On the Alley

The customer service here is amazing! Smiling and friendly cashier, quick service. The food here is amazing. We got fish & chips, tuna melt sandwich with tater tots, a crab cake «burger» with fries, and clam chowder which I believe comes with I think sour dough bread. Everything was amazing and the portions are pretty large. I’ll definitely come again when I’m in the area.

It’s a bit hard to find On the Alley.
When you see Brophy’s, turn in. On the Alley is the shop without a hanging sign.
Bring $ 2 to park an hour at the pier parking.
The tacos were too pricey for me, since I’m used to $ 1– $ 1.25 tacos in LA. I just couldn’t justify trying tacos at over $ 3 a piece.
I ended up getting the Crab Burger with the $ 2 Tater Top upgrade. They are not the best tater tots I’ve had. That spot belongs to Dog Haus. But they were pretty good. I made my own Tobasco Ketchup to dip them in. The Crab Burger came unsauced. I ended up stealing my hubby’s tartar sauce.
My hubby got the Fish and Chips. It comes with 3 decent size pieces, Cocktail Sauce, and tartar sauce. He loved that it came with Cocktail Sauce, which he loves.

Best fish and chips I’ve ever had! Light and flakey — perfect amount of crispy fried batter! Screw the diet and go get some fish and chips!

The name fits the location perfectly, situated right in the middle of an alley. Friendly staff, great burger (had the OTA burger), girlfriend had the shrimp salad which was great as well. On a beautiful it’s nice to sit outside an enjoy a burger right next to the harbor at this place

Had high hopes for the fish and chips came out very disappointed. The fish was oily and bland. Fries were good fish tacos average but great scenery so an extra star for being so close to the beach.

Food is excellent! I always order the fish tacos, some fried shrimp or call mark and get the Cole slaw. Location is great. Sometimes you have to share a table but it’s okay because you make friends! Must have with draft 805.

Great casual spot literally On The Alley of the Santa Barbara Harbor. All seating is outside on picnic style tables with views of the ocean and mountains. Depending on the time of day you can see boats unloading, surfers coming in and out, and seagulls looking for crumbs (no matter what time of day). A hot spot for tourists and locals, On The Alley has a beach city vibe perfect for a quick meal while soaking in the sun.
You must get the fish tacos! All of their taco options are good, but they have one of the best fish tacos I have ever had. They come with tortilla chips and salsa, but opt for the tater tots… You’re welcome.
They offer breakfast all day! I recommend their breakfast bowls, which you can customize to order. They are filling without the typical morning carbs to weigh you down.
All around a great place to stop in for a bite and to take in the beauty of Santa Barbara.

Keep goin’ back and never disappointed.
I save up my calorie counting for fish and chips and a beer. Keep meaning to order fish tacos but… always forget.
Love the odd-​ball setting… diesel fuel of trucks driving past, folks on way to/​from a day on a boat or returning rented equipment.
And then there are little tins of coffee cake for sale. Don’t understand, and don’t care.

Sometimes you just get hungry for a fish taco! That often sends me to OTA including last night. I ordered two fish tacos and one chipotle pork taco with both chips & salsa, and coleslaw as a side. The fish tacos were very good… crisp, thin coating which did”t have an assertive flavor. The salsa was a bit watery but did have a good flavor base.
The cole slaw has great ingredients but isn’t balanced in terms of acidic/​sweet.
The pork taco was good size and flavor altho tortilla hadn’t been warmed. I would be a lot happier if each taco came with two tortillas. Chips were good. I was sorry to find out that they are not participating in Axxess this year… I’ll see less of them.

Had the potential to be really good. It’s a cute spot with a good selection, but the tacos I got fell just shy. Ok, but would have been better with a little more flavor. Some more tang, maybe vinegar or lemon. A little spice too.
I heard from other patrons the fish and chips were great, so maybe I ordered poorly.

We were looking for something seafoody as we were visiting the beach on our visit to Santa Barbara this weekend, and I stumbled upon this place on Unilocal.
We ordered the fried calamari and fish and chips, and man, that was awesome! Fish and chips is usually a hit or miss for me because i typically think the batter is too bland, but not this one. It was flavorful enough to be eaten by itself, without sauce, and the cod was very tender inside. The calamari was also really good– fried enough on the outside, but wasn’t enough to make it super dry.
The reason why I didn’t give it a five star was because the place was super small, we had trouble finding seats, and we got pooped on in the end by a passing bird lol. Luckily we were done eating at that time, otherwise, :(.

They have be best tacos!
I tried their special deep fried avocado taco, fish taco and pulled pork taco. The fish taco was by far the best! The fish was fresh! The pulled pork taco was the second best. It was spicy and well marinated. The deep fried avocado one was okay compared to the other two, but it was still good with all the sauces and cheese.
Each order came with a side of chips and pico de gallo. The chips were super fresh and delicious! The pico de gallo had a hint of spice, too.

