Capt. Jack's Family Buffet - Thomas Drive — Restaurant in Panama City Beach

Overrated. 1st time in PCB and this was my first and last visit to this location. The buffet is definitely not worth $40 per adult ($20 for kids). It's an additional $20 if you get crablegs. The bar is worth $20 at best but not $40. It would've been worth the $40 had 70% of the food not looked and tasted like it was straight from a can and there was a steak station.

I wanted salad as there were lots of topping choices but decided to make plans to fill my stomach with non salad items. I probably should have gotten it considering I left unsatisfied.

The only good things were the service, the green beans, the cornbread (it was so sweet and good), the grilled/seasoned shrimp, the mashed potatoes, the pineapple sherbert and the water! I will give kudos to the fact that the green beans looked like the fresh string beans and they were excellently seasoned. The mashed potatoes looked like they were indeed hand peeled, cut and cooked because they were thick and chunky. The grilled shrimp was also well seasoned. I'd never had a pineapple sherbert before so I was eager to try it and it was soooo good, I had to get a 2nd bowl! Of course the water was good and cold. Other than that, this was a waste of my money!

Now (more of the bad): aside from the fact that it isn't worth $40 and an additional $20 if you get crablegs, although fried, the fried foode are not crunchy but soggy and cold. 2nd, the steaks are pre cooked and sitting on the hot bar so if you eat your steaks other than well done, just skip the steak because it's hard, tough and dried out. If any is cooked medium or medium rare, by the time you get to it, because it continues to cook on the hot bar, it's now overcooked. If they had a steak cooking station like Golden Corral has where you can get your steak grilled to your liking on the spot, I would've gladly ate my worth of the steak! Lastly, most of the food is pre cooked, frozen or processed. for example, the spaghetti looked like it came from a can, the beef patty in gravy was definitely processed and from a bag and pack and the "gumbo" and "jambalaya", tasted like they also came from a can but with some fresh sausage mixed in to make it taste home made.

I'm not much of a seafood eater so I passed on getting the crablegs but all the grilled fish was also dried out for the same reason as the steak (sitting on the hot bar which further cooks it).

The dessert. All precooked and processed just like the stuff at the Chinese bar. I tried the brownie, the keylime pie, ooey gooey cake and the cheesecake thinking you can't go wrong with brownies, pie, and cheesecake right? Wrong! Awful! So glad the pineapple sherbert was delicious!

I don't plan on coming back and wouldn't...

After having A VERY DISAPPOINTING dining experience at The Wharf Buffet, a local highly suggested we come and check out this restaurant. We all decided to give it a shot. The next night our party of 8 came to Capt Jack’s with low expectations. Y’all!!! Captain Jacks exceeded our expectations for an “all you can eat” crab legs establishment. I will warn people, if you don’t like seafood or crab legs, I would skip this restaurant. You would be wasting your money. If you love crab legs, this is the place to go!

We were immediately greeted with happy smiling hosts who made us aware of what the restaurant charged per person before we were led inside. That was completely ok with us and I liked how they wanted everyone to know so there was no confusion. Smart. The restaurant is loud only because people come in droves of large groups. We had a long line to wait in. I was told by other guests who were repeat customers that this wait is typical for this restaurant as they are always full. We also learned that they have two locations. Also while line we chatted with many locals who have been coming for years to Captain Jacks. All this was very comforting to us that we were in the right place to eat.

After being seated our waitress took good care of our party. She was amazing. Not only was she friendly and accommodating. She was on her game. We never had to ask for refills. She kept up with giving us more napkins, cleaning our plates, and keeping up with all our drink refills. For a party of eight that was pure talent. We paid attention to all the other tables. They had the same treatment and received the same attention from their wait staff. We were highly impressed.

The crab legs were everything. End of story. The food line was long but so worth the wait. Even though there was always a long line at the buffet, we all managed to get our fill and more of crab legs. The shrimp was amazing too. My husband went up three times for steak.The Dole pineapple whip dessert was amazing. Tasted just like the one at Disney.

The reason I gave 4 stars instead of 5 is because I have only one complaint. The lack of bathrooms. The bathroom situation needs prompt attention. The bathrooms were clean but very small. For a restaurant of that size with that many guests its accommodating, Captain Jacks really needs to expand and add more bathrooms and stalls. With the amount of money this restaurant is making they can afford to add more bathroom stalls and bathrooms for both men and women. Other than that keep doing what you’re doing. And please praise all of your staff. It is clear to customers they work hard and they...

Captain Jack yo stomach up! Make sure you have enough toilets available for the whole family.

ATMOSPHERE AND EXPERIENCE:

Parking is plentiful with space in front and back. We went during summer on a Saturday night.

Came with family of 11. We were sat very quickly without waiting. Loved that. The server responsible for our check and beverages was very friendly and professional. The atmosphere is very family oriented though with so many people in a small space it’s very noisy and hard to hear yourself talk.

You go the the buffet grab a plate( plates are very hot to the touch as they’re sanitized).

FOOD:

They have a nice food selection with lots of options for different tastes including salads, chicken, seafood, kid friendly foods like tenders and fries. A small dessert buffet as well. It stays full as there’s someone stationed to report to the kitchen any buffet needs.

The food itself was good enough. Not bad not amazing. I had jambalaya over rice, buns, chicken, green beans, mashed potatoes and gravy, and tried the crab legs. Crab legs were decent. Photos included are of someone else in my party’s plate.

PRICES:

At the time of my service kids 3 and under were free, my 10 and 11 year olds were 9.95 without crab legs and 29.95 with crab legs , and adults are 39.95 without crab legs and 50 with. All you can eat

STOMACHs BEWARE

This may not be an everyday occurrence but the food messed me up. 6/11 people at my party were instantly fighting for the bathroom. My stomach disagreed instantly and I was vomiting and other things. It hurt so bad I had a panic attack. No joke. I was out for the rest of the night and part of the next day. I usually have a stomach of steel so this surprised me. I’m traumatized and will not be back simply out of pure...