- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Movies |
- All
Old Florida Seafood House
Rating Details »
- 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:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good for:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
6 reviews for Old Florida Seafood House
I am probably going to get a lot of guff from people, but I actually like this restaurant. I have been going here for years. Had it not been for my friend that liked it from the first time we went in, then I probably would never have returned after the second visit. I have learned over the years that there are certain things to eat and certain things NOT to eat at this restaurant. If visiting this restaurant, keep these rules in mind:
1. Fried food is your enemy. It sucks at this restaurant. Think of any of the bad stereotypes about fried food and that is what you are going to get here.
2. Your body and palate can only handle so much butter. Stay away from anything that uses butter as a base; the amount of fat in one plate will not only kill you slowly, but it will cause your mouth to pucker in pain.
3. All of the specials in the center of the menu are disgusting.
4. Fresh, Baked, Broiled (with blackening), Steamed, Boiled -- These are all terms to look for in the descriptions. If it doesn't say it, and the waitress cannot confirm it, DON'T get it.
If you do not follow these rules, you WILL be VERY disappointed. If you do follow these rules, I cannot guarantee that you will actually like the food. The main clientele for this restaurant have an average age of 65 and the last thing they want to do is eat something that is going to kill them sooner.
The following items are good:
- Oysters - Raw or steamed, these taste good. BEWARE - the bring the juices that the oysters were steamed in. If you like this, that is fine. If you have never experienced this before, you may wish to tell the server ahead of time to leave this oyster juice with the cook. My nose is still burning with the torrid smell months after the first time I smelled it. This is NOT the oyster stew and should not be thought to be the same item!
- Shrimp Cocktail - These large, fresh shrimp are boiled and served chilled to the table. They are almost always cooked to a pleasant texture and taste. Only the very tip of the tail remains unshelled. Due NOT assume these are the same shrimp that they use in the rest of the dishes -- they are NOT.
- King Crab - As an appetizer or an entree, they are always fresh and freshly made for you. They are succulent and sweet.
- Apple sauce - This is a side that you can get with your dinner. It is fresh made and slightly chunky. I enjoy this side.
- Blackened Grouper - Not truly blackened since they don't pan-sear the filet in butter; this is a seasoned filet that is broiled. Ask for it medium-well to make certain that it doesn't come dry. Usually they will have thicker cuts of the grouper so that it doesn't matter.
The following items are somewhat inconsistent:
- Baked potato - There are times that this side is cooked perfectly, but many times where it is just overcooked. The toppings come on the side and the butter will already be on the table by the time this side arrives.
- French Onion Soup - There are times that this soup can be quite good with the flavors of the onion, crouton, broth, and cheese in balance. There are times that the cheese is not browned, the onions undercooked, the broth over-seasoned with what tastes like Italian breadcrumbs and the crouton rubbery. More often than not, though, it has been good.
- New England Clam Chowder - The basic flavor of the soup is always the same. Real clams are used to make this soup from scratch. The inconsistency comes in the dilution or concentration of the soup. If the soup is too young, it is fairly watery. If too old, it comes out as a glop that is most unappealing. I tend to steer away from this soup due to the fact that I have a 33% chance of it being Meh or worse.
Each and every meal comes with a basket of bread. The bread is an odd bunch: white, raisin-molasses, and blueberry muffin. Unless you like unnaturally sweet things, I would suggest staying away from the muffins. I love blueberry muffins, but they are two sweet and have an aftertaste attributable to artificial sweeteners. I flagilate between the white bread and the raisin bread as they are about equal in my mind. The basket comes with an ice-cream scoop of butter. Yes, an ice-cream scoop of butter. And, one more time, an ice-cream scoop of butter. This treasure of butter WILL last you and your dining companions through the end of your bread, appitizers, entrees and dessert.
I will continue to return. Please feel free to add comments or rules as there are still items I have not tried.
Here are the Cliff notes:
The place is gross. The end.
If you wanna know why, read the full version below.
Another quantity over quality joint.
The place is dirty.
It's cheap, but the value is zero.
The place is dirty.
It looks like the owners have not reinvested in the restaurant in decades.
The place is dirty.
The food is greasy...the breading is soaked in oleo, the noodles are soaked in oil, the shrimp swim in oil.
The portions are huge...which make matters even worst, frankly.
Oh, and the place is dirty.
Went for dinner on a Friday evening, & arrived in time for their "early bird" (not our usual, but it was mother-in-law's b'day & her choice!). Definitely try the conch chowder, which they serve w. sherry on the side; nice hint of heat in the chowder, not overwhelming, & chunks of seafood in it. Yum. Do NOT order their fried zucchini, or, if you must, have only one person in your party order it - tons of crunchy (if you eat it right away) but greasy battered thin strips of zucchini. All 3 of us ordered it, & left most of it. The broiled grouper was excellent; the shrimp francaise was excellent; my broiled scallops were overcooked & a bit rubbery. Someone's review mentions their bread & muffins. We found the muffins WAY too sweet, sweetness overwhelming any flavor the muffins might have had. The raisin pumpernickel-ish bread was better, but so soft (okay, some of you like soft, mushy bread - I prefer some crunch, at least for the crust). The serving of butter for the table looked like a scoop of vanilla ice-cream, it was that big, but it was light & flavorful (and not hard as a rock). The key lime pie for dessert was pretty decent, & they did put a candle in my mother-in-law's carrot cake, which she devoured so it must've been good.
Overall, a good value in terms of quantity & variety for the early-bird, but not excellent.
On the other hand, as I walked past the bar, some guy had a huge plate of oysters on the half shell - if I ever have to go there again, I'll try them; they looked fresh & refreshing!
I've had several bad experiences here. I'm sure it's decent, since the elderly people of the community line up to come here. However, one of the times I went here my mother found a live bug in her salad. Another time, there were hairs in our food that definitely did not belong to us. For those reasons alone, I will not go here again.
While lacking atmosphere, this restaurant has good food consistently. My dinner this week included the clam chowder and shrimp francaise. The chowder was served piping hot...very tasty though a little too thick for my personal taste. The shrimp francaise was served hot with a plate filled with 8 large shrimp...and a side of perfectly cooked broccoli and potato. A great meal!
Good seafood, but not much atmosphere. I recommend the conch chowder, the broiled grouper, and as much of the delicious, fresh-baked bread and muffins you can eat. Not far from the gayborhood, yet a world away.
