Air Margaritaville Restaurant — Restaurant in Florida

Avoid the fort lauderdale airport location at all costs!! I was a victim of theft and credit card fraud by William, a young Hispanic bartender/waiter/server? Last Monday, 5/9, I was returning from a mother's day visit with my mother. Since I was early to the airport, and I'm a very nervous flier, I treated myself to a few drinks at margaritaville, while watching a basketball game. I didn't have much money on my debit card, so I used two payment methods. I paid the majority of my bill with cash, almost $50, and I paid $5.79 on my debit card. William was made aware that I was using cash, AND a debit card for my bill! I assume William wasn't happy with the tip I gave him. William decided that he wanted more than an INCLUDED gratuity of 18%, so he pocketed almost $50 cash from me, and charged my debit card for the ENTIRE bill! I found out about this theft the next day when I received an overdraft warning call from my bank. I am lived and beyond surprised. All I wanted to do was relax before my flight, and I end up being stolen from. I placed a call to a number that handles complaints from every store or restaurant in the airport. Apparently, margaritaville doesn't think highly enough of their customers to provide them with a number to call if they have a bad experience, such as theft and credit card fraud. I filed a complaint against William and the restaurant, and I've been waiting for a supervisor to call me back for more than three days now. I also filed a fraud complaint with my bank. Unfortunately, until this case is done being investigated, I had to pay $48 to margaritaville, on top of what I already gave them, and I had to pay $60 in overdraft fees that accrued due to being stolen from and not having any money left in my bank account. I have never ever had such an awful experience at margaritaville, and I've never been so blatantly violated in my life. If you go here, stay away from William, or be prepared to be victimized. I hope this doesn't happen at other margaritavilles, but I for one don't plan on...

I was pleasantly surprised when we stopped here for a quick bite to eat. Airport eateries have generally been getting better over the years but they've been hit hard with staffing issues and limited menus/hours recently.

Margaritaville doesn't inspire thoughts of a great meal when you see it. It sits just inside the security checkpoint with an open seating area dominated by a bar. But having been disappointed by some of the other restaurants at FLL (I fly through there frequently) I decided to give them a try.

We were seated quickly by the hostess, with a slight detour to photograph the menu. lol It is printed on a stand at the entrance but I guess they don't have online/QR code versions, and taking a pic seemed very efficient. Our server was super-friendly and quick to get our orders.

The menu consists of a mix of burgers, sandwiches, and some platters that make use of limited ingredients (fish sandwich, fish platter, chicken sandwich, jerk chicken platter, etc.) We decided on the blackened fish and jerk chicken platters. Both come with rice and beans and are seasoned with a very light mango salsa.

The food came out very quickly and the rice and beans were pipin hot. It's not my favorite side but this was really very good. The fish and chicken were also very good but my gf and I agreed the fish was a little better seasoned. The chicken breast was dangerously close to being dry and probably could have been pulled off the grill a minute earlier, but still good The jerk seasoning is really just a rub so it isn't as flavorful as what you'd find at a real Caribbean place, so we asked for more on the side and it made for a really nice salt alternative we sprinkled on.

The mango salsa was not overly sweet (which I don't like) and complemented the fish and chicken well. Overall a hot, quick, filling meal that...

For an airport restaurant, this place is truly not as bad as some people have claimed. People really should remember, you are eating in an airport and not a five star restaurant. And while you may be in rush, so might every other table in the place. And the pricing reflects that once again, you are in an airport. Nothing is cheap in an airport.

As for the food and service, both were spectacular. I strolled around the entire airport before deciding on Air Margaritaville, most because I am familiar with the Margaritaville brand. I had to wait about 30 seconds before being seated. My waitress, Sam, came over and made sure to let me know that she would be by to help me shortly. I was unaware of the no booze before 8am rule, but Sam kindly made me aware of the policy and got me a water to hold me over. I got the two-egg breakfast and it came out warm and just as you would expect from any diner. After 8am, I was able to order the mimosa I wanted which was your standard mimosa. It was refreshing and the perfect start for my 7 hour layover.

While seated I watched various people come and go. A majority got the same level of service I did. There was one group that kept time and complained after every minute they had to wait which honestly annoyed me more than the staff. So long as you remember you are in an airport and are being served by staff that have to deal with grumpy travelers, and a lot of them, you will be fine. Kindness and patience go a long way, even in an airport.

Thanks Air Margaritaville for making my 7 hour...