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Spoto's Oyster Bar-Pga
Category: Restaurants Seafood Seafood [Edit]
4560 Pga BlvdPalm Beach Gardens, FL 33418
(561) 776-9448
Announcement
Our new Water Bar & Grill will be a contemporary fresh seafood restaurant with modern decor and a menu featuring fresh fish, opening fall.
- Hours:
Mon-Thu, Sun 11:30 am - 10 pm
Fri-Sat 11:30 am - 11 pm
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot, Valet
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
38 reviews for Spoto's Oyster Bar-Pga
Review Highlights
"The coconut cream pie is amazing."
(in 7 reviews)
"...you like oysters on the half-shell, please give this place..."
(in 4 reviews)
"...would also recommend the Thai mussels which are steamy and..."
(in 2 reviews)
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38 reviews in English
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Review from Frank S.
Manhattan, NY
11/16/2011
Very good food. We ordered Thai mussels, tuna and chicken salad, linguine with all sorts of seafood (scallop, shrimp, clam, etc.). 5 star.
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Review from Linda B.
Green Cove Springs, FL
1/2/2012
Their oysters are fabulous. Their pasta amazing. Their clam fettuccini might be the best we've ever eaten (we split it which is more than plenty after 18 oysters). On our third visit we ordered it yet again, and it wasn't available because their pasta machine was broken!! NO WONDER it is so incredible!! I should have guessed. Their pasta is definitely 5-stars.
Great outdoor seating, indoors in loud and slightly stale smelling. -
Review from Anita L.
12/26/2011
Noisy atmosphere, but good for a fun night out. We ordered a half dozen oysters, gazpacho, bacon-wrapped scallops, and bouillabaisse.
The bouillabaisse had plenty of seafood: lobster tail and claw, mussels, clams, and fish. It was packed full of onions though which was a little displeasing. The grilled bread did not have any aioli on it like traditional bouillabaisse. The broth was spicy and briny. Not bad, but I'd rather order something else next time.
Bacon-wrapped scallops appetizer had three very large scallops wrapped in bacon. Bacon was bordering on the chewy side, rather than crispy. It was served with a spicy mango salsa and a port wine plum sauce. The quality of the scallops were amazing, and they were cooked to perfection.
Gazpacho was very chunky, with cucumbers, bell peppers, and the like. It was mild but flavorful. Served with a dollop of sour cream. I personally thought it was the best gazpacho I've had (but I'm not a fan of gazpacho), but my boyfriend who loves gazpacho claims it was the worst he's had.
Oysters. My god. These were the best I've ever had. The mignonette was spectacular, and the oysters were cold and briny. We ordered the chef's featured, but the name escapes me. Can't wait to go back for more oysters!
The dessert platter is a genius way of getting people to order dessert. They present the whole platter to your table, introduce you to all of the lovelies, and then threaten to take it away unless you order one.. Got the coconut cream pie. A lot of shredded coconut in the custard and meringue.
All this plus a glass of wine and tip cost about $100. Definitely pricy, but damn, those oysters were good. -
Review from Krissy W.
Morrisville, NC
9/17/2011
Trying to find a good oyster bar was more difficult than we thought visiting Florida, but we went to trusty yelp and found Spoto's. If you like clam chowder (N.E), you'll love their clammy creamy one. Good taste and consistency, not overloaded with potatoes. Pretty impressed considering I just visited the N.E. Area and had "authentic" chowda. My whole fam liked it. Next, oyster shooters and they were good. Bro had the martini ones which he liked more, I think cos of the alcohol, though. Had raw and steamed oysters and they were both GREAT. Clean, ungritty, large oysters, while still keeping the flavor. Recommend malpeque if you like em big. Lobster ravioli had 1 and 1/4 lb of lobster although we split it, it seemed like less. at least they didn't charge a split/ shared fee. It was tasty. And lastly (oh yeah, we did some eating!), the dessert tray. The infamous skip the menu look at these delectable treats approach...of course you want them all. We settled on the coconut cream pie and peanut butter mousse with chocolate pie. Omg. Thank goodness they let you do half a slice! Can try more than one and so glad we did. Both divine, no exaggeration. Coconut was light and pbc was rich. Both a perfect way to end the dinner.
So why did we give this yummy restaurant, with an elegant, yet casual, atmosphere, only 4 stars? Pricey and not even near the water. We are used to good deals on oysters on the half shell per dozen. Half a dozen cost $15. Yes, kinda woah, but they were so good we got a dozen and a half anyway. And that in itself says a lot. -
Review from Tony C.
