The Shoals Island Grill

Wow what a disappointment. As good as the view is, the food is just plain unremarkable and on the pricey side. Chicken fettuccine in pesto was heavy and laden with cream and cheese; burger was just average; rissotto was not very tasty. They charge $ 2 for burnt toast and butter. Iced tea was good.

Excellent food and service. Lamb was tender, fettuccine had a wonderful flavor, steak was very juicy as well. The scallops had an amazing sauce with risotto. It was pricey, but well worth it. I think the only thing I would say is the wine list was quite small (it is a very all restaurant) and the server was not extremely knowledgable about wine. The server was very knowledgable about the food and although she was the only one working, we were well taken care of.

Salmon was amazing. NY style steak was not worth the $ 34, it was like a cut you’d get at Outback Steakhouse.

We came here for a memorial lunch for the passing of my step dad. We had a large party and the waitress was very accommodating. The views are near breathtaking. We ordered all across the board and ages 2 – 62 were happy with there meal. We will be returning (:

Two years and many upscale dining experiences later, and this restaurant is still my favorite. Waterfront dining with waves crashing on the rocks below as the sunset fades to a red glow behind a pier which leads to a manmade island, and views of Anacapa and Santa Cruz Islands-​how can you beat that? With the best mussels I have had outside of France, bathed in a creamy flavorful sauce, a pear salad with goat cheese in a phyllo dough, bleu cheese mashed potatoes, and their signature rich banana reef dessert, that’s how.
Plus, professional service (thank you Donna), and their excellent wine list add to the waterfront dining experience 15 minutes and a world away from Ventura.
I love their cheese enchilada which is only offer at lunch as well. Lunch on a sunny afternoon in the winter can not be beat.

The Shoals has been one of the best places to eat in the Ventura area for years. And one of the best things about it, like the Cliff House Inn that it is part of, is that no one knows about it!
I almost hate to write a review… except that this summer for the first time, I was turned away when I stopped by for lunch without a reservation! Clearly my secret treasure has been discovered…
The Shoals is located at Mussel Shoals and is part and parcel with the Cliff House Inn. For many years they have turned out consistantly wonderful lunches and dinners to guests and others in the know who made the trip from Ventura, Santa Barbara and even farther afield. Unfortunately, both the Inn and the Shoals seem to have been found out. This summer was the first time that I was unable to drop by and have lunch, or call up and expect there to be a room available on short notice. Guess I will have to start planning ahead to stay and eat here!
The menu is concise and covers most appetites. I can not give adequate praise to the wonderful steamed mussels appetizer! Bathed in a rich and tasty garlic/​wine sauce that you will be soaking your bread in when the mussels are gone. The salads are excellent, Tonight I had the toasted goat cheese and poached pear which was suberb, as always. Main courses can be the grilled pork chop, steak or catch of the day-​all excellent. The Cioppino and mushroom risotto can’t be beat. The grilled spinach, bleu cheese mashed potatoes sides are wondetful.
Service is provided by the experienced staff, including Donna (our favorite) who seem to sense what you want. This really is the kind of place where you can stretch your meal into a 3 hour marathon as you stare at the pounding waves, or talk about the dolphins surfing 100 feet away, or even count the whale spouts while sharing a nice bottle of wine from the small, but inclusive selection.
Overall, I can recommend the Shoals with only this qualifier– book a room, you won’t want to leave!

Dining outside at sunset was beautiful. I started with calamari and asked that it be sautéed in olive oil with garlic parsley and lemon and the chef added tomatoes for an awesome appetizer. The special was grilled mahi mahi, which was cooked perfectly! Ended with Banana foster that is not to be missed!
Excellent service, great food and a view I will not soon forget. Candles were added at nightfall, proving a nice evening ambiance.
I love this place!

Five stars for the view alone. Even though you’re just off the highway, you’re treated to a fabulous view of the water and coastline. What we paid to get a million dollar view was a bargain.
Went for brunch and ordered the club sandwich. Good quality and not too huge portion size. The menu was a little limited in brunch options but the options on the menu all looked appetizing.
Service was relaxed and attentive. They really have it nailed down here. ¹⁰⁄₁₀ would dine again.

