- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Movies |
- All
Fins Seafood Grill
Category: Restaurants Seafood Seafood [Edit]
982 S Westlake BlvdSte 8
Westlake Village, CA 91361
(805) 494-6494
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Very Loud
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
51 reviews for Fins Seafood Grill
Review Highlights
Loading...
51 reviews in English
-
Review from Joni S.
Camarillo, CA
Pros: Unexpected flavors from a strip mall location. Live music. Intimate seating and lighting. Friendly staff. Dessert was huge. To sum up the pros - unexpectedly fantastic experience.
Cons: A little more than I'd like to pay for the food.
Overall: The owner spoke to multiple tables and that's always a plus to see.
Tip: If you're shy, then don't make eye contact with the band. They might call you up to play an instrument. -
Review from Max F.
Los Angeles, CA
I don't know what the naysayers are talking about.
This is a gem in the Westlake Area. They have such a diverse menu that you can find something for the whole family. Drinks are reasonably priced and they bring in live entertainment to mix it up if your out on the town.
I don't know where else I would go to get the level of service and quality cuisine. It's nice to support one of the last family run restaurants in this area. -
Review from Lindsey G.
Beverly Hills, CA
I have a love hate relationship with Fins. I absolutely love going there for lunch. You can sit out on their "patio" and enjoy the beautiful Westlake weather. The food is always great, wonderful options, and the service is so good that they always remember their regular customers.
Here is what I can't stand - sitting inside. It is so dark and loud, especially for dinner. So go for lunch, or a nice early dinner, and sit outside - you won't be disappointed. -
Review from Stephani G.
Simi Valley, CA
The service here was amazing. Our waitress was on top of everything and extremely personable. The food on the other hand... The calamari tasted frozen. The macadamia crusted halibut was the dinner of the table. One of them sent it back for something else. The other two ate it because they couldn't think of anything else they wanted. However, the flavor was overwhelming. They placed the fish in a Thai peanut curry sauce that took over the whole dish and does not blend well with the fish at all. The portion for the price was good.
-
Review from Christopher C.
Thousand Oaks, CA
Fins is a great place to go!!! The staff is friendly, and they have a great atmosphere!! The weekend is a great time to go, for dinner or just for drinks!!
-
Review from Mackenzie R.
Los Angeles, CA
My favorite restaurant in the valley. They always have great specials and awesome drinks.
I don't get why people give this place anything less than 5 stars. There is really nothing not to like.
Great food. Great service. The best ahi tacos ever! And I love the cheesecake. -
Review from Sunil R.
Went to the bar here after eating at a neighboring restaurant. This place was pretty busy for a mid week day. The bartender was a sweetheart.
-
Review from Carina E.
Newbury Park, CA
We have been going to Fin's for over 15 years. In the past, the food has been excellent and the service wonderful. Until last night....
We had reservations and were greeted and seated quickly. It took a while for the waitress to come over, but it was busy, so not a problem. We placed our drink orders and were still waiting for them 15 minutes later. The excuse? "The bar is backed up". I ordered a pomegranate mojito. WAY too sour! I sent it back and asked for a Jack and coke. We placed our order and were given bread. It used to be you got these wonderful fresh vegetable, nice breads and an olive spread. Now, cold French bread with a basil dipping sauce that had little flavor. Hmmm, why stop a good thing?
We had a tuna tartar as an appetizer. I let my husband eat it. Way too salty for my taste. The lobster bisque was nice. Not "OMG, I'm in heaven!", but nice. The wine finally came after the soup. Our main meal was so salty, it was unpalatable. I had the herbed chicken and my husband got the dynamite shrimp. He said the same thing about his meal.
Over all, I was very disappointed. We just about had to trip our server to get her to notice us. (I actually thought about it.... LOL). Kidding.
Maybe.... This used to be a nice place to go to. Now, I think it's on the down hill. And that is just sad. Oh well, til my next reveiw! -
Review from Richard B.
Anchorage, AK
the ambiance was pleasant and the service was excellent; staff very attentive, waitress cordial and followed through quickly on all requests. The menu and the evening specials were very appealing as described.