Palm Beach Gardens, FL
1/30/2012 1 Check-in Here
Meh. For all the rave reviews, and more importantly, the price, I expected more.
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Review from Joey W.
West Palm Beach, FL
12/14/2011
Very fresh raw oyster and clams, wait staff (mike) is very knowledgable and attentive. We enjoyed our night out on Saturday there. Just a bit pricy for $100 / 2 for dinner with 2 drinks.
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Review from Robert W.
Miami-Dade, FL
This place is incredible. If youre 1-2 people, go sit at the bar and see how they prepare the raw items and cook soups and pasta.
Bluepoint oyster was excellent. I saw them do the clams, forgot whats the name, but they looked so good, large and meaty, i should have tried it was gets expensive. Pecan Trout was good. Careless about cream sauce. Sides were excellent. Seafood salad was nice, tons of seafood on it. Excellent service.
Would go again for special occasions or if in the area. -
Review from Dave L.
Chicago, IL
3/23/2011 1 Check-in Here
Being in Florida, the girlfriend and I wanted to try a bunch of raw food and this is definitely the place to do that. We ordered a boat load of clams, oysters, and crab claws. We really enjoyed the oysters and the crab claws, and not so much the clams, but I think that's just a preference thing, not that Spoto's fault. The dessert was also pretty good, and our waitress was super helpful selecting what we were going to eat.
My problems with the restaurant come with the outside atmosphere and the price. Outside there is this giant chess board with giant hollow plastic chess pieces. Irresponsible parents decided to let their children play with the chess pieces which resulted in hearing loud hollow banging sounds every thirty seconds as the children would throw and kick the chess pieces and this was accompanied by that wonderful child-laugh/scream sound to go along with it. Not the best thing to have going on while you're trying to enjoy dinner. Also the outside patio is in a "fancy" strip mall, so there's really not much view to enjoy. This place was not cheap either so it was kinda salt on the wounds to sign the bill while the aforementioned cacophony was occurring.
I will give this place another chance because of the food and will probably mix up the menu selection, and probably not sit outside. -
Review from Rob B.
2/27/2011
We really love this place. Most of it is perfect, like the service the oysters and the setting both inside and out. Yes, outside is roadside, but if you are catching a break from NE winter, a little car noise is fine by me.
Tonight we had oysters awesome, Conch and NE clam chowder, also awesome and littlenecks with chorizo, and mussels Thai. All was good but the clams, littlenecks they were not, mostly cherrystones and a few that were bigger. They were strong and tough, and the broth was so salty we could not eat it.
Coconut cream pie was enjoyed but know it has toasted coconut through out. We will be back soon! -
Review from Kristen R.
Dalzell, SC
7/31/2011 1 Check-in Here
Came here to see what all the fuss was about. I don't like oysters so I went with the tuna on a salad. Very good. We also had the coconut cream pie that was also good but not good enough to write home about.... My mom had two different types of oysters and loved them. 3 stars because it's pricey & I wasn't overly impressed.
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Review from Suzanne C.
Santa Monica, CA
I love Spoto's! When I lived in FL I went here all the time. Ellen, the Owner, is amazing - she's so accommodating and friendly! The food is consistently good (I can happily say that I've eaten here over 30 times in the few years I lived here). You really can't go wrong with any dish.
I came back to FL to visit today, and first stop ... Spoto's ... and it delivered a slam dunk.
OH! And when Stone Crab season begins - make sure you have them at spoto's ... they are SO delicious!!!
DO NOT MISS OUT ON DESSERT! It would be a crime. The coconut cream pie is amazing. Even people that tell me they don't like coconut end up loving this pie. I also REALLY love the bread pudding.
*During season (Oct/Nov thru April/May) make sure and make a reservation because it's always packed. -
Review from Crystal F.
Jupiter, FL
5/22/2011
Hmmmm...where to start? Ok, my bf ordered a bottle of champagne to start with and although this place is def not a place to go and expect high standards, I would expect a certain amount of knowledge on a basic level. Our waitress poured our bubbly with the glasses down, repeatedly, and kept pouring new on to old. Basic stuff that we were willing to overlook, but annoying just the same.
We ordered the oyster shooters to start and that was the highlight of our meal. Clean, crisp and fresh tasting. We were perfectly pleased at that point. We followed with the shrimp cocktail and the yellow fin pate. Yuk! The shrimp was over cooked and the cocktail sauce was bland....more of a ketchup than a cocktail sauce. Also, the yellow fin pate was basically cream cheese. I said to my bf "here ya go! A piece of egg...." it was cream cheese. Horrible.
