Fish City Grill — Restaurant in Richardson

I’ve eaten here so many times I can’t believe I haven’t posted a review yet! Probably one of my favorite seafood restaurants to eat at. I know it’s my Dad’s favorite! Every time we have gone in we have always been greeted by the friendly hosts. Always a smile and always asking if we prefer a booth or a table. We’ve tried many of the appetizers, but our favorite is definitely the oyster nachos. The oysters are always fried well and not overcooked nor greasy. The chipotle tartar sauce is always spicy with just the right amount of heat and the pico is out of this world. I find myself scooping up the remaining pico with the lettuce on the plate and eating that once the oysters and chips are gone. All the entrees I have had have always been cooked well and are always tasty. When I am not sure what to have I go for my favorite, Serafin’s Fish Tacos. Probably the best in town. And this is more than just a regular taco, this is almost like a burrito. A BIG burrito. I am not a petite person by any stretch of the imagination, but I can usually only eat ½ the entrée and end up taking the rest home for later. The fish and chips are spectacular as well. That is another go to favorite of ours. My dad is partial to the oysters on the half shell. Now he IS a small sized person and in his mid 80s (and VERY active) and he will put those away in no time. He’s usually done before I am. The soups are all wonderful as well. The gumbo has a great smoky essence to it. The crab bisque is rich, creamy and savory. Perfect for a cold, wintery day or evening. Warms you right up. And honestly, you can never go wrong with clam chowder (New England always. NEVER this Manhattan style….why bother). Now let’ talk about the staff. Never once have I had a bad experience with them. They are always friendly, accommodating, helpful with the recommendations and our glasses are never empty. The fact that so many of them are still the same from when I started coming here about 2 years ago says quite a bit about the managers and owners. You can always tell when folks aren’t being treated right when there is a high turn over of staff. Haven’t seen it happen here. The manager on duty usually tries to visit all the tables to check in on folks and make sure all is well. Admittedly, when the kitchen is getting slammed they will get right in there to make sure everyone gets their food in a timely manner. Our personal fave is David. He started as a waiter and has been working his way up to manager. Last time we were in he was working as acting manager for the location. We are definitely hoping he stays at City Line and isn’t moved to another location. Finally, for those of you who are going for the first time and have enjoyed the meal, make sure you fill out their customer comment card and sign up for their mailing list. We did and within 5 days we received a very nice handwritten note from our server. It included in the note to bring in the postcard it was on and get $5.00 off your next visit. Now that is how you get customers coming back. Keep up the great work! We will...

Updated 5-star Review in May 2022: After speaking with manager Ryan, my wife and I decided to give Fish City Grill a second chance. We dined in and had an excellent experience, completely opposite from last time. Erica, Robin, Lauren, Chef Mike, and their team provided perfect service. This time both the raw oysters and grilled oysters were good size and very tasty. My wife ordered the Seafood Medley and I had the Grilled Redfish (both daily specials) and they were both well seasoned, full of flavor, and the quantity was perfect. Overall we really appreciate the hard work that everyone put into providing a great experience for us and we will be coming back going forward. Thank you!

Initial 2-star Review in March 2022: To start with the pros, I feel the flavor is good, and I also feel the staff I’ve encountered seem to be very helpful and willing to provide good, solid service, which is why it’s 2 stars and not 1. The biggest problem is the quantity. My wife ordered the scallops and bacon wrapped shrimp which looked like someone ate half of it or more and then dumped the remaining leftovers in a box for her to salvage…..and this cost $22! We also paid $30 for 12 grilled oysters, but it was hard to actually find each oyster given they were all so small. It looked like someone just sneezed on a few oversized oyster shells and put them in a box. I understand oysters shrink when they’re grilled, but this isn’t my problem. Whoever is managing this location needs to ask their purchasing manager to buy larger oysters and use different oysters for grilling than they use for raw oysters. In one picture you’ll see the oyster next to a lemon slice, illustrating how it was about the size of my thumbnail. All of this would be okay I guess if it didn’t cost around $100. I understand there’s extreme inflation and supply chain issues going on because of covid, but I’d rather pay a higher price for more quantity rather than a higher price for less quantity. With the latter, I feel I’m being cheated on 2 ends. I hate to leave a bad review, but I’m doing so to explain to the manager of this location why we won’t be going back. We’ve been here several times before, but we’re finally calling it quits. For any business, the most valuable customers are returning ones, because the cost of acquisition is zero. However, if you continue to steal from them while giving them less food they will inevitably never go back to eat at your restaurant. And if you’re just following orders handed down from corporate, maybe it’s time to open your own restaurant that serves more reasonable quantities or consider working for a different one. I’m sure you’re working hard, but it comes down to economics and creating a good experience for...

11/11/24: We stopped by for the Veteran's Day special. It also happened to be Happy Hour. The bar was full, so we sat in a booth. Lauren was our hostess, and she was very friendly. The dining area and the patio was full, so we figured that our order would take a little longer than usual. We first ordered the Chargrilled Oysters and the Shrimp Nachos. Both appetizers were great. Our main courses were the Crispy Chicken sandwich and the Fish and Chips. I believe that their Fish and Chips are pretty hard to beat. The Chicken Sandwich was good. I appreciate Fish City Grill honoring Veterans, and I have to shout out whomever drew up the chalk wall because the Veteran's Day theme was pretty awesome!

5/5/23: We stopped by for Happy Hour and sat at the bar. Ryleigh was a great hostess. She is very friendly and made us feel welcome. We had a couple of draft beers, a couple of Margaritas, oysters and a Pick 2 Combo plate. The food was freshly made and it tasted great. We enjoy visiting this location, as the restaurant and bathrooms are very clean. There was plenty of parking available. 8/3/22: We stopped by for a late lunch, and arrived at 3pm, when Happy Hour started. Misty was helping Ryleigh behind the bar and she was great. Misty was very friendly and welcoming. I had the three meat plate (fried cod, oysters and shrimp) with chargrilled oysters and she had the catfish and shrimp plate. The food arrived pretty fast and it was cooked to perfection. Misty checked on us regularly, and Ryleigh was great behind the bar. We saw how Ryleigh greeted the regulars, and she made us feel just as comfortable.

5/12/22: We had a great time during Happy Hour. We sat on the patio, and there was a nice breeze coming through. Mary was a great hostess. I had the three meat plate and she had catfish, fries and grits. The food arrived quickly and it was very hot. The fried catfish was cooked to perfection, crispy on the outside and flaky on the inside. The fried shrimp and beer battered cod were also very good. The patio area was very clean and we had a relaxing meal and adult beverages.

12/16/21: We had a great time during Happy Hour. We sat at the bar. Jennifer and Julie were great bartenders and hostesses. The draft beer was cold and the Margaritas were good. I had a pair of charbroiled oysters for the first time and they were really good. The presentation was awesome! A couple of oysters in the shell over a bed of salt with a lemon wedge on the side. I also had the Jalapeño Redfish Tacos, and they were really good. She had the Smoking Hot Shrimp and the Shrimp Nachos, which were also really good. It was a very nice atmosphere, really relaxing, clean, and we'll definitely come...