Safe Harbor Seafood Restaurant — Restaurant in Jacksonville

This was an initial visit to the Safe Harbor Seafood Restaurant.

The restaurant is very popular. It is informal and a no-frills type of place. The emphasis of the restaurant, and the reason it is so popular, is the fresh seafood.

Parking can be tricky but there is plenty of room to park, if necessary, at the seafood store across the street. There is parking at the restaurant but, at busy times, it may be full so across-the-street parking will be the best options during these times.

We arrived at the height of lunch hour on a Saturday—and parked across the street.

Ordering food is done by placing an order at a counter and it is then delivered to a table with a number system. A customer receives a number when the order is placed, sets it up on the table, and a server brings it to the table when the order is ready.

It is a good way to feed a lot of people efficiently. It may be more efficient to just have a buffet but this is a step above that approach.

We waited in line about 25 minutes or so to place an order. There was a long line and one person taking the orders.

I ordered the triggerfish fresh catch. That fish was sold out so opted for the snapper instead. The dish was accompanied with french fries, hushpuppies and slaw. Other side dishes are available for an additional price.

Another person in our party ordered fried clams. This dish came with the same sides.

Wine and beer are available along with water, iced tea or soft drinks. I ordered a pinot grigio wine. That is probably not a good idea. It comes in a can, was $10 and not the best option. The other drink options are probably a wiser choice and, as a practical matter, this is not a setting for a good glass of wine in a relaxing atmosphere anyway—but there are several wine options available in cans in a refrigerator near the soft drinks.

The fish was very good. It did not have any seasoning and a little over cooked so a little dry but the taste was good. The hushpuppies and fries were warm. The hushpuppies were cooked a little too long so a dark brown and a little dry.

The fried clams were also a little overcooked and the clam flavor was overshadowed by the breading.

While this is not an inexpensive restaurant, the portions are generous and there is a wide variety of food available. The fresh seafood, casual atmosphere, location on the water right beside fishing boats, and good sized portions are probably the biggest reasons for the long-standing popularity of the restaurant. Our lunch for three people, including a tip for the staff, came...

ME AND MY FAMILY VISITED SLIDERS OYSTER BAR ON NEPTUNE BEACH IN WHICH SAFE HARBOR IS AFFILATED WITH IT.WE VISITED THE RESTURANT FOR THE FIRSTTIME AND ITS OUR LAST TIME BEING THAT WE SAT AT OUR TABLE 6/19/25 AROUND 7:15 PM WAS ONLY GIVEN ONE GLASS OF WATER WHICH WE HAD UP UNTIL 9:00PM WHEN WE CHECKED OUT AFTER 9PM.WE ORDERED FOOD FOR A 1 YEAR OLD ,INWHICH SHE NEVER GOT HER FOOD .SO NOW THREE ADULTS HAS FOOD AND WE HAVE A HUNGRY 1 YR OLD JUST SITTING WATCHING US EAT. MY HUSBAND HAD TO GIVE HER SOME OF HIS FRIES . WE WASNT AWARE OF THE TIME THAT THE KITCHEN CLOSES .BECAUSE IT WAS OUR FIRST TIME THEIR .WHEN THE WAITRESS FINALLY CAME BACK ,AND WE ASKED HER WHERE WAS THE FOOD FOR OUR GRAND CHID. SHE SAID ,,,OH !.. AND SHE DID SAY THAT HER FOOD WAS ORDERD LET ME GO SEE WHERE ITS AT. SHE CAME BACK AND SAID THAT THE KITCHEN WAS CLOSE . NO APOLOGIES DIDNT TRIED TO AT LEAST SAY WE CAN GET HER SOME FRIES .AS I TOLD THE GENERAL MGR THE NEXT DAY WHEN I CALLED .I EXPLAIN TO HIM THAT WE HAD NO UTENSILS WE SAT THERE UMTIL WE CHECKED OUT WITH NOYHING TO EAT WITH FOOD GOT COLD JUST SITTING , AND I ORDERD A BEER INWHICH SHE BROUGHT A CAN BY HER CHOICE . I DIDNT HAVE THE CHOICE TO CHOOSE A CAN OR BOTTLE .I WAS NEVER OFFEREDTHAT CHOICE.SHE CAME TO OUR TABLE TWICE BRING WATER , AND FOOD THATS IT.WE ASKED ANOTHER FOR NAPKINS THAT WAS WALKING BY OUR TABLE AND STOP SOMEWHERE ELSE TO GET THE TODDLER SOMETHING TO EAT.TALKING TO THE GM THE NEXT DAY THE CONVERSATION SINCE 6/19/25 CLAIM TO VIEW THE CAMERS WELL ITS 7/6/25 AND NO RETURN CALL. ME AND MY FAMILY HAVE NEVER BEEN TREATED IN SUCH A UN PLEASERABLE EXPERIENCE WITH SO MUCH OF DONT CARE ATTITUDE. I SHOULD HAVE FOLLOW MY FIRST EXTINCT UPON ENTERING THIS RESTURANT . I HAD A BAD FEELING IN MY STOMACH.THIS ISREALLY BAD TO DO FIRST TIMERS VISITORS THIS WAY . WE FELT BAD TABLES AROND US WAS EATING THEIR FOOD AND HAD THEIR WATER GLASSES REPLUNISH , EXCEPT US.WORST EXPERIENCE WE HAD IN YEARS . THIS HAPPEN AT SLIDERS OYSTER BAR NEPTUNE BEACH Food: 2/5 | Service: 1/5 | ...

Safe Harbor Seafood was recommended by several friends as one of the best seafood restaurants to visit in Atlantic Beach Florida. We were told that the staff was amazing and friendly. And The food was delicious. WELL NOT ON TUESDAY, JUNE 11th. My husband and I arrived about 4:45pm. As we approached the counter to order our dinner there was a young man at the register. The look on his face said it all. What do you want? I said hi, this is our first time here can you recommend anything we should give a try? He replied there’s the menu. I said okay…. Then my husband asked about the Red Snapper that was in the show case. He refused to answer and just looked at me. We thought he just didn’t hear my husband. So we both repeated the question. The young man just shrugged his shoulders and said he didn’t know. By then we knew he wasn’t interested in taking our order. Another staff member was passing by and my husband asked him if he could get the manager? When the manager came he was very polite and my husband began to tell him about the young man. So while they were talking I decided to place a order. After paying for our food which was about $90 dollars. I went over to hear what the manager was saying. The manager was more interested in talking about The Carolina Gamecocks. Because my husband had on a shirt that said Gamecocks. At this point I just went and sat down. Our food arrived. The Red Snapper was fried hard with NO SEASONING. The crab cakes were fried hard and dry, the scallops and the alligator bites had so much breading that you couldn’t really taste them. The only thing that was worth eating was the oysters. They were delicious. While trying to make the best of our dinner one of the staff members came over and apologized for his coworkers behavior. We thanked him and left. THIS IS BY FAR THE WORST PLACE I EVER EATEN AT. ...