Frankies Raw Bar — Restaurant in Florida

In an effort to be fair this isn’t a horrible place but it is far from 5 stars.

That said, I am not against a good food truck. I just reviewed 1 recently that was delicious. Outstanding.

However this place is it’s own unique experience.

It’s a bit confusing because it’s outside in a parking lot. It’s a little roadside place right on 54. There are a lot of plants & areas screened in & I wasn’t sure where ‘in’ was.

As I am trying to negotiate my way in, I was approached by a server & was DIRECTED to a sink to GO WASH MY HANDS. (Back behind me, in the parking lot, next to the portable johns)

Ok, I can appreciate that people are hypervigilant because of Covid, but imagine if there was a line? Does everyone turn back to go wash their hands?

Maybe they shouldn’t assume that my hands are dirty when I’m walking in. It’s off putting to assume I am not hygienic & honestly I really almost left.

I also wondered to myself, does the server follow you if you go to the porta potty to make sure you wash again? What are they thinking? Am I going to touch her face? & Why weren't they concerned after I was sucking my fingers at the end of the dinner BEFORE I gave them their money? (PS: NO MASKS)

So, aside from 1st impressions, I decided to go there because of the pictures of the food online & saw that they had a shellfish platter & also advertise blue crabs.

They didn’t have either. They have a short 2 page menu which I appreciate, but it was even more limited on my visit.

In hindsight I see many of the photos were taken by the owner. So what you see is not necessarily what you get.

Since I couldn’t get what I wanted I opted for a dozen Little Necks & Stone Crab. I asked for the servers suggestion on cold or hot Stone Crab & she suggested hot, saying, it goes better with the hot butter.

Well my little necks came out & unfortunately whomever shucked them, HACKED them. As my photo shows this is NOT what a raw little neck should look like.

Then, as I was on my 4th little neck the stone crabs came out. I’m trying to finish the little necks & now I have HOT stone crab in front of me, which are going to get cold as I try to hurry to eat the little necks. (& No they were NOT busy)

I’m also shooing flies away & covering my food with napkins.

The crab? Tasted previously frozen. The texture changes. Sigh. The butter? Not at all hot. Not like it was just poured. It was separated from whatever was floating at the bottom.

Also, I chose coleslaw for a side & couldn’t eat it. It was like cabbage with mayo. That was a disappointment. Bland. No effort.

After my crabs, I was still a little hungry so I looked at the menu for dessert & found none. The server had asked me if I wanted anything else & I asked what else was there to have? She suggested shrimp, didn’t offer me dessert. No key lime pie or cheesecake as advertised.

So that’s that.

Upside? The other servers check in with you, remove plates & seem very nice.

As I was leaving, I needed the sink because I had shellfish juice on my hands. I guess I met Mr. Frank who was over there doing something & asked me how my food was. I answered honestly.

The shellfish was good (not great) & the coleslaw was a disappointment.

He said he doesn’t like it sweet.

I said well it tasted more like just cabbage with mayo & he said that’s the way he likes it. He doesn’t like to add sugar.

I suggested pineapple or they also have a special coleslaw dressing. He said he likes the dressing they use. Told me I can order pineapple with it next time I come.

I’m glad HE likes it. Why did he ask?

Overall I’d suggest trying other establishments with indoor AND outdoor seating, his & hers bathrooms, don’t treat you like you need hygiene lessons, or tell you to Bring Your Own Beer.

You can have MORE food choices, SAME prices & staff that know how to serve a cherrystone. Even just a few more miles down in Tarpon Springs or nearly anywhere up & down the Gulf Coast.

1 Star because I have to in...

I've lived in FL for about 6 years now, and one of the things I was excited about when moving here was the amount of fresh seafood I would have access to. However, for the 6 years I've been here, I've not been able to find Clams on the half shell in over 98% of the seafood restaurants I've been to. And I mean I've been to some BIG Places, like Catches, and Get Hooked and Whiskey Joes. Sure, they have Steamers, and oysters a plenty, but they don't serve raw clams, and no one seems to know why. - How can you call yourself a raw bar and not have clams on the half shell.

Anyway, I went to Frankie's because a Co-worker recommended them for their Crabs, and my Co-Worker is from Maryland, so she knows Crabs. And can I tell you that Frankie's is THE REAL DEAL when it comes to raw bars. - Great atmosphere, Friendly Staff, Live Music, and the food... well, let's just say, I've found my home.... it was amazing - I had mostly raw bar stuff, and yes, they have Clams on the Half Shell. (Thank Goodness) I had a dozen clams, a dozen oysters, an order of the Oysters Rockefeller, and 2 crabs. and EVERY SINGLE ITEM was amazing. Very reasonable prices too. And just a heads up, this is a BYOB so if you want a beer or some wine with dinner you have to bring your own, which is great because it keeps the prices of your dinner down.

Finally, I found a real raw bar in Florida - Who would have thought it would be that difficult. Anyway, I'll be going back over and over again to try the entire menu.

If you like seafood, this is your place, you won't be disappointed.

Great work...

I work in customer service myself. I’m very understanding and a foodie myself. I inquired about MKP because in their post they made about now having crawfish, they were very rude or “automated” in their replies to customers inquiring about wholesale etc etc. So, I called, no answer. I had a party of 13 very interested in coming for them. So I commented on the post. The account manger told me to call the number which they do on every comment, which I did, but instead, first call rang hung up, second was automated etc etc, so I responded saying who can I speak to. They said the server. So they expect me to go there and then ask? It’s a simple question. If it was just me and my boyfriend sure, but I had people coming from over an hour away. Any other place I’ve been to, they have been up front about it. I’m not picky but if it’s over an hour away, why would I need to show up to find out ? So when I mentioned that they blocked me off all social media. Childish, yes. I didn’t say anything rude to them at all, I was wanting a price for guests coming from far away. I would post their responses to other inquiring customers asking the same price but I’m blocked , bizzare. Absurd customer service. So now I’m blocked from all their media because I followed their advice to call their phone only to be greeted with robot inputs and get hung up, and then mentioning that to them publicly so im the bad guy....