Sandollar Restaurant

Fabulous every time! The food and service never disappoint. The waterfront view is beautiful, the live music adds the perfect touch, and the atmosphere is always relaxed and enjoyable. Every dish is consistently spot-on, making this a wonderful place to spend an afternoon or evening. Highly recommended!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

The stuffed mushrooms are great, the crab filling is super crab forward and they're not shy with it either. The oysters were fresh and it was my first trying them, I really enjoyed the horseradish they were served with, also very fresh tasting. We arrived after sunset so we couldn't quite enjoy the view to its fullest but it was super cool watching the boats go by at night. Our server, whose name I believe was Craig, was attentive and kept the table pre-bussed and our drinks full. The food was fresh and hot and the only thing to complain about was the crunchy rice and bland beans that were served for the side option of rice and beans, just order another one of their many fantastic side options. Also, I love that you can switch up the side options for the entree's! I would recommend this place to anyone!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Love the view of the St. John's River. Big windows, outdoor seating is amazing. Food and service were excellent.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Poor service

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 4

Service: 2

Absolutely the best clam chowder!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Bit bland but pretty good overall. Service was great.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 5

This place is a mixed bag. I'm not a local so hopefully this isn't the norm. The food was absolutely delicious. I got the bourbon salmon and the glaze was amazing. The views from the patio are gorgeous and a great way to enjoy delicious seafood. The service left much to be desired. Waiting 15+ minutes for food and drinks during the slow hours. Kitchen didn't get our sides correct, so that was annoying. Overall, if you have patience or time to kill, the food and views are worth the wait!

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 3

Rueben was my server and was very friendly and accommodating. I ordered the pick two plate with fried shrimp and flounder. Sides were coleslaw and fried okra. I have NEVER received a piece of flounder or any fish for that matter at any restaurant as big as the fish on my plate. It was just about the size of the plate. The shrimp were huge and very good. The slaw was good, not your usual run of the mill slaw, very fresh and flavorful. The fried okra was good but not much you can do to mess that up. As a rule I dont eat hush puppies, but, something told me to try it. Absolutely amazing and ordered some to go. Highly recommend this establishment.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

The kitchen was VERY slow despite the few people eating at that time. Our waitress apologized multiple times so one can only assume it was not her fault it took a long time.
The cashew grouper was moist, the portion size was generous, and the hush puppies tasty.
The blackened mahi fish tacos were delicious and again the portion size was generous.

The rest of us had shrimp we enjoyed.

Allow for extra time if you have children as the service was very slow. It appeared that there were too few servers despite the few people there at the time.

Returned here 12/13/2025. Wish I had gone elsewhere!

The shrimp on the shrimp and grits were good. The grits were like paste. I don’t believe I have ever eaten worse grits than here.

This time the grouper tasted like it was frozen and reheated. It was hard, not fresh tasting.

The view was the best thing offered this day. Wish I had gone elsewhere for the food. So disappointed. Will not return.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 2

Service: 3

When my father was alive, he lived to take the ferry and take his grandkids to Sandollar. It has new owners since then and have enlarged the dining area and upgraded the interior.

How does it rate?
Food - I would say 4/5 (but 5/5 on certain dishes).
Ambiance - I love looking out onto the water, so 5/5 (options, on the water, inside or out)
Service - consistently good 5/5 (Kristen is an outstanding waitress, food guru and playful server. She made dining fun.)

But seriously, you want to know about the food.

Salad - not spectacular, but fresh and great dressing options.
Hush Puppies - really good, almost like they are part pancake mixture.
Carrots - fantastic. Not normally carrot guy, but these were do GOOD.
Blackened Catch - I get this often, it has been great and it has been “meh” based on the catch of the day,
Hamburger - surprisingly good for a seafood restaurant. Not a bad choice if you are in the mood.
Fried oysters - I always ask that mine be crispy, and they are best that way, imho.
Fried shrimp - fresh Mayport Shrimp, lightly fried and good. Solid choice,
Scallops - my wife’s favorite, which is why we come at least once a month. They are big, with a delightful crust and a great aftertaste.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Took some friends to the driftwood beach and thought we would grab some food here before and regret that decision.

We waited half an hour when there was amble open tables, likely due to staffing since it was the Friday at 2pm after Christmas.

Once seated our wait staff took our drink order and didn’t even ask if we wanted to place an appetizer order in, like she was in a rush but we yelled for her to put in an order of calamari and stuff mushrooms.

Drink’s came out quick but apps took long enough for us to finish drinks and sit waiting for the wait staff to come back, so long we actually had to yell again for her at which point she didn’t even come over and just said to give her a moment.

Come to find out she was handling an issue where another customer dropped their card, totally get it, but don’t make us wait 20 extra minutes for that. A manger should have been dealing with that.

Then I ordered a burger well done, side of hush puppies and onion rings along with what my friends got. I asked for mayo on the burger and she said she would bring some, no biggy.

Again we sat and waited for too long and she didn’t even bother to check in on our drinks often enough. I asked for a tea refill and didn’t get it until after she came back once for water then once for a beer top off and finally my friend had to yell again at her to bring a tea.

Final straw for me was she brought my burger and no mayo on it or on the side. I had to again wait for her to go get mayo which none of the times she left was it a quick return. In the end my burger was pink and not edible so I couldn’t finish my meal.

I will say my friends who got the stuff flounder and chicken sandwich says it was good.

But after the constant waiting on the wait staff and no apologies what so ever, my food and time was ruined.

I wouldn’t recommend this place to friends at this point.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1

Fantastic service

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

This place has gone down since I last visited, our waitress i dont know her name very young no name tag i asked her twice for her name but I couldn't hear what she said because she said it so fast I walk off. He never returned the whole time we were there until she brought us our ticket. I got up to go get napkins and mayo, when they brought our for she never brought us tarter nor lemons for our dryed out fish. Nor checked if we needed anything thing else, we will never return so long Sand Dollar dont waste your money here, just saying.

Always a slam dunk for great food, awesome staff and a wonderful view!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Best location and the food is fantastic! Kaitlyn is beautiful! ♥️

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5