The Diving Pelican Restaurant & Bar — Restaurant in Everglades City

We were in town for the Everglade City Seafood Festival. Amazed at all the events and hospitality of the area we heard of a great local seafood restaurant and wanted to try it out. This restaurant is what true horror stories are derived from. The outdated decor, semi-functional dollar store chandeliers that were caked in dust truly set the mood. The daily specials, that were on an unevenly cut, lackadaisical laminated half typed half hand-written piece of paper highlighted the lack of care this establishment prides itself on. The only waitress that was working was rude and quite frankly older than the building and the restaurant. Customer service is not just a word it's a concept that is not found here...at all. The waitress warned us to not eat in certain part of the restaurant, because the kitchen staff uses foul language. The food was depressing and probably obtained from the same dollar store as the decor. The mozzarella sticks were apparently cooked, but by far the worst we have ever had. The chicken was questionable at best and I doubt seriously that the gator bites were alligator at all. The restrooms were conviently stocked with toliet paper both on the dirty floor and the dispenser, that was for show only as it did not work. The bathroom stall doors did not lock. The hand dryer is also just for show, with a small amount of paper towels on it. This bathroom makes the dirtest truckstop bathrooms look like showrooms. At the end the waitress ran my card BEFORE presenting me my bill, are you serious! Our mistake for trying a local business. Our biggest mistake when visiting Everglade City was leaving the...

This was my first visit to the Diving Pelican. In fact, it was the first time I have ever been to Everglades City. Reading reviews on the internet, I selected to have a late lunch at the Pelican.

It was not a bad decision. The building is a joint effort between a bar and a restaurant. We entered the restaurant and were the only diners there. We were seated in the bar which was fine. It was quiet and the booths were comfortable.

I selected the Grouper Francaise. It was described as pan-seared grouper in egg, lemon, and butter. It had a very good flavor but was closer to pan-fried than pan-seared. It was served on rice. It was a large dish but tasted so good I ate it all.

One of my dining companions had a fried grouper dish with rice and beans. It was also filled with good flavor. It was slightly overcooked and a little dry but still tasted great.

The other diner had mango salmon. It came with a mango salsa sauce and served over rice with fried plantains. Again, a very good dish.

The server (Amber) was very knowledgeable about all dishes on the menu and made sure we had plenty of iced tea and water during the meal.

The ambiance is informal with country music playing in the bar and an attractive decor.

When in Everglades City, this restaurant is a...

This place was so expensive for the area. I got a crispy chicken sandwich with some french fries and it was $20. Definitely not expected here and it didn’t even taste all that great. The french fries did not taste good at all in my opinion.

It was about 3 o’clock when we went there. It was relatively empty with some people who look like regulars

It was confusing on which entrance to use once I clearly look like the bar entrance and the other side, clearly look like the restaurant entrance. We went into the restaurant entrance and someone, who ended up being our server, guild for us to come over to the bar side . Good for us we’re over 21 no problem. I imagine she requested because she was the only server/bartender and it was Dad and the restaurant portion and bar portion are kind of far apart from each other so this wasn’t a big deal. I just wish it was more clear on where to go.

They don’t have any new draft beer. This section on their menu is crossed out and this disappointed my husband.

The server/bartender was friendly and she did a good job. I was just really unhappy with the food and the price of the food. The decor is kind of cute but weird for what it is. I did notice what looked like mold on the air vents on...