The Shack — Restaurant in Palm Bay

This will probably turn into one of those long, oddly specific reviews I've laughed at in the past by others - but here goes. With only 2 cocktails, 2 appetizers and 8 meals our bill came to $465 - All in all a very disappointing, very expensive night out.

Myself and my local family members have eaten here several times in the past - and enjoyed it enough to come back - but not since the "remodeling" and apparent menu change. This time we ate in the dining room, which was lacking any of the character we remembered and which we all agreed was best described as muggy. Our table appeared to be an odd arrangement of 2 tops turned sideways creating a very oddly narrow table for my 8 guests. The loud suction sound coming from the water feature wall next to our table was more than a little distracting - like that thing the dentist puts in your mouth - but (fortunately?) the extension cord power strip was right by our feet to turn in off.

Our waitress was pleasant enough and the meal started off strong, after the initial sticker shock of the new menu prices sunk in. We had 2 orders of exceptionally tasty and tender calamari and I must say a very delicious Passion fruit margarita.

Unfortunately the meal went downhill after the salads with some startlingly abrupt service by the food runner, barking out the names of the dishes from the end of the table for us to claim. Nearly breaking a wine glass in the process plopping down the plates. My parmesan snapper was overcooked and under flavored, with sad green beans and lumpy, bland mashed potatoes. The crab cakes that sat in front of my niece were barely touched. After a bite I understood why; textureless, bland mush with more bread than crab. The burger got high marks, but later that guest said "I was surprised they didn't ask how I'd like it done". In the end most everyone's meals were half eaten and boxed to go. Very likely embarrassed to leave so much of an expensive meal behind.

All in all a very disappointing, very expensive night out and our last trip...

I can’t say enough about this place. I love that it’s locally owned. We met the owners’ son, such a nice guy!

There’s 3 different areas of the restaurant to choose from, inside, outside on the patio, and then outside at the tiki bar area, which is full service. We were there on a Sunday and there was a live band. The only issue for me was that smoking was allowed in the tiki bar area. Since food is served in that area, it just seems like smokers could have a little designated area so everyone could enjoy the tiki bar. For those that don’t smoke it is a little offensive, and for me personally, it makes me nauseous. (Just sharing that little tidbit for the owners.) So, we had to chose to sit on the patio down from the tiki bar and were still able to enjoy our lunch and the band, smoke-free!

Hailey was our server. She was excellent! I’ve included a picture of the ahi tuna appetizer. As you can see it is beautifully plated, and everything was delicious! We also had the jumbo lump crab stuffed mushrooms, and a blackened grouper sandwich! We...

The service was friendly and attentive, but unfortunately, the food was very disappointing. My boyfriend ordered the lobster bisque, which was extremely salty, and our appetizer — egg rolls — came out ice cold not once but twice. They took them back to “cook a little longer,” but even the second batch was still cold inside. I ordered chicken tenders and fries, which were decent, but my boyfriend’s crab legs were overcooked and very small for the high price. Our total bill came to $165 with tip, and for that amount, we could’ve easily enjoyed a much better meal at a higher-end restaurant. To make things worse, the outdoor dining area had an uncomfortable number of large cockroaches — which completely ruined the experience. While we understand being outdoors comes with some critters, the sheer amount was unacceptable. Overall, the service was good, but the food quality and cleanliness were not worth the price. We won’t...