Amazing views amazing salmon and amazing waitstaff. Love this place! Will be eating here from now on.

I came here for my birthday dinner and I fell in love with the view! The service was wonderful, they had us seated right away. I ordered the shrimp risotto which was great but their calamari was dry & rubbery. It was also a little difficult finding the place, but all in all a pleasant evening.

We got the shrimp risotto with shrimp and let me tell you… IT WAS AMAZING!
We came for a birthday and did not know the area real well… We schedule reservations about 2 weeks earlier and they did a fine job at keeping the reservations.
The food was amazing along with the service. Our waitress was always on point and on time. She made sure we were well served. The food did not take long at all.
It was raining so we did not get a chance to sit outside which we hoped for but no worries. It is still a beautiful scenery when you sit inside. The rocks and the ocean shore made it an amazing meal.

I was able to customize their evening’s special (halibut and lobster risotto). They did a superb job and loved everything I ate at this restaurant during my stay at the inn. The restaurant really makes your stay even more special. Our waiter, Greg was really awesome too.

We came here for an early dinner around 515. The staff was amazingly helpful and gave us great service from beginning to end (our waitress was Billy). We started off with calamari then my husband and I split a delicious Caesar salad. For dinner I had the special of halibut with lobster risotto. I can officially say I found my death row last meal. LOL. We capped it off with a cappuccino, again perfect, with their signature desert of flambéed bananas over vanilla ice cream with an Allmond reef shaped cookie. Titled the Shoals Famous Banana Reef.
Will come back again, I’ve already told people to come here, this was an amazingly good experience.

Riding our bike up from Ventura fairgrounds is such a great ride. Especially with the new trail avoiding the highway. I can not say enough about the view from the inn and the food speaks for its self. The service is also A plus.

Finished wine tasting at local SB wineries. Maybe we hit it on an off night, but the food was bland and uneventful. Brick pavers are unsealed and soiled, which makes the ambiance feel «motelish». No clear signs to where the restaurant is (us and another party entered hotel entrance instead of restaurant entrance). Gorgeous view. Wind blew over my full wine glass and the waitress charged me for it! Wine by the glass was NOT Santa Barbara wine. Store wine! Meridian chardonnay 9.0 glass and Castoro Cellars zin 11.00 per glass. How yokel can you get!!!

Great view. Excellent food. Nice staff. If you’re lucky, it will be warm enough to sit outside. Steamed class and muscles were a great start. Decent wine list. Good salads. Perfectly prepared lamb. My wife had an excellent ahi special. The salmon was perfect. For desert, they had great crème brûlée and tiramisu.

This place has a gorgeous view, it’s perfect for a romantic evening. The food is great and their service is welcoming and friendly. Make reservations because it get busy. Parking is a bit tight.

I have lived in this area for close to 8 years and never stopped in for a meal. Last night I finally did and I am so pleased. The view was to die for. You cannot get much closer to the ocean without actually sitting in it. It was beautiful and special. To my surprise the food was delicious as well. The bread was perfect. The half oyster/​clam appetizer was fresh, garlicky and very good. My fiancé got the ciopinno and I got the seafood salad. They were both equally delicious. We will be back!

Outstanding seafood dinner. The cioppino was amazing with clams, scallops, sea bass, mussels and tiger shrimp in a light tomato broth. You can’t beat outdoor seating just above crashing waves of the Pacific Ocean.

Bottom Line: Amazing views, good service, decent food but a little pricey
The wife and I were enjoying our first full day away from our baby and this was our dinner spot.
I ordered the filet mignon and the wife had caprese.
The caprese was nothing exotic but it was good. Fresh a tasty.
The filet was about the same, what you would expect it to be however it was a little more well done than I would have liked.
We went with w Crème Brule for dessert which was very good.
The service was very good and all in all not a bad place at all to watch the moon rise but the prices are a bit steep