Teddy’s By The Sea – Carpinteria, CA

Well Worth The Drive

Teddy’s By The Sea – Carpinteria, CA

Last Visited: November 2024

You know it has to be a good restaurant for Tracy, Garbo and me to hop in the car and drive an hour and a half to eat. Teddy’s By The Sea has become our newest favorite restaurant, and it’s totally worth the drive!  Located about 90 minutes north of Los Angeles and 20 minutes south of Santa Barbara is the small beach-side community of Carpinteria. Many people overlook it when they speed by on their way to the more glamorous Santa Barbara.

After tiring our corgi Garbo out at nearby Loon Point Beach, we ventured into town in search of a dog-friendly restaurant and came upon Teddy’s By the Sea.

Although not technically “by the sea,” Teddy’s had a charming outside enclosed patio, dog treats and water bowls in abundance (for Garbo, not us). Plus, the menu items looked great. Spoiler alert: they are!

There’s also an inside dining room with a small bar.

After a morning spent frolicking on the beach, we shared a split of Prosecco to start while we perused the menu. Hey, it’s 11 a.m. somewhere. 

            
We had been on a chowder roll lately so we ordered cups of Boston Clam Chowder to start. Wow! Best chowder we have had in some time (Tom says “ever”). The hostess told us it is house-made and it tasted like it. It was so good we ordered some to take home.

Our server recommended the Fish Tacos which are a very popular menu item, battered wild Alaskan cod fillets served grilled or crispy with cabbage slaw, white cheddar cheese, cilantro crema on corn tortillas and comes with your choice of house-made potato chips (Spectacular! crunchy, salty perfection, highly recommend!), French fries, salad or sweet potato fries.

She said it was the same cod fillets used in their Fish & Chips. We were starving so we ordered both the tacos and the Fish & Chips which were served with a delicious tangy pineapple slaw and French fries.

Now you would think we would be stuffed, but apparently, we really are bottomless pits, so we ordered a deconstructed Key Lime Pie. WOW! So good we also ordered one of those to go. Graham cracker crust, with a creamy delicious key lime filling all topped with freshly made whipped cream and perfectly ripe raspberries layered in a tiny Mason jar. Drooling. By the way, the dessert options have changed each time we have dined here, and they have all been amazing.
In October we traveled to the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden which is an amazing garden with California native plants and great views that allows well-behaved dogs every day (reservations needed).
After a great morning spent exploring the gardens, we sped over to Teddy’s to grab a quick lunch before the place filled up. Tracy opted for the Spicy Honey Fried Chicken Sandwich with sriracha honey glaze, creamy coleslaw, dill pickles atop a fresh-baked bun.
I went with the Teddy’s Tavern Burger which is the best burger I have eaten all year. 100% grass-fed beef patty topped with lettuce, tomato, crispy shallots, thick-cut bacon, white cheddar and candied jalapeño mayo. You need to cut this bad boy in half to get it in your mouth.

Leaving no room for dessert but not to be denied, we ordered a slice of Limoncello Italian Cream Cake to go and OMG it was exceptionally good. I can’t believe it isn’t on the menu all the time (or that we didn’t take a photo of it when we arrived home).

On a beautiful clear morning in November, we traveled north once again, this time encountering some pretty fierce wind gusts outside of Camarillo. Tracy remarked that she could smell smoke and hoped they got that under control quickly given the winds. We stopped by Seaside Gardens which has a fabulous garden shop and nursery, botanic garden and is pet friendly. The nursery has a large collection of sages and salvias (several of which traveled home with us) and a small botanic garden of “eleven garden vignettes.” 

Needing a little more exercise, we drove into Carpinteria and explored the boardwalk along Carpinteria State Beach (dogs are not allowed on the actual beach). Then it was on to Teddy’s.

Planning to spend a leisurely afternoon, our plans were quickly dashed. A terrible wind-driven fire was now roaring out of control in Camarillo, and we were getting frantic calls that the roadways south were in danger of closing. We quickly split the Teddy’s Tavern Burger and passed on dessert (this time a raspberry cheesecake) in order to travel home. It was a good thing we left when we did because it took nearly four hours to navigate the smoke-filled freeway back home.

I would be remiss not to talk about the people who work at Teddy’s. To a person, each one has been super nice and personable, along with providing fantastic service. Watching their interaction with many of Teddy’s other patrons, I could tell this was a place locals frequented (and now, even out-of-towners).

Mai Tai Tom Hint: If visiting for lunch get there between 11 and 12, because by noon on each visit here, the patio was full.

There are so many more items we want to try at Teddy’s including their drink and dinner menus, which means we will need to stay overnight! Should I order the Seared Sesame Ahi Tuna, Linguine Pomodoro or Grilled New York Steak? And I need to try that Carpinteria Wedge; chilled iceberg, crispy thick-cut bacon, chopped tomato, avocado and gorgonzola crumble. It’s a tough job, but someone has to do it. Come on Garbo, let’s go!

Teddy’s By The Sea
5096 Carpinteria Avenue
Carpinteria, CA 93013
805.566.0576
Monday – Thursday 11 a.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Friday – Sunday 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Street Parking: Free
teddysbythe sea.com