Papa Surf Burger Bar — Restaurant in Florida

I wanted to love it. We drove all the way from near Rosemary just to come for dinner because we have waited all summer for Papa Surf to open. The building is super cool, and if the weather is good, the vibe would be immaculate. Unfortunately it was raining the day we came, and we had a table outside. The umbrellas helped, but we still got dripped on the entire visit, so if the weather isn’t good, I’d go elsewhere. The staff never offered an additional umbrella or to move us inside. By the end of the meal our clothes and food were wet.

As to the food, it was just ok. It wasn’t bad, but I wouldn’t drive as far as we did just to eat it again. If we happened to be close and it wasn’t crowded, sure, but it was not worth the special trip we made passing a lot of other great restaurants on 30A.

Our server seemed frazzled and couldn’t handle questions. My kids asked for sweet tea, which they only have in Milo’s bottles that cost per bottle. They asked for lemonade, it’s only frozen. It would have been faster to just tell us the four drink options they do have instead of making them guess.

Then when it came to the burgers she told us they didn’t allow ANY substitutions. I find it hard to believe it’s hard to customize a burger by leaving an ingredient off. When we asked, she had to ask the chef. Then we were told no. Then when asking how the burgers were cooked, we were told medium well and there is no substitution on that either. I asked if he could just leave it for a few extra minutes, and again….she had to ask. She came back clearly annoyed and said he would make it well done for me. It came out CHARRED to the point it was hard to bite and I had to throw a good bit of it away.

The sweet potato fries were good, but not great. All in all for the price and limited options and strict “no subs” rule we were disappointed. Usually the great thing about a burger is that it’s easy to customize to one’s liking, which most other places that offer primarily burgers offer. The experience with the staff definitely didn’t mesh with the laid back vibe that Papa Surf projects on socials.

Maybe after more time in business and suggestions from customers things will improve, but it was just a very average experience and I regretted spending our last day at the beach there rather than somewhere that would have been more...

UPDATE: 8/30/24 Been traveling a bit and hadn't got a chance to get back to Papa service Burger bar to hook up with Jon The manager and say hello. It was a pleasant surprise when we ordered our usual Burgers that we loved there and there were even that much better. Plus the waffle fries and waffle sweet potato fries were excellent. So crispy and so tasty and moist on the inside. The burger patties were outstanding. Jon said that they had changed vendors for the meat, beef patties and the fries and what a huge upgrade. It was great before but now it's fantastic! Definitely got to go back there again and get me another burger before I leave town this week and sit out by the big old magnolia tree at the bar and enjoy the live music and the fresh air. You just don't get any better than this! Come in and give him a try. You won't be disappointed I guarantee!

We went to Papa's Surf's about a month after they opened. The burgers were small, overpriced and fries didn't come with it. Drinks were too high with the amount you got and really was disappointed. Didn't think I was going to go back but we thought we'd give him one more try since it's such a great location and great atmosphere. We were all pleasantly surprised how much they have changed. 100% turnaround for them! Thanks to the new manager Jon He's done a fantastic job with the food, the ambiance and the music selection.All our Burgers were fantastic and they gave ample amount of waffle fries. Didn't even finish them. You have your choice between regular waffle fries and waffle sweet potato fries. The gang we were with Burn it Down, Change Up, The Beach Cowboy, Steakhouse Burgers and all of them are fantastic and cook perfect. We also had an order of the garlic cheese curds were you so yummy! The girls had champagne and we had Paparita which is Coconut rum, pineapple juice and blue Curacao which fit right in with our beachy mood! So we're glad we gave him a second try after talking to John and telling us the story about his transformation of Papa Surf I will definitely be back again and will be one of our regular watering holes. Great job guys! The staff was fantastic....

Our first visit to this area in Florida for six weeks brought us to Papa Surf! We ate there three times! Once was a carry out and two times outdoor dining. The design and atmosphere is so inviting and relaxing. Being dog friendly, our pup loved it too. The food, multiple menu items were perfectly prepared and delicious. The service was great. Very nice staff and well mannered.

A special mention to Jonathan the manager; on one visit he along with other staff members went out of their way to welcome us before seating. Very friendly. Our server(s) checked on us frequently.

The vibe is unique. Great location across from public beach access to the ocean. The outdoor seating offers multiple options. The front ‘porch’ with a large screen tv (we were there during the Super Bowl). The backside is beautiful under the large Magnolia trees! The outdoor evening lighting was a warm ambiance. The music playing was so good! All genres, come to find out after speaking with Jonathan the manager that he creates the playlist AND there’s a QR code for it! Awesome we could listen to it on our own! The burgers were a standout along with the waffle fries. My husband favored the Pineapple teriyaki chicken sandwich. Loved this establishment, very clean inside and out. We had the opportunity to talk with Jonathan the manager; he clearly loves his job. Great guy, very passionate about this place. He makes a point to be visible and speak to the patrons. Austin was another employee we remember. Very professional. Of course we loved that our pup could join us.

I wanted to take the time to leave a detailed review as we dined at high end restaurants as well during our stay. Do not overlook Papa Burger Bar! We are back home and miss it already! Thanks Jonathan and team for the...