P.J.'s Oyster Bar — Restaurant in Indian Rocks Beach

Well, I really wanted this to be a homerun. Sadly, I can say we won't be back. Last Sunday, my husband, teen daughter and I rolled up excited to try PJ's to support a local restaurant. We are always huge fans of supporting small business. So, parking lot was fine, no issues. Busy, this will be good I thought. We walk up to hostess stand, and 2 ladies are taking names. We give our name, told we are looking at 30 min wait, take our pager, and we grab a seat right next to stand. My husband immediately scampered over to the bar for a round of drinks. So we wait. And wait. And wait, watching as they are offering seats to other guests, accommodating parties of various sizes. About 45 min in, we overhear one of the hostesses explain to a party of 8 that walked in well after us that they are waiting for a second 4 top to clear so they can push two 4 toppers together. Ummmmm, say what?!?! We've been waiting for almost 50 minutes (as we are sure based on bar receipt time stamp). So I go up and ask exactly where on the list we are, and the older hostess explains that, "Well, everybody has been waiting about half an hour," with a bit of tone in her voice I might add. We've been waiting 50. Upon further questioning, they realize that oh, our name was crossed out as having been seated. Really. Not once had we left the hostess stand area. Not. Once. We were there the entire time. Their mistake. But to make matters worse, besides a half hearted, "oh, I'm sorry," from the one older hostess, no offer for so much as a drink or app comp. NOTHING. So. Noted. In another lifetime, I worked private food service industry. Guess what. Take care of your customers. If you make a mistake, own up. It will be well worth your $5 appetizer you give away vs an embarrassingly honest review on Google. As it was, food was fine, atmosphere typical marina crawl, and waitress Sierra was sweet as could be, efficient and attentive. I don't think she had any idea what transpired out at hostess stand. We gave her exactly her 20% tip as this was not her fault. However, we will not be back as there are too many other amazing establishments in the IRB/Belleair/Clearwater area to...

Just okay. Nothing to brag about. We got oysters and coconut shrimp apps. The coconut shrimp were good but came with 5 so not great for sharing and of course no one wants to take the last one. Oysters were good. The patio had a 20 minute wait but no wait to eat inside. I'm always hot but it was freezing inside. It's also very cramped inside. You have to dodge people, tables & servers trying to get to the bathroom. Service was so-so. A friend ordered hot tea. Server didn't bring a spoon, lemon, sugar/honey, etc. Just a tea bag and water. She asked for them. She ordered another and again he brought just a bag and water so she had to ask again. I had seared tuna sashimi style. It was good and a good portion. One of us had a shrimp pasta of some sort (maybe Alfredo). She said it was just okay and didn't eat much even though she was starving. Another had a burger and said it was just okay. We had to wonder if our server would ever return at one point because he was gone so long. Overall just wasn't great but also wasn't horrible either. The presentation was incredibly boring. The only food everyone really liked was raw so that says something. It was my 2nd time there. Will I return? Maybe if someone else wants to go. I wouldn't suggest it. Everyone thinks the dollar bills stapled all over the walls are cute. I find it gross and unsanitary. Money is one of the dirtiest, germ infested things on the planet. I don't want them all around me while I'm eating. OMG and don't look up at the decorations hanging above your table. Some of them were covered in literally inches of dust. When a restaurant doesn't clean stuff like that EVER, I wonder what else they're not cleaning ever... The restaurant itself is a hodgepodge of old outdated styles thrown together with no clear direction. The cafeteria tables and chairs definitely aren't impressive or comfortable. I'd call the aesthetic nautical /50's diner/seafood/vintage/eclectic/b...

*Update We have been here a, few times now since the original review and sadly the food and service have gone down hill. We went in February 2025 and the raw oysters were so shriveled, we're not completely shucked. Probably because there was vary enough to cut off the shell! We even asked the waitresses prior to ordering if the were plump and she said yes!!?? I got the fried shrimp and they were okay and my husband got the grouper. He was okay with it as well. Our waitress seemed distracted and not very attentive. We are so disappointed. This place used to be awesome and a must stop when we came to the area every year but after the past couple of years and especially this last visit we doubt we wo go back. So sad because it used to be so good. I gave the extra star for the memories of when it was so good. Good luck if you try it, but there are better places close by!

OMG this place is amazing. We were staying in the area for vacation and happened upon this place and so glad that we did! We had several of their Chicago style oysters and those are by far amazing! We also had grouper sandwiches and some other meals and food was great! We also tried some of their specialty drinks and they were good too as well as a wonderful price. The prices for the food were also great. Especially for the vacation type of restaurant. We liked it so much we ate there two times while there and look forward to coming back to the area to eat there again. The atmosphere is great and the dollar bills all over the walls is really cool and it is awesome that they donate them to charity. The waiters that we had both nights were also friendly, helpful and on point. The entire experience was great and we would highly recommend this place, especially if you love oysters!! Give this place a try, you...