Turtle Shack Cafe — Restaurant in Flagler Beach

Went to Turtle Shack Café in Flagler Beach for the first time for a midday lunch with my wife, Suzy. We had heard of the crab cake sandwich and the grouper platter that this restaurant is famous for and were anxious to try these delicacies. We were not disappointed. Everything we read in the online reviews was true: the food is excellent and plentiful, the service is friendly and knowledgeable, and the prices are reflective of an independent eatery with high rent (meaning awesome beach views) and loyal clientele. Not cheap, in other words. They are pretty proud of their fare, with good reason.

We started off with a pint of craft beer on tap called “Cream & Sugar, Please“ which is a Hazelnut Porter by Cycle Brewing from St. Petersburg, Fla. It had notes of coffee and nuts and was very refreshing. The colder the better.

We were waited on by two people, both named Danny/Dani (not sure of the spelling but one was female and the other was male). Dani brought us water with lime, and Danny came to explain the menu for us first-timers (Suzy had visited before but it was years ago). He said the crab cakes were 100% blue crab with no fillers (celery, corn, bread crumbs, etc.). He recommended it on a buttery croissant where the butter would enhance the flavor. Suzy ordered it along with crinkle-cut sweet potato fries.

I was interested in the grouper I had read about online. Danny said the grouper they were famous for was fresh and wild-caught, so it wouldn’t taste or smell “fishy”. I preferred it sautéed along with fries (no salt) and the daily special side: tomato and cucumber salad, which included sweet onions and feta cheese.

After an average wait time, our food arrived. It looked and smelled delicious and we were very impressed at the taste as well. The generous portions were plenty for one person or would have nearly satisfied two adults. The crab cake sandwich was truly fantastic and the sautéed grouper was equally tasty and satisfying. It was flaky but not dry, lightly seasoned and not too salty.

Overall we were very impressed with The Turtle Shack for a special occasion lunch. It was worth the drive from Ormond Beach and the weather was beautiful. My only thing to remember for next time would be to sit in the room near the entrance and bar on a hot day rather than the back room which had less AC circulation. It wasn’t uncomfortable but it was significantly warmer there than the front room.

I highly recommend The Turtle Shack for a fresh gourmet seafood lunch. Hope this helps you choose. Thanks...

7 Months Later update:

Turtle Shack is still serving up a delicious and diverse menu. Today I had the pleasure of partaking in the Super Grouper dinner entree. I ordered the fish blackened with fries and clam chowder for the sides. The fish was wholesome and filling, the sides were a comforting addition to balance things out. In addition to my experience, my party had no complaints with any of the food they ordered. One member of our party commented the following about the hand battered onion rings: “They could hand batter this morning’s news paper and it would still be delicious.” Turtle Shack is the gift that keeps on giving.

Original Review:

Allow me to preface this critique by saying I had exactly zero expectations of quality of service and cuisine when I stepped through the doors of Turtle Shack. I figured it was one of those tourist establishments that the only thing they had going for them was that they laid beside the beach. Now. Allow me to tell you that even considering the nature of my expectations, I could not have been more wrong. I order chicken nachos and ask if such an item is on the menu. I was told no but that perhaps they could arrange such a thing. I asked to make them extra spicy and was instantly responded to with a, “you got it”, or something of that tone. For a place that doesn’t have chicken nachos on the menu, let me say I was more than impressed to say the least. As I write this, it’s Friday, December 20th, 2019 at 10:33 PM and I wish to partake in those divine nachos again, but, I search and see the restaurant closed at 9pm. I wish to send a message to the proprietors of Turtle Shack and ask that they make these nachos a permanent item on their menu. Please. Get in contact with Danielle and the chef who created the dish and allow the city of Flagler- No! Allow the WORLD to enjoy the best of what Turtle Shack talent has to offer. In essence, I...

NEVER AGAIN!!! On arrival all outside tables were full, 3 tables inside occupied, the 1 other couple waiting was only due to wanting an outdoor table, several open tables inside, a few folks at the bar. We were sat at an indoor table for a few drinks and appetizers while waiting for an outdoor table. Drinks and appetizer came fast from an unknown (at the time) and annoyed waitress. The "artichoke" dip w/ added crab tasted like mushroom dip, no crab or artichoke taste. Ordered dinner: EVERY SINGLE ORDER AT THE TABLE WAS WRONG!! Theresa (unknown waitress) had the audacity to try to convince a CHEF that the unidentifiable piece of rubber (chicken?) on her plate was grouper, that looked exactly nothing like the piece of grouper across the table. The other plates: cooked and prepared incorrectly (sautéed vs blackened vs carribean jerk).2nd piece of grouper "doesn't look anything like our grouper, not sure what that is" according to the (nameless) manager. Also told, "sometimes when it gets busy the sides are wrong but we fix it right away." Theresa never returned after we asked for the manager, hopefully humiliated in her efforts to lie to a customer about her mistake. This is our second visit, first one at the bar was a great experience, even got to watch the owner interact with his staff. I'm disappointed that #1 we had to deal with her attitude, (who scowls at a customer when asked their name? oh yeah, she did) despite trying multiple times to joke with her even after. #2 the mangers endless excuses and unprofessional approach, ("is there a problem here" was the greeting when she arrived to the table.). In the end, the grouper and $8 from the second check were comp'd. This place best hope the oceanfront setting is enough to stay afloat if this is what people can expect from anything else this...