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Captain Anderson's Restaurant & Waterfront Market
Categories: Restaurants Seafood Active Life Boating Active Life Fishing Seafood, Boating, Fishing
5551 N Lagoon DrPanama City, FL 32408
(850) 234-2225
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Loud
- Ambience:
- Touristy
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
32 reviews for Captain Anderson's Restaurant & Waterfront Market
Review Highlights
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"Wifey had the Grouper Imperial---also awesome." In 3 reviews -
"...EXCELLENT, white flaky fish with fresh crab meat on top." In 4 reviews
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"Had a really great experience at Capt." In 4 reviews
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32 reviews in English
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Review from Major W.
Dallas, TX
4/22/2012
Go for the nostalgia. My wife ate there thirty years ago and wanted to go back. It certainly had that sixties style feel to it. Cavernous with heavy woods and seaside decor, with old lady servers wearing sailor style uniforms. The food was pretty good, but not a knock-out. Service was friendly if not a little rehearsed. It's probably one of those places you need to do once while you're in town, but not a repeat for us.
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Review from Andrew D.
Panama City Beach, FL
2/28/2012
It's a sad story that's been played many times in the homes of Bay County. We get a phone call from friends and relatives coming to Panama City Beach, and they want to meet up for dinner. One of the first suggestions is usually Captain Andersons. As soon as I hear those words over the phone I get a little queasy. Don't get me wrong: I love going to dinner with friends and family, but eating at Capt. Andersons is not really dinner. You see, at dinner you need to be able to communicate with the members of your party. I'll give you a little preview of what's in store.
You walk into the cattle yard and, after a long wait, are directed to one of several hostess stations where they route you down to the feed lot. Then, you're seated in the middle of a huge room with a dull roar that's on par with a garbage truck. You try to look over the menu while trying to filter out the screams of the infant at the table behind you. As you look down you'll see the remains of the previous high-chair bomb that exploded on the carpet beneath you. The servers did try to clean it up, but unfortunately that sweeper just grinds the food into smaller particles so it will lodge more deeply in the carpet. After you place your order, you try to make conversation with your group, but eventually give up due to the noise. The food arrives, which is decent, and a feeling of relief comes over you since you no longer have to try so hard to communicate.
Bottom Line: The food is decent, but welcome, my friend, to the machine!
Tip: If you're visiting someone locally, you might, out of courtesy, want to invite them to go eat at a place that more conducive to conversation. Or better yet, let them suggest an appropriate eatery! -
Review from Tom D.
Spring Hill, FL
5/16/2012
If you know nothing about sea food, eat here. We gave this place a shot some time ago, and the food was bad. Years later, they have not improved. Try the she crab soup, or should I say cream of hard boiled egg. Like flour? Check out the lobster thermadour. Need bread? Negative for it. I've learned my lesson. Never Again!
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Review from Tony L.
This was another place recommended by my local contacts, and it is another seafood specialty place. The first thing I noticed is the size of this place, and it was probably double the size of a chain type restaurant. There are window seats that could view the dock and ocean, and if you order a fresh catch, you can actually see them go down to boats and take it down to the kitchen from there.
Everyone in our party ordered fresh fish, and I went with the Grouper Imperial. The starter bread is in a neat looking ball shape, and it tasted all right. The dish came with a Greek salad, I am not usually a salad person, but I found the salad to be quite delightful. Then came the main dish, the fresh crab on top tasted quite decent, and the fish sat in the bottom with loads of butter enough of drowning it again in the afterlife. I have say, the fish was not super amazing, but it tasted well enough despite the excessive amount of butters. Other who got the tuna steak looked very good too.
After the meal, they used a somewhat terrible tactic of selling dessert by bring the selections right next to you, which I ended up getting a peanut butter cake, and tasted quite delicious.
If you are a seafood lover, then Captain Anderson definitely has what you need. Service was excellent for the entire meal. It is a place worth revisiting.Listed in: Spring Break Capitol
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Review from Codey H.
