Nikka Fish Enterprise

This review is based on 2 visits to this establishment. I really wish I could get a higher rating because Lompoc needs places like this.
My first visit was in the evening with my 2 cousins for an appetizer and drinks. We al ordered the watermelon mojito and it was super yummy! I ordered the pork belly skewers only to be told they were out. I settled for wings. Cousin 1 ordered the chicken skewers. Sorry Cousin 3 forgot what you ordered! My wings were warm and not the usual hot when fresh. tasted old and tough inside. I ate about 3 – 4. Cousin 1 said skewers were good. If it wasn’t for the patio atmosphere and watermelon mojito I wouldn’t be to quick to return.
Visit 2 Restaurant Week Brunch!!! I can’t even say how excited I was to return with such a great deal 2 meals for $ 20.16 pre fixed. Four of us came here after an early morning hike. I ordered eggs benny with the bacon, my sister had smoked salmon. Louisiana Omelette & Fish & chips ordered.
We opted to sit on the patio on this beautiful day. It took so long to receive our first round of bottomless mimosas (we learned they were pre-​mixed blah!) I will make this short for your eyes sake! My appetizer of mini waffles was done all fancy but give me a break!!! It’s the eggo minis charging about $ 5.50 everybody at the table laughed! This should be off the menu! Or given free! Our food came out all at different times and was luke warm at best. We were never given salt/​pepper/​ketchup or tarter sauce until the very last few minutes. Staff did come and apologize saying there was an accident in the kitchen. Our bottomless mimosas stayed empty for quite some time. Received 2 pour when we were already done with meal. Looked like mostly OJ. We asked for a third pour hold OJ. we got it and again received many apologies. Maybe it was on off day or the accident was really bad. I’m not sure but I was very disappointed. Please take those mini waffles off the menu! It will be a while before I go back. I will update this review after each visit.

Just got back from brunch at the Fish Enterprise; we had another of the «Lompoc Restaurant Week» deals at this establishment– Eggs Benedict (made with smoked salmon instead of slab of ham), with cottage potatoes and a freaking «bottomless» mimosa. Mmmmmmmm – Yeah! They refilled my glass several times…
Wife, son, and I all had the special and it was great. Food and price earns Fish Enterprise 5 stars, but service takes away a star. Let me tell you about it: nobody greeted us when we walked in, no info posted about wait or seat yourself, nobody taking names or helping seat patrons. Yet THREE different people hurried past us, saying «we’ll be right with you…». Ultimately, the server we ended up with was named Cynthia (she did not introduce herself, I had to ask for her name). She was extremely earnest but she was not very polished or experienced; still, she earned my 20 percent tip because she tried so hard.
So, we’ve lived in Lompoc for about 20 years, and this is the third or fourth eatery located at this site. Originally, this building was a bank, and the massive vault is still inside the main room. The vault door is propped open, and the room is now stocked with wine and has seating for medium-​sized groups. Today, at brunch, the main dining area was about half full and the room was moderately quiet. The room is bright and airy and diners have adequate personal space, but not cozy or intimate seating. Décor is eclectic– something between industrial and ‘moderne”.
I like all manner of seafood, and I like that these people are trying hard to please. I’ll go back to this place many times.

The food here is great, but the service is even better. We were served like royalty by a friendly and good humored gentleman by the name of Richard. Richard informed me that he was «in training». I shared with Richard that he didn’t need training… his personality and efficiency could not be improved upon. Richard is an asset to the business!
–Bob Rasband

Tried going on Super Bowl Sunday for the first time. Was excited to try it but they decided to closed two hours early, by 7pm instead of 9pm. He said they only had a few tables all day. Well he could of had one more table, oh well. I guess I will call ahead next time to see if they are actually open, if we decide to go again lol.

I’m so glad Lompoc has a decent seafood place. I’m also sad that I’ve only been once so far. But that one time was enough to establish Nikka Fish Enterprise as one of my local favorites. (I do wish I could get a good southern style shrimp boil here, but maybe one day I’ll talk them into it).
We went in November, so I don’t remember what my husband had, but my halibut sandwich with sweet potato fries were amazing. A lot of restaurants screw up sweet potato fries, but not here. They were fresh and crispy and delicious.
This is definitely one of the better places in Lompoc.