Unfortunately, the food, while very good, fell short of matching the quality of service and the promises of the menu. Lobster bisque had the consistency of pea soup and contained no lobster... or much taste. A good bisque generally has sherry; this did not. My sand dabs were good, although the portions were light but the fish was overwhelmed by the egg dip and by the butter sauce. My guest had the crispy salmon. It was not particularly crispy but was dry...slightly over cooked. Desserts were good. I recommend the chocolate fondue with fruit. Very good chocolate but not served in a flaming fondue pot.
As the co-host of a small party, I was not embarrassed or disappointed, but considering the prices, the managing chef needs to tune up the kitchen staff. -
Review from Matthew H.
Oxnard, CA
Located in the Sprouts shopping center, it has a number of well know restaurants such as Tuscany and Sweet Arleens
A poorly lit place that has got great ambiance, service was excellent
Music was provided by a DJ on his Mac
1. Crab Cakes $16
Mixed with too much bread and other ingredients, they should use more crab
2. Lobster roll $16
Although it had real lobster pieces, most of the roll meat was celery and lettuce instead of actual lobster. They should increase the price and put more lobster pieces as there is demand for a product like this. Most of the other menu items are $20-30 so they do have the clientele that would pay for a high quality product.
After I ate here I had a very upset stomach and so will not be coming back here.Listed in: 805 Seafood
-
Review from Dean W.
I came here for lunch with a customer and upon walking in I was like serious? It's all dark inside and there's no one here. Having major doubts but didn't want to lose my 100 open table points I decided to go through with it. Luckily it was a nice warm day in So Cal in the end of November so we chose a table outside. Service was good, came by to check on things but then again there wasn't anyone in the restaurant so it's not too hard to not check on us. I ordered the grilled chicken and shrimp salad. It was delicious. Pieces of flavorful grilled chicken and shrimp along with the cucumbers and greens made this salad a real winner. I don't think I've had a salad as good as this one for a long time.
-
Review from Franklyn G.
West Hills, CA
Thought it's clearly not the Fins of Calabasas this is still a great place to eat.
After making a 7:45p reservation on a Saturday night and able to make it on open table that day, we arrived and were seated immediately. I began to understand why. The dining room was never more than 50% full. THe old Fins of Calabasas required at least a week ahead of time to get a table.
The food however is still excellent. I had the seared Ahi Tuna and it was perfectly cooked and delicious. I tasted my wife's crusted halibut and it was no question why it's their most popular dish.
Although the music was good it was too loud for a dining room. To be fair they did offer to move our table -
Review from Maria C.
Thousand Oaks, CA
Came here because I had a groupon. Plain and simple... the meal was less than average. Honestly, if you're gonna pay $30 bucks a head for a nice dinner, then go next door to Galleto's or Tuscany. Now those are some great dinners. If you are specifically looking for seafood in Westlake, then head to Boccacio's! You won't be disappointed. Sorry Fins.
-
Review from Michelle O.
San Diego, CA
I took my parents here for their double birthday celebration. I made an 8 pm reservation, and we arrived at 7:55pm. We were told the wait would just be a couple minutes.
The only negative part of our experience was waiting 30minutes for our 8pm reservation. I think the most frustrating part was being told every 5 minutes it would just be a couple of minutes. But the restaurant was packed and no one was leaving from their tables because the music was pretty great so I understood their dilemma. The manager offered us wine while we waited and when we were finally seated another manager brought artichoke dip as an apology for waiting.
Other than that, the service and food and live music was fabulous. Although this is a seafood restaurant I ordered the stuffed chicken which was incredible. My parents really loved it. Real quality, great atmosphere, I'd definitely go back again. -
Review from sara w.
Castaic, CA
The food is good with exceptions.... We have eaten there three weeks in a row this go round with Fins and the same problems continue. The food has never been served hot, only warm. All entrees every time. Rice is dried out. What they have going is great flavor but I do not want warm food. The service is terrible and slow and there has never been an apology for the bad service. No wait staff comes back to check on the food so by the time someone"checks in" we have gotten tired of waiting and eat our warm, yet tasty food. We have been there enough to now question if we want to continue to eat warm food with slow, no one cares service. We like fish and the menu is good so hope management starts paying attention. We have friends that have given up on fins. Music is good but far too loud that you have to speak too loud to you dinner companions and end up hoarse
-
Review from Stephanie S.
