Mad Fish St Pete Beach — Restaurant in Saint Pete Beach

I have been regularly driving by the Mad Fish sign advertising Beef Wellington for a long time now. Maybe years. Mad Fish is an upscale restaurant with an upscale menu and upscale prices. After years of seeing Beef Wellington on TV and wanting to try it, I finally decided to treat myself and my parents to Mad Fish.

I read about the place on their website and knew it was best to call ahead. I called Mad Fish Grill and asked about the Beef Wellington only to learn that I had called the wrong restaurant. (Don’t make that mistake. MFG is in Sarasota.) I called the right place at 4:30 on Friday but they could only fit me in at 5:00 (too soon) or 9:00 (too late for my parents). So I arranged for a 5:00 reservation on Saturday and my countdown to Beef Wellington began.

Mad Fish is a fine dining restaurant on the beach, which doesn’t do fine dining. Look, my dad has been retired for years and only owns one tie which he wears on Christmas and it has lights on it. I dressed in a polo and slacks because that seemed appropriate. The guy at the table next to me had on shorts and a T-shirt with an eyeball with wings coming out of the side of it. The point of this is to say: don’t worry about having nothing to wear. If you have clothes on, they’ll let you in.

The moment has arrived. We arrive early for our 5:00 reservation and are told they’re not open yet. This is no doubt a change due to COVID because everything I’ve read is that they open at 4. But not to worry. This just means I’ll be first in. I use the wait time to peruse the menu and, for the first time, the prices. Chateaubriand for two, $110. Whew! Glad I’m getting the Beef Wellington for one! But where is the Beef Wellington? It’s not on the menu though it’s very clearly on the sign facing the road, right there with the Chateaubriand.

When we are taken to our seats, our waiter brings us our water and lets us sit with the menu a moment. No Beef Wellington on this one either. I mean, I know they have it, but when he asks what I want to drink, I want something that’s going to pair with the Wellington. So I ask about it.

“Unfortunately,” he began, “the Beef Wellington has to be ordered a day in advance.” He goes on to tell me how delicate it is and they only make enough for those who’ve preordered, due to COVID. I have no poker face for disappointment. I did call a day in advance, I said, but no one told me I would need to order the one specific menu item I came here for early, too. I kept waiting for him to—I don’t know—check in the back to see if they prepared ANY extra. ONE. It’s only 5:00, I know they didn’t run out! But he never checked. Instead he offered some special bacon wrapped sirloin or something like I was at Outback. My parents, aware of my disappointment, offered to leave. No damage had yet been done, but I was not going to leave. I was going to swallow my disappointment if for no other reason than to be able to write an honest review.

There was no point in getting some other steak. I’ve had other steak. Instead, I decided to cross two other items off my list of things I’ve always wanted to try: Chilean Sea Bass with a garlic risotto substitution. My mom got the lobster tail and my dad got the grouper with shrimp.

The food arrived and it all looked magnificent. The lobster tail was erupting from its shell, and the shrimp on the grouper were plump. The sea bass sat high atop its bed of risotto and whatever else garnished the plate.

The “whatever else” was the star of my meal, however. The risotto was sticky, like too thick oatmeal. I’ve never had risotto, but it always looks creamy and this was not. The sea bass was beautifully cooked, really. It was soft as butter to the touch. The flavor wasn’t much to talk about, and again, I’ve never had Chilean Sea Bass so I’ve nothing to compare it to, but eaten with the “whatever else” at least gave it some flavor.

At one point, my waiter reassured me, "Next time, I'll make sure you get the Wellington." He obviously can't make that promise or I'd have had it this time. Unfortunately, there won't be...

Wow! The Mad Fish really made for an incredible experience. This spot is a hidden gem right out in the open! No reservation was needed tonight but with the quality of food, atmosphere, staff, and value… I can see this place being packed. I could see a nay sayer having an issue that there isn’t a view of the water, but do not for one moment let that stop you. The fancy place two doors down on the rooftop might have the view, but hands down the food and staff make the Mad Fish incomparable.

Ok, let’s start with the staff and atmosphere. There is a sign street side but that is it. Free parking with plenty of spaces. An intriguing exterior giving the vibe of a diner from days of yore, you enter from a delightful porch with great lighting. Upon entering the building, you are instantly transported to a classy speakeasy look and your nose is overjoyed with the flavorful aroma of what was being prepared in the kitchen. The smell alone took the form an amuse-bouche, instantly making your mouth water without control.

