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Life on the beach? Not exactily, as San Simeon Beach Bar and Grill, is across the highway from the beach, but the food is good, the atmosphere is "beach like" and the vibe is "sports bar..."

As with all of reviews that I publish, I have no affiliation with the restaurant reviewed, and there is no monetary gain on my part, as I am simply a person who likes to eat, and I love to write-up, and publish my dining experiences.

Photo:  It's early Thursday evening, October 17, 2019, and we've arrived at San Simeon Beach Bar and Grill to enjoy an early dinner.  This fine restaurant is located in San Simeon, CA, on California's pristine central coast.

Photo:  As you enter the restaurant from the "bar entrance" - there are three entrances - we found the bar and the dining room to be quite busy on this early Thursday evening.  Major league baseball was playing on the many television monitors, and everybody seemed to be having a great time.  If you love a restaurant with a very "beach like" an relaxed atmosphere, you've come to the right place.

Photo:  The main dining room was empty, so we asked to be seated in the dining room, with the bar, as that where all of the "action" was happening, as the "bar dining room" is a busy place.

Photo:  The "Dinner" menu is small, but it covers all bases.  We were in the mood for fish and chips, so when we arrived at the "Classic Combos" section of the menu, we never looked further.  Note the menu states the dinner of "Fish and Chips" includes "house made coleslaw..."  That proved to be incorrect.

Photo:  "On the Light Side" of the dinner menu offers "Fish and Chips" at a higher price, than the "Classic Combos" section of the menu offers, with no hint of coleslaw. What is this all about?  Same dish... sans coleslaw... different menu page... different price?

Photo:  Meet our friendly server, Martel F., who brings our plates of "Fish and Chips" to our table with a smile.  

Photo:  Thanks, Martel, for taking our photo, as my wife and I prepare to enjoy a great dinner of fish and chips at San Simeon Beach Bar and Grill.

Photo:  From the "Classic Combos" side of the "Seafood" page of the "Dinner" menu, my wife and I both ordered "Fish and Chips," which is a solid choice when you're dining in San Simeon, located on California's central coast.

The dinner comes with three large pieces of cod, battered, and deep fried to a crispy, golden brown on the outside, and tender white on the inside.  This is how the way the "fish," in a "Fish and Chips" dinner is supposed to be served!  Perfect!  The batter was crunchy, delicious, and really enhanced the tender cod, but didn't overpower the fish, as the fish-to-batter ratio was perfect.  

The "chips" came out as your basic fries, such as you'd come to expect at any decent fast food restaurant.  The "chips" were basically "fries," cut medium, all in uniform size, devoid of any potato skin.  However, they were deep fried to a very light golden brown, and were absolutely delicious, without excessive salt or oil.  But, I can't say they were especially memorable, but I loved them.

Our meals arrived with small bowls of cocktail sauce, and tartar sauce, which made for a great dipping sensation. The dinner menu stated "house made coleslaw" was to served with our dinner... look at the photo... I don't see any coleslaw.  Where was the advertised coleslaw?  I didn't bring up this obvious menu listing issue to our friendly server, but it cost this fine restaurant a "star" on my Yelp review.

Despite the misstating on the menu, and the lack of coleslaw, San Simeon Beach Bar and Grill serves "Fish and Chips" the way it's meant to be served... battered, perfectly grilled, and just plain delicious.  I've never been to London, but I can imagine that any Londoner would embrace the delicious "Fish and Chips" dinner served at San Simeon Beach Bar and Grill...


Thursday morning, October 16, 2014, we enjoyed a delicious breakfast, outside on the patio, at San Simeon Beach Bar and Grill.

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Photo:  Thursday morning, October 16, 2014 was so beautiful, that we elected to sit outside, and enjoy the sunshine, the delicious food, and the ocean view, from the patio, in front of the restaurant.

Photo:  The main dining room is comfortable, clean, large and spacious.  We were seated at a table near the window, and as we looked outside on this gorgeous, sunny morning, we decided to dine outside and enjoy the sunshine, and the ocean view.  We grabbed our menus,  and told the staff we'd be outside.  It was a good move as the weather was absolutely perfect!

