Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen — Restaurant in Alpharetta

My friends and I came here just yesterday (party of 4; I know some smaller or larger parties tend to get ignored by waiters; 4 I would say is about average). They estimated us at a 4 hour wait (even though there were a lot of empty tables inside), and then we ended up getting in after 4 minutes. The server came out promptly, and our drinks and appetizer were out quickly enough.

While I'm not exactly some professional food critic (I generally only eat out with friends), I always order Calamari at any place I go to as a bit of a litmus test of the chef (well and because I like it). Thus, we ordered the "Fried Calamari & Octopus" as an appetizer. The Calamari was a bit overcooked, just slightly rubbery, and not great (but not outright terrible), the octopus was a lot better... it's a pity with got an absolutely tiny amount of said octopus. Thus, I ruled it as "mediocre chef". Still, we proceeded to our main orders.

For my entree, I chose "Texas Redfish Pontchartrain", which is a pretty pricey entree (~47$). The shrimp felt a bit overcooked. The rice was just okay (honestly feels like a very cheap and normal complement to an expensive dish). The lump crab... was nothing noteworthy? The fish was pretty tender, but seemed to be burned on bottom (at first I wondered whether there were bones in it, but no, it's just the bottom of it). Also it felt unnaturally greasy, even for fish.

So overall my litmus test simply worked. It was mediocre. However, what is not mediocre is the price tag. It is definitely on the expensive side as far as places to eat. I can't really recommend it. I've eaten much better for the money, even as far as just seafood is concerned. It's nothing terrible, but neither is it anything great. IMO just not really worth the price. They're working with some unique ingredients, but might need to step up their game as far as preparation. Or I could just be an uncultured philistine who has no appreciation for this. Who knows?

Also for some reason they don't ask you whether you would like the complementary bread. I'm assuming this is some cost-cutting measure handed down from corporate (since this is a chain) to minimize expenses. A pity, because the bread was...

I have to agree with many reviews here: this place is rocketing downhill. The menu has been heavily trimmed down, which is understandable in these dark, troubling, unpredictable times. That means everything should absolutely be on-point. Yet all food arrived cold, rendering the butter-based sauces not just unappealing but particularly insipid. We made it a game to see just how many missed fish bones we could line and decorate the plates with. The hunks of squash accompanying the red fish were actually ice-cold, though, given their shape, we pretended they were cantaloupe. For just eight bucks, you can add a cup of gumbo to your meal. Perhaps the folks prepping the gumbo had better things to do as they left stalk-sized pieces of celery. I ate a couple, thinking that, surely, the rest is gumbo, but it was just dark brown celery soup. No silverware was provided and with our server never checking back on us (even though the place was eerily empty [a warning we should've recognized]) we had to track them down at the hostess stand. However, the white napkins weren't damp but actually wet. We were determined to soldier on and plow through this experience, but, after a few minutes of them getting our laps oddly wet, we unceremoniously discarded them on the tray of the entire night's dirty dishes, glasses and silverware stored directly beside our table. Again, given the pandemic, I understand the removal of all sugar caddies, salt shakers and the reliable tin of captain's wafer crackers, but we sure could've used some trustworthy sustenance for our troubles. Later, with payment in hand, ready to flee, we assured the server who finally, mercifully showed up at the end that "no, we really, really couldn't (wouldn't) eat another bite." A beat later, they said they'd "bring the dessert menu." Whaaaaa? It was a weird, awkward albeit fitting cap to a woefully disappointing meal and to the year 2020 in general. We'd intended to load up on gift cards for family on our way out the door, but couldn't in good conscience subject anyone to that -- if I wanted a gag gift, I could make one for far, far cheaper. We just hope the Windy Hill location hasn't fallen to such...

I love Papadeaux. I always go to the Windy Hill location and they kill it. This location does not. It fails in every way a restaurant can fail.

Service: The server, Odyssey, seemed to be having a bad day. She would walk away from the table so quickly you couldn't finish what you were trying to order... that was after she finally showed up after 15 minutes of being seated. She just did not care at all. Zero f%#&s given. I had to wave across the whole restaurant several times just to get the bare minimum of her attention.

Drinks: The table ordered four Swamp Things and 3/4 were so sour it almost hurt to drink, a bit like a Warhead candy. The bartender was too lazy to make more and just said that's how the drinks are... that's not how they are, I've had them before. It was awful.

Food: The food was under-seasoned, overcooked, and slightly cold. This applied to every meal at the table. Some of the food obviously sat under a heat lamp for a while. The server also forgot 2 baked potatoes, but we were charged for them anyways.

Management: The manager came over, exchanged some inauthentic pleasantries, and didn't really care either. Very dismissive. She offered one single free desert, but we waited so long for it we gave up and left.

Don't come here. I came here on a slow Tuesday night. I can't imagine how bad the food/service is on a busy night.

This was the very first time me or the people I dined with have ever left a $0 tip anywhere. We ALWAYS do 20% or more, but Odyssey was special. She was the first server I've ever encountered who was so bad at her job that we didn't feel comfortable giving her anything but a note saying to do better.

Dear Odyssey, do better. You work in a restaurant that charges $30-$60 per meal. Both my parents worked in the restaurant business for a long time and I did for a while too. Take pride in your work and treat other people's money...