St Marys Seafood & More(Mandarin) — Restaurant in Jacksonville

I’m giving this place a 3 star review only for the food and our waitress otherwise it would be 1.

Tonight me and my partner decided we wanted to try this facility because the photos looked amazing of the food.

I want to be as honest as I can on this review so others can have a good honest review to go by.

Upon arriving we noticed the facility is a bit smaller than we expected, we normally prefer a booth however the table was fine. It was closer to the kitchen so we’re able to see a lot that happened that we’re going to get later.

Our waitress was amazing, sadly I didn’t get her name, but we lucked out with her because the other servers I felt we wouldn’t have had good service. We ended up leaving her around a $40 tip on a $60 meal.

They were loud and unprofessional cussing and talking about how much they hate it there and can’t wait to go home. One of the servers was jamming to his own music in his head and was clapping really loudly, a bunch of young kids. At this point I was worried about the food coming out wrong because just the immaturity level was crazy. I kept looking around for some type of management and didn’t see anyone “management looking” so I assumed that’s why they were acting like this.

I went to order the 3 item meat combo I wanted to try blackened shrimp, grilled shrimp and scallops, I was told they refuse to do shrimp twice so I had to do a 2 item with a side of additional shrimp. That was mind blowing because I’m still paying for 3 items it just didn’t make sense but I let it go.

I noticed in the kitchen there was a pipe busted and water was all over the floor, the servers had to wide their feet off on the carpet before going to a table. Which kinda slowed down production as well.

The bathrooms were disgusting. Toilets stopped up, water all on the ground and one of the female employees bathing her self in the sink.

Food came out and was the best part. The place did present some pretty good food. I was very happy with my meal.

While finishing my meal a Middle Aged man with with a receiving hair line approach a table a few tables over was basically screaming at the customer ( which I agree with his point but it could have been handled differently ) she was complaining asking him to take the food off she didn’t like it but she ate all of it. So I mean I get his side of that. I shouldn’t have heard that conversation though I didn’t hear the lady complain I heard him because he was being very loud about it. ( oh yea by the way I FOUND THE OWNER 🙄 ) he was dressed in a ratty polo and pants he didn’t look like an owner to me at first which is why I missed him.

Anyways on his way to take off the food a female employee I’m not sure what her title was but she did something and he just started screaming at her in front of all of the guests.

If she needs to be talked to about something to behind a closed door do not bash her in front of all the guests. The poor girl was so embarrassed. The owner was so unprofessional in that sense.

Anyways on the way out waiting on the rain to stop we were sitting on the benches out front the owner comes out to smoke a cigarette

Goes back to the door halfway in holds the door open while he smoked his cigarette screams through the doorway for an employee to get his “drink” which I’m thinking it was alcoholic one he just seems like an alcoholic. Then he proceeds to hold the door open smoke drink and complain about a customer to her, RIGHT IN FRONT OF US 👀

The owner really needs to learn about customer service and professionalism. He definitely doesn’t need to be the face of the company.

All in all, get the food the go, don’t dine inside and well if you do, don’t say I...

Good news first: the shrimp cocktail was very good. Large shrimp, very fresh and the cocktail sauce had just the right amount of kick to it. The server was wonderful. Very kind. Very professional.

The bad news: the crab legs priced at $54 were a huge disappointment. I included the online photo from their menu, which is what I thought I would get. The other photo, I didn’t think to take until I was paying, shows what was left of some kind of butter sauce I didn’t ask for. It literally covered my entire dish. It was so strong I barely tasted a hint of crab flavor. I essentially ate butter. Lots and lots of butter. The crab meat appeared highly over cooked. It was near mushy in texture. Water gushed out of each segment of crab as I cracked into it. Not a good sign. Means it was either over cooked or frozen before steamed or cooked. I forced myself to eat it because it was expensive and the restaurant wasn’t going to take a $54 loss saying this is how we always prepare it here. Ok, but I’m going by the photo they advertised, which is how I’ve eaten crab legs my whole life as a Marylander; and as a veteran I’ve eaten all over this country without this ever happening to me. If I didn’t ask for some kind of butter sauce then why put on my crab legs??? If the photo showed a ton of buttery sauce all over my crab I would not have ordered it!!! My hands were so covered in butter I used every napkin they brought me and had to ask for more. They had no wet naps to strip the butter off my hands. 🙄

I lost $54; left behind quite a bit of crab that I could no longer tolerate eating (there was more wasted than you see on the plate, as I tossed several pieces of crab in the shell bucket that was just plain inedible). All of this made me so sick I had to go the bathroom for 15-20 minutes before leaving the parking lot. 😳

I gave a 2 star rating to account for the good shrimp cocktail and fine service. I tipped the full amount so the young woman could get her pay for the meal, but for these two good things I would have walked out without paying for the crab legs. They were...

I have found my new favorite seafood place, and it was 5 minutes away the whole time!! Moved nearby two years ago and never noticed the building! Tucked in next to Taco Bell and Hobby Lobby, St Mary's Seafood and More is a real treasure. I'm so used to generic seafood and deep overfried everything, I had lost a lot of faith in seafood places since I left New England years ago.

I have been shown the light again! :) Its not hard to access once you learn the pattern. The atmosphere is very "hometown restaurant" kind of feel with a bright disposition, and good touches of decor to keep it feeling warm.

The staff were all very friendly with our server (in photo!) being and absolute gem with courtesy and attentiveness. Now, down to the food. Hush puppies were hot, fresh, and done right. The clam chowder had that wonderful homemade texture and taste with the spice pallet just right. Very nice.

My wife and I split the platter for one, and let me tell you, that was a LOT of food for one. Clams, oysters, scallops, deviled crab, shrimp, and fish. The scallops and fish were blackened at the recommendation of our server and boy was she spot on. Great. Scallops were perfect and not overdone. Deviled crab in the shell was a real treat for a Chesapeake Bay boy like myself. Very nice. The oysters and clams were breaded, but VERY thin to provide a wonderful coating without hiding the wonderful seafood inside. Heck, even the sweet tea was done right.

My new fav seafood restaurant is under five minutes from my house. I'm a happy boy. We were there a bit earlier, before 5pm. They were setting up for some live music and the atmosphere was growing but in a very friendly kind of way.

Thank you St Mary's Seafood & More for a great meal and a new spot to...