St. John's Fish Exchange Kitchen & Wet Bar

I came here with a large group (18 people) to celebrate my birthday, and while the food was good, the service was some of the worst I’ve ever experienced. We’re all servers ourselves, so we know how busy and stressful it can be, but the way we were treated was unacceptable. -From the start, there was no greeting, just a blunt “what can I get for you guys.” -When one of my friends tried to order, the server (Franny) actually put her hand up and said “you can wait” in a rude tone. -Two friends kindly reminded her they still needed to pay, and her response was “you guys can have patience.” -She charged one of my friends $92 for a $56 bill and when questioned, told him it was the 18% tip. We calculated it, she had actually added a 64% tip. Instead of correcting it or looking into it, she made him feel stupid before actually admitting it was wrong. -She would grab our attention by yelling things like “hey girl in the red” across the table, which was aggressive and unprofessional. -When I asked (nicely) why the appetizer I had asked to split wasn’t divided on the bill, she snapped: “Are you serious right now? Can he not just buy you a drink or something? You guys are being ridiculous!” That is not how you speak to guests. -One of my friends was given the wrong taco and she didn’t care, still charged her for it. On top of all this, we had a reservation yet still had to wait over 30 minutes to be seated. This exact same thing happened last year on my birthday when I waited over an hour with a reso. The worst part is that because we were a large group, an automatic 18% gratuity was added. It really felt like the server knew she was guaranteed that tip and didn’t care about how she treated us. Ironically, if she had just been kind and professional, we probably would have tipped more than 18%. Instead, I left feeling disrespected on my birthday. To make matters worse, I’ve called twice since June 19th asking to speak with the owner and was told I would get a call back. It’s now August 2nd, and I still haven’t heard anything. I don’t usually leave bad reviews, but this experience was beyond disappointing and I would never recommend this place for a group or special occasion.

Solid seafood option. Appetizers were excellent. Definitely order the shark.

We had reservation and were seated promptly. We waited 90 minutes for our meals to be served. The seafood bisque was exceptional. With one exception we enjoyed all of our meals. The seafood platter was a huge disappointment. The presentation was lacking and each type of fish saturated with a different sauce.
Specialty coffees and desserts were a lovely ending to our evening.

Friday 12 July.

Pros:
Very nice mussels and good fish for the fish and chips. Shark was good.

Cons
Despite booking a table for 2 at 6.30, had to wait 35 minutes (people with no booking told 45 minutes). Saw 4 couples arrive and immediately escorted to a table. 🤨

Brussels sprouts significantly overcooked.

French fries /chips were soggy and had no crispness.

Only two tablespoons of peas with fish and chips. Why so tight with cheap ingredient?

What a beautiful spot , come enjoy a drink ,food ,incredible view of the harbor. Loved the fish & chips & beer , Nick & Sarah were the best ,thanks

Prices were decent for the ambiance and food. Make reservations ahead of time or arrive before the open to possibly get seated. Wonderful experience.

The place and food is amazing!! We went there 2 times during our 4 day trip and wish we could bring this restaurant back with us to Toronto.

We had the cod tongue & scrunchions, as well as the scallop app, cod 2 piece fish and chips and the burger and everything was fantastic. The service was great. I would highly recommend the restaurant and recommend making a reservation. I’ve been 3 times now and each time the food has been fantastic.

Outstanding food, especially the seafood - wife had the NL stew and said it was by far the best cioppino she's ever had in her life! Would absolutely recommend to anyone - it is admittedly pricey but also the quality matches it, which you can't always say for many upscale establishments.

Had many many meals here and it never disappoints- This past Saturday evening we were there- had appy’s and the BEST burger ever. Service was top notch , cocktails were superb! Food and drinks Absolutely delicious ! ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ Highly Recommend!

Valentine’s Day special menu was out of this world!!!!! The food and service here are top notch. I knew it would be “good”, but it was frigging FANTASTIC!!!!!! Ten stars!!!!!!!! 🤗

Beautiful atmosphere, service was attentive, had late supper with partner, tuna tacos tasted off, sure enough I was then sick for several days

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 2

Service: 4

Excellent seafood and atmosphere. It's worth checking out if you're in downtown St. John's.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Un incontournable de St-John ! Bien que le service ait été un peu lent, il était irréprochable. La serveuse s’est assurée que chacun se sente parfaitement à l’aise, et la nourriture était tout simplement délicieuse à mes deux visites. J’étais accompagnée de mes amies, pourtant très exigeantes en matière de cuisine, et chacune a été enchantée par son plat. Je recommande fortement!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 4

So fresh! Service and cod, amazing

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 5