50 Best Seafood Restaurants near Cortez

“Enjoyed lunch yesterday with friends. Food was great. Our server was Bella who was amazing. Great personality and made us feel special.“

“Love the location and live music!“

“Honestly the best meal I’ve had on AMI and we’ve been coming to the beach ten years. Love this new restaurant!“

“Island living. Most welcoming people and great spot out of the fray. Cold beer and wine and excellent grouper bites.“

“Anna Maria Oyster Bar - Ellenton, FL After spending the day at the Florida State Fair in Tampa, my fiancé and I decided to stop by Anna Maria Oyster Bar in Ellenton—and we’re so glad we did! We ordered fried oysters, French fries, and cheese grits, and everything was absolutely delicious. The oysters were fried to perfection, crispy on the outside yet tender and flavorful inside. The cheese grits were just the way I like them—nice and thick—and the fries were a great complement to the meal. Even better, our food arrived quickly and fresh. Our waitress, Lilly, was fantastic, providing friendly and attentive service. We also appreciated how the rest of the staff greeted us warmly as we walked through the restaurant. It’s little details like that that make a place feel extra welcoming. The restaurant itself was clean and well-kept, including the bathrooms, which is always a big plus. Anna Maria Oyster Bar now has four locations, and after this experience, I’d definitely visit again. If you’re in the Ellenton area and craving fresh seafood with great service, this spot is a must-try!“

“Excellent!!!! Unexpected. Very happy to find this restaurant. Delicious food, served beautifully, seasoned to perfection, and our server, Linda, added to the great experience. Go!“

“Jordan was our server last night and he was excellent. We were celebrating our 29th wedding anniversary. This is our second time eating here and it is our favorite seafood restaurant. From the cocktails that we drank to the lobster bisque and then we had grouper bites and lobster bites for appetizers. For dinner, my husband and I both had the seafood linguine with different sauces and it was good . The only thing I will mention is that the last time we ate there, my husband had the seafood linguine, and it was a lot different than what we had last night. The first time my husband had the seafood linguine, It was much more bigger shrimp and you could tell the seafood was a little bit more presentable. Whereas last night you could tell it was not as fresh, but I still give it five stars because everything was fantastic. I did not eat this last night but the last time I ate there, I had their grouper with the citrus sauce on it and that is the BEST I’ve ever had it. I highly recommend.!! We will be back again.“

“Had a quick chill lunch with my bff, sat outside. Craig’s service was above and beyond!“

“Pizza was fantastic! Serves was amazing and friendly! Highly recommend! We will be back!“

“It was a stormy day that ended with a rainbow at Mar Vista. The food was perfect!!“

“We have been coming to the island for 5 years and have missed this little Gem, until tonight! Outstanding service, waitress was awesome , Manager’s tonight on point and the crab boils off the chart good! We will be back ! And often! Oklahoma ladies !“

“Kate was exceptional as we had 9 women who arrived thinking we had reservations! I had made reservations in key largo!!! Kate immediately attended to us and quickly cleared and sat a table for 9, even though they were really busy. Brian was our server and handled our service and he was excellent as well. Yummy food with a friendly atmosphere topped our evening! Thanks again Lazy Lobster in LONGBOAT key!!!!“

“Topsail Steamer was one of the highlights of our trip! The seafood was incredibly fresh, and the flavor was outstanding. Picking up our steamer pot and cooking it together at our condo was such a fun experience. The food was amazing, but the memories we made around the table were truly priceless. We can’t wait to do it again!“

“Food was amazing and the service was top notch. Highly recommend if you visit the island“

“Don't have an attitude? the host or Hostess will happily give you one. I would buy this restaurant just to fire them. Local? they'll treat you like a tourist which you would think they would be good to because they are the suckers they are dying to get in. " Hi how long for 2 people"? an hour to an hour and a half out of season.... no "I'm sorry, the wait is over an hour" nope you get "Fair enough" when you say you don't want to wait that long. no reservations yet some dude with a party of 4 just walked right in and was seated.... over rated is an understatement. AVOID ...NOT WORTH IT. Possibly the most overrated restaurant in an area of bad restaurants“

“Great seating on water ::: birds, ducks, boats.🛥️ Well behaved dogs are welcome too- wonderful family atmosphere is the theme for the staff You will come back again & again❤️❤️❤️❤️“

“The food was great the place was beautiful bathroom clean the waitress was very nice everything was good“