11/6/2011 1 Check-in Here
This was the grand finale of my trip to Panama City Beach, and what a finish it was.
Started with a shrimp appetizer that had a cajun (and heavy butter) kick to it, extremely tasty.
For the main entree, I had a Grouper imperial. A greek-style grilled filet of grouper, with lumps (or should I say chunks) of crab meat on top, glazed with olive oil and spices. Oh. My. Heavens.
Now, I'm only a seafood guy when I can see the water it came from. And this fish was absolutely one of the best I've ever had. If you have the cash to spare, make this a must stop.
Oh, and save room for dessert. The waitress will bring a tray of the evening's desserts, and each one looked amazing. Our chocolate silk pie was something like grandma would make (she agreed, she was there with us!). -
Review from ralph a.
New Orleans, LA
8/15/2011
seafood doesnt get any fresher than this! they have their own fleet of boats that go out daily and actually CATCH the food! Service is hands down top notch! This staff knows what they are doing, they are well seasoned and it is refreshing to see the same friendly smiling faces, some we have seen for the past 30 years!! Try anything that is charbroiled here, the fish, the steaks, the shrimp....a true grecian treat!
Grilled scamp topped with fresh lump crabmeat is a real winner! the churrasco steak cant be beat, and the gumbo is as good as you can get. Everything is made here in house, they bake their own breads daily and make all of their own desserts. They do not cut corners here!!
Do yourself a favor and skip all those chain restaurants at least one night and try some real good fresh florida food here! -
Review from j g.
Arlington, TN
3/31/2012
Nice, expensive seafood....more your parents kinda old school place
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Review from Derrick L.
Chester, VA
8/19/2011
June 14, 2002
Probably the best seafood to ever cross my palate... A definite must if in the area... -
Review from Amy T.
9/25/2011
Oh, Capt. Anderson's, what happened to you?? We have history, you and me, but it's just not working out. I'm afraid I'm not your #1 girl anymore.
It gives me great pain to have to write this review. I was born in Panama City and grew up about an hour north of there. As a kid, I spent many a night at Capt. Anderson's with my family for special occasion dinners. We'd always get there early and I used to love to watch the boats come in. My family' favorite: the fresh red snapper in season, char-grilled Greek style. I grew up comparing every other seafood dish to this excellence. This is how I learned what seafood should be like - the whole experience. On the water, watching boats come and go, fresh seafood, done simply, yet amazing. These are memories of days gone by at what used to be my favorite restaurant on Earth.
After many years away, we took a week-long vacation to Panama City and immediately, I told my hubby we'd have to hit Capt. Anderson's. I told him he couldn't let me leave PC Beach without it! Gotta have that red snapper! We chose Thursday night. We got there later, around 8pm, and the hostess was less than happy to deal with yet another patron. She tells us to "walk all the way back and veer right". So we do. Hostess #2 asks how many in our party, pulls menus and tells us to follow her. Yes, I know the restaurant is large, but she walks us all the way to no man's land and sits us at a dirty booth. Well, the table top was clean, but the floor had remnants of what I call "high chair debris" all over the floor, and some in the seats as well. Hubby and I look at each other as if to say "Really? This is the best Southern Living's Best Seafood Restaurant can do??". This would never do 20 years ago! We reluctantly sit. The tag on the table says Donna is our server. It takes Donna forever to come and get our drink order. I order a water and a bar drink; hubby and son order fountain drinks. We wait. Five minutes later, water and fountain drinks come, and she says she's getting my drink from the bar. Five more minutes go by, I get my drink and she leaves again. She's gone another extended length of time, then brings bread, and leaves again. So we close our menus to say "we're ready now". We wait. We realize there is no butter for the bread. Hubby gets up to go find some. Donna finally comes back to get our order about 15 minutes after we sit down. We have another awkward wait with no refills, no "can I get you anything", nothing. Entrees finally arrive and although I enjoy my red snapper, my hubby's fried shrimp and my son's mac and cheese were terrible. The shrimp were rubbery - either overcooked or under a heat lamp for too long. We should have sent them back, but our son had grown restless and we just wanted to finish up and go. Donna comes at the end of our meal and asked if we wanted to see the dessert tray. We said yes, and that we'd like to get it to go. Donna comes a few minutes later with the check. Ohhh-K. We'll just pay and go. Weird. Hands down the worst service our entire trip. So disappointing.
