Southern Coast Seafood — Restaurant in Jacksonville

Unfortunately on our recent visit was a disappointment. 😕 I don’t like to leave negative reviews, this needs to be said so they know what our experience entailed this most recent Wednesday evening Having dined there on multiple occasions, my lady, her daughter and myself made our trek to the restaurant in anticipation of another great dinner at one of our favorite places. Our treat to ourselves. Because we know they always deliver a great experience. Of course I know there’s no such thing as a perfect evening in the restaurant business. There’s always a little few hiccups here and there. Our server was great, we ordered the fried pickles and calamari for appetizers, followed by the shrimp pasta, the catch of the day, which was triggerfish, and I ordered the fish tacos with the trigger fish. Fried pickles were spot on, but the calamari was not as we’ve experienced before. Fried strips of calamari that were very tough, and way over done in the fryer. But we powered through it, in anticipation for entrées. (we were so hungry, we just dealt with it) The shrimp pasta, and the other two plates arrive shortly after, the Cajun shrimp pasta was spot on. It was the catch with the trigger fish and the trigger fish tacos, failed. The catch came with coleslaw and mashed sweet potatoes. Which we asked for. The Catch with trigger fish was way over salted/season, a little over done killing the yummy taste of triggerfish. The mashed sweet potatoes was just meh. Nothing remarkable. Coleslaw was good and fresh. My trigger fish tacos were a lot to be desired. The fish in the tacos was overwhelmed by the spicy 🌶️ chili pepper and salsas, I couldn’t even taste the fish. Being from Texas, I love spice. But this was out of control. I pulled the fish out of the taco so I can enjoy it, I found the trigger fish, tough, way over done chewy. The waitress did check on us, I am not one to send food back when restaurants have a hard time staffing these days. We politely, payed our check, tipped and exited the restaurant. We all looked at each other and asked ourselves. What the hell was that all about. Restaurants are a tough business, and it doesn’t always goes as planned. Again, this is the negative review, and I hate it. But if this was my place, I guess I wouldn’t want to know where we failed and where we succeeded. We were verry disappointed, but hopefully will make a way back soon. I’ve met the owners on one or two occasions, and they are great people. The staff is always amazing, the place is always clean with good vibes. And the food is always generally great, except on our...

2 Jacksonville locals 1st visit to this relatively new seafood restaurant off Monument Rd near on and off ramps 9A (+-1/2mile). Mid-day visit/after lunch rush. Our way of avoiding possible indoor crowding C-19 times you know.🙂 Our dining experience here at Southern Coast Seafood Restaurant and ✳BTW ✳at least a12 place seating full bar, was GREAT! The menu : all the expected variety of seafood offerings, fresh catch, shrimp, scallops, clams, oysters, and more all your way; deviled crab, crab cakes, gator tail, salads, fresh veggie sides and more; a whole lot more ! Our menu choices : we shared a whole deep fried sheep head severed with jasmine rice and cherry charred green beans(wow!), one of us had a 3 choice platter with stuffed crab, fried oysters and pan seared scallops with 2 hushpuppies, choice of fries, side salad and one of us had fried shrimp, came with choice of slaw and hushpuppies. Long story short.... They served it up! Raised the bar! Right off your taste buds are on alert! This is not just a cook back in the kitchen. A chef no doubt, a sauceier for sure! Our selections came with several tasty dipping sauces along with your seafood cocktail and tartar sauces. The deep fried whole fish was fried to perfection! Nice fresh flaky white fish. Jasmine rice was a nice touch from the ordinary, the Cherry charred green beans were out-of-this-world taste sensation! Savory with a slight crunch, perfectly cooked. The pan seared scallops were tender, meaty well seasoned, fried oysters large and just the right dusting, and the Mayport fried shrimp-always the best flavor. The deviled crab was good, but not great (lacked flavoring, lacked crab, tasted mostly of bread). Our fries hot and coleslaw fresh. The hushpuppies perfectly fried delicious! The iced tea and Coke endless. our server was so friendly, well informed and gave us great care, meeting all our food and drink needs no wait. The bottom line- Southern Seafood Kitchen is a stop any seafood lover or land lover would be amiss to miss! What a find! The taste experience, food quality, service is not so-so. It is without doubt an exceptional dining experience at a cost that is priced perfect! Full bar, a menu to please everyone (I do mean everyone!) inside and outdoor patio dining, modern, clean, spacious, airy with special attention to meeting demands of C-19 safe dining. At first bite you will know you have found a really great dining...

I am all about finding great food and service, and I struck it rich here. You wouldn't know the treasure hidden here, but you owe it to yourself to check it out. My lady and I stopped in on our way to work a dinner time event on a Friday. The place itself won't draw you in. Inside a small strip mall, the outside is nondescript. The first steps inside feel like " it's a bar first, restaurant second" we soon found out how wrong we were. We didn't have time for dinner, so we deferred to our waitress, Amanda, for suggestions. Whatever you do, if Amanda is there, do the same. Amanda's service was on par with being an owner, not an employee. So much so that my lady asked that question of her. She told us she's not part of the ownership, but she has been there since it opened. It shows. She knows the menu inside out, upside down, and backward and made suggestions to our order that fit what we wanted. Never once did we hear, " it doesn't come like that."

As for the food. I had a gator bite po' boy sandwich and a side of charred green beans. My date had blackened trigger fish tacos and fries ( not quite as adventurous). Her trigger was done perfectly, light crisp blackened seasoning on firm, hot, moist, and tasty fish. She asked for and had a mild sauce for them, though they come with a mild salsa Verde. My Gator bite sandwich was served on a perfectly toasted sub style roll and was stuffed with such a generous portion of Gator that I was able to eat some off the sandwich to try and not compromise the sandwich. The bites were also moist, with just enough batter to be fried but not take away from gator flavor. I changed my dressing to a spicy one and was pleasantly happy with it. Again, Amanda was on point with suggestions and solutions,so if I like something a certain way, ask! The charred green beans were delicious as well, and I can't tell you more about them because my girlfriend found them too good to pass up. The total bill was in the $20s, iced tea since we were on the way to work, but a full bar is available. We will be back with the intention of eating our way through the menu. Do yourself a favor and begin that same journey. You will be glad you did, and if Amanda's available, do what you have to to have her as your guide...