Cabana Shores — Restaurant in Palm Shores

Cabana Shores- Palm Shores- 4.25-Stars

Located across the Pineda Causeway from PAFB and just a bit to the south is where one will find Cabana Shores Tiki Bar & Grill. Don't let the name fool you, while there is a South Pacific theme going on here, there are no mechanical talking birds, just plenty of TVs to catch the game and ample space inside and out in which to do so and breathtaking views of the beach. They do have the obligatory T-shirt sales and other souvenirs but don't let that distract you from the food.

Grabbing an open table, it wasn't long before our server, Kylie presented herself along with some menus for us to peruse. Before she left, she went over the day's specials and offered some suggestions we might find to our liking. I must say that I was very impressed with her knowledge of the menu, options and choices. She knew it backward, forwards, sideways and upside down. In short, she is the epitome of the perfect server and gets a BBDO award for being one of the best server's in Brevard County. She is professional, outgoing, charming, makes well thought out suggestions and automatically boxes the food. Let us at BBDO be the first to congratulate her on this prestigious award! Way to go, Kylie. You are outstanding and set high standards for all who follow in your footsteps. Keep up the fantastic work!! Going with Kylie's suggestion, I asked to start with an order of Fried Yellow Peppers followed with a Cabana-Manwich Burger "dirty."

I swear it couldn't have been more than a minute before Kylie was back with the Fried Yellow Peppers and my Cabana-Manwich. The Yellow Peppers are hand battered and fried perfectly. The accompanying dipping sauce is out of this world. It is complex with a depth of flavors beginning with a smooth almost sweetness and then ending with a solid punch of spice right in the kisser. In fact, I found these to be so incredibly tasty that I couldn't stop eating them. Usually, it's just enough to get a good sample for my reviews and I take the rest home, but I just couldn't let these sit. Score one for Kylie.

If the Cabana-Manwich was half as good as the fried peppers, this was going to be a very enjoyable lunch. As you can see by the posted pictures it was slathered profusely in queso, just the way queso is intended to be used. Underneath this glorious river of melted cheese sat two burgers hand patted and grilled to a perfect medium rare nestled among some of the freshest, tastiest grilled onions and bell peppers I have had. Oh, and did I mention bacon?! The meat candy was grilled to a perfect crispiness and added a special delicious crunch to the Manwich. I would be remiss if I didn't mention the bread upon which it sat and the side of sweet fries I ordered on another one of Kylie's well thought out suggestions. The fresh hoagie was just that. It was exceedingly fresh and toasted to a wondiferous golden brown. The sweet fries were fried slices of nummy that toned down the slight heat from the queso with the right amount of sweetness. They had that perfect crispy outside to that soft, warm inside one expects from perfectly fried fries of any nature. Obviously, Kylie wasn't the only one in the joint that was a master at plying her trade.

The Big Boy says, "For the best server in all of Brevard County and some downright tasty grub, pay Kylie a visit at Cabana Shores Tiki Bar & Grill. Tell her the Big Boy sent ya! Oh, and please tell her that her award is "in the mail." #iamthebigboy...

Last week l had a Sangria. The cherry had a large pit in it, that l bit down hard on, and got a wave of pain. I showed the pit to my 2 my spouse and our friend, and to the bartender last week. On our way out, l told the mngr Josh Taylor. I went to my dentist 4 days later as my molar still ached and l wanted to make sure l did not crack my tooth. Today l brought my $80 receipt to politely show the mngr. He said it was BS and told me to leave the bar, and never come back. He was extremely rude and inappropriate. I told my spouse what happened and he is on his way to talk to Josh. I asked Josh for the owners name and he said no. Josh said he remembered me from last Fri and me telling him that he should tell his patrons there are pits in the cherries. I will still try to find the owner to make him aware. It is a shame this mngr has such anger issues. My spouse spoke to Josh and Josh flat out lied, said l spoke to customers and made a scene. I never spoke to one customer! I was seated at the very end of the bar closest to the men's bathroom and pantry or kitchen. Josh lied through his teeth. I only hope the owner reads this and gets back with me. They have no right to not disclose the name of the owner. PER YOUR REPLY, YOU ARE NOT THE OWNER JOSH. FURTHERMORE, I NEVER SHOOK YOUR HAND, I NEVER SAID I HAD A GREAT TIME, THAT WAS ONE OF THE GUYS. I TOLD YOU I HAVE PAIN IN MY MOLAR, WENT TO THE DENTIST TO SEE IF IT WAS CRACKED. HE SAID THE ROOT IS BRUISED FROM THE TRAUMA OF BITING DOWN ON THE PIT. I NEVER SAID HE SAID NOTHING WAS WRONG. HE SAID TO REST IT AND EAT ON THE OTHER SIDE OF MY MOUTH FOR A WEEK TO LET THE ROOT HEAL. THAT WAS THE DIAGNOSIS, NOT THAT NOTHING WAS WRONG. YOU ARE REALLY SPINNING THIS AND HAVE A VERY POOR MEMORY. I WAS NOT GOING TO GO TO YOUR DENTIST. I HAVE MY OWN DENTIST OF 20 YRS THAT I TRUST. YOU ARE NOT THE BAR OWNER AND SHOULD NOT REPLY. WHY WOULD YOU NOT GIVE ME HIS INFO? THAT...

I can only speak from my own experience, but the ingredient quality was way higher than I expected (certainly better than it needed to be) and everything as served was fresh and tasty. Everything was cooked appropriately and all the flavors married well. This definitely isn't a "heat the stuff that came from a bag" place.

Also the atmosphere is nice and aside from the whizzing cars in the middle distance (I don't personally mind but some might) the outside feeling while technically being inside is a great hybrid.

Especially along major roads or major waterways, places like this can be super crammed but there's room to actually walk around tables and booths. I've been far too many places where it seems they wanna smoosh five extra tables in to make five more tables' worth of money but I won't go back because I don't like five more tables of smooshness so they don't understand that long term that might not be the best play. Cabana Shores understands that the people that show up aren't just a number but a guest and everyone wins if they're comfortable.

The parking was a little cumbersome to figure out for a first-timer, but the parking does exist and I didn't have an issue finding a spot despite it looking like it was popular. I'm just including that information in case it's useful to people reading; it isn't meant as a criticism one way or the other.

It seems to be ran really efficiently and the service was fine and dandy. They asked questions, listened and were the right balance of attentive without interrupting.

Definitely will be back when an opportunity presents itself. The nachos were so good I now trust them for whatever else they make and they have a lot that sounds...