Runaway Island — Restaurant in Panama City Beach

Mediocre at best. This beachfront restaurant is much more concerned with flipping tables then providing the level of service and quality that justify the menu prices. The Atmosphere: while we were sat quickly outside where we wanted to be, the table we were sat at was very uncomfortable for me (I am a curvy woman, mid 40's). The table top was attached into a corner of the deck near the bar and the height of the table made it impossible to rest my feet on the ground or on a cross beam. This poor design left me very uncomfortable for the entire meal. Also I need to mention the noise level, it was very loud, even outside, which caused everyone to speak loudly. I got to enjoy hearing the woman behind me (almost yelling) in a conversation with her friend man bashing and discussing her reproductive organs in detail while my husband and I were trying to enjoy a romantic dinner. It was very awkward and annoying. The Service: our server was sweet, but did not seem very engaging or energetic. It seemed like she was just an "order taker" and not really excited about her job. I work in restaurant hospitality and consulting so I picked up on this easily. After each order was placed (drinks, appetizer, and main) runners delivered the food with, again, little engagement with us. When companies do not have a good hospitality culture, guests are inevitably left feeling unimportant and tips suffer. The Food: We ordered the garlic cheddar cheese curds as an appetizer; the portion was small and they were not as crispy as I had hoped. The garlic flavor also seemed to be lacking. At dinner my husband had the Fish Basket, it was large portion and he enjoyed his meal. I ordered the Grouper with lump crab meat; ok, I will admit the sauce was amazing and the fish was cooked well, however the fish itself was over seasoned with salt and the crab cakes had no flavor at all as if the jar was just opened and the crab was scooped out and placed on top. For what the menu price was on this item ($42) it was lack luster. Dessert; The server asked if we would like dessert. I asked what they had. She mentioned, key lime pie, chocolate cake, and something called a "Dream Pie" when I asked for a description she told me it was a light cream style pie with coconut, caramel, and nuts. When it arrived it was a huge cheese cake. I was not expecting a cheese cake according to her description (I would have chosen the key lime instead because the cheesecake was anything but light) overall food was not up to par with menu pricing and expectations. Drinks: I had a 24oz souvenir cup with a coconut rum drink, my husband had the 16oz Blood Orange Mule. Both drinks had far to much ice which not only watered down the drinks, but completely cut down on the actual number of ounces served. I would say he had an 6-8 oz drink and mine was approx 12 -14 oz of liquid. This is a classic dive bar trick. I was not expecting it at this establishment. Final thoughts: If you enjoy side-eyed beachfront views, uncomfortable seating, quick turn around inattentive service, and over-priced mediocre food this is the...

Table for 5 for Dinner As we approached the parking lot, we noticed it was a little tight, but we lucked out and found a spot fairly quickly. They also have a nearby overflow parking area. We entered and let them know that we had a reservation for 6:15. While Wifey and I waited for the rest of our group to arrive, we were seated at a table outside, as requested for this reservation—no wait at all, which was a great start. The weather had been unpredictable all day—windy and raining on and off—but the outdoor seating area was screened in. While we didn’t get a direct view of the water, we still felt that open, breezy coastal atmosphere. You could hear the waves, feel the ocean air, and enjoy the relaxing environment. Our server, Demi, came by right away to welcome us and check on drinks. The beer list was solid, featuring the usual suspects plus a good range of local craft brews. We reviewed the drink menu and ordered a round, which included lemonade, water, sweet tea, Idyll Hounds’ Ghost Crab Pilsner for Wifey, and Divide and Conch’r—a double IPA for me, also from Idyll Hounds Brewing Company. When it came time to order our entrées, my youngest daughter went straight for the snow crab legs—a popular choice, as Wifey ordered the same thing. My oldest opted for the pesto salmon bowl, our other guest went with the St. Charles redfish served with Yukon potatoes, and I decided to try something new: the special of the day, a chargrilled Cape Ann swordfish steak. I’d never had swordfish before, so I was excited to see how it would turn out. Our food and drinks came out quickly, and Demi made sure we were taken care of every step of the way. All the food was delicious, raves all around the table and I was very happy with my swordfish. Live music played softly in the background—easygoing rock that added to the laid-back ambiance. At one point, the manager came by to check in, and when I mentioned I’d spoken to Denton with questions about my reservation, he actually went out of his way to find him. Denton came by to say hello, remembered our quick phone chat, and pleasantly interacted with our whole table. Overall, the staff was warm and attentive, the food was top-notch, and the whole experience made for a memorable evening. We would definitely return the next time we are in town. Instagram:...

My wife and I have been to Sharky's Restaurant dozens of times and have always had a great experience. Good food , great service. We learned that Runaway Island was owned by the same owners-so we gave it a try. Big mistake. I am allergic to scallions and told our server. She assured us there would be none. Both appetizers we ordered had them. When we told her, her response was 'sorry'. She did not take them back. She again assured us that the Red Fish I ordered did not have scallions. However, when another server delivered my Red Fish, it was covered in scallions that had been cooked in, not just sprinkled on top. We told the man I could not eat it because of the scallions. He sincerely apologized and said he would get us another one cooked without scallions and notify our server. We waited several minutes but our server did not come. We got up to leave and told the Hostess that we would like to see the manager. We spoke with Andre and explained that everything we ordered had scallions and we were not happy with our server. She was always rushed and specifically assured us with every item we were served would be scallion free. Side note-when we first met her and told her we really liked Sharky's and had been there many times, twice in the last two weeks. She stated we are much better than Sharky's and made a somewhat derogatory remark. Meanwhile after we shared our experience with Andre he was courteous and offered to have another entre prepared for us. I declined the offer and said our experience had been poor and we were ready to leave. He then offered to have it prepared to go. I declined again because we were ready to leave. He then offered to treat us in the future and I declined again. I told him we would prefer to return to Sharky's. Our server appeared with our bill. They expected us to pay for the two appetizers! She said she removed the Red Fish. I couldn't believe it. Andre took my credit card. I said you would think with the problems with everything we ordered and the poor service the meal would be comped or at least discounted. Nope. I paid the bill and told them we were very disappointed. Andre's parting comment was Have a good night. Sharky's has better food, much better service, lower prices -even with the long wait during busy season. Runaway Island was a big...