Water Grill is a top-rated seafood restaurant in Santa Monica, serving fresh, expertly prepared seafood in an upscale yet welcoming setting. Known for quality ingredients, skilled preparation, and a memorable dining experience, Water Grill is a go-to destination for locals and visitors who want exceptional coastal cuisine in Santa Monica.
From carefully selected seafood dishes to attentive service and a polished atmosphere, every detail is designed to deliver a satisfying meal that feels both special and reliable.
Whether you are planning a date night, a business dinner, a family celebration, or simply craving the best seafood in Santa Monica, Water Grill offers a refined dining experience that highlights the flavor, freshness, and quality seafood lovers expect.
To experience one of the best seafood restaurants in Santa Monica, CA, visit Water Grill and enjoy a standout meal in the heart of the city.
Popular Items
Frequently ordered and highly recommended items at Water Grill
Our Story
Welcome to a place where great food meets warm hospitality. We believe dining is more than just a meal - it's an experience to be savored and shared.
Our kitchen is dedicated to creating dishes that bring people together, using recipes that honor tradition while embracing innovation.
Photos
A glimpse of our restaurant experience
Food & Drinks
applewood smoked bacon
Beer battered, cabbage slaw, roasted salsa, crema
California market squid, harissa aioli and cilantro-mint sweet chili sauce
pancetta, harissa, parsley & lemon, with crispy french baguette
soy sauce, avocado, wasabi tobiko, sesame seeds
celery root remoulade
glazed with fennel, baby spinach, and parmesan
steamed in saffron broth with crispy french baguette
Charcoal grilled with fingerling potato, niçoise olives, roasted tomato, lemon and olive oil.
farmed japanese yellowtail, yucca chips, asian pear, toasted marcona almonds
two live santa barbara spot prawns, crispy shrimp atama, and white soy nikiri
green tea nori, warm sushi rice, quail egg, sweet soy sauce
avocado, cucumber, garnet yam, heirloom tomato, shiso, wasabi vinaigrette
farmed new zealand king salmon, avocado, hazelnuts, papaya, and white soy lime vinaigrette
wild bigeye tuna, yuzu tobiko, avocado, wasabi vinaigrette, traditional ponzu sauce
avocado, sesame soy paper, spicy mayo, lobster eel sauce
wild barents sea red king crab leg, avocado, brown butter nikiri, and fried leeks
golden balsamic vinaigrette
romaine hearts, 18 month reggiano, white anchovies
bacon and blue goat cheese
tandoori spiced yogurt and wild arugula
chilled wild shrimp, deviled eggs, slow-cooked bacon, classic garnishes
with caramelized chipotle mayonnaise and french fries
served with our homemade coleslaw and melted butter /POUND
served with our homemade coleslaw and melted butter /POUND
black olive tapenade, toasted quinoa and citrus salad /POUND
charcoal grilled with our homemade coleslaw /POUND
steamed with our homemade coleslaw and melted butter /POUND
GREEK YOGURT & HAZELNUTS
SEVEN CHEESE SAUCE
WITH BACON & CHESTNUTS
FETA MOUSSE, MARCONA ALMONDS
spring peas, fingerlings, with braised leeks and lemon velouté
black olive tapenade, toasted quinoa and citrus salad /POUND
from the gloucester auction
a la plancha, with spaghetti squash and tapenade
pan seared with caponata, sherry gastrique and maldon salt
farro risotto with lovage and black garlic
togarashi seared, with grilled maitake mushrooms and sizzling sesame oil
(SABLEFISH) soba noodles, green onions, spiced fish broth
(msc certified) cauliflower purée, lemon chutney, hazelnuts, brown butter
wild mexican jumbo shrimp, pappardelle, garlic oil, white wine butter sauce
cauliflower puree, curried roasted cauliflower, pickled golden raisins, soy brown butter
dungeness crab, jumbo shrimp, and fresh fish in a shellfish broth
8 oz
12 oz
14 oz
20 oz
with herbed couscous
applewood smoked bacon
Beer battered, cabbage slaw, roasted salsa, crema
California market squid, harissa aioli and cilantro-mint sweet chili sauce
pancetta, harissa, parsley & lemon, with crispy french baguette
soy sauce, avocado, wasabi tobiko, sesame seeds
celery root remoulade
glazed with fennel, baby spinach, and parmesan
steamed in saffron broth with crispy french baguette
Charcoal grilled with fingerling potato, niçoise olives, roasted tomato, lemon and olive oil.