I thought I tasted an oyster that was bad, but it was too late, it was in my mouth and on its way down my throat. And now… It’s 5am in the morning and I’m writing this review while sitting on the toilet in horrible, gut wrenching pain.
Came in to have a little snack with the sister. We didn’t get any entrees… Probably because each one was 28 – 30 dollars. I don’t know if anyone told the owners that this is LOMPOC. This town hasn’t seen prices like this EVER.
Ahi tower: delicious. Except for all the red onions I had to pick out of it. So if you’re talented enough to sit there and segregate your food, this is a winning plate.
Avocado bomb: is it supposed to be served hot? Or cold? It was tepid. And because it was deep fried, I would have assumed it’s supposed to be somewhat luke warm. Let’s just say the pictures look really good! And that this dish is best photographed than eaten.
Oysters: next time I’m going to sniff-​test them instead of slurping them down like the nasty girl I am.
Shrimp Fritters: they were shrimp? I couldn’t tell because: a) I couldn’t taste them. b) couldn’t see them. Pass on this dish… It need work.
Service was great. I always enjoy employees with neck or visible tattoos. I mean, they need jobs too after prison.
Décor was drab. There’s only so much you can do with the space, I get it. But it seems that everything that’s been here is just another version of the bank that used to occupy the spot back in the 90s.
Pro-​Tip!
Happy hour is EVERY DAY from 3 – 6. Oysters are $ 1.50 then… (And at this moment, I’m regretting having them… Buyer beware!!!)

Stopped here after the SpaceX launch. Outstanding food. Had the Pasillas Peppers (open faced, stuffed w salmon, rice, red pepper, and just the right amount of cheese.
Located in an old bank building. Check out the wine room in the old vault

No reason not to go five stars! Everyone had something different at our table of six. The fish tacos were HUGE. The chowder was rich and fantastic. Fish and chips was an entire plate of non-​greasy, excellently breaded fried fish and chips. The portions are large and the prices are not! EXCELLENT hospitality. Casual and fun atmosphere. We will be back. Often.

Another visit and another great meal.
Service was excellent as well

Food was amazing… We had a mix up on our order but the server Alberto was very kind and considerate and even threw in a free desert for the mess up… Definitely recommend this place.

My boyfriend and I went here for dinner and we had an overall good experience. The avocado bomb was really good, but there was very little tuna in it. I’ve had an avocado bomb at another restaurant that was loaded with tuna in the middle. We also ordered the Alaskan cod fish n chips and that was also pretty decent. The fish tasted fresh and the batter was done really well, not soggy or greasy. Service was also great, the server and other staff were very friendly. I would eat here again if I were visiting Lompoc :)

Great service. Good food. Ordered the soup bowls with seafood, veggies, and wild rice. Yummy combination. Seaweed salad tastes a little freezer burned. Excellent raw oysters. Shooters weren’t as impressive. Will definitely come back to try the Avocado Bomb.

This place is newer to town. They have great service, delicious food, and a fresh counter where you can buy fabulous seafood. Give them a try Lompoc! We need to keep nicer places like this in town!!!

Visiting our families in the Santa Ynez Valley and craving California fish tacos without a Rubio’s in sight — what’s a California girl to do? Locals recommended Nikka, a new restaurant in town. While the digs are a bit spare — too many hard surfaces, lacquered concrete floor, blindingly white subway tile and fluorescent light over the fish display coolers (although it looked incredibly succulent just from the ocean fresh) which gives it a meat market vibe, the food was phenomenal.
We began with feathery crisped calamari (with those teeny meeny spidery blossoms of calamari that are signature of high end) perfectly flash fried and tender in a rich well balanced red cocktail sauce that wasn’t overly acidic, nice.
My fish taco was hot and crispy, with shredded cabbage slaw and lime; ask for sour cream to make your own crema with limes. Husband ordered bacon wrapped scallops which were perfectly carmelized and mouth melting sweet.
We’ll be back.

A contemporary casual, fresh seafood restaurant haven! While spending the weekend in Lompoc, one of us got a craving for fish tacos. We asked our family where the best ones were and they recommended Nikka. This was a perfect spot because it wasn’t strictly tacos/​Mexican, it’s main thing is doing interesting and also standard things with very fresh seafood. Everything was delicious from start to finish– we had the calamari, fish tacos of course, a halibut sandwich (with sprouts and sourdough toast– this sandwich was massive!), and bacon wrapped scallops. We all walked away stuffed and with happy tastebuds!
The décor is modern and somewhat cold, but I like the space with the fish counter for takeaway, the bar along the side, and tables with some room to stretch out.

Amazing Fish and Fresh Seafood at this establishment. I had a delicious almond crusted tuna steak paired with a local draft beer. I’m still smiling.

When my husband and I first got there we were confused as to where the entrance was. After walking around to the other side and coming back to the parking lot where we parked we realized the entrance was the same as the old Red Zone. Nothing «popped» and looked as though that was the entrance to the restaurant, looked as though it may have been closed off actually.
Anyway, to our food. Oyster shooters were quite alright. We had eaten previously so we didn’t have the room to enjoy a full entrée meal, instead we each ordered appetizers. I had the Avocado Bombs which were good but the amount I got for almost $ 10 was not okay, I won’t be ordering that again. My husband got the Nikka Wings, 6 pieces of wings for $ 10, and that’s not including fries.
I’m hoping they’re just testing prices right now.
Our friends, a couple, came as well, and when it came time for our check we were surprised to find that our checks were added together and not separated. Our waitress didn’t bother to ask is if we wanted separate checks either.
Overall okay experience.

