Hendry's Beach

My favorite place to eat in Santa Barbara is at the Boathouse at Hendry's Beach. It's an easy 15 minute drive west of Santa Barbara, and has the most incredible location on the beach. 

The Boathouse at Hendry's Beach serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. I always visit for brunch and order delicious eggs benedict and coffee. The drinks menu is huge, and I appreciate that it also offers mocktail options like virgin boathouse punch. 

I prefer to sit outside on the heated patio, where I get the best views of the beach. The indoor section is also lovely, decorated in a stylish, nautical theme with wide open windows to take advantage of the sea breezes.

I then walk off my meal by taking a long stroll along Hendry's Beach, also known as Arroyo Burro Beach Park. It has a picturesque setting at the base of the Mesa neighorhood bluffs, with a creek flowing out to the ocean. I prefer not to swim, because the area is known for rip currents.

I noticed that quite a few people bring their dogs here. There's an off-leash area on the beach, and also on the blufftops at the Douglas Family Preserve. There's also a self serve wash stations for dogs.

5 best things about Hendry's Beach

1. It has a picturesque beach.

I love the stunning setting at Hendry's Beach, with dramatic bluff-tops and golden sands, and views to the Channel Islands.  The beach runs east-west, and curves around to the base of the Douglas Family Preserve. 

There's lots of rips tides here, so I wouldn't risk swimming. Average water temperature is 65 degrees in summer (and a chilly 57 degrees in winter). During summertime I prefer to stroll along the beach, searching the rockpools for sea glass and shells. It's also fun to watch the surfers in action.

2. Hendry's Beach is perfect for picnics.

The grassed picnic area is adjacent to the large parking lot, and has tables and BBQ grills. This is a quieter section of the park, away from the hustle and bustle of the beach.

3. Enjoy beachfront dining.

You can't beat the incredible setting of the Boathouse at Hendry’s Beach.  I could spend all day here, enjoying breakfast, lunch and dinner, or enjoying a drink during happy hour. It can get super busy on the weekends, so always plan ahead.

It's fun to sit on the patio with panoramic views of the beach, or slip inside the trendy restaurant. 

4. It's dog friendly. 

Hendry's Beach is dog heaven, and one of the most popular places in Santa Barbara to take a dog!  Dogs can roam free and unleashed on a designated section of the beach. There's also a few wash stations to rinse the sand off your dog, before driving home.

5. Hendry's Beach is adjacent to the magnificent bluff-top Douglas Family Preserve. 

Some of the best views in Santa Barbara are from the bluff-top at Douglas Family Preserve, overlooking Hendry's Beach. This public park is named after famous movie actor, Kirk Douglas, in honor of the big donation his son made to saving this open space from development. Between 1949 to 1972 this 70-acre park was known as the Wilcox Nursery, but was under major threat of development until it was purchased for $3.5 million by the Trust for Public Land, with big contributions by both Santa Barbara residents and $600k from Michael Douglas. It was then deeded to the City of Santa Barbara in 1997.

This beautiful park has done a great job of preserving the natural, coastal habitat, and you can see native species like coastal sage scrub, grasslands and Monterey Pines along the 3-miles of paths. Dog lovers will also appreciate the off-leash dog section in the park.

There's direct access to the Douglas Family Preserve from Cliff Drive at Hendry's Beach.  If the tide is out, you can also walk along the beach, up the Mesa Lane Steps, then through the east entrance to the park at the end of Medcliff Road.

Know before you go 

• Hendry's Beach address:  2981 Cliff Dr, Santa Barbara, CA 93109.
• Parking: parking lot.
• Restrooms:  yes.
• Camping:  no.
• Restaurant: yes.

Other Santa Barbara Beaches

Learn about other beautiful Santa Barbara beaches like East Beach, West Beach and Leadbetter Beach.  Butterfly Beach is perfect for a photo opportunity and has gorgeous surroundings.