farmed japanese yellowtail, yucca chips, asian pear, toasted marcona almonds
two live santa barbara spot prawns, crispy shrimp atama, and white soy nikiri
green tea nori, warm sushi rice, quail egg, sweet soy sauce
avocado, cucumber, garnet yam, heirloom tomato, shiso, wasabi vinaigrette
farmed new zealand king salmon, avocado, hazelnuts, papaya, and white soy lime vinaigrette
wild bigeye tuna, yuzu tobiko, avocado, wasabi vinaigrette, traditional ponzu sauce
avocado, sesame soy paper, spicy mayo, lobster eel sauce
wild barents sea red king crab leg, avocado, brown butter nikiri, and fried leeks
golden balsamic vinaigrette
romaine hearts, 18 month reggiano, white anchovies
bacon and blue goat cheese
tandoori spiced yogurt and wild arugula
chilled wild shrimp, deviled eggs, slow-cooked bacon, classic garnishes
with caramelized chipotle mayonnaise and french fries
served with our homemade coleslaw and melted butter /POUND
served with our homemade coleslaw and melted butter /POUND
black olive tapenade, toasted quinoa and citrus salad /POUND
charcoal grilled with our homemade coleslaw /POUND
steamed with our homemade coleslaw and melted butter /POUND
GREEK YOGURT & HAZELNUTS
SEVEN CHEESE SAUCE
WITH BACON & CHESTNUTS
FETA MOUSSE, MARCONA ALMONDS
spring peas, fingerlings, with braised leeks and lemon velouté
black olive tapenade, toasted quinoa and citrus salad /POUND
from the gloucester auction
a la plancha, with spaghetti squash and tapenade
pan seared with caponata, sherry gastrique and maldon salt
farro risotto with lovage and black garlic
togarashi seared, with grilled maitake mushrooms and sizzling sesame oil
(SABLEFISH) soba noodles, green onions, spiced fish broth
(msc certified) cauliflower purée, lemon chutney, hazelnuts, brown butter
wild mexican jumbo shrimp, pappardelle, garlic oil, white wine butter sauce
cauliflower puree, curried roasted cauliflower, pickled golden raisins, soy brown butter
dungeness crab, jumbo shrimp, and fresh fish in a shellfish broth
8 oz
12 oz
14 oz
20 oz
with herbed couscous
with chocolate covered corn flakes
graham oatmeal crust, toasted meringue, tangerine coulis
with alaea red sea salt
sour cream ice cream
pistachios, luxardo cherry sorbet
Hear from our valued guests
Sean for President! Food was amazing! He was amazing! Ambience! The mussels...the soup in the mussels!!! 100/10! Sean told us to get it! And our Pink Bream fish, Sean told us to get it!!! Be like Sean!!! This is my new favorite spot! And the servers help each other without complaints!! Teamwork in paradise
Brock was an awesome server was very through and provided excellent suggestions. Food was fresh and very well thought out. Great experience all the way around.
The staff were genuinely friendly and attentive. The interior was beautifully designed — stylish and full of character, with thoughtful details throughout. The food was flavorful and well-prepared, and everything came together for a really enjoyable experience. I’d definitely come back.
Great Restaurant! We really enjoyed the ambiance of Water Grill. Our table was inside yet we were able to watch the sunset. The black cod was perfectly cooked with great flavor and the Dungeness crab was wonderful. Definitely would go back and try other menu items. Everything looked amazing.