With all of the wonderful seafood places in PC Beach and the surrounding area, Capt. Anderson's is going to have to step it up. I'm sad to say that I don't plan on going back next time. -
Review from Charlee G.
Panama City Beach, FL
2/22/2012
Definitely a great restaurant. Three of us had Grouper Marguerey, She Crab Pie and Grilled Bay Shrimp. Every dish was wonderful and their rice dinner rolls alone are worth a visit. Our server, Trisha, was great. Very attentive and efficient. If you have room, the peanut butter pie is a good as any I have had in New Orleans.
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Review from Kurt H.
Tallahassee, FL
9/12/2011
Had dinner there during a conference. We were a large party, around 40 of us. Ordered the filet mignon, and it was absolutely terrible. It was so charred, it tasted like charcoal. Also ordered the mussels appetizer, but never even received it. I also ordered the she crab soup, and it was so bland and tasteless, I thought they might have mixed it up with the potato soup (although, they didn't, I asked). I guess this is what I get for ordering steak at a seafood restaurant. Have had much better steaks at half the price at other restaurants (the steaks are really expensive.) I will not come back!
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Review from Josh H.
Columbia, SC
2/21/2012
It's great ambiance, however it is a little on the pricey side. Definitely a popular tourist destination. Locals mainly go here for special occasions, but for the money, I'd rather go to Hunt's in PC or the Boat House a little further down.
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Review from Sloan B.
White House, TN
9/18/2010
Had a really great experience at Capt. Anderson's. The food was great, the service was better than expected at a restaurant this size and the atmosphere is entertaining.
If you haven't been I highly recommend it. We will go back for sure. -
Review from Mark W.
Franklin, TN
10/10/2011
Just average. I felt like a cow the way they herded us around. Generally ok, but for the price, I expect more, Server was not attentive and probably covering too many tables. Been eating at CA for 35 years, we will try some new place next time.
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Review from scott b.
Keller, TX
6/17/2009
AWESOME! Why locals speak despairingly of this restaurant is beyond me. Voted one of the top 50 Seafood restaurants in the U.S. for years, I believe speaks for itself? I've been coming here for the past 10+ years, and have NEVER had a bad meal, or less than stellar service. The Patronis family does it right----TOP NOTCH all the way!
Last night, I had the Scamp Imperial-----EXCELLENT, white flaky fish with fresh crab meat on top. Wifey had the Grouper Imperial---also awesome. We paired this with a bottle of the A to Z Chardonnay.
Teresa, our server, was on top of it----STRONG 5 STARS across the board! Decent pricing, above average wine list, excellent food & service. I plan on returning for years to come! -
Review from mike b.
Lynn Haven, FL
7/27/2009
Avoid like the plague!
Bad service, slow, rude, wrong orders, no refills... that's just for starters.
The quality of the food falls way short of the high price tag. You can get much better tasting seafood elsewhere in town,for cheaper.
This place is definitely geared towards the tourists, and from what i know, locals wouldn't think twice about going there to pay the high prices for the bad food and even worse service.
Typically, if a restaurant was busy i might understand a drop in standards, but there was no excuse for the complete disaster when our group went.
We will not be returning. -
Review from Ben H.
Atlanta, GA
1/28/2009
The restaurant is quite large and it draws a lot of people that they make wait in their large gift shop. It's a bit of a tourist trap. The food is not bad at all, but it is incredibly overpriced for what it is. It is maybe slightly better quality/execution than you'd find at any beach seafood place at a much greater price.
