Coconut Joe's Beach Grill — Restaurant in Bakersfield

I had ordered the food via DoorDash. As with any food delivery service being used, I expect the food to arrive soggy and to which it did. In the case of this order, the food came pretty soggy but the amount of condensation within the container was a sign the food here was made to order. The fries were very soggy and just plain in my opinion, they are thick cut fries; similar to what you see at any Buffet Style restaurant but with the skin on. We had ordered the fish and chips platter along with the small combo plate with 2 choices of protein and 2 sides. For the combo plate, I would say it would be better to get a large as I think you would get a bigger portion of meat for a few bucks more. I felt like the portion was too small for a small, it looked like a sampler size plate. As with the many reviews you may have seen, I can agree that beer battered fish was quite tasty. The flavor of the batter used for the fish was flavorful and the beer taste was subtle enough to where you barely notice it. I’ve been to some places where the flavor were overpowering but I really enjoy the subtle taste to where I can enjoy the flavor of the fish. The tri-tip was very flavorful as well and that is something I would recommend as well. The chicken on the other hand is mediocre, it’s juicy somewhat but not flavorful at all. I know a few other reviews have claimed it to be dry, not sure what cut of chicken they had ordered but usually wherever I go, ordering the thigh almost guarantees it won’t be dry. The clam chowder is pretty good, it’s not the best I have ever had. It’s good and it’s a bit different. Very chunky chowder and plenty of clams I will say for sure. It’s very different from the chowder you get from the Splash Cafe in Pismo Beach or SLO and much different from Boudin for my fellow Bay Area travelers. To save some money you can swap the side out in the combo plate for a cup of chowder for $1 more. Tartar sauce is pretty good, cocktail sauce is good; isn’t overpowering on the horseradish. The coleslaw is alright, it has a good crisp, so it was freshly made and the Spicy Ranch is just generic ranch with jalapeño seasoning or powder mixed in. Overall the restaurant is pretty good, I can’t speak for the price as I’m unsure how much they’ve marked it up on DoorDash to cover the service fees. But to me I think the price would be quite fair in store as well. I would order here again for the fish, not sure about the chips and for the tri-tip as well. I would recommend giving Coconut Joe’s a try for those who are curious...

Absolutely loved my lunch here!

The venue is a beach / tiki theme and really well done. Who knew that you could feel like you were at the beach in Bakersfield! The restaurant was clean, inviting, and consistent throughout. The staff I interacted with were friendly and helpful in suggestions since I had never been before.

I had the Coconut Rum Shrimp and it was perfectly breaded and fried, meaty and flavorful. The fries and coleslaw were good too.

I also had a Shrimp Taco ala cart. Everything about it seemed to have been made with care all the way to the corn tortilla that it came in.

I had their fresh brewed ice tea and there were options for fountain drinks, sodas, bottled beer and wine.

Bonus: Ask for a side of their housemade blackberry sauce. It's such a unique combination of savory and sweet with a tiny spice kick at the end if you are patient and wait for it. You'll be glad you did.

Im coming back here for sure and telling more people about Coconut Joe's. The only thing missing was the option to have Piña coladas and other tiki drinks. Maybe they have a good reason to stick with what they do best, but if they ever decide to go for the liquor license to serve those...

Ah Coconut Joe's, how you toy with my heart. There are times where you're pretty delicious, other times where it's just not going well for whatever reason.

Honestly my dining experience here could be described as the best of times and the worst of times. Dickensian as that may be, I've had some wonderful tri tip and deep pit here, while other times the deep pit might has well have fallen off the fatty mc fat fat deep pit truck of, well, only fat, because that's all I got.

Fish and chips? Sometimes pretty good, other times overly fried and prone to giving me a bout of irritable bowel syndrome.

The burritos? Sometimes great, other times a wet mess of sad chicken pieces and soggy rice. And the cafeteria corn, oh that cafeteria corn... how I can't even begin to describe thee.

I feel like they just have way too much on the menu and too much going on at times (it's a death trap on the weekends; every Boomer this side of Bakersfield hauls their entire family there en masse). When they're the busiest, however, is when their food is the freshest.

Oh Coconut Joe, why do you toy with my...