Always love the water grill whether it’s in Vegas or in Santa Monica. Seafood always fresh, preparation always perfect and service throrughly attentive. I did jumbo crab claws, oysters, grilled octopus and paired with a Moscow mule. What needed improvement? Absolutely nothing. Will be back over and over again
Kirsten was incredible! She made our whole experience at water Grill so much better. She’s attentive, friendly, and really on top of everything. You can tell she cares about giving great service, and she made us feel super welcome the entire time. Honestly, she’s one of the best!!! give this woman a raise!
The place itself is lovely, the decoration great and the food delicious. The service needs a little bit of work though. The staff was friendly and helpful but forgot some things we ordered, weather that was because of a misunderstanding, I don't know but could have been avoided by simply repeating the order to us.
My hunny and I went to Water Grill to celebrate our anniversary and we had such a wonderful dining experience. We were seated with a beautiful sunset view. Our server was very knowledgeable and recommended great dishes to try. The service was outstanding and the food was amazing. CHEF'S KISS!
Water Grill is the right place in Santa Monica. We made reservation at 5pm on 12/27 so we can have family gathering. The sunset view was remarkable. The raw Oysters were fresh and delicious. We also ordered a whole grilled fish and Wagyu filet mignon. The fish were very good. It was deboned and charcoal grilled. However. the steak was overly cooked. We told our server and he brought manager come to our table. Manager Kevin immediately apologized to us about kitchen’s mistakes. He exchanged another order with fresh side dish and even bought us additional wine to go with the food. It made us feel very warm and special. We thank Keven for his effort of turning the crisis into opportunities. At the end, everyone enjoyed their meal and it was truly a memorable dinning experience for our family at Water Grill.
Water Grill made everything so easy from the start — booking a reservation was simple, and once we arrived, the service was exceptional. Our server was incredibly friendly and welcoming. She offered great suggestions since I don’t come here often, and every recommendation was spot on.
Common questions about Water Grill
Water Grill is located at 1401 Ocean Ave, Santa Monica, CA 90401, United States, Santa Monica, CA 90401, United States.
You can reach Water Grill by calling +1 424-340-7679.
Water Grill has a rating of 4.4 out of 5 based on 2834 customer reviews.
Water Grill features the following accessibility: Wheelchair-accessible car park, Wheelchair-accessible entrance, Wheelchair-accessible seating, Wheelchair-accessible toilet.
Water Grill features the following service options: Outdoor seating, On-site services, Takeaway, Dine-in, Delivery.
Water Grill features the following highlights: Fast service, Great beer selection, Great cocktails, Great coffee, Great dessert, Great wine list, Serves local specialty, Sport.
Water Grill features the following popular for: Lunch, Dinner, Solo dining.
Water Grill features the following offerings: Alcohol, Beer, Cocktails, Coffee, Comfort food, Healthy options, Late-night food, Organic dishes, Small plates, Spirits, Vegetarian options, Wine.
Water Grill features the following dining options: Lunch, Dinner, Dessert, Seating, Table service.
Water Grill features the following amenities: Bar on site, Restroom, Wi-Fi, Free Wi-Fi.
Water Grill features the following atmosphere: Casual, Cozy, Romantic, Trendy, Upmarket.
Water Grill features the following crowd: Family friendly, Groups, LGBTQ+ friendly, Tourists.
Water Grill features the following planning: Lunch reservations recommended, Dinner reservations recommended, Accepts reservations.
Water Grill features the following payments: Credit cards, Debit cards, NFC mobile payments.
Water Grill features the following children: Good for kids, High chairs, Kids' menu.
Water Grill features the following parking: Paid parking lot, Paid street parking, Somewhat difficult to find a space, Valet parking.
Water Grill features the following pets: Dogs allowed outside.
Business Features
In Your Area
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