Landry's Seafood House — Restaurant in Dr. Phillips

First and foremost, I hate leaving bad reviews for restaurants. But I have to vent.

I’ve been a member of the Landry’s Select Club for years and have always had great experiences at their restaurant brands...until July 6, 2025.

My daughter and granddaughter were in town celebrating their birthdays. We headed to Disney Springs, and my daughter casually mentioned craving raw oysters, especially with how scorching hot the day was. I looked around and saw Landry’s Seafood, part of the Landry’s umbrella, but a location I had never visited. Based on my past experiences at their other brand restaurants, I made a reservation without hesitation.

We arrived and were seated right away. That's when the problems started.

Our server seemed to be having a bad day. She wasn’t friendly, and when I asked to keep a menu to look at dessert options, she made a rude, smart-aleck comment: “You won’t find any desserts in the menu,” in a condescending tone.

Listen...I’m a Puerto Rican Gen Xer. I don’t tolerate being disrespected. But I was with my family, enjoying the day, so I took the “blue pill” and chose to stay calm.

Then came the food.

The oysters were fresh and served with cocktail sauce, limes, and horseradish, but they were extremely small. Not worth the price.

For entrees:

I ordered the crawfish étouffée. It came with rice, no sides. It was served cold, and the sauce had already started to coagulate. The crawfish tails were chewy. The flavor was just okay.

My son had the salmon with couscous. He said it tasted good, but the portion was very small.

My daughter ordered the Chef’s Course Special: a Caesar salad and the Flounder + Shrimp Piccata. The presentation was nice, and she said most of it tasted good, except the shrimp, which were very overcooked. I could tell from across the table.

We skipped dessert. I asked for the check and placed my credit card along with a $25 gift certificate I’d received from Nielsen Research. I had printed it back in March. No expiration date, never used, and kept safely in my office.

The server returned, tossed the check on the table, and said, “Your gift card has already been used".

Excuse me? That’s a bold assumption. Are you accusing me of dishonesty? My blood started to boil. I told her that it had never been used and decided to just pay the full bill. I realized I was dealing with someone who wasn’t worth the argument.

As we were leaving, we approached the manager and explained the situation. He took the certificate, called their home office, and surprise ! It was valid. He adjusted our bill and apologized.

But by then, the damage was done.

I will never return to this location. And if you do go, and your server is “Randy” or “Randee,” be prepared for some seriously...

The only salvation of my dinner experience was the oysters and the broiled 🍤 🦐 shrimp. They were delicious! But the rest of my order was flavorless; starting with my drink, I saw this beautiful picture of a lavender martini... Slightly purple clear liquid with a beautiful flower petal inside. I received a murky, cloudy white something with a lemon on a toothpick; it was full of simple syrup' already disappointed (I drank the martini), I decided to change my drink to a Margarita ( who can mess up a Margarita?) they could! I had to send my margarita drink back. Their premium patron margarita was disgusting. (let's stick with water) Our Oysters appetizers were delicious but let's be honest. Who can mess up an Oyster? Unless it is a lousy oyster 😆 the stone crabs were plain... not even a little lime zest or old bay to flavor the steam water to make the crabmeat taste seasoned. Serving with mustard to mask the taste of the crabmeat... that's not a good seafood experience. You can't eat seafood with a condiment that overpowers its flavor... it should complement its flavor instead. My starter dish was a clam chowder soup. But in reality, that soup should be called potato soup with a splash of clams. It didn't taste like a clam chowder to me! My husband ordered the recommended favorite almond-crusted Mahi. His Mahi was not crusted with crushed almonds nor have any crushed almonds on it; instead, they were breaded with (unseasoned) almond flour on top of plain sticky rice and saggy Spinach...unseasoned fish pan-fried with unseasoned almond flour = plain and overrated! My Filet mignon was flavorless. No salt, not even a light rub of fresh garlic or anything to enrich the flavor of the filet or enhance its perfume... the butter on top was not enough to make the steak worth even after cracking some salt and pepper on top of it. The mashed potatoes were extremely plain. Mind as well boil a red potato without any seasoning, mash everything and shape it with an ice cream scoop making it presentable and "to look like it's tasteful."

I had great expectations for this place, but unfortunately, I left the restaurant unimpressed and highly disappointed with my flavorless and overpriced...

So some friends and I were in Orlando and landed at Landry’s Seafood House. One of our group, originally from Connecticut, had been living in landlocked West Virginia for the past 19 years and wanted some fresh seafood. Landry’s was suggested by the desk clerk at our resort and it was only about fifteen minutes from our resort. To Landry’s, on Saturday, March 18, 2023.

We arrived about 5:30PM for our reservation. We were seated immediately. The dining room was rustic but nice. It was a pretty busy evening but our waiter arrived quickly to get our drink order and bring water. I picked the Peach Solstice Sangria, prepared with Moscato, fresh basil, peach, strawberry and ginger ale. It was yummy.

Landry’s has an extensive menu of fish and seafood but also has something for those of us who are not seafood fanciers. There is a selection of chicken, beef, pasta and even vegetarian/vegan options. There is a great selection of mixed drinks, cocktails and wines. This particular night, I chose salmon, mashed potatoes and green beans. The rest of my group all chose different options.

Everyone at the table agreed that their selections were well-prepared and quite tasty. My salmon was lightly seasoned and not overcooked. The mashed potatoes and green beans actually went well with the salmon. None of my group was up for dessert except me so I opted out too.

Service was good. Food was good. Atmosphere was nice but rustic. This is not an inexpensive restaurant. One of the ‘Chef Recommends’ was a ‘Surf + Turf’ -- 6 oz. filet mignon, 8 oz. lobster tail, mashed potatoes for $77.50. A lobster tail added to an entrée is $39. A burger was not terrible at $16.

If you are a seafood person, and do not mind spending a bit, Landry’s is a good place to try and I would...