My girlfriend and I visited Santa Barbara during our road trip from Texas to the Bay Area, and her cousins who live there recommend eating at Brophy Brothers (BB). Even though we pulled into the parking lot at 2:30 on a week day, BB was packed and the wait was over 45 minutes. We were really hungry, so we decided to eat at a nearby place. We stopped in at On the Alley and were pleasantly surprised to see that they actually serve food from BB.
We ordered a bowl of clam chowder and an order of fish and chips and found a table outside. Our food was delivered to us in just a few minutes.
The fish and chips were really good. The breading was light and not overly greasy. The fish itself was fresh and tasty. The fries were of the thin variety and crispy. My favorite part of the meal though was the clam chowder. It was thick, rich, and had plenty of clam meat. I liked that sourdough bread was included to dip into the chowder.
To me, it almost seems like eating here turned out even better than if we went to BB. We got our food quickly and it tasted great. Maybe next time, we’ll try the full restaurant just for comparison’s sake.

What a little gem we were introduced to by our nephew who lives near by, I had the chicken taco and a shrimp taco the boys shared an order of fish and chips and the little one had the kids chicken fingers (and to her surprise and glee they tasted like homemade but better *her words) we will most definitely make our way back to On The Alley next time we are in Santa Barbra. On a side note they have the best cocktail sauce I have ever had… even better than the fancy pants seafood places I’ve been.

I am surprised why this place doesn’t have higher than 4.5 overall stars!
This is one of my favorite places to eat in Santa Barbara. Their food doesn’t disappoint! There is such a great selection of comfort foods. I love their burgers and tacos. I haven’t had anything on their menu that I don’t like! Every time I look at the menu, I notice new things that I want to order the next time I come in. There are no gimmicks with this place. It is you quintessential beach joint with picnic tables out front. There isn’t a lot of seating but people are pretty good about moving in and out quickly and sharing tables.
This place fulfills all my comfort food cravings! Must eat here!

Food-​wise, I’d give this place an average rating of 3. BUT staff and service pull this review up to a 4!
After chilling at Leadbetter Beach until dinner time, our group of four shimmied over to the harbor just a few feet away for food. We were definitely in the mood for seafood, but didn’t want to pay $ 15+ just to get an ocean view and proper table seating. We went with On the Alley because it is owned by Brophy Bros (restaurant with seating next door), but lacks the indoor seating of a real restaurant.
Pricing and portion-​wise, everything was on point. I went with their $ 3.25 tacos – GET the baja battered fish. That’s the best. I also had their shrimp, but it wasn’t anything special. The fish taco is great because of the humungous chunk of fish. I also had their Rincon beer (the darkest they had on tap)…but they only have 3 beers to choose from, so it should be easy to make a selection.
Coming here on a Saturday night, it was not busy at all! We were lucky or something, because we were able to secure a table after ordering. Also, although some orders were messed up in our group, the girls running our foods were very friendly and accommodating. They never accused us of misordering or anything! Props to you ladies! Also, special shoutouts to the two girls who so graciosuly topped off my beer after they changed their keg so I could get a full glass. Cheers, ladies!
Come to this Alley spot if you have a small dining group (under 4), but you’ll have to fight for outside table space regardless. Servers are smiley and awesome, so don’t forget to tip them even though they don’t give you full service! Food isn’t spectacular, but it’ll get the job done if you’re not too hungry or picky. I’d get their baja fish taco and anything with their homemade potato chips.

I gotta say… this place was kind of unassuming from the outside, but the fish sandwich I had here was one of the best I’ve ever had. It was like eating a massive fish taco (they also serve those there) between two brioche buns.
I also tried the crab burger, which was not bad, though it definitely was not as good as the fish sandwich. I think it could have used more sauce.
Also, their kettle chips are very well made.

Best fish and chips I’ve ever had… anywhere.
Every time I’m in SB I come here for the fish and chips and every once in a while the fish tacos. The fish is always fresh and hot; and the batter they use is unlike anything I’ve ever had before. It’s crispy but light and it is just fried perfection.
The fries aren’t anything to write home about… but I do like the tater tots a lot.

They’re quick n efficient with your order. I’d stick with fish n shrimp tacos here… Those are delicious. My Bf had the pulled pork sandwich and it was just okay, due to the sauce.
Some bench tables outside to dine, you might have to share tables with others. You order at the counter and take the number to wherever you’re sitting and they’ll deliver the food. Decent price, nice area (of course you’re on the water)… quality tacos for sure.

Thee best fish tacos I’ve had!!!
They give you a generous piece of beer battered fish with a slice of avocado, some cheese and pickled onions with a side of chips and salsa. Its so light and you can definitely taste the quality. The customer service was really good, friendly girls! It’s a small shop but there’s plenty of seating outdoors. Fish and chips and clam chowder were also good. But the fish tacos are a must!!! This is my new go to spot for food when in Santa Barbara! Cheap, delicious, and plenty of quality food.
So good that we came here twice, for lunch and dinner. Enough said.