The host was the proprietor and happily greeted us promptly. We were seated in Josh’s section and he was the absolute and most perfect match for us. He was incredibly knowledgeable, communicative, always had an eye on what we needed, yet was never intrusive. His personal recommendations were superb and he went above and beyond to answer any questions we had. If he wasn't t sure about something, he offered to bring someone with the expertise. He even shared a few local must do activities! Everyone was so helpful and the teamwork really shows!

Ok, let’s talk food! We started with the fresh oysters. They were outstanding without any of the fishy smell or taste. They were brought in from Louisiana, which was my first time ever having Louisiana oysters. I am generally a fan of Prince Edward Island Oysters, but these were excellent! They served them with sides of various sauces that were delectable and complimented the dish.

Drunken Island Shrimp: This was absolutely outstanding, the broth that these delightful shrimp were bathing in could be enjoyed as a meal itself. Be sure to use your dinner rolls to sop up that broth, it leaves you with a cozy comfortable feeling with a large smile.

Baked Goat Cheese: I think this is a must! The fig balsamic that the goat cheese was baked in was sooo good! There were sliced grape tomatoes, baby arugula, and what I believe was an apricot jelly. Oh wow! I think having some crostini would be nice, but it really was great as is.

American Red Snapper: this fish was absolutely perfectly cooked and seasoned to bring out the flavor of the red snapper. The risotto was enhanced by the butternut squash. I think that many places are overdoing risotto, however this complimented the red snapper and held its own flavor. Positively melted in your mouth!!!!!

Swordfish Special for the night: I’m a lover of swordfish and this hit the spot. The Mad Fish cooks food the way it is supposed to be done, so this swordfish was outstanding. The slices of lemon, capers, and cream sauce paired so well! They also had broccolini and sliced baked tomatoes that were flavorful and not mushy at all. And then they had a couple of baked mushrooms stuffed with lump crab!

We finished with a slice of key lime pie and their chocolate mousse cake. Both were outstanding!

Some people might balk at the cost, but I felt that the portions were perfect for the price point, in fact, I think there was more than I expected for the price point.

This is a must try and if I lived here, it would be a regular spot for me to enjoy. It really is that...

I am a local living in st pete for several months now. Even through the pandemic my husband and myself have continued to eat out safely and local. Friends from clearwater were visiting so we were excired to try madfish as they were in the mood for sea food. Micheal our waiter was very nice. We ordered 2 dozen oysters and a bottle of red wine to start. Oysters small but tasty. For a seafood restaurant the menu selection for seafood is VERY limited. The special of the day was a steak which I find odd. Anyway, I ordered the ceaser salad with salmon rare. My husband and his friend the lamb, rare with mint jelly. My girlfriend the steak special. At this point by 6pm the restaurant is slammed( no social distancing if this bothers you, it doesn't me). My salmon VERY overcooked but decided to not say anything. I was hungry. Both lambs were medium rare not rare though. The mint jelly was cold and out of a can clearly. My husband showed the waiter who graciously took to the chef, but then quickly came back and told My husband basically the chef said to cut into it, it was fine. Wow. Also, see pic. The sauce with both lambs looks completely different? Sauces brought out at same time. Icky. We ate anyway, NOT THE SAUCE.. We ordered 2nd bottle of wine. We all partially ate our meals.. Honestly, I give all restaurants a second chance as was our intention. I asked for the manager and politely showed him the pic of sauces to which he became angry stating that that had nothing to do with the lamb being overcooked. Not sure of his point. I said every chef has an off night( we wanted no freebies), to which the owner became more upset stating his chef was a 3star chef...blah blah blah. Seriously. What does that have to do with overcooked food? We capped our wine to leave. The situation definitely escalated. The worst dining experience of my life. So sad too because even put a bad taste in my mouth for my lovely new city. Shame on the owner for refusing to take any criticism, and for being so rude and unprofessional. Fortunately, this is only the 2bd poor review I've ever given, so MANY OTHER FABULOUS restaurants to try! The waiter Micheal deserves an award for how classy he...