“Great food and great service. Jimmy was amazing!“

“Happy we went. True Jumbo crabs!“

“I love Sam's!!!! I feel right at home!! I get hugs and 5 star treatment when I'm there. Great food and lots of laughs!!! I recommend this place for sure!!!! Thank y'all for what you do!!!!!“

“� Love should never hurt cause we all get into it with happiness and pure mind, my relationship happened to take a sad turn as my fiancé resulted to domestic violence and womanizing, when he lost hi“

“Great grouper tacos!! Friendly staff and fast service! Coleslaw is 10/10!! Will definitely be coming back!“

“My friend and I went on Saturday night. We both had a drink and ordered appetizer while looking at the menu. Our waiter was right there with our hot appetizer within minutes. We both ordered shrimp and scallops coleslaw hush puppies along with our fried calamari appetizer. Our food was one of the best we've had in and around Bradenton/Sarasota. The atmosphere was perfect and service was the best. I cant wait to go back.“

“stopped in for lunch today. the food was decent, needed more flavor for me. the service was lack luster. waited over ten minutes from time being seated with menus until a server came over to bring us water and see if we wanted anything else. the server returned a couple times, but then at the end was too involved with her cellphone at the service station. even to the point of taking it over to 2 other employees to see before realizing that we were growing inpatient with waiting for the check. overall I give it a 7/10.“

“What a great place. My wife and I were visiting from the UK and found this gem of a restaurant. Ate there a few times. The food is outstanding; fish is really fresh and cooked to perfection. Saw someone having a steak?? Why have beef in a seafood restaurant ? Favourite restaurant of our trip.“

“One of our favorite spots for food .. always go to St Armand’s and decided to check out the Longboat location, it did not disappoint! Views, service, easy docking 💗💗💗“

“Juan was our waiter and he was great! The food was hot, served timely; he anticipated refills; we didn't have to track him down to ask for something. It was a totally wonderful dining experience and we will ask for him again!“

“This place was packed and it was our first time visiting, we were on vacation. We were told a 15 min wait for a table but it took about 30. Others were sat before us but, I think that was because employees were waiting on a table to better accommodate a wheelchair and walker. The server was very friendly and helpful with questions. It took so long to get our appetizers and the main orders that nothing came out hot. The food was warm enough to still eat but, just not as satisfying as it could have been if it were hot (hope that makes sense). Even still, the food was good. We had grouper bites, shrimp, and clams for appetizers. The bites & shrimp had a bam bam sauce that was bland but ok, they were fried so just coming out warm missed the mark. I had fried haddock with fries and rice pilaf - all was just kind of warm and bland. My dad had steamed veggies with his that weren’t fully steamed. For the price paid, the mark was definitely missed. Fried foods really need to be hot and crispy, ours was warm with the breading getting mushy and tasted like no one understood seasoning. Definitely a miss. Still recommend to try, ours could have just been a one off.“

“great food and great staff“

““We recently returned to check out The Study, the new speakeasy inside the doctor’s office. It was amazing! I can’t say enough about the food and drinks, some that was available only in The Study. The dark, rich decor made us feel special. It was an amazing experience. I can’t imagine going back and not requesting a seat in The Study!”“

“Without a doubt the best restaurant in the area. Perfect, old style French. Family run.“

“Great service from Holly last night! We were recommended to come into Sharky’s and we were very very satisfied. The prime rib was amazing and I loved their creamy seafood soup. Holly was so attentive, refreshing, and funny. We are definitely coming back! 5 Stars ⭐️ check it out folks.“

“I made reservations for my friend's birthday and 2 other guests were joining us. Unfortunately the reservation went to another Tiramisu in another city. Therefore, no reservations showed when our party arrived. The host was icey, lacked empathy or understanding. He was extremely demeaning and haughty. Finally sat us at a table next to the kitchen which was appreciated. Our waiter was stellar and made everything feel friendly again. The food was outstanding......every course. Im a local for 48 years but the host made me feel like an idiot. Never smiled (not to anyone else arriving later). Maybe not the best first impression to offer your patrons.“

“Stopped in for lunch with the family and was very impressed with the quality and taste“

“Our visit was a Christmas gift from our son. The food was delicious. The drinks were on point. But the customers service was of top quality. We were greeted quickly for our 8pm reservation. Our waiter went above and beyond to make our first experience at this location a very pleasant one. We will definitely be dining here again. Thank you“

