted to by more shrimp or a Dungeness crab on the way out. I wish we had a place like this in our neighborhood!

Friendly customer service from a few staff members! Note: they have limited seating so reservations is highly encouraged Parking in the back or metered street parking Great spot to grab and go fresh fish. Had the tuna wrap and shrimp wrap it was good. No complaints at all.