Frenchy's Rockaway Grill — Restaurant in Clearwater

I believe that when you ask a local for a recommendation, it's probably worth listening to. Especially if that local is someone you trust. That's how we ended up at the Rockaway Grill.

It was a sunny Wednesday morning when we found ourselves on the beach at Clearwater, right near Frenchy's Rockaway Grill. Although not hot, it was a warm March day and prompted us to decide to get a cool beverage at the bar, which was very crowded. We were fortunate enough to find two seats just opening as we made our order, so we naturally slid right into them.

As we sat, cooling off with our beer, the smell of the food overcame us and although we hadn't entered hungry, we quickly became so. Another recommendation from the local was to try the grouper, so we decided to see if he could be 2 for 2. One of the offers was for grouper nuggets, which came with fries and coleslaw. Since we weren't starving, we thought it would be a good choice to share.

My local guide was now 2/2. Frenchy's, of course, exists in multiple locations, so I don't know what all of them are like, but if this is any recommendation, I'm game to try all of them now. The grouper was battered, fried and light. The outside was crispy, with a moist tender chunk of meat inside. The fries were just right and it's pretty hard to beat washing it all down with a cold beer.

If that's not enough for you, you're sitting right on the beach with about a 200 yard walk to the water. It was early spring break season so the beach and restaurant was getting crowded already, and in speaking to the bartenders, it sounds like that's pretty much here to stay for the rest of the summer. Time your visit intelligently, but if you can manage to find parking and a spot on the beach, this should be your next stop.

Update 052821 - There is only one negative about this place and that is that it is very difficult to get to. Clearwater is overly busy and crowded and that applies to Frenchy's on Rockaway as well.

IF you can get in, though, it's completely worth it. We have never yet been seated at a table, always finding a seat at the bar, where we eat. I would guess the tables are good, but they are also going to be at least 45 minutes wait if you are not in the off-season, which I think is probably a Wednesday in February. Any other time, you'd better expect a crowd and some waiting time.

Once you make it in, though, you have to try the Grouper Nuggets. They are the best I've had in the area and more than make up for the wait. Of course, if you want, you can have a beer or three during your wait and sit at a table once it's available. That's always an option, if you're...

Dawson was our waiter and he was spectacular.

Why? He was attentive to all including our youngest kids. He made great suggestions on food. He refilled our drinks quicker than typical servers. He also made sure to come by no less than 5 times to check on us after we had our food.

My thoughts on the food:

The crab cakes were awesome. Large in size with great flavor, and texture.

The fries were super crisp and flavorful.

Loved the and highly suggest the tuna salad!!! Phenomenal! It comes with a lot of tuna and salad.

Had a pina colada and it was ok but not worth writing home too mom about.

Loved the Bushwhacker mixed drink though! It was really well made.

The coconut shrimp were amazing but the dip was different. Wished it was coconut.

So the whole gang loved the calamari which comes served with honey mustard and marinara. Outstanding!

The kids meals I feel are hit or miss for the money.

The chicken strips and fry combo was best value.

For the kids that only eat macaroni and cheese they serve what appears to be Kraft. The serving though is much smaller than expected but if you have a kid who only eats this it’s perfect.

If they eat fruit pair a meal with the fruit side because it’s really high quality.

We enjoyed eating outside with the view, and the patio misters made it better.

Restrooms are clean and a are for customers only so don’t plan on just swinging by and skipping out on a meal. Understandable as this place is busy and patrons should come first. There are public beach facilities by the parking lot so it’s not an issue.

The beach is great right here so this is a wonderful stopping point.

You do have to pay for parking and it is a little limited but we were able to get parked on a few minutes typically.

Oh and don’t try to skip out on the parking as the city has a cop constantly scanning tags all day looking for a way to get you.

Volleyball and lots of shells are right outside the restaurant and great shopping opportunities await you just around the corner.

We did have a big bill of $184 for our dinners but there were 9 of us. Just don’t expect cheaper than McDonald’s or Taco Bell prices. Heck even Taco Bell hits $13 on cheap boxes that only cost $5.99 back home.

The live musicians sounded really good last night. People were dancing and living it up!

There is a bar that I didn’t utilize because I have a bunch of kiddos but in another time in my life I would...

Everyone's beloved Clearwater restaurant is going down the tubes. We were there 2 nights in a row on a Thursday night and on Friday night. Friday night was better than Thursday night. The bartender named Vega said the house cocktail was the rum runner however it comes out of a machine it's not made fresh and I didn't like it. I told the bartender Vega and he snapped back at me and gave us a hard time. Normally bartenders volunteer to just make you a different drink..Eventually he did but he wasn't the same for the rest of the night.. gave us dirty looks and wasn't pleasant at all. Made us feel uncomfortable that's not what bartenders are supposed to do. The band was average. On the 2nd night Friday night the same band played and they were actually better and a lot of fun... Go figure. 2 different bartenders and they were much better, the female was very nice to us and accommodating and kept checking on us to see what we wanted. The Buffalo grouper sandwich is not as good as the one across the parking lot. This place is known for their grouper sandwich... It just wasn't the best it was small and lacked substance and was unimpressive... Sad.. However the she crab soup is fantastic.(this review was 2018).... Now for a June 2019 review: Went back to frenchy's Rockaway grill and Evan was the bartender... He really couldn't be any worse. Totally unattentative. Bad attitude. He acts like you're "disturbing" him. That's a bad trait for a bartender. Grouper platter was totally dry. Mashed potatoes tasted old. Grabbed the manager. Had to Send it back. They brought it back out and it was better however... Should have cost way less. Of course the bartender's never cameback. After the initial rude greet they ignored us. Ridiculous. I say it's going downhill. the food and the service. At least the band was good. Update June 7th, 2025 after spending $20 on a grouper of sandwich... This place no longer has a good grouper sandwich. Everyone thinks frenchy's is the place for a grouper sandwich... NOT ANYMORE. The bun is bigger than the grouper now. Besides come in a little plastic cup. Embarrassing how this place went downhill! The beach is great.. The food is equal to ghetto bar food. Pathetic whoever owns this establishment now.. and the food manager should be fired. Yeah there are people here but they are here because it's on the beach that's it. It's not the Frenchie of the...