Whiskey Joe's | Manatee River

Neither the French fries nor the sweet potato fries were sufficiently fried. They were both completely soft—not at all crispy. My grouper was good, as was the sauce. Others enjoyed the pollock with the fish & chips, but said the coleslaw had no flavor. Service was very good, and the view very nice.

We went for Father's Day and my husband ordered their wagyu steak. It was low quality and they overcooked it. When he pointed that out to the waitress she agreed it was overcooked but another woman brought it back saying it was cooked properly according to the chef and proceeded to argue with my husband. It was very clearly overcooked medium vs medium rare and the ends were even well done. My veggies were also undercooked and the fried foods the rest of my family got were over fried. Apparently their chef went to cooking school at a clown college. They did nothing to remedy the situation so I got to pay $46 for a piece of garbage steak that my husband ending up eating with ketchup because of how bad he said it was. Won't be going back

Waited 1.5 hours for dinner... 35 mins for a raw (shrimp) appetizer, over an hour for two entrees , one was good the other was so salty it was barely edible. Service was lacking on what seemed a slow night. Definitely not worth the price.

The food was low quality and it tasted like that don't change the fry oil very often. Don't order the mixed drinks as they were not good with very little alcohol. Placed seemed like it takes advantage of being on the water to get its business.

It was a fantastic atmosphere and the food was amazing my daughter loved everything she ordered.

We sat outside on a quiet Sunday afternoon. Casual. Prices were quite reasonable and the view of the manatee river was nice. I'm surprised it wasn't more crowded. Our service was fast and attentive. If you're looking for waterfront dining in the ellenton area, I recommend.

Absolutely love this place. Everytime we are in the Bradenton area we eat there. Would recommend it to everyone.

Nice atmosphere near the water with live music. It was loud, which made it hard for our server to hear us. The food was ok. Not bad, but not great. Made a note in our reservation about it being a birthday celebration, but nothing was mentioned by the server or the manager who checked in on us. Would recommend this place for drinks and apps more than a dinner outing.

We were celebrating our granddaughter's birthday and couldn't have selected a better place to do it. The service, food and ambiance was wonderful!!

Food and service were excellent. Pork sandwich and chicken sandwich. Basics, but very tasty.

Love enjoying dinner sitting out in the sand! As the sun started to set the fire pits were lit!

Wonderful outdoor experience with view of the manatee river. Food was very good and waitress was exceptional.

Great place on the river with awesome views and the Island Hour specials, with half price apps and cheap drinks, make this the perfect stop for food and drinks

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

I reserved this online for Christmas Eve for dinner after church service. I live near the one in Tampa and have never gotten there yet. Not sure I will after this experience. I received a vcm mid day stating that they close at 8pm. If I could come early the server would appreciate it, but if not, they would still honor the reservation.

When arrived, it was 7:30 on the dot since we were coming from church. I told the hostess we had a reservation and she told me we’ll need to sit and order quick because the kitchen is closing. I explained that my message earlier was that they’d be happy to serve us still, even at 7:30. We immediately felt unwelcome. In every restaurant world, open til 8, means serving until 8!
We watched the hostess go right over and get in the servers ear to inform her. What she said, I’m not sure, but it was very clear.

We felt extremely rushed when she came to the table. She rushed the order and when the food came out, she pretty much threw it down on the table. No check to see how things were or did we need anything. We had to ask for anything we needed.

Christmas Eve is a day I would like to tip heavily, instead we found ourselves tipping just 15%.

I do understand that is was a holiday eve, but if everyone was going to hurry to close up shop, perhaps the company should consider closing earlier. I would have chosen something else if I knew I was going to receive this level of disappointing service.

**update**
At the same time I posted my review I received an email from the restaurant manager that was following up on our 👎🏼 review when checking out for our bill. He discovered it when closing the days checks. I received another response from him after responding. Both responses very prompt and demonstrated true care about our experience. He of course wants to make things right. He showed me that this was most likely a one off experience.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 3

Service: 1

Parking: Is located right off I75. Construction in area. Friendly staff. Varied seating available as you over look Manatee River. Souvenirs available.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Fish and Chips