3 -
Review from Todd S.
Jacksonville, FL
6/11/2008
You can't drive around Panama City without seeing various signs for seafood restaurants. I decided to try Capt Anderson's since it was near my hotel. First off the place is big. It holds a fair amount of people. I didn't have any waiting when I got there but I still had to sit in queue for about five minutes to get a table.
Once seated I got great service. From what I could tell, the wait staff there did a good job for everyone. They are very attentive. I had the shrimp and crab au gratin. It was very tasty but I didn't think it had enough shrimp/crab to equal the $20+ price tag. It was very tasty though. I had the steam veggies with it and let me first say I'm not normally one that loves veggies but they were very good.
Looked like they had a full bar. They have a few beers on tap and what looked like some decent wines. I didn't get dessert but the tray they had of them looked very inviting. They have a gift shop ala Cracker Barrel, which also sells fresh seafood. -
Review from Colman R.
Cartersville, GA
6/21/2010
Had dinner on Sunday Night. It has been 30 years since I last visited Captain Andersons. Not much atmoshphere and the food was okay. I had the stufffed grouper with baked potato. Also a greek salad. The food was good but not great. It was just okay. Of course they had no raw oysters due to the oil spill in the gulf. I would not rush back to eat here.
Waitress was somewhat rude and was ready to go home. -
Review from Christopher H.
Montgomery, AL
6/29/2011
The service was great and the food was excellent. The wife and I went for our anniversary and had a great time. I highly recommend to those who love seafood.
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Review from Reese S.
Tuscaloosa, AL
5/19/2011 1 Check-in Here
Captain Anderson's is a nice place with a cool atmosphere that makes you feel like you're in a large cruise ship. The dinning room was a bee hive: waitresses and waiters were zooming everywhere, in and out, out and in. But the service was fairly good despite the fact my drink sat empty through half my meal. The menu is pretty expansive, but somewhat unclear about their side options. Most dishes come with your choice of a soup or salad; and a baked potato or vegetable. This is as clear as mud. The menu doesn't even tell you your options of the types of soup or salads or the vegetables. But our waitress ended up explaining it well anyway. They have varying sides, so he/she will tell you your options for that particular day.
I ordered the Shrimp and Jumbo Lump Crab Meat au Gratin ($24) which was baked en casserole with a cheese sauce and topped with Italian bread crumbs. It arrived in a bowl-type dish and the surface was molten lava; It looked like the fires of Mordor. I pierced through the blackened cheese layer and a pillar of steam fissured from the fiery depths. Against better judgement I scooped out a spoonful and shoved it into my mouth. Frodo should have destroyed the ring in that scorching pit. My mouth was burnt for the duration of my meal. But this did not deter me from tasting it. It was good. There were plenty of small shrimp and strips crab meat swimming throughout the gooey substance--I really can't compare anything to it except a very thick soup. It was very cheesy, and I like cheese, but it was a bit overwhelming. The taste of crab was very evident too, which was a good thing in this case. I really liked the blackened cheese layer on top. I'm all about some "top cheese". And it also came with two hush puppies. These were actually better than average. Much better than ones I've had at other restaurants.
As my sides I got the Greek salad: nothing special here, cucumbers (yuck), feta cheese, half of a tomato slice, and one olive that about cracked my jaw when I bit into it (I forgot to remove the pit), and it was doused in a very oily Greek vinaigrette. As my other side I chose the vegetable option and went with their sweet potato casserole. This was the best thing I had all night. It was thick and moist, and sweet, but not too sweet to the point where it became a dessert. It was crusted on top with burnt brown sugar (I think. That's my best guess.) Very good.
Overall, Capt. Anderson's was a good experience. Everything I tasted was good, but it wasn't exceptional and not worth the price tag. I probably wouldn't come here again because of the ridiculous prices; I had just as good food (or better) across the street at J. Michael's for way less. The whole place seemed to be filled with an air of pretension, and it's a flocking ground for the elderly. If you're a tourist then you'll probably end up here because in the words of my friend Admiral Ackbar, "It's a Trap!" -
Review from Liza B.
