Oceanside Beach Bar & Grill — Restaurant in Flagler Beach

I am not normally one to post. I was in the food service industry for years and know all too well that there can be 'off' days. but, this visit, for several reasons .... I feel compelled to post this review.

Based on reviews, I decided to take Mom here for lunch. Anyone reading this rather long review probably won't read it all, so after the POSITIVE note at the beginning, I will start with the most important section: CLEANLINESS.

POSITIVE: Nice view across the street of the ocean waves.

CLEANLINESS: Please know, we are animal lovers. no doubt. And we understand that some establishments/restaurants allow service animals. We were pretty shocked to see not one, but THREE dogs on the porch - no service animal indicators. One server brought a bowl of water to one dog, which we thought was nice. The owner of the dog proceeded to put the dog ON THE CHAIR and the water bowl ON THE TABLE and the dog sat and ate there. (note: I did not notice anyone wiping down any chairs, only tables) When we saw one of the wait staff petting one of the dogs, then proceeding to continue to work tables WITHOUT CLEANING HER HANDS - Mom and I immediately stopped eating and asked for the check, paid, and left. There seemed no use saying anything to staff because the situation appeared to be acceptable. Nor were we trying to start an issue with people sitting right next to us with the dog getting the attention. Mom is elderly and I am a multicancer survivor with a compromised immune system. Having been in the service industry throughout the years, I have been ServSafe certified multiple times in the past. (re: https://www.servsafe.com/ServSafe-Food-Handler) Although we suppose the health department must allow animals at restaurants (because we see it many times) I am not sure they would be keen to witness what we saw. I would suggest cautioning your staff on ServSafe training requirements --- excerpt from cited ServSafe url below) ----

"In ServSafe training, proper handwashing is crucial for food safety and to prevent foodborne illnesses, especially after handling raw food, ANIMALS, or after activities that could contaminate hands." (cited: https://www.servsafe.com/ServSafe-Food-Handler)

I know dogs are cute, they need attention and it is easy to forget about contaminants but when working with the public, one can never know anyone else's health situation. It is SO VERY IMPORTANT to remember how NOT being mindful of cleanliness can negatively impact others.

ATMOSPHERE / SERVICE: When we arrived, I asked to hostess if they had umbrellas on the porch (sunny day, Mom is 83). She gestured for the porch (where there we no umbrellas installed), half-laughed and said 'um, not now....' --- Yes, I could see that. (not a stupid ask that there may be one to put up if asked for, but ok .... ) We sat in a shaded part of the porch and ordered. Waitress was friendly enough yet messed up our drink order (it happens) yet I could hear other tables experiencing the same 'Oh, I am so sorry' replies to them from her. After a while I asked if she thought my drink was ready, she went to bar, came back and said 'it wasn't but she is finishing it up now'....... Was it ordered? In any event, we were looking forward to the grouper and moms fried fish dinner.

FOOD: After a considerable wait (was not that busy, and seemed no lack of staff) our food arrived. The grouper and fried fish were lukewarm, at best. The grouper was soggy, under cooked and tasted 'fishy'. Moms fried fish was soggy and literally fell apart as she picked it up. I tasted hers, it also tasted a bit 'off'. She picked all the breading off and ate some of the fish. French fries were hot and good though! Coconut shrimp were good yet definitely from a box.

We won't be back and will be sure to let her elderly friends in the gated community to be mindful of our experience before choosing to dine at your Oceanside Beach Bar & Grill.

We did not take photos. We did not...

My wife and I have been curious about this place since we moved here 2 years ago, but it’s far enough south of where we usually park to go to the beach, etc. it’s usually something we think of only when we pass by heading to/from Ormond and we always remark how busy they seem to be every time… Anyway, we finally made a plan to try it for lunch on a recent Friday and we were thoroughly impressed.

Without naming any names, a lot of beach grill spots - including in Flagler - serve a lot of mass produced frozen fried food, etc. that’s just okay, but not memorable meals - and with good reason. They do well on drink sales and you’re there for the experience of dining at the beach, not world class cuisine. Oceanside, it seems to us, is the exception to that rule.

I say all of the above to illustrate the lower expectations we had going in- so we were pleasantly surprised at the quality meal we were served even at an odd hour late in the afternoon, but too early for dinner.

We started with the delicious street corn dip which was way more filling than we anticipated so when our hugely portioned meals arrived we were a little worried we didn’t have room, but we polished it all off, haha. Our server was attentive but not in our faces - just right.

I didn’t ask about the fish, but my fish and chips seemed fresh and light, despite a huge portion and my wife’s fish tacos were enormous, with large whole filets in each (see photos).

They have some nice happy hour drink specials too!

Enjoying a delicious, fresh cooked meal on a sunny day on the upper deck of Oceanside, overlooking the blue green water of Flagler Beach and watching the pelicans patrol the skies - an all around experience, better than I would’ve hoped or expected! It was actually a really hot day but the ocean breeze and the umbrellas balanced things out perfectly.

Bravo to the owners/management for not just mailing it in like other beach bar/grills too often do. It’s no wonder you’re always busy!...

Foodies Of Flagler enjoyed an evening out at Oceanside Beach Bar & Grill. The atmosphere was casual and enjoyable. Our group laughed and did not feel like we were out of place for having a good time. Our server was TJ. TJ was very attentive. The specialty drink menu was nice, giving that vacation vibe. I tried the Hemmingway... a reminder of Key West, it was a tasty drink with a very nice presentation. My main course was one of my all-time favorites Cheese Steak on the handheld menu. My sub was a good size, my request for the the greens and onions on the side, and add lettuce tomato and mayo with the bun toasted was beautifully executed. A good cheese steak starts with good shaved steak, the steak was good quality and the melted cheese was beautiful and plentiful. My bun was cut a little odd... not in the center as you would expect, but more of an angled slice from the top. I thought this might cause a mess... but it did not. It may have been more of an artistic cut for presentation. I enjoyed the cheese steak would give it an 8 out of 10. the deserts were beautiful! We sampled the Chocolate Cake, Salted Caramel Cake and Creme Brule Cheese Cake. All were tasty and fresh, but the Salted Caramel Cake was the show stopper for me. It was moist, and had the right amount of salty and sweet to wrap up the night. All in all, it was a pleasant experience and I would go again. I give an 8 out of 10 for the...