83 West & 29 North at 83 West — Restaurant in Cedar Key

Worst customer service I’ve ever experienced! Visited Cedar Key this past weekend and ATTEMPTED to eat at 83 West Downstairs with a group of 10. The place is large, has 3 pool tables and bar stools all along the water front. There are about 5 or 6 tables to sit and eat and some were occupied. When we arrived we did not have a reservation when they asked and were willing to wait (although not all tables were full). The hostess seemed dumbfounded on what to do with the 10 of us and wandered around. We waited another 5 minutes or so and she came back and said they could move other customers already sitting so we could have tables that were already pushed together. We said absolutely not, we’ll just come back another day and make reservations. The next day we had more people join our group and we ensured we made reservations for 17 the next day. We arrived on time at 630pm and they had done nothing in preparation for our arrival. There was only one family of 3 sitting at a table and all the rest were empty. When we arrived a different employee with long dark hair and glasses was at the front who seemed annoyed to deal with us. She walked away from us, talked to a couple more employees and came back and said we’d need to same checks needed to sit together. I thought it was odd as there were not many people in the entire place but we would accommodate. She then took us to two tables that were next to each other. We asked if we could just pull them together and she said no. We asked why and she said that they couldn’t move one of the tables but never gave an explanation. We then asked if they had high chairs and she rolled her eyes and said they only had 2 (we needed 3). We asked if they had booster seats, she again rolled her eyes and said no. When we sat down to order we ordered drinks, they came out 10 minutes later, then we ordered 4 or 5 appetizers upon the waiter coming back (which almost never happened). Almost 40 minutes later the appetizers started coming out. No one asked if we needed our drinks refreshed and they did not provide any plates to eat on. We ordered our food and were told that they did not have a kids menu. After that the waiter then disappeared again and about another 40 minutes later the meals started to arrive. Not everyone received their food and after sitting there for another 20 minutes, no waiter and 5 people still hadn’t received their food. Another 10 minutes passed and 3 plates came out. Finally someone came over to the table, she said she cleans off the tables, and we told her we were still waiting on 2 chicken wraps and wanted to cancel the two remaining meals because the rest of us had already eaten. She said she herself couldn’t do that but would go y’all to someone that could. 10 minutes go by and she returns and asks if we needed any to-go boxes and we asked again to cancel the 2 orders and she said she couldn’t do that but would talk to someone. We told her we asked that 10 minutes ago and to confirm if they’d been cancelled. She started getting flustered and said she would send someone over. Again, no one came over. 5 minutes later the 2 meals show up. One of us got up from the table and walked over to 2 employees standing by the front to say we asked twice for the 2 orders to be cancelled 30 minutes ago and then revived them so we wanted them comped. The employee who said she was the manager said that if the meals had already arrived and someone took a bite from it that they wouldnt comp them. The manager became angry and finally said she would cook them. As this was happening an appetizer we order over 1.5 hrs ago came out AFTER multiple people from our party left and we said we weren’t paying for the app. She yelled and cursed across the restaurant saying she was going to call the cops unless we paid for the app. After nore yelling we paid but we could not believe the horrible customer service and management of that place. DO NOT waste your money OR TIME on this terrible...

After a day of driving and walking around the island, we stopped in here for dinner. I ordered the three beef tacos with fries as a side (they were out of coleslaw). My girlfriend ordered the three shrimp tacos, clam chowder, and hush puppies as a side.

The staff: The staff were nice overall, but not attentive at all. The place was not overly busy, maybe 1/3 of the tables were occupied. It took 15 minutes of sitting there to get our orders and another 35 to see any food. They did refill our water glasses several times, so there was that at least.

The atmosphere: Mix between sports bar and boardwalk seafood joint. Not bad, but not exactly great either. Had a cafeteria feel to it, which was odd, but considering the food quality it kind of fit.

The food: Cheap, as in, poor quality. Starting with the sides, the hush puppies tasted like corn dogs, not at all like corn bread or what hush puppies should taste like. The fries were soggy. The best way to describe them is microwaved McDonald's fries, which are pasty, grainy, and rather flavorless, but still over salted. The shrimp tacos were OK, but fairly over seasoned, and way to expensive at $14. The clam chowder is exactly what you would get if you combined generic canned vegetable soup and 1/2 tsp of random clam parts, so rather thin and tasteless. The beef tacos were the most disappointing. They had some cheap ground beef used as the beef part. So while technically "beef tacos", I have had much better tacos from 70/30 beef and a $2 pack or tortillas when I cooked for myself at 2am in a dorm room. In other words, they were below average by a lot, and even more so since they were $10.

Summary: I won't return here. The spotty service combined with the below mediocre food quality and high prices are enough to earn a black mark in my book. Were it not or the cheerfulness of our waitress, I would give one star. Eat elsewhere if you want...

I have been to this restaurant two times before and the food, service and atmosphere was great. However tonight my wife, son and I went to the restaurant. I don't want to spend an hour telling you how terrible it was, but just want to get to the point. We ordered the appetizer and the expensive crab bisque. We asked for the appetizer first, but both came at the same time. The appetizer was ok, but the bisque was cold. We did not complain. I did not want the style of fish on the menu so I asked if they could make it piccata style. The waitress went to the kitchen and came back and said they could make it piccata style with a $5.00 up charge. I said, no problem. When the fish came it was terrible. The capers were like bits of charcoal, and the pasta and piccata sauce was not good. Again the dish was not heated properly. All I wanted to do was pay and get out of there. However, I told the waitress the food was terrible. She brough over the manager. The manager told me I could get another dish. I hated the dish I ordered so why would I want another dish? Then she had the chef come out. I have been ordering Piccata fish, veal, and shrimp for decades. I love it. I know how it should be prepared. You do not burn the capers. The chef said he fry's the capers. He offered me another dish. The point is they should have just said no charge. I have owned restaurants and when a customer is not happy with his food the first thing you say is no charge. They staff knew the food was terrible and they charged anyway. I could care less because I just wanted to leave at that point but what terrible customer relations. ...