AJ's Seafood & Oyster Bar — Restaurant in Albany

I ate dinner here with my family as we were looking for somewhere to eat on/nearby the boardwalk. At the time it was around 8pm and we were looking for somewhere to eat before watching the fireworks at Harborview. This was a problem because most restaurants closed at 9pm and their wait times were over an hour to accommodate my family. That's when I stumbled upon AJ's. When I got there, one of the staff also mentioned that "you can see the fireworks." (Disclaimer about the fireworks, I thought it was going to be a big thing but it turned out to be a 5 minute tiny fireworks display probably meant to only attract people to the boardwalk on slow days; mon/thur.)

My family sat upstairs on the bar floor for this reason, and I thought the decorations, live music, and harbor view were something way too good to complain about. On the other hand, something that did disappoint me was the food. No one told me before my family was seated that "upstairs and downstairs had different menus." I wished we could've been informed about this before we sat down, but it didn't bother me too much since we wanted to sit upstairs anyway. I decided to order the gumbo bowl and Classic Fish Sandwich. (Blackened "fish". Menu doesn't really say what kind of fish? 🤷‍♂️). I thought the seafood gumbo was okay, but the fish sandwich disappointed me just a little. The "fish" was seasoned fine and cooked well, but the tartar sauce described in the menu felt nonexistent. Overall, AJ's is a nice place for a bite later in the evening, but if I was in a situation where there were more restaurants open, I'd pick another restaurant with better...

My very first AJ's Seafood and Oyster Bar experience was in Destin FL, and I give them 1000/10. I was extremely disappointed in the AJ's in Albany on 10/14/2025. My first visit, and they couldn't pay me to go back and eat there again. The appertizers are frozen and just put in an air fryer or fried. We had the Jalapeño poppers, Calamari, Mozzarella sticks on a platter. Ordered Gator tail to go for someone else. They said the gator trail was definitely not gator meat (they've been to the other AJ's as well) I ordered the pick three combo and my choices were crab cake, oysters, and shrimp. Upon receiving my plate, I had the waitress go ask if the crab cake was frozen and it was. It looked like a chicken patty, that was liquid in the middle. I sent my plate back and got it off my ticket. As a chef I do not like sending food back, but I could not allow myself to pay for more garbage! Management should visit the AJ's in Destin and redo everything. The Bathroom was clean but has an old smell. They have a very detailed sign telling everyone how to properly wash their hands, which I appreciate. Please put detailed signs in the kitchen with new recipes and not frozen food served for fresh seafood. Our waiter was friendly but did not refill our drinks. The coke was flat. I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS RESTAURANT! I do not see how they are open!!! If you are ever in Destin, try that AJ's Seafood and Oyster Bar the food is fresh...

Definitely a no frills joint. In fact the place hasn't changed in 30 years. I was in town a few weeks ago to visit family for a couple of days and took my mom, aunt and niece for lunch. As usual, we were enjoying each other's company so much that once the meal arrived, I forgot to take photos! For starters we had the calamari and oysters Rockefeller. The calamari was well cooked and with a nicely seasoned batter. The oysters Rockefeller - so so - I only say this because the menu says topped with parmesan and American Swiss. American Swiss translates to processed white cheese product that may or may not taste like Swiss, but definitely has the texture of microwaved generic pasturized, processed, cheese products (singles). The red snapper was phenomenal! My niece loved the stuffed flounder. OHH and I would be remiss if I did not mention the baked potatoes. I know, NO one ever reviews the baked potatoes! These however, deserve a mention - These were large, fluffy, perfectly baked potatoes. The best part about the whole meal - the service! The two ladies working that Saturday were swamped, but handled the whole restaurant with grace, patience, and smiles and never...