Barnhill's Cafe, Bar & Grill — Restaurant in Flagler Beach

Shocked. I have been to Barnhill’s 3 times prior to yesterday. I have always been very satisfied until yesterday. We took my 84 year old sister for her birthday. The service was exceptional but the food was very disappointing. We convinced my sister to try the Chilean Sea Bass. My wife and I wanted to order and share the Grilled Seafood Platter. We were told that they were out of cod so we opted for the Chilean Sea Bass as a substitute for $20 additional cost. I was expecting an 8oz lump crab cake with the Sea Bass, scallops and grilled shrimp. I was surprised when our plate came because it was a pile rather than the entrees on the plate separated. First off, the crab cake was not an 8oz serving as the menu and the flavor was way below par ( we lived in Baltimore for 25 years and know a good crab cake) The Sea Bass was flattened out and on top of the crab cake. There were two small scallops and two small shrimp. All for $70. The Sea Bass was ridiculously over salted and we had to remove the top and bottom of the overly salted fish which didn’t leave much to eat since it was a flattened piece. My sisters fish was not flattened but was also too salty. ( she likes alot of salt normally but it was too much for her also)( she also tried to remove the top and bottom of the fish so she could eat it) I told the waitress about our concerns mainly to let someone know about this. She apologized for the concerns. She apparently told the kitchen and then came back and to help, offered us a dessert which we accepted. I hope this is not a sign of the future for this restaurant. We will probably give them another chance but it will take awhile...

A master class in how to ruin a dinner.

We showed up for dinner at 7 PM Wednesday night, ordered a cocktail and an appetizer expecting to enjoy our drinks and then order dinner. We were just getting into it and ordered another round of drinks at approximately 8:00. When our bartender brought our second round of drinks we informed her we would like to order dinner, and she matter of factly informed us that the kitchen just closed at 8:00. I looked at my watch and it was exactly 8:04.

Let me get this straight: you happily served us a $20 cocktail and a $15 glass of wine, watched us settle in, and at no point thought to mention, “Hey, maybe get those dinner orders in before the chef vanishes like a ghost”

At no point did she warn us the kitchen was closing. No, she just smiled, took our drink order, and let us sit there blissfully unaware that dinner was about to be a mirage.

Pro tip: if your staff is going to cut off food service at exactly 8:00 on a Wednesday night, before most people even sit down to eat, maybe mention that? Or better yet, don’t take fresh drink orders minutes before the kitchen shuts down. And certainly don't have your custodial staff swishing their wet stinky mop around our feet while we're trying to finish our drinks.

The service was clueless, the management nonexistent, and the entire experience could best be described as “starving with style.”

We left with empty stomachs, full glasses, and zero desire to...

Barnhill’s

Background. I’ve been seeing this place get built very slowly for years. I was very interested in this place once it finally opened. 5 stars for piquing my curiosity.

Atmosphere. Beautiful wood everywhere: bar, booths, tables, and walls. View of the water from the dining area. No echo in the rooms. 5 stars.

Cleanliness. Very clean and maintained. 5 stars.

Bathroom. You have to walk outside and back inside for the bathroom. Apparently, there is no air circulation, so both rooms have large tower fans in them. By choice there seems to be no towels, only a high end air dryer, like Dyson. 3 stars

Customer service. Excellent. Everyone knows their job. Everyone helps out. Everyone is very knowledgeable about the menu. 5 stars.

Beer. Ice cold. 5 stars.

Plates and silverware. High end plates and high end silverware. 5 stars

Food. It’s so good, I’ve eaten there twice inside of a week. The crab cakes Eggs Benedict was very good (more crab than cake). The crepes are outstanding. The two specials, filet tips over linguine in a light, butter sauce and the filet tips with mushroom sauce over garlic mash, were sublime.

Price. The breakfasts were $15, which is about the same price for their sandwiches. The specials—or anything with steak—is going to be in the high $20s to low $30s. 5 stars.

Overall Experience. 5 stars!

• Do yourself a favor and go to this...