OCEAN|362 — Restaurant in Saint John

Short version for the light readers:

3.5 stars for the food 1.5 stars for the service 4 stars for the location and view

And yes, this is already factoring that we’re on island time. I believe in being fair but honest with all my reviews since I use others’ reviews to decide where I spend my time and money as well.

We had a fairly good crab cake appetizer that didn’t have too much filler, but probably too much mayo inside. I’d get it again, but it’s not in my top 25% I’ve ever had. About the time the crab cakes showed, we noticed our drinks had been sitting at the bar for nearly 10 minutes. We watched as she walked up and grabbed other drinks for tables that had ordered after us and finally asked the waitress if they were ours. She quickly grabbed them and apologized, but clearly forgot (very nice waitress, but seemed disorganized and forgetful). After the waitress spilled about 1-2 ounces of my wife’s wine over the outside of her glass (continuing to pour the rest as she did), she apologized and brought back an extra 3 oz while my wife cleaned the mess with the tablecloth. (No clothing was harmed during this.)

My bourbon and Coke seemed awfully weak but I chalked it up to how ice is clearly outmatched after 10 minutes in the direct sun here in paradise. But then our 16-year-old daughter’s puckered face quickly told me that the waitress had given her my drink and I had her plain soda. We quickly switched … it actually didn’t taste much different to me so … I guess one drink it is tonight.

My Caesar salad never showed but it didn’t show up on the bill so maybe they saved me some calories.

Entrées were better than average but, like the app, not great. Short rib ragu and pasta had a good flavor although the short rib was a little fatty; penne arrabiatta got two thumbs up from our daughter (they properly toned down the heat for her, as requested); and finally the Wagyu burger was decent … cooked to medium as ordered, but just not very flavorful.

Lastly, an interesting variation of “key lime cheesecake”, which actually wasn’t cheesecake at all, but had a flavorful key lime pie filling (which is actually what I wanted before she called it “cheesecake”). That is, the little bit that was sitting on top of an incredibly disproportionate stack of graham crust that was quick to get us glances from nearby tables as we struggled to break it down, striking the innocent plate underneath with each blow from our dessert forks.

Overall, no plans to return to Ocean 362 as I think we could have done much better spending this $300 (four of us) at one of the decently stocked grocery stores on the island and making our own versions of same. But the sunset view (over the villas, mind you) were decent. ...

This restaurant should be at the top of your list for one of the best on St. John . We have been coming here since they opened and have never been disappointed, but this time the chef they have is the best yet. We were a party of six for my husband’s birthday and every single appetizer and main course was presented beautifully, and were truly exceptional. Highlights were the mussel appetizer, a phenomenal hamachi crudo (the absolute best we’ve ever had at any restaurant in the last 20 years), the Burrata, mahi-mahi and strip steak. The Cauliflower main course was so creatively done, and is worthy of a separate shout out because two of the six I guests ordered it, and were truly in love with the preparation. Everyone who works at Ocean 362 is happy, which is a reflection of the management and their respect for everyone. Jill, the GM is hands-on, elegantly overseeing the floor with her servers to be sure that everyone is taken care of. Agnes, our waiter was wonderful. Service was seamless. It was so refreshing to see her genuine smile and love of her job, especially after dining at other restaurants during our stay, where the waiters could care less about what they do. Ocean 362 feels like you’re dining in someone’s living room, and it is a pure joy to eat here. The view can’t be beat as you look through palm trees at St. Thomas in the distance. The upstairs bar is the coolest bar ever because it juts out over the bay and you feel like you’re floating as the sun sets in front of you. I recommend it highly as one of the top experiences on the island! You won’t be disappointed if you make a reservation here so put it on your list of top places to dine. Hands-down it is our favorite restaurant now. Thank you Jill, Agnes, your phenomenal chef, and the whole team for making my husband’s birthday celebration one of...

I had high hopes for this restaurant, however, they really fell short. The server was very friendly and personable. She went as far as showing us pictures of the food and answering any questions about the food that we had. However, our portions were shorted and did not come out looking like the pictures. We specifically asked how many scallops came with the dish and were told two. we received one. The crab-cakes state that you get two yet we received one cut in half. That is not how the menu reads. When we brought these issues to the attention of the server, she said she was fighting for us in the kitchen to fix this. They ended up bringing another scallop out for both orders and one was undercooked and had to be sent back. The issue with the crab cake and another meal we had an issue with was completely ignored. Not once did they offer to correct the problem or make it right by reducing the bill. They expected full payment for 50% of the meal. If you charge fine dining prices your food and service is expected to be worthy of fine dining. There was no accountability for the mistakes that were made. Most of the food we received did taste good. It felt as if they were short on food, and therefore served reduced portions, yet charged the same amount of money. I definitely would not go back. This should have been handled much more...