Peace River Seafood — Restaurant in Punta Gorda

I am not someone who often writes Google Reviews. However, I feel obligated to write one about this once great establishment and its sharp decline past mediocrity and into downright awfulness.

I had not been to Peace River Seafood in about 5 years (2018). I used to go with my grandfather as he greatly enjoyed the fresh tasting food at this establishment. As did I. I recently lost my grandfather and so I wanted to go to this eatery as a way to recollect on a good memory with him.

However, the food did not live up to my memory at all. My mother ordered the shrimp and I ordered the crawfish shrimp special ($30 by the way. Captain Crab offers a similar special for around $20 to $25). The shrimp were not deveined and were very old, crumbling while we tried to finagle them out of their shells. The Crawfish weren't much better, barely seasoned and also equally old and low quality. The side options were also extremely low effort and underwhelming. The coleslaw was decent but the potato salad was under-seasoned and tasted like raw potatoes mixed in miracle whip. The rice side was just plain white rice boiled in water left extremely soggy and flavorless. The chips were just a bag of Lays chips, completely unacceptable for the price point of this establishment. Within two hours of consuming the food, my mom and I had really bad diarrhea for about an hour. That was the only food I had up to that point in the day so I have no reason to suspect any other culprits.

However, the food was the least of the problems at this restaurant. We were required to stand for 30 minutes as we waited for our table because there were no seats to wait. This was not an issue for us personally but it could be an issue for older guests. Furthermore, the service was terrible as we only saw our waitress three times (one to order drinks, once to order food, and once to deliver food). This in unacceptable as the restaurant was not even half capacity.

Now we come to the elephant in the room: the "botanical" side of the shop. I have no issue with alternative medicine or the use of cannabis. However, it is clearly evident that the inclusion and expansion of this side of the establishment has diluted the primary focus of serving food. In fact, Peace River Seafood has not earned a reward for their food since 2019. I don't think that is a coincidence as the botanical shop was added around the time the awards for food stopped.

To conclude, I will not be going back. Furthermore, I cannot recommend anyone else goes here either. It is a shame that this restaurant has gone so far downhill because it used to be the best place for seafood in Charlotte County (although that isn't much of a competition). I suspect that the current rating score will decline as more and more people wake up to the fact that this eatery is no longer the excellent establishment it used to be. I would love to see it return to its former glory someday. But for now, I will not be going back and I will be telling others to avoid this...

This is exactly the kind of restaurant I love, historic with amazing food! Seriously if you come to Punta Gorda this is where you need to eat. For starters the restaurant is in a 1927 wooden cracker house decorated with fishing nets and a parrot on the front porch. There is some dining inside but I was happily seated at a picnic table on the porch. On the other side of the house live music was playing. For more than a decade Kelly and Jimmy Beall have been serving the most delicious seafood around.

The menu is not large but everything is fresh because it comes from local fishermen. People associate blue crabs with Maryland but you might be surprised to know they are also caught in the nearby Peace River. Some of the Peace River crabs are even shipped north to Maryland. The all you can eat blue crab special is a popular choice here. I need to come back for that, but instead I ordered a pound of shrimp and a dozen steamers. Both came with corn and a red skin potato. It was so much food. I have never been served shrimp that big. The shrimp arrived steamed with the perfect dusting of Old Bay and all of the clams were open (it is a pet peeve of mine when you order a certain number and some arrive closed).

The staff here is so friendly. They cleared a table off for me quickly and I saw that everyone was wearing a mask. As I waited at my table I saw my server bring an elderly customer up to the building in a golf cart so he didn't have to walk far. During my meal the manager stopped in to make sure I liked everything. They really go out of their way to be welcoming.

In addition to the restaurant they sell wholesale seafood, produce, honey, and hot sauce. I didn't have room for the Key Lime pie but I overheard it was made fresh that morning I am still mad that I didn't take it to go. This place is the real deal, an authentic Old Florida seafood shack. It's worth the drive across Alligator Alley to visit. If you do come you can pair lunch with a visit to the nearby Peace River Botanical and Sculpture Gardens. I can't wait to bring my daughter back because I know she will love...

Omg! The stuff we accumulate and think why, how? Well I took a “me day”after going through some things for a couple of days in my little apartment, I packed up my cargo area of my car. 3 medium boxes , 2 large and a bag of clothes and linens. So I went got my hair done and then off to Goodwill to Donate. Of course, I just had to go in and browse Goodwill to see what treasure I may find even though I know I should not , I just had to have that cute orchid picture, in case my real one dies lol , a lovely summer dress, a shirt, an outdoor rug for my patio after management paints the building. Oh yeah a Green flowered shirt for St Paddy’s lol ok that’s it , I put on the brakes. I still have to go through boxes and scared to look in my closet!!! I am proud I am moving at a steady pace and gonna get rid of more to make up for what I bought! Giggle, snort. My heart is happy that some one will love the treasures I leave and those in need.

I then treated myself to a seafood dinner at the old Peace River Botonical restaurant . The ladies there were happy to see me and I them, as its been a while since I was there. Blue crabs are in , but i felt like trying their stoneccrab and shrimp special. I was not disappointed. I enjoyed the fact that being alone , I shared a table with two couples . Who welcomed my crashing their table and we ended up having quite a few laughs! This place reminds me of old Florida and the little hole-in-the-walls with great chances to meet people, good food and a relaxed atmosphere. Looking at the old large tree and the cool breeze running through it, it reminded me of what is important , living life and loving these memories of my many, many years in Florida and why I love it. Peace River you made my day and thanks for the reminder.

Well off the browse my treasures....