Photo:  The breakfast menu isn't extensive, but it covers most bases, and offers something for every taste.  Oddly, San Simeon Beach Bar and Grill is open for breakfast and dinner, but not lunch, which is a combination that I haven't seen very often.  The bar is open for lunch, so no worries.  If you're interested in showcasing your singing abilities, the bar offers karaoke on Friday and Saturday nights.

Photo:  We weren't the only diners on the patio enjoying the beautiful sunshine, as our gracious server, Eric, brings our breakfasts to us with a smile.  

Photo:  We're ready to enjoy our breakfast on this beautiful, sunny, Thursday morning.  Note the ocean view in the background.  The building in the middle background is the Cavalier Restaurant, where we've enjoy many delicious meals during out stay at the Cavalier Oceanfront Resort, across the street, to the left of the restaurant.

Photo:  Sharlene enjoyed "Eggs Florentine," along with home style potatoes.  The menu describes "Eggs Florentine" as "Toasted English muffin, topped with two poached eggs, spinach, sauteed, fresh mushrooms, topped with our own creamy Hollandaise sauce."  Sharlene loved it, and I acted as "taste tester" and I loved it too.

Photo:  I decided to go the south-of-the-border direction, and enjoy a "Mexican Scramble."  Basically, it's chorizo and eggs, topped with avocado, and served with fresh salsa, two corn tortillas, and a choice of hash browns, or home style potatoes.  I went the hash brown route, but after looking at Sharlene's home style potatoes, I wished I'd gone that route instead.  Also, it would be nice if the choice offered refried beans, but San Simeon is in California and not Mexico.  I absolutely LOVED my breakfast, as it was cooked perfectly, the ingredients were fresh, and the breakfast was simply delicious!


Back on February 24, 2013, we enjoyed dinner at San Simeon Beach Bar and Grill...

When you're staying in the small, picturesque town of San Simeon, there is nothing like a great burger after enjoying the day on the beautiful Central California coast.  San Simeon Beach Bar and Grill is only a 5-minute walk from our hotel, so we took the short walk across the street, to feast on "California Burgers" on this early Sunday evening, February 24, 2013.

Photo:  The main dining room is very large and comfortable, and tonight, only a few tables were seated.  San Simeon tends to see a slowdown of tourists in late February.

Photo:  Our waiter brings our orders of "California Burgers" to our table.  Sharlene and I rarely order the same thing, but to both of us tonight, burgers sounded like a great idea.  For some reason, I didn't catch his name...

Photo:  Thanks, Mr. Waiter, for snapping our photos.  As an appetizer, we received a basked of warm, freshly-baked bread, and butter, which really started out the meal.  Note that I'm enjoying a beer, and Sharlene is enjoying a glass of wine, which is great, as our hotel was just across the street, and we didn't have to drive.

Photo:  My "California Burger" which started out with a large mound of fries, cooked golden brown on the outside, and chewy inside, just the way I like them.  The burger patty was placed on a large toasted bun, and included lettuce, tomato and onion for garnish.  Of course, what made it a "California Burger" was the fact that it included cheddar cheese, bacon and avocado.  Like the fries, the burger was cooked perfectly, and we enjoyed every bite of our burgers.

San Simeon is a small town, and there are only a handful of restaurants in town that serve a quality, sit-down breakfast, and I can truly say that San Simeon Beach Bar and Grill serves a delicious breakfast!  If the morning is as gorgeous as today was, you owe it to yourself to enjoy your meal outside, on the patio in front of the restaurant, as the dining is comfortable, and the view is spectacular.  If you're in interested in enjoying a quality breakfast in the only restaurant in San Simeon that offers a sit-down breakfast outside, stop by San Simeon Beach Bar and Grill.

San Simeon Beach Bar and Grill
9520 Castillo Dr.
San Simeon, CA 93452
805 927-4601


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