Emerald Isle Seafood — Restaurant in Crestview

Edited to fix typos.

My wife and I decided we needed to get out for a little while and spend some quality time together. She wanted to see a movie, so we looked to see where it might still be playing, and Crestview was the closest to us.

We got ready, took Little Man next door to the in-laws' and headed southeast. On the way, we started discussing what we wanted to eat. Now, typically, when we're in Crestview, we got to my favorite pizza place in the Florida panhandle. (Y'all know. Keep reading...) But we'd had pizza the day before and weren't really ready for it again. So she started looking while I drove. We talked about a couple of places before reading the menu for Emerald Isle Seafood Restaurant and Market. We made a mental note and kept browsing. That's when she found the ice cream shop downtown. I suggested that we go back and pick somewhere to eat based on the desserts they offered.

That's when we found the brownie a la mode at Emerald Isle Seafood (EIS, going forward). So we set the GPS and kept on going.

As soon as we got close, I realized that back when I worked in Crestview, I drove by this place a dozen times a day. I'd often looked at it but had never eaten there. We parked a little after 4 pm. and went right in. There were a few places readily available for us in the dining room on the right-hand side of the building, so they seated us straight away. Our server was Haley (I hope I spelled it correctly), and she brought us menus and took our drink orders. She came back to visit a few times before we made up our feeble minds, but my wife opted for the blackened Mahi Mahi with steamed veggies and coleslaw while I ordered a platter with fried fish strips and shrimp with fries and seasoned rice.

Soon after, the place was packed! There were 3 wonderful ladies sitting behind my wife that I spoke to who are regulars who come specifically for the mudbugs (crawdads for the uninitiated and crayfish for our friends from north of the Mason-Dixon). One of them offered me one before we left, and they were phenomenal.

So anyway, our food gets to the table, and we dig in. Mine was incredibly hot, so I waited for a moment. Kristy asked me if I'd like to try her Mahi, so I did. It was cooked PERFECTLY. It flaked right off with the fork and was moist and delicious. I finally got a bite of mine, and it, too, was fried splendidly. The seasoned rice could have used a bit more seasoning, but a dash or two of salt and pepper helped out. While the fries were a basket full. All in all, the food was stupendous.

But.

If y'all remember, why was it we picked this EIS? Anyone? That's right, the brownie a la mode. Haley brought us our dessert and two spoons, and we dug in. Oh. My. Goodness. The brownie was rich while the ice cream was so soft it almost felt whipped. There was chocolate syrup drizzled all over it. It was the perfect ending to our meal.

I can't say enough good things about this restaurant. My biggest regret is that I didn't try them sooner. The food is the main attraction and it was amazing. The service was outstanding, and Haley was very personable and answered all our questions. If she didn't know the answer, she found them out for us. Most importantly, she never let our glasses get low. 100% satisfied. And to my Lousianner ladies, thank y'all for indulging an inquisitive man and taking the time...

Writing this to inform anyone wanting a 'To- Go' order to be prepared for an automatic 15% gratuity charge added to your order. My husband and I have made multiple pick up orders in the last months of this pandemic and had never once been told about this charge until now. The owner quite frankly told me "There's more that goes into a to-go order and that I have obviously never worked in the restaurant industry"- entirely rude, unnecessary comment, when he should have just been honest and said that they are trying to compensate their employees' tips that they are no longer receiving in same demand. That's the ONLY reason to "start charging this since opening back after the pandemic" as he said himself. So that tells me the pandemic is the reason for the charge. Needless to say, I ordered from a different restaurant, that did not charge for me to pick up my own order and just put it in a box and bag instead of a plate (which I'm pretty sure the cooks do both of those tasks anyways). It's very unfortunate that he had to say more goes into something, when it clearly doesn't. Just because your to go orders increase, doesn't mean I'm being provided any additional service to justify a 15% gratuity. He couldn't even explain any additional services that would justify this. Just a heads up to anyone ordering 'to-go' from this restaurant.

Owners response literally shows that he doesn't understand the point. Good for you and your average tips, but forcing a percentage for NO additional...

Great music the entire time I was there, but then again, who doesn't love eating good food with a soundtrack of 80s rock? The food? Absolutely splendiferous. My friend and I had two separate entrees, and tasting them both {at the risk of losing my fingers to her}, I have to say I have never had such delicious seafood. It was fresh, tasty, and served exactly as I asked for it to be. Our server was attentive, polite, and remained casual and personable. If you decide to visit, be sure to do a walk-through of their fresh meat selections, kept on ice and in a separate area, just to see what you will be eating when you go to the dining room. They offer a crawfish sausage and a gator sausage that I will be picking up to try, next time I go. The restaurant itself, though connected, does not, that is to say capital N, capital O, capital T, smell like a fishmonger's stall. What it does smell like, is by far the best seafood I've had in the entire gulf coast area. I really cannot say enough good things about this place. It is probably the first five star rating I have given, but it is well deserved, on attitude and...