Irvine, CA
This is one of the restaurants that my parents and I like to go to for a good solid meal. The owner, Moez Megji, owns three other restaurants, but Fins Westlake is my favorite by far. On our most recent trip in celebration of my 21st birthday, we ordered: Black and Blue Ahi, Rock Shrimp Tempura, Warm Goat Cheese Tart with Leeks, Sweet Potato Fries, Clam Chowder, Lobster Bisque, Oven Roasted Seafood, and Filet Mignon. We were looking forward to trying the steamed clams, but were told that they were out.
The shrimp tempura and filet mignon were the highlights of the meal. The shrimp tempura was covered with a spicy, creamy sauce packed with flavor. The filet mignon was cooked to perfection! I prefer my meat rare, so I'm always worried that my steak will be overcooked in restaurants. It's happened way too many times to count. I eagerly cut open my filet mignon and was delighted to see a ruby red piece of meat. I wasn't fond of the noodles from the oven roasted seafood because they were a little tough to chew. Everything else was delicious, including the creme brulee they gave us on the house for my birthday.
The lighting is very dim, so the ambiance is definitely romantic. The service is impeccable.
Note: Make sure to take a look at the certificate that Moez received from the police department. It's on the wall right across from the restrooms. The story is unbelievable and involves an armed robber, gunshots, and a high speed car chase! -
Review from Glenn H.
Camarillo, CA
What a disappointment!~(
Have been to Fins many times. I had a terrible experience with smoking while dinning & just bad experience. Called next day since Management was not available. They never had courtesy to call back. So I called back & spoke to Moez, owner. He told me it was taken care of & didn't even say sorry. I wasn't looking for any freebie just to know if they have a smoking policy & bring to their attention my experience. I will NOT be going back. Rude & owner doesn't really genuinely care. No excuse in my book for how owner & management responded. -
Review from Katie K.
Eads, TN
Fins is a great place to go! I liked the stuffed chicken with spinach, but there fish is great as well!! the service is friendly, and they have a great atmosphere! if you like desert the creme brulee is amazing!
-
Review from Amy S.
Simi Valley, CA
I am giving this Fins 4 stars because of the food. It was absolutely delicious -- Seared Ahi Tuna and the hubby got the Halibut with Peanut Sauce. They had some delicious wines to choose from, as well as desserts. Though we didnt have to get dessert because they treated us to Creme Brulee for our 4th Anniversary, which is always nice.
All of that was good until the live music started. It wasnt the best choice, not horrible, but not great either. We would have enjoyed our time just a little more had the music never happened. I hope that isnt rude.
Next time we will try the Fins in Calabasas. -
Review from Claire A.
Simi Valley, CA
Great place to go out with family and friends! Love the salmon! very tasty, The place can be a bit noisy, but just ask to sit in a more private table and they are always glad to help.
not expensive! and great cocktails!
p.s don't forget to make a reservation it can get a bit crowed -
Review from richard f.
Beverly Hills, CA
This is a great place to indulge on food that not only looks amazing, but also tastes amazing. The way they made the lobster and the seafood soup look and taste is just unbelievable.
As for the service, the waitress was very attentive and professional. I did take a while to bring us the food but she did assure us in advance that it takes a while to make it.
It was a good experience. 5 out of 5 stars. -
Review from Sara L.
I have been here quite a few times with my family and I always enjoy the food at either lunch or dinner.
I think I have had one of the funniest experiences eating here and will always remember when I go to a seafood place.
I sat down to dinner and our group was reviewing the menu. I have never heard of Sand Dabs. My husband decided to ask the waiter. I guess he didn't know what they were either.
Hubby: What are Sand Dabs?
Waiter: Sand Dabs?
Hubby: Yes, Sand Dabs. What are they?
Waiter: Oh, Sand Dabs. Yes, uh huh, Sand Dabs.
Waiter then leaves the table
We never did find out what Sand Dabs were. Oh well.
