come from South Carolina, where you go to a seafood restaurant and order a mess of fried shrimps, scallops, fishes and fries and you eat them up with tartar sauce, cocktail sauce and coleslaw. Regardless of which coast you're on, sometimes you get to do this by the sea, but you usually pay the rent when the check comes. At Barbara's, you get charm, fresh deliciousness, waterfront viewing, and a low check total, especially before 5 pm when lunch prices skyrocket to dinner rates. The clam chowder is perfection. Fried clams can be had from a walkaway counter or at a gingham tablecloth. It's tops, plus it's right near Maverick's, a dramatic surf break with pretty little seashells and tide pools. If you're ever at the Ventura County Line down south, Neptune's Net, an outdoor seaside shack deluxe featured in the seminal action film Point Break, will provide similarly, albeit less formally, with bikers!

- Excerpt from SF Station review by Tracie Broom