Capt Craig's Restaurant — Restaurant in Islamorada

We showed up just after 7 with a party of 8. Our intended dinner plans fell through due to traffic being extremely backed up and decided to find something closer to our hotel. So, not having a reservation with a large party we expected to wait. The wait was close to 45mins and only after waiting 45mins were we asked if outside seating would be fine. We agreed, happy to be able to sit and start our dinner. Our waitress was pleasant and took our drink and appetizer orders shortly after being seated, and then everything started falling apart. Waited 10mins and another server came out and asked for our drink orders, we let them know we had already given them to our waitress and he said ok great! Drinks arrived, and about 15mins later apps arrived. Another staff member came and cleared our apps after we had finished maybe 20mins later. We then sat there for another 10 mins before our original waitress came to take our entree orders. After taking our orders she comes back approximately 30mins later asking if we already got our appetizers?... we told her we had and continued to wait for the entrees we had ordered with her 30mins prior. Another 30mins passes with no check ins from any staff. One of our party members goes to check on the status of things and is told things should be out shortly. Approximately 10 minutes after that our waitress comes out and says that there is still a bit of time left for our orders and asks if that's ok... we say yes because by this time it is well past 8pm and 5 of our party are children, we need to get them fed and quickly at this point. Our food arrives over 30minutes later and staggered. First dish, 5 mins later 2 more, and so on. It's important to mention that 5 of the items ordered were cheeseburgers, one was a sandwich, another shrimp scampi, and the last fish tacos. So nothing extravagant. As well as seeing two tables seated after us in the outside area being served their meals before us.

Just before bringing out our entrees our waitress did tell us that they would be discounting our bill and giving us key lime pie on the house due to the excessive wait. Unfortunately the food overall was very disappointing. The children enjoyed their burgers mostly but the mashed potatoes were reminiscent of unseasoned powdered potatoes. The standout flavor for the fish tacos was the corn tortilla they were wrapped in, etc. Initially, we were appreciative of the acknowledgment of the excessive wait time however, the bill arrived and the discount was a whopping 14%. That was quite frustrating but at this point we just want to leave and be done with the experience. The kids were excited for the key lime pie though so we pay the bill and still left a tip and wait for the pie. They brought out a single slice of pie for a table of 8. This was such a horrible experience from start to finish. And was such a crummy way to end our vacation. We didn't even leave until 10pm due to how long service took and that was with taking the single slice...

My family and I have dined at some of the finest corporate owned restaurant's as well as some of the best family owned restaurants. This is the WORST dining experience we have had in our entire life. Immediately after self seating we were approached by a less than friendly waitress Tonya. I am uncertain if her poor approach was due to our race (African-American) or if this waitress was just having a bad day. This waitress looked angry from the moment she approached our table until the moment that we left. To begin, while taking our orders my fiance requested an ice tea and lemonade mix. The waitress stated that the lemonade was a soda mix. He declined and asked for cranberry juice instead. A few moments later Caucasian patrons walked in and requested an Arnold Palmer (sweet tea and lemonade mix). The waitress politely came back with one. My fiance noticed that she didn't mention the fact that the lemonade had in soda and said "excuse me", is that a regular arnold palmer? Tonya responded in a very irate voice and with her less than pleasant demeanor she stated "I said it's made with lemonade soda" and walked away. We were ready to leave at this point however we had previously ordered our food and did not want to appear as customers that could no longer afford the food or anything of that sort. Initally I ordered catfish in butter sauce and was told that the fish was dipped in egg wash. I kindly explained that I am uneasy with the taste of egg wash and would prefer the catfish grilled instead and without any egg wash. Shortly after I was presented with blackened catfish. I explained that I ordered a grilled fish and that the fish presented was blackened and also dipped in egg wash, as I could smell and taste it. The waitress became upset and stated there was no egg wash used and stated in a loud and angry tone "what do you want me to do". At that point I decided that the best thing to do was pay our pending bill and leave. Although she did not deserve a tip, we still left one to prove to this woman that we are nothing like her. Instead of responding with hate we left on a peaceful note but want to warn and inform everyone about this service. This was not our first visit to the keys however this was our first and last visit to this restaurant. We are two very respectful, hardworking and pleasant individual's and left the restaurant in utter disbelief and dissapointment about what had just...

Captain Craig's Seafood Restaurant 90154 Overseas Hwy., Tavernier, FL 33070

4.5 Stars

Continuing my foray into the dining jungle of the Florida Keys, I found myself face-to-face with Captain Craig's Seafood Restaurant in Tavernier. Jennifer was my server for this escapade and I have to say that she started poorly. In fact, she was so bad at first that I wanted to leave. However, Josh came in for the save and I'm happy he did. Josh is truly an outstanding waiter. I would be remiss if I didn't mention that Jennifer pulled a 7th-inning rally and finished strong.

Despite the menu, this place does not have a huge “touristy” vibe. While I sat here, three separate groups brought in their freshly caught fish. If you live in the area and don't already know that, you can catch and prepare/cook here. I ordered one Craig's Famous Fish Sandwich and the Triple Tail Catch of the Day, Captain's Style.

After snapping a few pics of the grub, I got to work. The first item to hit my palate was Craig's Famous Fish Sandwich. I have to question the fluffery of the word “famous.” I highly doubt a couple in Rome are talking to their friends about that fish sandwich they had in the Florida Keys, but one never knows. Regardless of the fame or lack thereof, I anticipated this to be a sloppy mess of gross. I was wrong. So very wrong. The Mahi was grilled to perfection and the house-made tartar sauce was fresh, tangy and delicious.

Turning my attention to the feast that was my Triple Tail Catch of the Day, I stuck my fork in and plopped it in my pie hole. Hmm. One more forkful, to be sure. This was the star of the show. The Captain's Style preparation hit so well with the fresh triple tail. The flavors cascaded over my taste buds like a festival of fresh fish. Josh told me that several distributors supply a fresh daily catch. Guess what? He ain't lyin'. The sides of mashed taters and Cole slaw were your standard fare and nothing to complain about nor write home about.

The Big Boy says, “As it is time for me to make like an anadromous fish and head up to the mainland, let me leave you with this. Captain Craig's Restaurant is a real delight if you are in the upper keys and are craving some delicious...