“We stopped here for dinner, after a day on the beach. The food was delicious along with the Beachside cocktail. But…. the highlight of our dinner was Collin. His contagious smile and fun personality made us feel like we were having dinner with a long-time friend. He kept us laughing and took excellent care of us. The Beach House is very blessed to have Collin as a part of your team. He truly went above and beyond to make our entire experience excellent. We jokingly told Collin that we came to the island looking for a sugar daddy. After meeting him, we would consider becoming sugar mamas :)“

“Fantastic spot! We went there for lunch today and had a great time. The food was spot on. I wish I had the downtown dip right now! We will be back!“

“Exceptional food, drinks, and service. The Caesar salad was great, lobster ceviche was awesome, and the skirt steak was perfect. My spouse loved his steak and I had a mojito. Everything was amazing.

Edit after another visit:

We had very bad service last weekend. For a higher priced restaurant like this, it was terrible. Our server 100% forgot about us. We ordered salads as soon as he brought our drinks and if he’d have asked, we’d have given our entire order right then. When we got our salads he didn’t check on us until they were almost gone. My husband wanted a well done steak, so our order should have been put in. Giving him the benefit of the doubt I don’t think they want to rush you in a nice restaurant. I asked if he could take our order when he checked on our salads. We took our time eating but decided we’d need a box to take home. We waited at least 20 minutes before he came to check on us. I used the restroom at one point and saw him at the bar area. I think his main section was over there because we never saw him at any of the tables around us. We were seated in the back by the kitchen and I saw him in that area and he was looking around in the dining area at the very large birthday party next to us but he wouldn’t make eye contact for me to ask for a box and our check. It was enough to not go back for awhile. For $140 ($170 w/tip) we could have eaten almost anywhere.“

“This place is fabulous!! Been coming here for 4 years! We’re from the north and we don’t have markets like this. The staff is very nice and very knowledgeable. Always a pleasure to purchase anything from the folks here.“

“Food was delicious. I got the crab legs and they had so much meat in them. I wish I took photos, but unfortunately for you all my stomach ate first. Also, Arianna was a great server! She was very attentive and we were never empty handed! We will definitely be back!“

“Absolutely our favorite restaurant! The owners, staff all make you feel at home. The service, food, wine, music and atmosphere is perfect. Scarpino’s is definitely are GO To Spot, whether by ourselves or hosting company. Be sure to check it out! Ciao, Ciao!“

“First time in town and lucky to have stopped here. Farmhouse and Big Daddy Burgers were delicious in every detail. Fried onions and fries were so crispy and fresh.
Holley was our server and we had a great experience.
Really recommend it!“

“Brunch! The best! Great service, food excellent. Definitely will be back and it’s local for us...“

“Totally worth the wait for their re-opening! Absolutely amazing food and cocktails and not as pricey as one would think! Amazing, knowledgeable staff…listen to what they say and you won’t be disappointed.“

“Ordered the seafood pineapple dish, and it made my day. The flavors all came together, and the amount of fresh seafood was more than ample. The tables are clean, and the plating of the dishes is suberb. I sample a margarita and realized we will be returning.“

“was recently at The Sand Bar for a beautiful and intimate wedding on a postcard perfect Friday night. I was not involved in the planning of this wedding leading up to that wonderful night but the Bride and Groom had nothing but good things to say about the staff here that assisted them in all their preparations. I met Bailey the day of the wedding and she was about the nicest person I have ever met. Her professionalism and organization made any help from us unnecessary. Bailey, Rick the bartender, the entire event staff, the restaurant staff and the vendors were all amazing and made the whole evening a wonderful, seamless affair for family and friends who all came out to celebrate this wonderful couple. I don’t know how they made it look so effortless and even special ordered us a perfect sunset! If you are thinking of having your special event here , you will not be disappointed. Thank you guys again for everything!“

“Really nice restaurant with authentic Greek cuisine, portions were tasty and a good size, wonderful atmosphere and excellent service. We will definitely be back.“

“Amazing staff - so kind and fun! And the food is delicious!“

“Just returned from a great short trip to Bradenton Fl. Had a chance to visit here briefly. Wasn't sure what to expect due to some negative reviews. As a veteran server myself, I was very impressed with the food quality and service as well as the view. Started out with Cajun shrimp. Yum! Onto Pasta Primavera. Cooked perfectly. I always say all diners should have to do this job double shift just for one day. I totally recommend this restaurant while in the area.“