At this point we were both trying to make the best of our lunch, so we weren't really saying much about the food. It was the big purple elephant in the room that no one wanted to acknowledge. We finished up by ordering our main courses. Being that the food was so shitty, I decided to go with a soup and salad (Usually for my main course, I order something I can pick at and take home, but I kinda knew better). the Ceaser salad was good, however the soup was cold. I brought it home thinking "it's ok, I'll heat it up later anyway". Un uh! I heated it up and it tasted like Progresso soup. The potatoes were even small lil squares like Cambells. Terrible! My b/f had the "blackened" (my ass) grouper, mashed potatoes, and broccoli. My impression when I looked at it was cafeteria food. Judging how he didn't bring it home, he must of felt the same.
It was all around pretty crappy. Our bill for two, although with an 80 bottle of champagne, was 188 bucks. Not a problem if the food would have been good, but stings when you are fed out of a can and apparently frozen too. -
Review from Douglas H.
Durham, NC
8/22/2011
Spoto's is good. They have a menu with lots of choices, especially when it comes to seafood. The environment is nice (though quite loud) and the service is good. When you get your food, it's almost certain to be very tasty. The place isn't cheap and the noise level won't be for anyone, but I never regret going there.
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Review from Richard W.
Miami, FL
7/18/2011 2 Check-ins Here
Blue Point Oysters are fresh and tasty. Seafood Cobb Salad was great too. Excellent service.
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Review from Elyse L.
West Palm Beach, FL
5/16/2010
Spoto's is definitely the place to go to for fresh, delicious oysters and fantastic appetizers.
I know this is probably a little odd, but I have been dining at Spoto's for years now and have never tried any of their entrees. Why? Because their oysters are amazing!
When I first dined at Spoto's in downtown West Palm Beach, I not only found a place where I can trust their raw seafood, but a place where they create different appetizing preparations for that food. Up until then, I usually just ate oysters plain which are great in itself. At Spoto's however, I usually (because I am addicted to them) order the Asian Oysters. These oysters are on the half shell and garnished with refreshing seaweed salad, caviar, and a dollop of sour cream. They are served with soy sauce on the side. Another go-to item I order are their Oysters Rockefeller which are creamy, warm, and rich. The blue point oysters are fantastic and clean tasting.
I would also recommend the Thai mussels which are steamy and served in a creamy, curry coconut broth with a few strands of lemon grass. Also, their gazpacho is refreshing and garnished with croutons and a spoonful of sour cream.
The staff is always professional and willing to make recommendations or answer any questions. I find that the managers are also pretty quick to help out staff here and check in on diners. Although a little pricey, I believe it is well worth it for quality, delicious seafood. -
Review from Yora K.
New York, NY
5/24/2008
Don't nobody hate on Palm Beach Garden Oyster joint
When you got an average age 65 crowd grooving on Thursday night
you know you got yourself a quality joint
When you got historic oyster posters all over the place
you know you got to appreciate the oysters
The bartenders are excellent
do work with quality products (regardless of the price)
friendly, speedy and know what's good for you
whoever serves me an icy vodka (Sobieski polish vodka) on a rocks with a little twist of lemon, I am all right -
Review from Douggers M.
Piedmont, CA
5/20/2007
When ever my number one gay and I get together we stuff ourselves with oysters and drink wine. Usually on the coast we both fled to.
It was miracle that we managed to be in Gardens at the same time last Christmas. We share dozens of Briny goodness and nibbles, gossiped and talked about old times. Truly a can't miss spot.Listed in: Picky, Picky, Florida Living
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Review from Heegs a.
Boston, MA
6/20/2007
Oyster Shooters! I mean what's better than oyster picked out of the shell dressed with tabasco, horseradish, cocktail sauce in a shot glass? No really. what's better than that?
Yeah, it's a seafood restaurant, but their prime rib is mouth watering. -
Review from J S.
North Palm Beach, FL
9/18/2010
This is a restaurant that you must try! The owner, Ellen, is hands-on involved on a daily basis and her staff is poised and professional.
All of their food is wonderful.....most notably their New England clam chowder. Their seafood is always fresh and expertly prepared - I most recently had their grilled yellowtail snapper and it was fabulous. -
Review from Matt M.
Belmont, CA
10/9/2008
This is one of our favorite restaurants. The food is excellent and the people are very friendly.
The coconut cream pie is to die for! -
Review from Aimee M.
