Dockside Seafood Restaurant Jax Beach — Restaurant in Jacksonville Beach

If you're looking for an authentic, no-frills seafood experience at Jacksonville Beach, Dockside Seafood should absolutely be on your list. This charming local restaurant combines laid-back beach vibes with seriously fresh seafood, and while the setup may be a bit different from your typical dine-in spot, the food and atmosphere make it well worth a visit.

One of the first things you'll notice about Dockside is the ordering process, which is slightly unconventional but ultimately efficient. Instead of being seated and handed menus by a server, you walk up to the counter, place your order, and pay up front. Once you've chosen your meal, you're given a number and then free to find a seat either inside or out on the patio. Staff will bring your food directly to your table when it's ready. While this might throw off folks who are expecting full table service, the system actually works quite well—especially during busy hours. It keeps things moving smoothly and allows you to just relax and enjoy once you've sat down.

Now, let’s talk about the star of the show: the seafood. It’s fresh, local, and prepared with care. From the moment you take your first bite, you can tell that Dockside prioritizes quality ingredients. Whether you're in the mood for grilled mahi, blackened shrimp, fried oysters, or a classic fish sandwich, the flavors are always spot on. I had the blackened grouper basket with hush puppies and fries, and everything was cooked perfectly—the fish was moist and flaky with just the right amount of spice, and the hush puppies were crisp on the outside and soft in the middle.

The menu is extensive enough to offer something for everyone, including non-seafood eaters. There are chicken tenders, salads, and burgers if you’re dining with someone who isn’t a big fan of fish, but make no mistake—the seafood is where Dockside truly shines.

As for the ambiance, Dockside strikes a perfect balance between casual and coastal. The indoor seating area is clean and bright, with simple decor that reminds you you're not far from the water. But the real treat is the outdoor patio, which overlooks the marina. If you get a chance to dine there around sunset, you’re in for a beautiful experience. It’s not uncommon to see boats coming and going while enjoying your meal, and the breeze off the water adds to the relaxed, beach-town feel.

Service is friendly and fast. Despite the pay-first model, the staff doesn’t cut corners on hospitality. Our food arrived hot and timely, and staff checked in to see how everything was, even though we weren’t being waited on in the traditional sense.

All in all, Dockside Seafood delivers a fantastic local experience with high-quality food and a laid-back setting. It's perfect for families, couples, or anyone looking to enjoy great seafood without the fuss of a fine-dining environment. Highly recommended if you’re in the...

So, you get the ambience of being literally on the dockside because it's located at a boat ramp.. so be warned, your local fish, game and wildlife enforcement officer is right there on the premises.. there's also "fresh catches" of the day so also beware that the prices will highly fluctuate accordingly.. we ordered the 2 selection basket combos which were priced@ $20 a piece and no, drinks are NOT included.. you can get a 3 selection combo for $23 and there's a list to pick from, but other upgrades are right below it for additional charges.. like to add a crab cake as a selection is an addt'l charge of $4... Each combo comes with fries, a small container of coleslaw(needed a tad more sugar) and 2 hush puppies.. the fries tasted like they were fried with the fish and I don't eat hush puppies anyway but they were definitely browned.. so our selections were the haddock(1pc)and fried oysters(about 6pcs) for one of the baskets and blackened shrimp(about 6pcs) and the fried deviled crab (you get 2 shells) for the other basket.. the fish was decent; it looks like the ones @ captain d's ... And the fried oysters were a little small but okay tasting.. the shrimp didn't have a lot of flavor but were blackened so I ended up eating 2 without cocktail sauce and eating the other 4 with cocktail sauce.. now let's get on to these deviled crabs... As a chef.. there was nothing crab like about it.. it tasted like straight up stuffing.. I could see and taste the red and green bell peppers and onion but the rest was mush like stuffing.. you can CLEARLY see the "crab meat" was just imitation crab which is nothing but that pink fish stuff.. u Kno the one.. but to be clear... It was mixed and stuffed back into REAL crab shells and fried but you can taste absolutely no crab.. so I'm assuming they use imitation for the deviled crabs and the real crab meat for the crab cakes which on somebody's planet makes sense.. but if you're looking for real crab meat and crab flavor... DON'T order these.. I'm posting the pic so you can see exactly what I'm talking about.. our order came up to $55 and I was truly disappointed so we'll be trying the Beachside seafood place up the street next and hopefully get some real crab meat.. you shouldn't have a mouth full of mushed stuffing and fish to be passed off as "fried deviled crabs" try again. Oh and you don't necessarily wait for a table, even you order, you get a buzzer but you can just go look for your own open table inside/outside.. it took about 8-10 mins for the food...

While the food here was good if you have an elderly parent, grandparent or even child and they are not able to stand in a line for 30 minutes I would not recommend this restaurant. After visiting my brother at Brooks Rehab in Jacksonville I thought it would cheer up my 86 year old dad to take him and get something good to eat since he's not able to get out often. When we arrived there was a handicap ramp which my dad has to use a rollator so this was helpful. We arrived about 4:30 which I thought was great we would beat the dinner crowd. There was a line out the door so I took dad on in and sat him down and then went back outside and waited my turn in line along with my sister and cousin. I sent my niece who is 11 inside to check on dad when we were getting closer. She text me about 10 minutes later asking me to come to the table. She advised me that a lady approached her and said she had to move dad. I asked who she was and she said she had on a red shirt. I see the lady in the kitchen at this point but stood and waited with dad for a couple minutes. At that time another waitress addressed me and stated that I had to move dad because we did not have a tracker. I looked at my sister who is next in line to order and I told her we were next in line to order. She said you can move him to the bar area where there are tall chairs. I said ma'am there is no way I can get my 86 year old dad in those tall chairs. She said well you can move him to the bench outside (Its in the high 40's on this day 02/03/2024) I again said ma'am by the time I move him we will have a tracker and I will have to move him right back, as I'm looking at 4 empty tables in the dining room area. She then told me that "maybe this isn't the restaurant for you". WOW! I've never been taken back quiet this much. I repeated again" I'm not moving him". While I understand rules are in place for a reason I also understand that there are exceptions to all rules and I certainly think my 86 year old father should have been that exception. We were a party of 6 that spent roughly 150.00 to occupy 2 tables for approximately 40minutes (1 table for probably 25). I say all of this to say while the food was good this restaurant lacks a lot of empathy and compassion for the elderly. Incredibly sad.

Amy did reach out after this post and was very apologetic. Everyone has a bad day and that’s what I will chalk this experience up to. Thank you Amy for being so kind and compassionate! We will visit again...