It’s been over a year since the beloved Walt’s Wharf space in Seal Beach caught fire. And it’s been over a year since they’ve opened their doors—but that is about to change. The restaurant is planning on opening on Sept. 8.
Even more, this isn’t the first time the seafood space has caught aflame. In 1993, the restaurant took on a fire shortly before that year’s Christmas parade along Main Street.
The history behind Walt’s Wharf.
Walt’s Wharf has been a Seal Beach staple since 1970, when Walt Babcock—a rancher-turned-restaurateur with a passion for fresh seafood and quality beef—opened the doors to what would become one of Orange County’s most beloved dining institutions. The concept was simple but ahead of its time: a dockside-inspired restaurant where the fish was fresh. The beef was aged in-house. And everything was cooked over a live oak grill that gave the menu its signature smoky flavor. (It was even home to chef and fisherman Chris Krajacic, who opened the much-loved and even more missed Pier 76 in Long Beach).
Through the decades, Walt’s Wharf grew into more than just a restaurant. It became a pillar of the Seal Beach community. Families celebrated milestones there. Regulars returned week after week. Walt’s own background as a cattleman influenced the menu’s emphasis on premium beef. And the kitchen? It focused on mesquite- and oak-fired cooking, giving every dish—from lobster tails to swordfish steaks—a distinctive mark of Seal Beach smoke.
Even as Seal Beach changed over the years, Walt’s Wharf maintained its role as an anchor of Main Street. Its longevity has been tied not just to its food, but to its welcoming, neighborhood atmosphere. It’s an elevated yet casual space that mirrors Seal Beach’s own charm. Today, Walt’s Wharf remains a living piece of local history. It’s a reminder of how one man’s vision of honest food and warm hospitality could grow into a restaurant woven tightly into the cultural fabric of a coastal town.
Walt’s Wharf is deeply connected to wine…
Walt Babcock’s venture into winemaking in the 1980s became an extension of the same philosophy at the restaurant. It is believed that quality ingredients, when handled with care, create memorable experiences. He and his wife Mona founded Babcock Winery & Vineyards in the Santa Rita Hills of Santa Barbara County. And this was long before the region became renowned as one of California’s premier wine appellations.
The wines—particularly their Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs—found a natural home on the list at Walt’s Wharf. Poured alongside grilled seafood and steaks, they offered guests a direct connection between the Babcocks’ two passions. This marriage of land and sea, ranching and winemaking, gave the restaurant an even deeper identity. It not only tied Seal Beach dining to California’s emerging wine country but also reinforced Walt’s Wharf as an expression of the Babcock family’s culinary and agricultural roots.
What to expect food-wise? The same, classic, California-centric menu.
The food at Walt’s Wharf has always been about simplicity elevated by quality and fire.
From the beginning, the restaurant built its reputation on fresh seafood and oak-grilled meats, a pairing that set it apart when it first opened in 1970 and will define it again when it reopens. The open kitchen and wood-burning grill remain the heart of the dining room, where everything from swordfish steaks to halibut fillets is kissed with smoke. That oak-grilled signature extends to their lobster tails, shrimp skewers, and even seasonal vegetables, creating a cohesive flavor profile that ties the menu together.
Seafood is naturally the star. Walt’s has long been known for offering oysters on the half shell, clam chowder served in sourdough bread bowls, and daily selections of fish prepared with little more than fire, salt, and lemon, letting the freshness speak for itself. Yet the restaurant’s ranching roots also shine through in its dry-aged steaks and chops, a nod to founder Walt Babcock’s background in cattle. It was (and will be) surf and turf at its best.
Over the years, Walt’s has leaned into a California coastal sensibility: unfussy but thoughtful plates, seasonal specials driven by the market, and a wine list that reflects both local producers and global classics. Pairings are part of the experience. Desserts round things out with the same mix of comfort and craft, from bread pudding and crème brûlée to seasonal fruit tarts. Altogether, the food at Walt’s Wharf embodies the restaurant’s ethos: honest, high-quality ingredients, handled with old-school skill, in a setting that makes Seal Beach feel both intimate and timeless.
Walt’s Whard in located at 201 Main St in Seal Beach.
