Palm Valley Fish Camp — Restaurant in Ponte Vedra Beach

Great food, great environment -I'm hoping we caught them on a bad night but unfortunately pretty terrible service -so my down rating is purely service based.

We sat in the outside walk up area last weekend which was basically ignored by our waiter -he visited in 15-20 minute intervals most of time -all while we observed his intense service with 4-5 visits to every inside table during those single visits to us. It took 15 minutes to even order water after being seating too -we just sat and sat in the heat waiting. We ate about half of our meal in the dark because while other servers brought lights out to their tables at dusk, I guess our table was forgotten and we finished our meal our meal in the dark before the light came out from an employee. Then it took a total of 25-30 minutes to pay and leave because of being ignored again trying to get a check, trying to process the check, and trying to sign the check.

Maybe our waiter was given to much to do inside or had a bad night, I don't think our poor experience was intentional at all. -and be clear, we were never rude to anyone and enjoyed the food, I think strong management could fix this with first not splitting the 4-5 outside tables amongst i think at least 3 servers which makes for inefficient and ineffective service -then again, the female server for the adjacent table did visit that table at least double or triple the frequency of our waiter -so maybe that's not the fix either. Maybe their staff size can't handle the extra outside work on a weekend. Anyways, somebody can fix this.

One other thing, this isn't really a criticism as I don't believe their is fault but more advice for future visitors -We called the restaurant from right up the street already driving to the restaurant and they indicated there was no wait currently for the outside tables -but 7 minutes later when we arrived, we were given an estimated 1 hour wait and actually ended up being a 1.5 hour wait (probably because the service outside was so slow)!!! -so I wouldn't bank on any estimates given on the weekend for outside walk up availability. And with the service issues already described -our entire visit clocked in at just under 3 hours!!

Anyways, just avoid the walk up outside tables, make a reservation to sit inside and maybe you'll have a much much better experience, as the food was great. With even adequate service my rating would have been 4 or 5 stars for this restaurant which clearly...

My wife, son and I just drove in from Atlanta (5.5 hours), dropped our stuff off and were dying for some good seafood, but also a place that had something more because my 9 year old hates fish. After getting kicked out of TPC for being underdressed, we stumbled upon Palm Valley. Aside from the restaurant looking very inviting, the valet guys let me park right up front. The restaurant sits on the water and has beautiful outside seating. Although the inside is beautiful as well, we chose to sit outside because it was a gorgeous day. In a nutshell, I loved our (from NY) waitress. She was kind, sweet, attentive and let my wife sample as many wines as she wanted. Every employee there genuinely seemed friendly and happy to help with anything. We started with a small appetizer of Red Royal Shrimp. Holy cow these things were good! I don't believe they're on the menu but our waitress suggested them. My son ordered chicken tenders and a Shirley Temple. It came with fries and hush-puppies. He gobbled everything down in record time. My wife settled on a blackened mahi sandwich and coleslaw with a side of zucchini and squash. The fish was cooked to perfection. The slaw was great but the zucchini and squash were amazing! I ordered the fried fish sandwich. I never eat fried food but when I walked in, I saw someone eating it and my stomach immediately started rumbling. I knew I had to have it. My sandwich came with a spicy slaw (forgot what they called it) and I also got the zucchini and squash (yum). It was a $75 meal without drinks. I say that but because of the fantastic service, delicious food and gorgeous atmosphere, it was so worth it. I would...

Palm Valley Fish Camp completely hit the mark for me. I’m in town on business and exploring the area a bit, and as a Florida native who now lives up north, I’ve been seriously craving a good grouper dish. I had high hopes walking in — and this place delivered.

I dined solo and had the pleasure of being served by Nick A., who was outstanding from start to finish. Friendly, attentive, and professional — exactly the kind of service that makes a solo dining experience feel welcoming and relaxed.

To start, I went with the scallop ceviche special, served on a crisp corn tortilla — essentially a ceviche tostada. It was brilliant. The scallops were incredibly fresh (even compared to what I’m used to up in Maine), with bright, clean flavor and perfect acidity. It was one of the most creative and well-balanced starters I’ve had in a while.

For my main course, I ordered the pan-seared grouper, which was exactly what I’d been craving. It came with pesto rice, crispy fried onions, sautéed micro green beans, and a smoked beet BBQ sauce that tied everything together in a way that was both inventive and grounded in Southern coastal flavors. The grouper was cooked to perfection — flaky, moist, and full of flavor.

My only complaint is the parking, which is tight and limited — not ideal for such a popular spot. That said, once you’re inside, the experience makes it absolutely worth the effort.

Fantastic food, great service, and a truly memorable meal. Highly recommend Palm Valley Fish Camp, especially if you’re looking for fresh Florida...