Timoti's Seafood Shak — Restaurant in Fernandina Beach

I live locally and I have been to this restaurant dozens of times so I must like the place, right? First the good. Generally, the quality and price of the food is excellent. I say generally, because as one reviewer noted, something changed over the summer and the quality dipped, although things seem to have returned to normal. Reviewers who state this is overpriced need to get out more. $1.99 for a side order of French fries is hardly overpriced, especially in a tourist town. I am a vegetarian so I like that I can add tofu to any menu item, and it can be grilled, blackened or fried. I don't eat fried fish, chicken or shrimp, but my guests have ordered those and they looks and smell great. I rate the quality of the food and price at five stars.

Customer service is neither an asset nor a detriment. Some reviewers state the service is excellent. How can that be? You order at the counter and when your order is ready, they yell your name out the pickup window, “JERRY!" I guess if you dine at McDonald', then this is good service, but in my book, that really isn't service. The staff isn't overly friendly, but they are not rude. Often, I am greeted with "Name for the order." The tip jar on the counter is tacky. Why, and who am I tipping? Obviously, the cook(s) know what they are doing. So service, two and half stars.

The sandbox and play pirate ship attract families with young kids, so if you are looking for a quiet dinner, it ain’t happening here. The layout is awful. You fight through the people waiting in line to get to the drinks or to the bathroom. Please trash those hideous curly fluorescent light bulbs in favor of some antique bronze LED’s. Everything is plastic and Styrofoam. – straws, cups, forks, knives, to-go containers. So much for the environment. Ambiance, one star.

Cleanliness. There are about a dozen picnic tables on a covered patio. They desperately need to be refinished and I have never witnessed anyone clean them except after hours when the staff hoses down the dining area. The trash receptacles are near the picnic tables and if you look at them before you eat, you will lose your appetite – yuk. This place needs some TLC inside and out. Cleanliness and maintenance – one star.

It closes at 8 PM. They don’t take call-in orders after 6 PM. I have visited at 7:45 PM and there were at least ten people waiting to order. During the summer months it needs to be open until 9 PM, at least on Friday and Saturday nights.

So, the food and price are good. If you have small kids, you might want to risk dining in so they can play on the pirate ship. Anyone else, order your food to go and head to the marina or any of the sidewalk tables scattered throughout the historic district. Just be sure to check that you order is correct...

We came about 15 minutes before closing because friends were there and wanted us to come. It was very cold out and I didn’t want to be “that person” taking too long to order right before closing, so I asked how the New England clam chowder was, and I was told “very good” by the girl behind the counter, so I went for a bowl. My husband ordered the fried shrimp basket. I was disappointed they put my soup in a paper cup and put it on the tray while my husband’s food was cooking. I also didn’t realize it was outside seating only. My disappointment continued when I took off the lid of my now cooling soup and could see visually it was not remotely New England style clam chowder, but didn’t even have a chowder consistency. I just decided to just eat it anyway and was shocked how tasty it was! I ate every last drop enjoying every bite! No, it didn’t taste like New England clam chowder either, but there was a lot of fresh clam in it and none were chewy. It was an extremely tasty clam soup, for sure! My husband’s shrimp basket looked liked really nice sized shrimp, perfectly done. I didn’t try them, but he said they were fresh and delicious. The fries were possibly fresh cut fries, but good regardless. The staff were very friendly still checking on us even though it was after they were closed. I would...

When it comes to the fried seafood they have, its pretty good. HOWEVER- I ordered a poke bowl for the first and last time today, and no joke it was the worst poke bowl I’ve ever had. Publix has a TEN TIMES BETTER poke bowl LOL. There were no sesame seeds, no sauce, for some reason they're not using sushi rice and instead opted for coconut rice?? (I don’t know if that was their attempt at being original but it was terrible and dry with little to no flavor) There was no sauce, no seasoning - the poke bowl was literally tuna, shitty rice, some lettuce, and a couple avocado slices. Thats it. Served with a lemon wedge and container of soy sauce. Ive never had a poke bowl that was so boring and bland. There were no flavors other than the bare bones ingredients that were just thrown together. At least publix’s poke bowl has good rice, other actual ingredients for taste and variety that complement each other to enhance the dish, and at the very least had Teriyaki sauce to make it flavorful. This no joke was the worst attempt at a poke bowl ive ever seen. Your local grocery store has better save your time and money and...