Molly's Beachside Bar & Grill — Restaurant in Atlantic Beach

I wouldn’t recommend eating here if you’re a person of color. I went around 2pm on a Saturday - it wasn’t a holiday weekend so it was busy but not overwhelmingly so and I missed the lunch crowd. I had never been before so I went to the bar and asked if I could look at a food menu. The bartender told me if I took a seat that a server would be with me shortly. I waited about 20 minutes and no one ever came, but I noticed that the tables to the front and back of me were getting served. I was staying at the adjacent Doubletree so I decided to give them another try later in the day.

I went back at 5pm and this time when I got to the bar I asked if I could order my food at the bar. The bartender working was a different one than before, and she gladly took my order. Afterward, I asked if I should wait there for my food or if I could take a seat somewhere in the dining area. She informed me that the servers would bring the food to the bar but I could sit somewhere else because she’d bring my food to me and estimated it’d be about 15 minutes.

I waited for my food for about 30 minutes - I wasn’t bothered too much because I saw that there were only two servers so I thought they might take a little longer due to the staffing. But then I went back to the bar to ask about how long it would take and she handed me the flounder basket I ordered and said that it had been sitting with her for a while and that I should’ve come up to get it… at that point I didn’t really feel like engaging in a discussion and frankly I was dubious about asking for a remake because I wasn’t sure what they’d do do my order if I did. Everything on my plate was cold. I don’t know why she couldn’t ask one of the servers to bring my order to me if she wasn’t able to leave the bar, especially because at the time, there weren’t a lot of other people eating and I made sure to sit in view of the bar.

I noticed while I was waiting that other people who came in around the same time and even after me were getting served and the servers would even come up periodically to check on them or refill their drinks. They never approached me. I was the only minority in the restaurant at the time and I wouldn’t want that to be the reason but nothing else makes sense.

My stay at the Doubletree wasn’t like that at all. The hotel staff were great, but I definitely wouldn’t eat at...

Do not eat here if you are a POC! Our server was AWFUL. I understand restaurants are still not fully staffed, but there was no reason for a table of 6 that sat 15 minutes AFTER us would get their drinks served 5 minutes before us, a table of 3. She only came by to check on us once and didn't offer to refill my water. She seemed more preoccupied with other things, even took a little walk down the pier and started talking to someone on the beach. Honestly, we were the only people of color there, and it seemed everyone else was getting great service. She was definitely all over her other tables. It took about 15 minutes for her to get us our check, and that was the only time she asked if I wanted more water. We even asked to speak to the manager, and they never showed up. Now, on to the food. I had a burger with cucumber salad. The burger was stale, and the salad was rancid. My son ordered a chocolate milkshake. What he received was YooHoo thrown in the blender with ice. My husband ordered chicken wings, which were pretty tasty. All in all, I was not pleased with this experience and will not be returning. Not even being right on the beach made it better. I expected better from...

You don't expect better than average food from a beach bar, or any bar for that matter, but Molly's is the exception. After being closed for so long after a Hurricane and Covid, it is great to have them back again. The fried shrimp is good and their burgers are wonderful. The Diablo Burger is especially good and not as spicy as the name implies. And if it is too hot for you, remove some of the pickled Jalapenos. The fries are shoestring, the Cole slaw on the sweet side, and the cucumber salad is a good choice with onions in a vinaigrette, though ours needed salt. The hush puppies are small and probably from a bag out of the freezer, but they were flavorful, crisp, and not oily. And for the real reason we all go here, the bar! Fantastic Ocean and pier views with indoor and outdoor seating, they have a great selection of liquor and a decent menu of frozen and regular drinks. Instead tiny servings, they serve 12 or 16 oz cups with prices ranging from $10 to $12 and $14 for the frozen drinks. Beers are $4, they have wine, Amaretto, and Crown Royal,among other top shelf brands. If you are lucky, Hannah will be your professional bartender. One of the best spots...