Boca Oyster Bar — Restaurant in Bridgeport

MOST disappointing. Once a favorite particularly for fresh seafood, is now one I warn to ‘stay clear of’. On time for our reservation, we were told it would be 15 minutes or so before we could be seated, or we could immediately be seated at a table placed against the bar. No problem, hungry, we chose the bar. The server, initially friendly, courteous and welcoming, was perpetually out of sight after delivery of the appetizer. The appetizer: oysters, arrived sans mignonette, cocktail sauce and horseradish as described on the menu. It would be 13 minutes before she returned and we could inform her of one oyster having no meat and also request the missing accoutrements. Again we waited, sitting with the finished appetizer until she finally came back for the entree order. I ordered the surf and turf Valentine’s Day dinner consisting of pan seared cauliflower, oversized tasteless yucca fries and of course the standard main event filet and a lobster tail. The steak was very obviously not a filet but a thin, overcooked slab of another cut. The kitchen must have known it was dry and overcooked because it was smothered and drowning in an unrecognizable, less flavorful version of A1 sauce. I moved my focus to the lobster after tasting as it is the quickest to cool as I knew we would again have to wait for our server to reappear and I was famished. Although slightly over cooked also, the lobster was acceptable and because the steak was completely unacceptable and I had no choice but to graze elsewhere. We actually had to flag a different server behind the bar and tell him about the dish who told her and she appeared. We conservatively expressed our sentiment about the steak to her and she fled to the kitchen without taking my plate, to let them know. She never came back. 19 minutes later, we were able to get her attention and ask her what was happening. At one point during the wait, another server came to the table to discuss the situation and told us that it was in fact filet and that it was freshly cut from a giant slab. 😆 Finally, our server returned saying “sorry it wasn’t good” then nothing. I kindly suggested removing it from or adjusting the bill. She said she would check with the manager and the result was that they would not, which then resulted in what would supposedly be the owner coming to discuss this with us. Again, too much time passed and finally a sloppy, obese man (posing as the owner) arrived at our table and in a bullish tone asked what the problem was as if he didn’t already know. We again explained to which he responded that because I consumed the lobster portion of the dish we would not be compensated. Wow, that was the first time in my life as a critic, over 30 years, a restaurant did not remove the item in question from the bill, nor was there an offer to replace or even an apology. All the while, as if the impropriety hadn’t already peaked, the two Hispanic clowns in plain view in the kitchen wearing hairnets and chef aprons who I assume did the cooking, howled with laughter, chuckling, scowling and staring us down, making it that much more obvious how oblivious and unprofessional the restaurant is. At this point, we could not leave the low budget cafeteria soon enough. In short, I equate the restaurant to a beautiful new Bugatti, but under the hood are...

I took my sister here for a late birthday celebration. I've never been to third restaurant, only ever been here on the boardwalk behind it during my early walks to see amazing sunrises. First there's ample parking. However wew needed handicap spot, and the closest one had an island right where passenger would get out, which seemed weird bc it makes it difficult for the handicap passenger to exit the car. I should have taken pictures to better explain. Anyway once inside, the place is beautiful. This was in December and the holiday decor was very nice. We went inside and were immediately greeted and escorted to a table near the bar. We were given menus but being our first time, needed a bit of time to really look over it, but we did order drinks. My sis got a fruity alcohol beverage. I got a mule. I have to say I didn't get much alcohol in there! I ordered a second at some punt and still nothing. The waiter said he'll come back for food order. Our drinks arrived and he asked if we decided on starters. So we ordered the nachos. At some point those were dropped to us by another guy (a runner maybe? ). So we started digging in. The nachos were great. Cheesy, full of peppers, olives, etc. We had chili on the side, and guacamole, sour cream. We were knee deep in them when we realized our waiter never came back to get our meal order. He was over at the bar chatting with other patrons. I mean a lot if time went by before we could get his attention. The runner came by again before he did. And we said we wanted to order. Finally waiter comes back, no apology ot anything but nonetheless, we ordered. By then I just ordered a light tuna poke bowl. My sis got lamb chops and shrimp with side of mash potato. I was treating and told her to go for it. She was happy with her proteins, but said the mash tasted like a box mix...a brand name box mix, but box nonetheless. I was happy with my poke bowl. We had eaten about as much as we were going to. And patiently waited to get his attention again. We finally flagged down another server and asked for our bill. That's when our guy came over with it. Again, no real conversation or anything. Anyway, we paid. The bill was decent for what we ordered, but I felt pretty high for the quality. I wanted to be blown away. I tell you, I'd go back during football season for nachos! Lol... other notes, the bathroom was clean but the toilets were built for kindergarteners. So low to the floor. Thank God my sister did not have to go bc she would not have been able to get down or up without assistance. All in all it was good not great. I think next time we'll sit away from the bar, maybe we'll get a better server. Whil definitely go back, hopefully in warmer weather so we can...

Pros: Great view on the patio. Live music.

Cons: unfortunately there are many cans. We arrived at 7 PM and had reservations for a party of 6. Waiter came 30 minutes after we were seated. We all asked for water. She brought water Carafes to the table and empty glasses but we didn’t have ice and the water was not cold When we asked for ice, she brought two plastic cups with ice with 2 little spoons to share. It was a beautiful warm day so we definitely needed more than just two cups of ice. We have never seen anybody bring ice to the table in that manner. We asked for straws and the waiter went to the patio bar and grabbed a handful of straws that were not wrapped and then handed it to us with her bare hands. About 15 minutes later, she came back to take a beverage order. When our appetizers came out, we didn’t have any silverware Or napkins. I asked another waiter and he gave me two napkins but there were six of us. We flagged down our waiter and asked for napkins and silverware. She came back with a bunch of silverware in one hand and napkins in the other and placed the silverware on the table but we noticed other waiters were setting the table with the silverware rolled in the napkin so everything was sanitary. My friends for a cat was dirty so she had to come back with clean silverware. I finally asked the hostess to speak to the manager. I was told the managers were not on duty. They sent Jason over a whole was a bar manager. We informed him of everything we had experienced and his response was I’ll talk to her later. I then asked him not to talk to her because we realized she needed more help and she had told us that she had many tables to wait on. I have an asked him to make sure he passes this information along to his manager who is at another site and to text him to report all this. The bar manager never came back. To top it all off, a dog (not a service dog) was at a table on the patio 3 tables away from us and our waiter was petting the dog so we definitely didn’t order any dessert after we witnessed this. The ladies room Needed attention and the two soap bottles were watered down. We enjoy eating out and we do not mind paying high prices for great food and great service. There are way too many restaurants with excellent service and great food nearby. We definitely will not go back. Thank God the other two couples we were with are so much fun to be around so we made the best of it and had a wonderful time In spite of this...