Orlando's Southern BBQ — Restaurant in Oak Harbor

I originally posted a review 2 years ago (Christine Childs). This will be my second and last review. I thought I would give Orlando's another try; two years ago I had a poor experience, tonight, unfortunately was no different.

I originally ordered two pieces of chicken breasts and the order came to $30; shell shocked at the price, I changed my order to the flame grilled chicken plate. First, they were clearly short staffed because I waited 40 minutes. The staff were nice. However, when I got home, opened the box and tasted the food I was absolutely appalled. First, the green beans are 100%, undeniably canned. I am 50 years old and have been cooking for many, many years; my palate is very sensitive. These green beans were canned and tasted horrible. Second, the chicken that was "flame broiled" was 100% processed. In fact, it tasted like Tyson chicken; it was obvious from the taste and the ersatz grill marks. The chicken was salty, probably because it is processed/frozen and it smelled pungent. The meal was $20. Needless to say, after tasting the food, it went straight in the garbage. I would have preferred donating my $20 to a charity.

Lastly, when I walked into the restaurant, there was a sign up stating that due to shortages they were out of collard greens, banana pudding and hush puppies. After tasting the food and seeing this sign, this tells me this restaurant is using processed/frozen food; I do not believe for one second it is fresh. Hush puppies are easy to prepare and should not be a frozen staple that is sent in to an establishment.

This is a local, mom and pop restaurant; there should be no reason to use processed or frozen food; if you're a chain restaurant or a fast food restaurant, I can appreciate that route, but this is a local establishment. I understand that a rebuttal might be that because of Covid or because of the pandemic, but businesses have had a year and a half to adjust their practices and using that excuse is no longer acceptable.

Might I make a suggestion? Canned food is not acceptable, especially when you are charging exorbitant prices. Processed, frozen chicken is not valued when a person is paying excessive prices. It doesn't take much to put a little love in your food. If you're passionate about your business, as a cook, as a chef, and as a local business, please, please try harder. Cook like you care about the food you are serving. Cook with love, with passion because so far, your food is lackluster. Good luck. I hope changes are...

So much potential but very poor execution - hoping that it was just bad timing. I was visiting my son who is stationed on the island and we stopped in Sunday, 8/15. I've spent the past 15 years in Houston, so I'd like to think I know a thing or two about BBQ. As soon as we walked in, I was impressed by the great aromas, the size of the establishment, and the overall aura. Our plan was to grab a couple of beers and then possibly snack a bit at the bar while watching some baseball. It was clear from the moment we sat at the bar that the "bartender" had never spent a day behind a bar before that day. She seemed like a nice enough person, but she was relatively "unfriendly". She took our order and immediately closed out the tab without ever asking if we wanted to "keep it open". She also didn't even give me anything to sign to leave a tip! I witnessed another group trying to order some drinks, one of which required orange juice. The bartender looked underneath the bar and said "I can't find any so I guess we're out. But I have this (it was apple juice)." I'm guessing there had to be orange juice someplace in the restaurant - she just didn't bother to ask anyone. The other person asked for a lager or something light. The bartender recommended a "dark ale" - I kid you not.

All this time I'm growing hungrier, but she never once asked if we wanted to look at a menu. Our glasses were empty for quite a while. She came by once and asked if she could "take the glasses" - NOT to ask if we wanted another. I was pretty shocked.

We wound up leaving and going someplace else. It's a shame because had there been an experienced/friendly bartender we probably would have spent at least another hour and probably another $50 or so.

To top it all off, I started getting marketing emails from them today - which I never agreed to - but apparently they used "Square" to run my credit card and one day after being there I've already been hit with two spam emails.

I generally don't take the time such a detailed review, but I would really love to see this place succeed - the island needs something different and with some tweaks I think Orlando's could really flourish and do well. The bar is the heart of establishments like this. The poor woman working the bar was clearly out of her league and not only has she likely never tended bar, I'm doubtful she's ever had a drink! (nothing wrong with that and not her fault). Looking forward to going back the next time I visit and hopefully having a better...

Hubby and I were visiting for a long weekend and during our island travels we asked the locals where to go for a good dinner. Orlando's came up multiple times (and we weren't always in Oak Harbor when we asked!). Stopped in Sunday evening for dinner. The place was on the empty side which had us wondering, but given the recommendations we were willing to give it a try. It's not your normal sit-down restaurant. You walk in the door to find a counter where you place your order, then you go sit where ever you want to sit. Even though the bar area was totally empty, there was something about it I liked so headed to a table there. I think the lighting was better and it had a little more personality than the rest of the place. Our drinks were brought to us within minutes of sitting down and our food just a short time later. I was very happy with speed of service. The food... I'm not really catfish fan. It's not that I don't like it, it's that I'm typically a brisket & ribs girl so catfish just isn't something I order; But since everyone raved about the catfish I thought I'd go out of my box and try it. My husband went with the beef brisket. The catfish was good but I can't say it turned me into a true fan. But the brisket? Once Dan gave me some of his brisket, that sealed the deal. I should have stayed true to my heart (or rather my stomach) and ordered the brisket... it wasn't just good... it was fantastic and so tender you could cut it with your fork. And because I am a ribs girl, I got some ribs to go. I just finished eating them for lunch and they did not disappoint! Very meaty and fell off the bone nicely. The BBQ sauce was quite yummy too, so much so they should consider bottling it to sell to customers! And now my thoughts on the staff... Their service was awesome! The woman at the ordering calendar was friendly and helpful in describing the items on the menu. The person who brought our food to the table did it with a smile. And Thomas behind the bar was a delight. We really enjoyed our conversation with him and that interaction made a memorable day all the more memorable. He's a true gem. I'm not sure when we'll next be in Oak Harbor, but when we are I'm sure Orlando's will be on our menu. Both the staff and the food were top notch and I wish them...