Delicious fish. This is a terrific addition to the Lompoc neighborhood. They have both casual and dressy casual fare. (Fish & chips & more). The salads can easily be dressed up or dressed down. As much as I love that this restaurant is in town, there are a few kinks to be worked out. Service is friendly, though greater speed would be appreciated. A few kinks include things like getting garnish lemons which are difficult to squeeze as opposed to wedges when I specifically asked for wedges. They are tolerant of my little modifications. And the salads have fresh ingredients. The salads are are most certainly more imaginative than Moby Dick’s or Brophy Brothers in Santa Barbara.
And one time I did find a hair in my salad which was very clearly not mine, as well as something gritty. I hope that never happens again. I’m always still willing to patronize a restaurant with employees who are professional in handling situations like these. «I’m so sorry, let me get the manager» gets a 10 out of 10. And the manager’s response also got a 10 out of 10. That gives me the confidence to return and makes me feel like they care about my business. I do wish they would have made their signs easier to read and painted the place in colors brighter than grey (I can think of thousands of options). The little bar is cute and the fireplace and firepit are nice touches.
They are on their way to earning 4 stars from me.

This is a review for the «Take Out» experience.
It’s Friday and we can’t eat meat. So we decided to get take out from here.
The first thing I want to mention was the menu specific to the Lompoc location is not up. We had to go off a Goleta Menu. When we decided on what we wanted. I called the number on Unilocal and it was the Goleta Location. So we had to find the number, my boyfriend found it somehow but I didn’t ask where he got it. Anyways the number we used that got us the Lompoc location is (805) 736 2121
When ordering it was a great experience with the girl who took my order. She was nice and patient. I had to change my order twice because most the stuff we originally wanted was not on their menu. Goleta’s Menu is not the same as Lompoc’s menu
We originally wanted
«Calamari & Chips Combo» + «Seafood Combo & Chips» + Garlic Fries.
Lady on the phone stated that they don’t have the seafood combo or the garlic fries. but she did suggest the «Seafood Pasta» which was nice. But we opted for the «Scallop + Chips» instead
Lady on the phone stated 15 – 20 min wait. We got there a little bit over 20 mins. and our food was waiting for us at the counter. Which was awesome because you could tell how busy the place was with people waiting at the door to dine in.
Lets get to the food.
— Taste: it was okay, no wow factor. I had better calamari elsewhere and at a cheaper price.
— Portions: I felt like the Fries were my entrée. Because we got more fries than we got Fish. Not enough sauce. I feel like they need bigger dipping sauce containers. *Also. on the menu it did say it comes with coleslaw, but we didn’t get it in our bag. Not sure if I should be mad that I didn’t get it? Because I hate Coleslaw and I probably wouldn’t have eaten it. But at the same time I didn’t get everything I paid for. Sooo… I don’t know.
— Price: I feel like the prices were a little steep for what we got.
Overall I think the phone service and wait time is great. I recommend that if you were going to spend money here… don’t get anything from the «Fish & Chips» menu I don’t think it’s worth it.
Would we go back there again?: Sure, but definitely will try something else.
Notes:
— I did ask for a «Take-​Out» menu, and it had «Garlic Fries» on the menu. So I’m not sure if the Lady was lying, misinformed, or if the menu needs to be changed.
— They don’t accept American Express.
— The Inside of the restaurant looks so cool. The circle windows make you feel like your inside of a boat! I love it. (This is just my opinion of the view from standing at the Hostess desk)
— I think they are closed between 3−4pm.
I hope this review helps.

I am giving a five-​star rating to this establishment because not only did I enjoy my entrée which was macadamia Ahi tuna, but also because the customer service was great!
When I arrived around 8:00 — 8:15 there were about 10 – 15 people ahead of my group of 3. We had our names put down, and was told that there would be around a 35 minute wait. I want to also point out that we were happily greeted by a waiter who offered us complimentary drinks while we waited for our seats. That in itself was a one star boost for my review because it gives the customer a sense of a welcomed feeling. Before I was offered the drink, I pondered if they would do a PR stunt such as offering complimentary drinks while waiting, and they did, I was gracious for that!
All in all:
1. The food was very good! (3 Stars)
2. My waitress, as well as other waiters did an excellent job serving my group! (1 Star)
3. The complimentary drink on my first visit was the «Icing on the cake!» (1 Star)
Total review — ⁵⁄₅ Stars!