As far as food goes, I love their Caesar Salad. It has loads of pepper in their dressing and the dressing coats just enough of every leaf.
My other favorite thing is the Angel Hair Shrimp. I get it without peppers and everything together just tastes great.
The Macadamia Halibut is awesome. The peanut sauce perfectly compliments the crunch of the nuts and fish.
I wish I didn't live so far. Maybe one day I will try the Sand Dabs. -
Review from Danielle D.
Malibu, CA
Our entrees were neither great nor bad - just okay. The problem is that the prices are so high you want to feel like you're getting your money's worth. Mostly we felt as though we'd paid for the ambiance, and ate some food while we were there.
I'd go back. But next time, I'd be happy with a glass of wine, munching on some bread and soaking in the atmosphere. -
Review from S. T. V.
Los Angeles, CA
Came here for a friend's surprise 40th birthday dinner and we had the room in the back reserved. I don't believe it costed extra money but it was annoying for random people to have kept walking into our room looking for the restroom.
Food was delicious. I got the 3 mini soups as my appetizer and they were heavenly. Surprisingly, I liked the zucchini soup the most. Surprising because I thought the lobster bisque would've been better, but it was way too salty.
My seafood pasta was also very good. I left that restaurant very satisfied. -
Review from Ian M.
Davis, CA
My parents and I went here on a whim on the way home from a drive back from a trip to San Luis Obispo (how's that for prepositional phrases?).
The meal that we had couldn't be better. I had a lobster pasta dish that was excellently prepared and perfectly showcased the seafood without eschewing other elements of the dish.
The live piano was very nice and it was great to hear that live music is still being showcased in a dining environment.
I look forward to returning to Fins in the future! -
Review from Helen N.
IL
Very disappointed, I was excited to try Fins...
First the appetizers were not so good - I like my crab cakes with lumps of crab as opposed to a shredded, the baked scallops were overcooked, the coconut shrimp only had four pieces, and the spinach dip was good. Actually the bread basket was really good, loved the raisin bread.
I ordered the sea bass and was disappointed, my favorite fish and they overcooked it... and the mashed potatoes were cold.
The service was even worst, we were all ready to order and the waitress never came so we had to leave the menus on the table while we ate our appetizers (talk about a cramped table). The selection of beers, wait, there is no selection of beers, the waitress had no clue what they on draft or in bottles...
And they never came to offer us the dessert menu -
It may be that it was a group of 10 of us - but seriously... you can do better. -
Review from ERIC P.
Agoura Hills, CA
We come here for our one favorite dish (not that everything else is not), we are creature of habits. Every restaurant we go to, we seem to go for one particular dish. I find that to be a complement to each establishment.
The Pecan Crusted Halibut...Oh My GOD, is like butter. It's accompanied with some steam rice & the Tai Peanut Sauce. Just done to perfection.
Oh, and if you are in the mood for dessert, get the Strawberry Shortcake, it's served in a huge Martinis glass. Very shareable. !!
The service is always very attentive & friendly too. And Mike the manager is always very welcoming. But we have noticed the portions are getting a bit smaller, hence the four*. -
Review from Lilani E.
Valentine's Day Dinner
Oh the joy! First off, I can't stand Valentine's Day...I don't like the feeling of being "Forced" to be romantic, although the flowers on my desk at work are quite the lovely.
K was going to cook me dinner at my place, but my roommate and her boyfriend were planning on doing the same. With work being pretty hectic this week for the both of us, I decided to make reservations at Fin's in WLV.
First off, they only had one opening at 5:30 pm. I booked it through http://www.opentable.com (highly recommend for fellow fine diners) and had to put down a credit card to reserve the table.
When we got there, the hostess looked like she was about to have a melt down. We were finally seated at our table. Our service was fine but the food was sub par.
We ordered Dynamite Scallops for our starter. They seemed undercooked and were outnumbered by mushroom, by like 6:1. The lobster bisque was good, maybe a bit too creamy though.
K ordered the rack of lamb which was cooked to perfection but the mashed potatoes were swimming in the mint sauce from the lamb. I ordered the lobster medallions with sweet potato ravioli, which was gross. It was like a dessert with lobster chunks. The ravioli was doughy and the raspberries and candied pecans were too much for an entre.
