50 Best Seafood Restaurants near Palmetto

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

“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.“

“We went to the 11th annual Bradenton Area River Regatta, on the Manatee River, featuring Formula 1 powerboat racing, Formula Lights, and Tri-Hulls. The free event includes racing action from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with championship finals starting at 2:15 p.m. Afterwards we had dinner at one of our favorite spots for delicious food & drinks. We had their Regatta rum punch to celebrate the event. We both had fish & chips too. Delicious.
We highly recommend Riverhouse Waterfront Restaurant anytime.“

“My wife and I visited Oyster River Rooftop for Valentine’s Day, and overall we had a very pleasant experience. The restaurant is located at the Marriott Hotel & Spa in Palmetto, which really impressed me. The hotel itself is beautiful — easily one of the nicest properties in the area. I also appreciated the added touch of checking in with staff before heading upstairs, since a badge is required to access the upper floors. It definitely gives the space a more exclusive feel.

The restaurant is small and modern — more of an upscale rooftop bar atmosphere that also serves dinner. We were seated outside and enjoyed a wonderful view of the river, which made for a great Valentine’s setting. There was a duet playing live music, which added energy to the evening, though in a smaller space with minimal sound-absorbing decor it felt a little loud at times.

The hostess was very nice and welcoming. I had to smile when she gave “Monsieur” her best shot — I work for a French-based company and speak a little French myself, so I notice those things — but I appreciated the effort to create an upscale ambiance.

Our server was congenial and accommodating. He happily made me a Sangria even though it wasn’t on the drink menu, which I appreciated. His personality leaned more casual than what the restaurant seems to be aiming for, but his friendliness was genuine and well-intentioned.

For food, we started with the Grilled Octopus. It was very tender, though I would have loved a bit more bold flavor. The main courses, however, were outstanding. I had the 16 oz Ribeye with Za’atar butter — cooked perfectly and absolutely delicious. My wife ordered the Chilean Sea Bass, which was equally excellent. We skipped dessert as nothing quite jumped out at us, but we left very satisfied with the meal.

All in all, it was a lovely evening with excellent food and a beautiful setting. With a little refinement in front-of-house polish to match the quality coming out of the kitchen, this place could truly hit the high notes. We would absolutely return — especially for the ribeye and the view.“

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

“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!“

“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!!“

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

“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 !“

“We are new to the area. We just moved from St Cloud Fl not Michigan(LOL). What made it special of going here to eat was Kelly. She showed us her courtesy and overall great hospitality. This made it to the top of our list of ones to come back too. Kelly was also very knowledgeable of the menu and the surrounding area. She answered all our questions. Thanks again Kelly.“

“Love these guys! Stopped in to get some Lobster Bisque Soup, Shrimp Egg Roll and Fried Pickles! All of it was delicious! I highly recommend!“

“oue favorite place, dinner, great people and bar“

“can't have enough superlatives for this local fish themed restaurant. as well as fish and seafood, there are some carnivore options as well. portions and pricing attractively appointed too. give it a try. you won't b disappointed.“

“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!!!!“

“Great customer service. Easy to use online order system. Easy to follow direction in preparation. Super nice that it is cook and throw away with the very little mess.“

“Love the location and live music!“

“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.“

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

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

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

“We were able to get seats at the bar. We enjoyed ourselves. The bartender Jen was great. It was busy and she was on her toes as she was the only bartender but made sure everyone was taken care of. The expeditor was impressive. His name was Brody. It was great to see a young man being so attentive to what he was doing and making sure that the staff knew what was going on. Our food was delicious.“

“Food was excellent, as always. Our server, John, was the most friendly, knowledgeable and accommodating we have ever had! I must add we’ve been here countless times, but John set the bar sky high for future visits! You made our night, John. Thank you and I hope you’ll enjoy living in Florida as.much as we do.“

“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!!!!!“

“Happy we went. True Jumbo crabs!“

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

“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.“

“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!“

“My favorite place to eat shrimp 🍤 crabs 🦀 stone crabs steamed clam an oysters 🦪 I go there at least twice a month or more“

“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.“

“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!“

“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 :)“

“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 💗💗💗“

“Hubby had the cod, ff and coleslaw. The cod was perfectly breaded very lightly, the french fries yummy and we never got to the coleslaw (taking home leftovers). I had the shrimp scampi fettuccine, in butter sauce – Yum! The bread with the oil dip was wonderful. I highly recommend this place and wish they were much closer to where I live (SRQ airport-could replace Primos! I’m just suggesting).“

“BAM is awesome! He is a great server“

“The food and service did not disappoint. My wife had the mahi tuna salad. It was excellent and crunchy as described on the menu I had scallops. They were perfectly cooked and very tender. Service was very good. Everything arrived timely hot, and the waiter did not hover have eaten at hundreds of restaurants and this is one of the better onesnot exceptionally expensive and in a mall but quite good food and service and I highly recommend.“

“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.“

“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.“

“Went to dinner with family at the Carrabba’s on University. Teddy was our server and we was phenomenal. Service was prompt, he was attentive without hovering, and when we had a little mishap by way of a spilled glass of Sangria he took care of us immediately. Alex was our bartender and he’s got mad skills with a dirty martini. If you’re at this restaurant ask for these young men… You will not be disappointed!“

“We had the pompano fish, Atlantic salmon and seafood salad sandwich. ALL delicious! The woman who took our order was warm and friendly and was glad to answer any questions we had as this was our first visit. We are not from this area but plan to visit yearly and Star Fish will definitely be on our list of places to eat!“

“Great food and great service. Our waiter Rogelio was excellent. Very nice ambiance, highly recommend Harry's.“

“WOW! We went last night while in town for a soccer tournament in Tampa.. Drove out to Sarasota to visit family and my cousin suggested here... and WOW the food was AMAZING! The service was FANTASTIC. The atmosphere was even better. This place is a must while in town!“

“I just provided DJ services there for a recent wedding and it was great. The room is small but is perfect for smaller size weddings and the staff is wonderful.“

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

“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.“

“Outstanding food, outstanding service! There are two staples on the menu that keep me coming back...the "bone-in" New York and Steamed Spinach. Many of the high-end steak houses only offer Creamed Spinach while Capital Grill offers both. It's a small thing but given a choice it's a tie breaker for me.“

“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!“

“We came in for the first time not knowing what to expect in terms of quality. However as soon as we entered we were welcomed by reception staff and we loved the design and atmosphere of this location. Our waitress, Nikki, was wonderful! She was very knowledgeable about the companies roots, and could easily identify how individual dishes were prepared and where the ingredients and/or recipes were from. She was extremely friendly, accommodating and attentive - with a great sense of humor to boot. The food was also excellent and very satisfying. The Lobster roll was amazing, as well as the crab cakes! We will certainly be returning sooner than later. Thank you for such a great experience Nikki!“

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