Bayou Joes Marina & Grill — Restaurant in Panama City

I hate to give an unflattering review of any business, especially since I am self employed and know how hard it is to run a business and meet the needs of my customers. And this was obviously a place that the locals enjoy. I first want to say that I loved the atmosphere. Very quaint, seating was on a dock-like setting over the water with the ability to throw food to the fish that were abundant around the dock area where we were sitting. The diners next to us were throwing small amounts of food to the fish. It was around 7:30 in the evening. I didn't see any children but I am sure this would have been interesting for them to get to see the fish up close and personal. We had a great waitress, and we didn't know that they closed at 8 pm so we arrived as the staff was probably beginning to start to close down for the day. But they were so accommodating and welcomed us in and served us with no rush and very gracious. I love the combination of Shrimp and Grits along with a side of Collard Greens and they had this on their menu and of course I ordered my favorite. The collards were a special seasonal item so I was excited to try them, but I love vinegar on my greens and I may have insulted the manager when I asked for some. He asked if I had tasted the greens yet, I said I had but I would like vinegar. I also ordered something that I had never had and that was Fried Corn on the Cob. Again, I was excited to try this too. Loved the Shrimp and Grits, but I was disappointed in the greens. It may just be my taste buds but another member of my party didn't care for them either. It tasted as if they might have been cooked in bacon grease that might have been on the verge of going rancid. If that is the case then maybe some fresh bacon grease or whatever they use to season the greens would rectify the issue. Also, I am on the fence about the fried corn on the cob. I think fresh corn would have been better because I think the short frozen ears were used, something like frozen Bird's Eye corn on the cob, so to my tastebuds, I wasn't getting the sweetness of the corn along with the fried effect. It also tasted a little bit like eating popcorn and found that taste interesting to my palate. Not bad, but if there had been a bit of sweetness to the corn I think it would have been an interesting and delightful taste combination. All the other members of my party enjoyed their entrees. No complaints. And I want to reiterate, we were treated so well and if I am ever visiting the area again I would love to go back. It may have just been an off night for the...

Pretty cool place.. Would definitely go back. My flight landed on Sunday, in Panama City area (for work reasons), and i was looking for a place to get an oyster poboy for dinner... i found this place online, it had good reviews. I tried calling to see if they did take out and to make an order for pickup. They were busy (see note later), so no one answered and disappointedly I started looking for another place... about 2 min later they actually called me back because they missed the call.(cool). I ordered the oyster poboy, fries and and a coke. They asked me where i was currently, i described were my hotel was... so she delayed putting my order in until i got there (because it would only take 5 min to make, but i was 10-15 min away, so it wouldn't sit for the extra 5-10 min, but be fresh out of the fryer for me) ...when i went to pick it up... google maps makes it look like you need to find a place to park and walk the final few yards..NO!. Theres actually a little gravel/grass parking lot(?) Behind the place ... the establishment itself is a quaint, little place right in the marina on the bayou.. its very informal... its basically a wooden building at the end of a dock with a large screen porch for seating (which i think is great .. seats maybe 40? No indoor seating that i could see.. seating is all on the porch) .. the staff is super friendly and very pleasant ( even when they're super busy). i would have loved to have dined there but i couldn't stay. It was about 20-25 min wait for a table on a sunday in early September around 5pm. The oyster poboy was really really good. If i can, i want to get back there yet this week while i am here to try the shrimp poboy (or maybe something else. i asked the staff when i ordered, which poboy (oyster or shrimp) was better they said that they were both equally good )... if i do get the chance to return, i'll try to dine in and post an update. I will be marking them as a favorite in google maps... just in case i end up in panama city again.

"Gold star" to the server that called me back, took my order, and helped me when i got there (same person).. i regret i didnt catch her name, and its not on the receipt...hopefully i can remedy that on my return, give her the proper credit for truly going...

Well we certainly will not be going back! We were referred by a friend in our home State of MN to try this place! So so dirty! First stop was the women's bathroom and it had not been cleaned for a long time! Terrible..then got seated in a great corner to be able to watch the fish outside in the water which was a great spot! Waitress didn't come over for about 20 minutes but she was quite busy with a big table next to us of 8. She took their drink.and appetizer order and after bringing them their drinks she finally said that she would be right back to get our order...well that didn't happen..she took their dinner order before taking our 2 drink order. I got up and asked the hostess where the bar was so I could get us a drink while we waited. She got us our drinks because there was no bar there. After sitting at our table we noticed the food and spillings on the walls and windows. Also the condiment caddy was full of old food and drippings. Pepper was empty as well. Well we decided to still try the food...(we drove a Ling time to find this place) I ordered the grouper basket with fries and corn. My husband ordered the sloppy Joe sandwich. Got our food and I tasted the French fry first and noticed a vinegar or dill taste to it?? I had asked the waitress if there fries were seasoned because I like plain old French fries! She said they were not seasoned. I tried another thinking it was one bad one...nope same taste. When she came over she even tried one (I asked her to) and she agreed and said it must be from the grease they fry the fish in...REALLY? Then I tried the fish and it was awful..again like dill or vinegar. I was done and wasn't eating any if this. My husband's sloppy Joe was ok so he ate his. I told the waitress that she could take mine away because I wasn't eating it. Asked for our check and needless to say she never apologized or took anything off the bill. Just a terrible experience....will not be back...