Having said that, we skipped dessert.
Oh and the noise level, way too low, could hardly hear the pianist.Listed in: .conejo valley., .not so much.
-
Review from Steve G.
Newbury Park, CA
Fin's caters to the snobs that live around Westlake Village, and as such does a good job at satisfying the tooth of the upper crust.
After several table meals here I now like to sit at the bar and eat. The service is indeed inconsistent, except for the bartenders. Plus there is often a chance to strike up a lively conversation with other barflies.
Live music is also a plus, I only wish they had it more often. Then again the demographics here dictate highbrow jazz, and I have to be in the right mood for that stuff.
Excellent wine list! The seafood is superb. Very rich desserts.
The prices are mid to high, not surprisingly.
It's places like this where I love to dress down and tip high. If anyone stares disapprovingly, I smile and wave. You can't judge a book by looking at the cover. -
Review from Irish T.
New York, NY
It was a saddening day for I was looking forward to trying this place. I made my reservation and when I got there for my late lunch it was next to empty but it still took over 10 minutes for anyone to come over to us. I asked if they had Guinness on draft and was told yes but when it came out it was in a can. The waitress told me it was DRAFT Guinness in a bottle --- that was not my question to her.
The food was standard for a boutique restaurant but lacked any flare outside of the mainstream. The menu was designed by the same folks who did Red Lobster's.
All for all --- a cute decor with little in the way of food! -
Review from Kristopher V.
Venice, CA
I found the food a tad disappointing especially for the price.
-
Review from C E.
Stanford, CA
Went here for dinner while visiting from Nor Cal, and the previous reviews were spot on. This place serves some seriously good food.
I was starving when I got there, so I ordered sweet potato fries to start. Heavenly (I love me some carbs). I then had the 1-1-1 soup, which is great for the indecisive people. Clam chowder, lobster bisque, and the soup of the day (split pea). The split pea was thin, but the other two were solid. I'd definitely go for a whole bowl of chowder there.
For the main course, I had the surf and turf - filet mignon and shrimp scampi. Filet was cooked perfectly (medium rare), and the shrimp were plump and sweet (gulf shrimp). Not very garlicky, but I'm willing to allow it. :)
I'll be back next month to see what other fresh seafood they've got, so would definitely recommend. -
Review from Scott P.
Simi Valley, CA
We've been twice now, most recently last night, and the food/service are impeccable. It's so rare to find that combination these days.
My wife had the roasted seafood plate which was a tad spicy yet surprisingly flavorful at the same time. I thoroughly enjoyed my bowl of Clam Chowder. It was as good as I've ever come across, truly. Our server recommended the Seafood Pasta and it was spot-on delightful.
The staff from the bussers to the server to the manager work together flawlessly. They made a note that it was our anniversary and treated us to a nice sorbet dessert and a a split of champagne. A+ all the way around, especially to the manager. Bravo! That's how it's done... -
Review from David O.
Walnut Creek, CA
Lunch at Fins... The only thing lacking might have been a view of the lake. As far as food is concerned, these guys are spot on.
We were seated outside, on their patio. The patio has 5 or 6 tables, each able to seat 4 people maximum. We came in for a late lunch, so we managed to snag the last vacant table, but most of the other patrons were on their way out before we even got our beverages (1:30 pm or thereabouts).
As far as food is concerned, both my wife and I started off with a cup of lobster bisque. Just fabulous... I'm not going to tell you it's out of this world, but it's very very solid and very good. The bisque didn't separate which may seem like a triviality, but you'll be surprised how many places have a bisque where the sauce simply breaks...
For the entree, I followed it up with the Sand Dabs, served with rice pilaf and some veggies, and my wife got the Chilean Seabass... My dish was quite good, but can I just say right now I apologize publicly to my wife for smacking her and grabbing her seabass? Sweetie, you simply shouldn't have allowed me to taste your absolutely succulent seabass. What can I say? WOW!
