FishBones — Restaurant in Lake Mary

Updated :

We’ve always enjoyed Fishbones, the food and drinks are still great, but over the last couple of visits, the experience hasn’t quite lived up to what made it a favorite of ours.

Sitting at the inside bar was disappointing. The bartenders were friendly but completely overwhelmed since they’re also making drinks for the entire restaurant, so their attention is mostly on filling those non-stop drink orders rather than on the guests sitting right in front of them. We had to flag someone down anytime we needed anything or stack our empty dishes just to get them cleared, even though we were sitting right there. Nothing we ordered came out together, and a few items never arrived at all. It really took away from what used to be one of the best parts of dining here.

They do have an amazing outside bar and patio, but since cigar smoking is allowed out there, it’s often difficult to sit and enjoy it , which is why we’ve started sitting inside instead.

They’ve also implemented a new policy that feels very out of place for a restaurant like Fishbones and its "trusted " guests, you have to hand over a credit card before being served at the bar. I can’t think of another restaurant, or even a dive bar in the area, that does this. It feels unnecessary and gives off a “guilty until proven innocent” vibe, which isn’t the kind of welcome or trust you’d expect here.

We do enjoy Fishbones and will probably be back, just with lower expectations and a credit card ready to hand over before we even sit down to look at the menu. We do like hooligans. :)

Original

Their dishes boast rich flavors and meticulous preparation. The halibut stood out, easily rivaling some of the best I've tasted outside of Alaska. Both the filet and lobster were impeccable—cooked to perfection and absolutely delicious. On our return visit, I tried the Wagyu NY Strip, rated at 8+, and it was fantastic. We also gave the filet and lobster another go, and they were perfectly cooked, seasoned, and bursting with flavor. The scalloped potatoes were also a standout. Beyond the food, the drinks were well-crafted, adding to our enjoyment. The service was top-notch, making the whole experience spot on. Everything was so good in fact that I really want it now (reservation incoming). We're definitely making Fishbones one of our go-to places!

The place has a great vibe and it's super clean. It is kind of surprising that despite a posted dress code, how many folks turn up in shorts, flip-flops, or worn-out jeans. This spot seems perfect for pulling out a good shirt and some nice pants, especially for date night. We need more places that encourage dressing up a bit, instead of just gearing up for a game night...

I've seen this place many times when we used to visit family. Now that we live here, I was looking for a nice place to take the wife for a date night. I'm happy we gave it a shot.

From the moment we walked in, it felt like the scene from Goodfellas when he took her into the back entrance. Everyone we passed by who worked there greeted us and welcomed us. Jeremy, our server was awesome. Informative, patient, and attentive. One of the managers had taken us to our seat, and she came back again towards the end to ensure all was going well.

The place has a nice aesthetic to it. Lights weren't too low. Music was upbeat but not too loud where you couldn't enjoy a conversation at a normal volume. Most importantly, everything was clean.

For the food, some things were good and others were great. The house salad was a good homemade salad. The garlic cheese bread was good. Outside of the crust, it was soft and warm bread. I do feel like having some butter with it or a pesto would have been better. We had the dang bang shrimp. These were tasty. I wish the shrimp were seasoned a bit more as most of the flavor was from the sauce, but the shrimp were a good size and more than enough to share. I would order it again. My wife had a center cut filet, I had a 1.25 lbs lobster tail, and we ordered the Lobster Mac n Cheese as a side. My lobster tail was really good. I ordered mine broiled. For some people, they may have found it a bit overcooked, but I liked it. I had a good crunch to it at the top without being too chewy. The Mac N Cheese was awesome. Creamy and great flavor. The filet was good. We ordered medium rare. Jeremy did as us to slice it down the middle and make sure it was cooked to temperature, and it appeared good. When we tasted it, it was a little too dry. We didn't send it back because there's no way to cook it less, and I don't like throwing away food as it wasn't horrible. I like a good sear, but this was more charred and a little too burnt for my taste. I feel like that dried up the steak a bit.

All in all, we enjoyed ourselves and would like to return. This is a bit over our normal budget, but we've already thought about entrees we could share with a side to keep the cost down. For this night, we wanted to try a few things and weren't worried about the bill. Definitely would and...

Good evening, my name is Rubi and I brought my mother here on a Mother/Daughter dinner date after a rough day. We had initially ordered crab cakes, but had changed our minds. We had called our waiter over to ask if it was too late to cancel the crab cakes. The waiter went to the kitchen to verify, and came back to tell us it was not too late and that we could order whatever we liked as there was sufficient time. We ordered the Surf & Turf special instead. The manager by the name of Sam then came to our table within two minutes of this interaction and asked us if we wanted the crab cakes. He did not introduce himself to us, I only know his name as I asked him directly after this interaction. He asked if we ordered the crab cakes, to which I replied yes but we were told we could cancel it, the waiter had just checked with the kitchen and said so. The manager simply stared at us and verbatim said "okay....I guess I'll just throw this in the trash" and simply stood there. My answer was "okay...?" and he hurriedly took the plate away. It was a very uncomfortable interaction, and almost as if he was trying to pressure us into agreeing to accept the food. It is not my restaurant, I do not care what he did with the food aside from not bringing it to us, as we'd already discussed this with the waiter. At this point I would have cancelled the entire order and walked out but this was a special meal with my mother at a restaurant of my choice. So we ate our meal and were left with this very uncomfortable and awkward interaction that will not leave my mind. The food was fresh and delicious, every last bite. However, due to this treatment, I will make sure to recommend friends and family go to another restaurant whenever possible. My mother and I noticed we were the only people of color in the restaurant and could not help but feel as if we were treated differently by that manager, and I'd hate to think in 2024 that race had something to do with it. Perhaps he was having a hard day, or perhaps his boss being within earshot during the interaction played into his choice of treatment. Regardless, I will not be returning here and will actively ensure my friends and family do not patron...