Chicago, IL
1/9/2007
I'm a huge fan of oysters and from what I was told, Spoto's is the place to go and boy were the suggestions correct. Everything from the quick service to the delicious oysters were spot on... hmmm, wonder if Spoto got it's name from being spot on....
Oyster shooters-- highly recommend
vast wine selection and of course a boisterous crowd, when you're in the mood to start the night off right, spoto's will help give you that BOOST! -
Review from Joshua K.
West Palm Beach, FL
3/30/2011
My wife and I have been going to Spoto's for years and years, since they only had the one location on Datura (now closed). It is consistently an enjoyable experience with fresh seafood and a fun, elegant atmosphere.
The last couple years, we have had a big group get together for my wife's birthday here. They always prepare a custom menu, complete with balloons tied to the birthday girl's chair.
They are known for their oysters, though I have never actually ordered them. We are huge fans of the house salad, crab cakes, dolphin, snapper and, as odd as it sounds, their sides... unbelievable cream of spinach and mashed sweet potatoes that are second to none!
Then there's dessert... oh dessert... they actually have a pastry chef make everything fresh. While every one of their unique and amazing desserts is worth a try, you must get the coconut cream pie at least once.
This last visit, the service was a bit 'off,' which is atypical for them... but it lowered the rating from 5 to 4 stars. We will surely be back, though. -
Review from Sally W.
San Diego, CA
9/23/2011
There was nothing special about the food. Red Lobster can have the pretty much the same food with lower price.
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Review from Keith Dorothy C.
Palm Beach, FL
Most of the reviews are about the oysters. However if you love clams on the half shell, this is one of the best places in Florida for it! Secondly their clam chowder is the best. It will compare as well if not better than most New England restaurants.
Most restaurants serve the little cherry stone clams which are small and in most cases over priced. They serve the little neck clams which are much bigger. Their cocktail sauce is home made and just fantastic. I can't get past the shrimp with linguine. We have always had an excellent meal every time we have eaten there.
The service is great and it has nice outdoor seating. Make sure you join their club, which is free. You earn points towards money off future meals. Secondly they send you a $20 off coupon on your birthday.
This restaurant is highly recommended. -
Review from Kirk A.
Jupiter, FL
1/6/2009
Very good, very fresh seafood that is prepared well. They usually have a nice variety of raw oysters. The service is always excellent and professional. Great place for a date, special family occasions or a business dinner. Not inexpensive but it's worth the money.
The wine list is also very good. Nice selection of whites and reds. The prices are typical for an upscale restaurant. -
Review from Jeffrey C.
Locust, NC
1/2/2011
I go to Spoto's every chance I get. The raw bar has the freshest clams and oysters you can get. The wine list is great. The staff are really excellent. The ambiance is almost NY steak/oyster bar which suits me just fine. The patio dining is a treat in the warm evenings.
It's not the cheapest restaurant in town but you get the excellence that you are paying for. -
Review from Carl F.
New York, NY
1/1/2011
Beautiful restaurant inside and out with excellent food to match the reputation. Salad, bread, conch chowder and fish exceeded our expectations. Nice wine list at reasonable prices. I finished the excellent meal with the highly recommended coconut cream pie and they enjoyed filling my request for dark chocolate sauce to go with the pie. It was heaven.
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Review from Bill J.
Jupiter, FL
8/20/2009
Great place for oysters. They have an iced selection of oysters with chefs manning the oyster bar. The rest of the food here is very good. You WILL pay for it but it is worth every penny. Upscale look, helpful, friendly wait staff. Full bar available.
Outdoor seating is available but at this location I would advise against it for a full dinner...it is on a main road with lots of traffic noise; however, the outside atmosphere is great for some appetizers and cocktails on the weekends/hanging with friends, etc... -
Review from Dark A.
Jupiter, FL
2/2/2011
Delicious, thoughtful food.
I've been going to this place for years - it's always tasty.
The baked brie oysters are not to be missed. However, be aware, they are addictive. Also great crab cakes and salmon burgers.
It's really a shame the location in West Palm Beach closed a while ago. -
Review from Toni L.
5/3/2009 3 photos
The only thing extraordinary about this place is the $$$.
