Marina Cantina — Restaurant in Clearwater

A Swanky Place to Get Classy, but not Outstanding, Seafood.

Marina Cantina is a great part of town—right off Pier 60 and next to the marina, so the view of the boats on their upper deck is really nice. Compared to many seafood places in Clearwater and the surrounding area, they are clearing upping the dining experience. However, the idiom, “all hat and no cattle,” kept echoing in my ears; maybe all hat and no boat is more apropos here. To me, Marina Cantina executes on form (the first-class ambiance makes you feel like you are going to get a first-class meal), but the actual meal left me thinking I could’ve cooked the same meal at home).

My family and I started with the Snapper Ceviche ($10), which was snapper, cilantro, lime, serrano chiles, and red onions, served over avocados. I think there was snapper, but the serving was extremely small—there was so much avocado! While I love avocado, I ordered the ceviche and I expected to have more than four bites of snapper. When I found a bite of snapper, the flavor combination was terrific—a perfect balance of all the ingredients. However, when you ran out of snapper (after four bites), you were left with guacamole. Being in Florida, every server in every restaurant recommends the grouper—so my wife and I ordered the Grouper Tacos ($17), a trio of tacos with grouper, blackened, fried, or grilled (we asked for blackened), cabbage cilantro slaw, jalapeno crema, queso fresco, picked red onions, and avocado, served within three soft, white corn tortillas. Truth-be-told, the flavors were there, but muted. The grouper was more browned, than blackened and the tacos could’ve used more jalapeno crema to amp up the flavor profile—the other ingredients were great. Our kids ordered the Chicken Tacos ($7), which were two tacos with chicken braised in a tomato salsa, queso fresco, and lettuce wrapped in white corn tortillas; a side of black beans came with it. They loved the tacos, but I wished it was more than meat, cheese, and a smattering of lettuce; perhaps an avocado slice or two would be good to add. The black beans were too spicy for my kids, so I ate it—it was delicious and would recommend dialing down the spice for kids.

Marina Cantine won the “Best New Restaurant” Golden Spoon Award in 2016, 2017, and 2018—not sure how you can do that, but OK. It was a nice meal because we were outside and the weather was beautiful that night. However, I don’t think I would go back, but would not dissuade anyone from...

Disappointing Service, Great Appetizers – Not Worth a Full Dinner Visit

We decided to try this place despite seeing mixed reviews. We were seated quickly and the atmosphere was nice, but the service was frustrating from the start.

After sitting for 20 minutes with no service, we noticed a couple who arrived after us already had drinks, chips, salsa, and had ordered appetizers. My husband went to the front to let them know we were still waiting. That’s when we finally got water and chips.

It took another 5 minutes to meet our waitress, who apologized and took our order. One of our appetizers came out wrong—not sure if it was a server or kitchen mistake. She said she’d bring us more water, but we didn’t see her again until just before our dinner arrived. At that point, we were nearly out of chips, and no one thought to bring more—even when they delivered the queso and guac.

We had to ask again for more chips and water, and to make sure we weren’t charged extra for the missing chorizo in the appetizer. It still took another 5–7 minutes. By the time everything arrived, both appetizers and entrees were on the table at once.

The appetizers and sides were delicious. Unfortunately, the entrées were bland and lukewarm. My tacos al pastor were especially disappointing.

The waitress mentioned it was only her fifth day, which we understand. Everyone’s new at some point, and we were kind to her. But she clearly needed more support—and the restaurant wasn’t busy at all, with only a few couples and one small group dining.

In summary: the food was hit-or-miss and the service was slow and disorganized. I wouldn’t recommend this place for a full meal—maybe just stop in for chips, drinks, and an appetizer if you're feeling patient.

The one start is for the good food we did have and understanding she's new..we will have her 20% because we were feeling...

Upon arrival, we scored the second table after opening, which was a real thrill ride. Following a 10-minute wait, which gave us ample time to review the menu and place our orders, the server took our drink orders, along with our appetizer and entree selections, and we were all, Bring it on. Notably, the server mentioned that the tea was still brewing and would be available in a few minutes, because who needs tea right away, anyway. Subsequently, we received our queso without chips, and the salsa arrived with tortilla chips that were underseasoned, uncooked, and cold, because what's a little snack without a side of disappointment. This initial experience was underwhelming, to say the least. My companion's cantina chicken bowl featured chicken that was overcooked and nearly inedible, because who needs flavor or texture, really. Meanwhile, my son's $22 grouper tacos were served cold, and my short ribs arrived on a scorching hot plate, suggesting that they had been microwaved, because nothing says gourmet like a little nuking. We decided to order dessert, but the chocolate cheesecake lacked the advertised strawberries and Pepito nuts, because who needs accuracy in advertising, anyway. We brought this to the server's attention, who seemed indifferent, potentially due to his distraction, or maybe he was just really bored. Additionally, the churros were overcooked and served with ice cream, making for an anticlimactic conclusion to the meal. This experience was our second visit to the restaurant, and it may be our last, because who needs a third strike, really. The service was subpar, and the food was disappointing, particularly considering the $122 cost for three people, including two adults and one teenager, because who needs value for their...