Washington, DC
2/2/2009
I LOVE seafood so you can understand my excitement when someone suggested Captain Anderson's for dinner. They just reopened for the season so I assumed it's going to be great. Although my experience wasn't horrible it was somewhat off.
When we got there we were put on a waiting list so we wandered around for a bit. Then the mayhem began...4 separate parties were called at the same time. It was my bf, his dad, and I in a sea of old people barely moving. Still...they somehow managed to beat us to the punch so we were the last ones left waiting for a table. The whole process was disorganized and completely unnecessary.
I tried fried blue crab legs for the first time and we also ordered crab stuffed mushrooms. Both appetizers were pretty good. We all ended up getting the lobster stuff with crab meat...I though it was OK...I would not order it if I came back. A lobster bisque came with my meal and that was pretty bad...to much starch and not enough cream. I got grilled veggies as a side while everyone else got sweet potato casseroles...YUK. This thing was horrible..imagine potatoes that are covered in sugar and cinnamon and you can't taste anything but the sugar. Needless to say no one touched that.
The service is good here but again a bit confusing. Somehow we were ordering drinks, appetizers, and meals all at different times.
Side note - watch out for the babies! No baby needs to eat lobster. -
Review from Marvin P.
Birmingham, AL
Pricey and almost as good as captain D's. Food was bland. We will not go back.
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Review from J S.
Chicago, IL
6/11/2011
This place is amazing. Get the she-crab soup and you won't be disappointed. It is not included as one of the side-item options, but it is worth the extra money. Go early, otherwise, you will wait a long time to be seated. It is a popular place. It is expensive, but most seafood is. The stuffed grouper was really good. Our waitress, Leslie, was very patient with our large group. The entire staff are very friendly.
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Review from Cathy N.
Decatur, GA
2/22/2011
What can I say? This place surpass all of my expectations. The food was delicious and the service was awesome. I went here on a date night with my lover and we both enjoy our evening here. Although I would say that this place attracts more of the older crowd, but hey, the frozen kahlua colada was delicious. I'll definitely will be back.
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Review from Tressi J.
6/15/2009
I had one of the best pieces of grilled fish I've ever had in my life here. Amberjack, simply done in lemon and herbs was outstanding, I've also had the steak here, which was equally as good. The only reason this place does not get five stars is because of the salads and sides. They could be a little more creative and tasty. Just the standard iceberg lettuce salad and a baked potato is not deserving of being plated with the heavenly main course...but still, Captain Anderson's is a must stop in PCB!
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Review from Isabel C.
San Carlos, CA
4/5/2011
Boycott Captain Andersons Restaurant - Rep. Jimmy Patronis, District 6, voted for HB1021 - Union Dues Payroll Deduction & is the company VP.
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Review from Tiff Y.
Phenix City, AL
6/13/2008
Captain Anderson's is great! The service is great and the food and drinks are fabulous! It is a bit pricey- but worth the splurge! All of their "imperial" entrees are great! I also love the peanut butter pie-it's out of this world!
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Review from USM C.
Dothan, AL
6/25/2010
Simply put, THIS PLACE IS GREAT! Food, drinks and service. If this place don't light your fire, your wood's wet. I highly recommend it.
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Review from Ron W.
Enterprise, AL
9/29/2010
Food is overpriced for the quality. Nothing special in regards to flavor.
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Review from Garland B.
Chicago, IL
12/31/2008
The best seafood restaurant in PCB, period. The chargrilled fish is a definite must-have.
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Review from Daryl M.
Madison, AL
9/11/2009
Agree with a previous commenter. Had one of the best pieces of grilled grouper I've ever had! Salads and potatos are nothing fancy, kinda short of the level of the main courses. Always seems crowded when we're here, never a bad sign!