Food: While the oysters were delicious, the special twist of creativity that validates spending 30+ dollars on dinner was lacking in their seafood. I sampled three types of oysters from a giant platter. They were all delicious and fine. No complaints there. They even brought out some lemons and oils for my French colleague who likes them in a particular way. Things took a dive when I received my entree. I ordered an Ahi tuna salad. When it arrived, there were chopsticks pointing straight out of the thing into the sky (http://www.yelp.com/bi...). This is obviously a bad idea for practical purposes (let the eye gouging begin), but it's also a culturally inappropriate practice; the standing chopsticks resembles incense at an altar... like you are channeling the dead. I got chills when I saw it. Aside from that, the salad was completely tasteless. My container of "dressing" was basically just soy sauce. The tuna had a thick crust of spices on the outside, including ground pepper, but it really detracted from the delicate texture of the tuna and tasted pretty awful. To top it off, my conch chowder (http://www.yelp.com/bi...) looked terrible and tasted only marginally better. Dessert continued the trend. The bread pudding was just mediocre (http://www.yelp.com/bi...). I've had better at Downtown Disney or... Ralphs.
Service: Very good. The servers were extremely accommodating and friendly.
Atmosphere: Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous. I love Florida and the outdoor dining brings you that much closer to the greenery. The interior is dripping with hints of wealth.
Synopsis: I came here for a conference so I didn't have to pay, but I don't think I can afford anything here on my own ... not that I'd want to. I can get better for cheaper elsewhere. -
Review from Mark M.
Austin, TX
9/30/2008
Must-eat place for oyster lovers.
The oyster variety isn't anything to brag about but the freshness and quality are. If you like oysters on the half-shell, please give this place a try.
I don't remember the exact kind of oysters I ordered, but they were from somewhere in Massachusetts(the further north and colder the better IMO), they were expertly shucked and they tasted clean and fresh. (6 for $16.50).
Other than oysters, they have a compact and straightforward menu that consists of all your basic seafood needs and another specials menu that featured shrimp. I ended up ordering the seafood gumbo because of someone else's recommendation but I wouldn't recommend it myself. Very peppery and light. Not what I'm used to I guess. My wife ordered goat cheese and lobster pasta and she thoroughly enjoyed her entree.
As for drinks, they have an above average selection of beer, with Widmer Brothers Hefeweizen and Oyster Ale(which is really Sierra Nevada Pale Ale).
In the end we paid $130 which included the oysters, two entrees, two beers, and a shared dessert.
I highly recommend reservations because it was packed in here. -
Review from Doug B.
North Palm Beach, FL
8/14/2008
Great spot, not only for the food and drinks, but the crowd is fantastic. I love their oysters (usually 3-5 varieties) and their appetizers more than any place in the area. IMHO the best dish on the menu is the "Seafood Gumbo" with andouille sausage and a variety of seafood, this is a dream!
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Review from Jenny C.
Palm Beach Gardens, FL
8/19/2008
This is great place to enjoy an oyster i love it the bar has good drinks too i would eat here any day of the week
Listed in: The Places I Go Out
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Review from Justin P.
Parkland, FL
11/10/2008
Very good raw bar with an upscale decor and helpful servers. The atmosphere is almost like a Houston's, but nicer, and more importantly, Spoto's has much better food.
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Review from Shirley C.
Palmdale, CA
6/12/2009
Guess I should've stuck to the namesake and tried some oysters but as I was getting the food to go, so I didn't want to mess around with it at the bar. After getting recommendations from the waitress I ordered the sesame seared tuna with mango papaya salsa. The fish was fully encrusted in sesame which made it taste very dry and overcooked on the outside. I orderd the fish medium rare and the inside was rare but it also had a strong fishy taste which I think speaks to the quality of the fish. If I ever go back again I would stick to trying the oysters.
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Review from Luc L.
Wellington, FL
8/23/2009 1 Check-in Here
Feels like being in Paris in a cozy 'Brasserie', Spoto's proabably serves the best oysters by far in the region. The place is pleasant, service adequate and the oysters simply delicious.
I' d rate Spoto's a five stars if it weren't for most of the fish dishes which are plain and forgettable. This is definitively a place for oysters and drinks.
Prices are what they are for PGA. -
Review from Christopher C.
Palm Beach Gardens, FL
3/31/2010
We really like Spoto's for lunch. Great Mahi sandwich, salmon and prime rib sandwich options. Dont forget about their hidden bar next door - real cool place that is not usually too busy to hang out at. Also they are very accommodating in allowing us to bring our dogs and sit outside for a nice meal.
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Review from a m.
Gainesville, FL
3/18/2010
I've been eating at spoto's for years (both here and their older downtown location) and they never disappoint. Spoto's always has great food, fresh, juicy and delicious oysters, well trained and attentive staff, and a bustling but not overwhelming environment.
