Saltwater Fishery — Restaurant in Dublin

This was our first time at this restaurant, and while the visit didn't start out on a high note we did enjoy the overall experience and will definitely come back. It can be difficult to find a restaurant in middle GA that isn't a chain or a standard fried food menu, and this one delivers good, fresh food with a great rooftop bar and rotating entertainment as well.

The dining room was incredibly busy and the servers were visibly flustered and overwhelmed when we arrived on a Friday night. We had a reservation and were seated right away, but it took the server almost 10 minutes to get to us just to ask what we wanted to drink. Nobody informed us that they were out of kids' menus when we arrived (the hostess should have the responsibility of this as she was the one handing adult menus to the kids) so we just assumed that there were no kids' meals; about 20 minutes after we had been seated we were told we could find the kids' menu online, which further delayed our food order as our kids then had to go through and choose something new since they weren't really thrilled with the adult entree they had initially chosen to share when thinking that there was no kids' menu.

There was a written specials board outside the restaurant when we walked up and we were interested in a drink that was on that board, but when we asked for it the server said they were out. If you run out of ingredients to make an advertised special, you should cross it out or erase it from the specials board. The menu listed basic draft beers (Coors, Michelob, Bud, etc.) but said to ask your server which craft beers were currently available. However, when my husband asked this question the server proceeded to list all of the basic drafts, not any craft beers; it seemed that she didn't know the difference. From our table he could see a tap at the bar that was a craft IPA, so he asked for that one. The server left to get it, but returned shortly to say they were out; she said the bartender told her they had recently gotten several new craft beers on tap, but she had already forgotten what they were between the bar and our table and suggested my husband go up to the bar to look for himself. Being out of the first two drinks my husband asked for so that we're now already on his third choice and the server having no grasp of what was actually available at the bar and suggesting he go find out himself was not a good way to start our first visit here.

Despite the disappointing drink and kids' menu situations, our visit got better. I've never liked any hushpuppies in my life, but their complimentary ones were very good. The server said they make them with funnel cake batter. My husband ordered the calamari as an appetizer, which he said was some of the best he had ever had, and I ordered the flatbread appetizer which was also very good with fresh ingredients.

After eating downstairs we went upstairs to the rooftop bar for dueling pianos. Some ceiling fans or oscillating fans would really make a difference in comfort and I was surprised they had none - after all, heat and humidity are an everyday combo here in middle GA. There were also a LOT of flies at the bar - so much so that the bartender apologized for it multiple times. Other than that, it's a fun atmosphere with various seating options. The bartender upstairs was fantastic and offered to make any drink we wanted that wasn't on the menu. The entire bar quickly got slammed once the music started and everyone working it was hustling, but she did a great job of checking in on us with a pleasant demeanor despite the stress. The piano act was really enjoyable and we're looking forward to going back to listen to more live music in the future and try some of the items on the...

I am giving the restaurant one star because our waitress was very polite and helpful, and a couple of food items were good. Other than that, this place was a huge disappointment.

We were under the impression that this restaurant was upscale and considered fine dining. However, as soon as we were given the complimentary appetizer of "hushpuppies" and honey butter, we knew it couldn't be. They were almost unrecognizable as hushpuppies and tasted more like fried donut holes - I felt like I was starting with dessert. Similarly, the sweet tea was unbearably sweet. We ordered our appetizer (crab cakes) and main courses (low country boil and blackened seafood platter) all at once, and as other reviews have mentioned, the food came out unusually fast, within a couple of minutes. The two crab cakes given as appetizers were very small, unlike the one crab cake which came with the seafood platter that was a decent size. The crab cakes were pretty good, but all accompanying sauces were in plastic take-out style containers. My low country boil was unevenly seasoned and lukewarm at best. There was an uneven amount of food, with very little sausage but four corn cobs. I ate maybe four pieces of shrimp, one piece of sausage, and two pieces of potato and did not want to eat any more. The "melted butter" had no flavor and looked like popcorn oil. For my boyfriend's seafood platter, the 'catch of the day' was raw and inedible. Oysters were overcooked, scallops under-cooked, the broccoli was unrecognizable (mostly just very long stems with almost no florets), and the rice had clearly come from an instant packet. None of the food was hot.

After expressing our concerns to our waitress, the manager came over and offered to take my meal off of the bill. We were shocked when the bill was still about $75. The cost of the nearly undrinkable sweet tea had not been deducted, and there was no discount for the fish that could not be eaten. My boyfriend politely mentioned the issue of the sweet tea, and at this point one of the restaurant owners came to our table and very tersely asked what the problem was. As we briefly explained, once again, our issues with the food, the owner pushed aside my boyfriend's jacket which he had set down on the opposite booth, and sat down at the table with us. In a very rude manner, he asked questions such as "So you're telling me you didn't like anything you ate tonight?" and "So you just want us to comp the whole thing?." We had indicated multiple times that we would be happy to pay for what was eaten, and complimented the parts of the dishes that we enjoyed. When the unevenly seasoned low country boil was mentioned, the owner reached across the table and took a piece of well-seasoned shrimp off my plate and began eating it. At this point, my boyfriend became very upset, and we no longer wanted to be in the restaurant. My boyfriend stood up and handed his card to our waitress to pay, and the owner stood up and began walking away. He turned back, grabbed the waitress's arm, told her to comp the meal, and walked off. Our waitress and the manager were both very apologetic and provided great customer service, while the owner offered absolutely no apologies and had an extremely unprofessional attitude and approach to the situation.

I would encourage others not to waste time here. The burger and blizzards we had at Dairy Queen afterwards were...

My children and I spotted Saltwater Fishery during our summer visit with the grandparents... we finally went to dinner there and had THE BEST dining experience EVER!!! I've had wonderful meals and wonderful customer service in some swanky places before, however, never anything quite like this!!! EVERY person we encountered was absolutely phenomenal!!! My daughter and I both enjoyed the Georgia Coastal Wild- Caught Shrimp (fried), she with fries and I with the Coleslaw and the Stone Ground Gouda Cheese Grits. My son enjoyed the Grilled Georgia Coastal Wild- Caught Shrimp, Coleslaw and Fries as well as a serving of Stone Ground Gouda Cheese Grits. The three of us shared a slice of the Chocolate Lovin Spoon Cake. Our next trip down, we decided to dine there again. I made online reservations and we eagerly looked forward to our visit all week. We finished up with our appointment a little early and decided to go a little early. As soon as we entered, the gentleman at the host station greeted us immediately and when I stated that we had a reservation and was a little early, he smiled and took us to a table right away. He even searched out the waitress we had had from our first visit. Rachel was on point and provided us the same exceptional service that she did the first time (for that reason, I will always request her section if she's working when we dine there). There isn't enough good that I can say about them. One thing for certain, the quality of everything is consistent!!! Being a creature of habit, I had the same thing on our second visit as I did on our first. My daughter opted for the chicken tenders and fries... she RAVED over the ranch dressing that she dipped her chicken in. My son chose the Salmon BLT Wrap and the Stone Ground Gouda Cheese Grits and devoured them in no time. The price was very reasonable. Compared to what it costs to feed a family of 3 at McDonald's (each person ordering a meal- sandwich, fries and a drink), I'd much rather spend my money at Saltwater Fishery any day... the food is EXCELLENT (and consistent), PHENOMENAL customer service (consistently), GREAT atmosphere...