Diners in California had an unexpected liquid lunch when a massive wave ripped through their restaurant.

Patrons at The Moby Dick Restaurant in Santa Barbara managed to capture the moment of impact on their mobile phones.

The windows caved in under the force - but remarkably there were no serious injuries.

"The dining room was filled with the sound of glass shattering and people screaming as a wave of water rushed over the dining room carpet," said eyewitness Forrest Buchanan.

"We got the room evacuated without injuries. I then looked at the manager and asked, 'Do you mind if I don't pay for my breakfast and move on?'"

The restaurant's website seemed to foreshadow such an event.

Its blurb reads: "Here at Moby Dick there is always something exciting going on – big waves, surfers, sailboat races."

Thunderstorms left 10 inches of rain in some parts of Southern California this weekend - though it wasn't enough to end the drought.

There were mudslides down foothill communities, sinkholes and flooded highways.