With a couple of glasses of Sonoma Cutrer Chardonnay to accompany the lunch, this was simply heavenly. We truly had a wonderful lunch, despite the fact that my wife is still a little bit pissed about me stealing her food. -
Review from Aly D.
dear fins,
thank you for popping my lobster cherry. you may be currently thinking 'wtf', but i had never had lobster before entering your establishment. yeah, i know. don't give me the lecture. i just started eating seafood 2 years ago, and i'm slowly working my way up the seafood chain. i consider the lobster to be just below caviar, so i guess i'm almost to the top of the pyramid. but enough about me, lets talk about you while talking about me at the same time.
i dig your atmosphere, the dark setting complete with piano player. definitely not for the younger crowd, but perfect for the work cronies that i was here to dine with. your menu was somewhat typical seafood jointish. i guess i should say thanks for that, because the maine lobster immediately stood out. god bless corporate expense cards.
your service was ok. i nicknamed our waiter 'bambi' because he looked like a deer in headlights everytime we requested something. he was nice though, just a little slow on the taking order stuff and checking in on our progress throughout the meal. he did an excellent job when two people i was with decided that they wanted to purchase the giant martini glass that the banana split came in. i didn't know you could purchase the dishes at a restaurant, but apparently anything is possible.
the food. well, my lobster was freaking fantastic. i know i dont really have anything to compare it to since i was a lobster virgin, but the people who i was with sampled it and said it was delicious. your chef was kind enough to give those that ordered the lobster the 3lb one at the 2lb price (since you were apparently out of 2lb lobsters). i can't believe i ate 3lbs of lobster. and with gusto. it was melty, sweet, buttery goodness of joy. sex on a plate if you will. mmmm *drool*. your desserts were alright and your appetizers were ok as well. nothing too outstanding but they weren't horrible either.
overall, i want to be lobster devirginitized again. i know it won't be the same since you've already deflowered me, but could we call this second timers? round 2? make up sex? i felt like we kinda broke up after the meal. i want you back, baby. come to mamma.
regards,
aly
ps - no, really. you, me, lobster? it'll be a sexy threesome. -
Review from Runt T.
Park La Brea, CA
giving this place a generous 4 stars b/c of the great (but unseasoned) service. the waiter really went through the motions of formal dinning but showed initiative when asked for extras and the like.
the food was good, maybe above average. i had the scallops dynamite which was very good but just too much. if they gave me half the portions i would have been happy. i also had pasta that night, but it was seriously so forgettable that i have in fact forgotten what it was... maybe lobster - oh wait, yes it was lobster but it was these tiny little minced up pieces. i was hoping for big generous chucks.
anyway - the restaurant is cute and warm with an elevated seating area by the window. there was a small band playing and it was all very quaint but nothing too notable, just a pleasant evening out really. -
Review from Jenny V.
Oak Park, CA
i went here for the first time recently... the ambiance is great, service is great, but the food was just okay.
my hubby & i got the fins oysters which were amazing and we loved, but everything else was just okay. nothing outstanding. i have to say, i was a little disappointed. i just didn't think that the food was worth the price. -
Review from Patrick Y.
Agoura Hills, CA
Excellent food and good service. There is live music on the Friday night I visited. Sand dabs are delicious.
-
Review from Deborah B.
Los Angeles, CA
After a long day at work, my boss suggested continuing our meeting over some appetizers at FINS WESTLAKE. We had Chilean Sea Bass (not bad) and Shrimp and Calamari (not very good. It should be called Shrimp and Squid-o's. Very chewy) We were wrapping up our business after about an hour when the waitress came over and told us she had customers that wanted our table. She said we could either leave or move to another table.
I couldn't believe my ears. When I was in college, I worked as a waitress at some very nice, up-scale restaurants. I cannot imagine the scenario that would cause me to tell a customer that they had been there long enough and must now leave because we needed the table. Absolutely the rudest thing I have ever experienced.
I know that my boss was embarrassed to be treated in such a way in front of an employee. Even so, he was surprisingly calm when he asked to speak to the manager. The waitress told him there was no manager on site.
I will never go back there. It was ridiculous. -
Review from Karina M.
Thousand Oaks, CA
Not a huge fan of the food, but the bartender makes a great margarita!
