Bahama Breeze — Restaurant in Sanford

Totally recommend this place!

Walking into Bahama Breeze, I was immediately taken by the atmosphere. I felt like I was stepping into a perfect blend of tropical relaxation and understated elegance, something I don’t often find in chain restaurants. The service quickly matched that vibe, friendly and attentive without being overbearing.

As I settled in, I couldn’t help but think this was going to be a solid dining experience.

The first dish to hit my table was the chicken tostones, and let me tell you, they were a pleasant surprise. Crispy, flavorful, and innovative, it felt like the kitchen was really trying to push the boundaries in a good way.

For a moment, I thought, “This place is onto something.” Then came the pasta, and that’s where my enthusiasm wavered.

For me, pasta is a staple, a kind of litmus test for any restaurant. Unfortunately, it didn’t live up to the excitement of the tostones or even to any two-star restaurants. It was to the point where my partner asked me if we were eating what we ordered.

The flavors felt flat, almost like an afterthought, compared to the burst of creativity in the appetizer. However, all the other food and drinks were delicious. I was surprised by the lack of consistency. But what struck me most was how much potential this place has.

To me, everything else was clicking: the design of the restaurant, the layout, the thoughtfulness of the construction. It all made me want to stay a little longer, sip on another drink, and take in the surroundings. Even the parking was easy and well-organized, a small but meaningful detail.

In my opinion, Bahama Breeze feels like it’s on the verge of something great—maybe even the restaurant that truly represents Florida life...

The Sanford Bahama Breeze is fairly big and can hold lots of people. That being said, the acoustics inside make the restaurant very loud. If you prefer your atmosphere to be that way you'll love it. If you like to hear your table talk without saying "what?" This might be a challenge. There is outside seating that's a bit less noisy and gets covered when it rains. The menu is mostly Caribbean selections (not Bahamian) so maybe it should be "Caribbean Breeze". You will however find a Bahama Mama and Conch Fritters listed. A very island feel.

Our waitress did get to our table fairly quickly to get our drink orders. We ordered the Spicy Habanero BBQ Wings, Coconut Shrimp and the Whole Jamaican Jerk Wings. We ordered during the happy hour period which made the meal more of a good value. Non happy hour pricing does make these appetizers much more expensive which brings the price more like a meal cost rather than appetizers.

The food came out quickly and hot. All the food tasted good and was cooked well. The Spicy Habanero BBQ Wings are fairly spicy, not sweating from your forehead spicy but enough you'll want something to cool your mouth. All had good flavors too.

The pay at your table kiosk calculates the tip from the grand total including tax so be careful on how you want to tip. It also would not complete the transaction after several tries (kept saying the check wasn't ready" after putting everything into the system. My guess is the ticket wasn't closed out. Had to get the waitress to print a paper receipt to pay.

Overall a nice meal but...

I went to have a late lunch with my son & 1st the restaurant was fairly empty we were seated in between the only 2 other families there. I ordered a drink the waitress who seemed very young asked for my ID by the way Im 42 & my birthday was a few weeks ago so yes I haven’t had time to rush after my bday to DMV but it’s still valid in many other places but here an 18 yr old decided to be a gov official while taking the order & said it wasn’t valid since it was 2 weeks expired 😂 I immediately said ok no problem I will then have water with lemon. She comes back to finish taking the order she seems bothered & has the audacity to say in such a rude way if I will order actual food after I just ordered appetizers. At that point all I wanted was to grab the stuff and leave because she might have been having a bad day but it doesn’t make it right to take it on the customers. I said there’s no worries it was less for me to pay and that was what bothered her and gave her an attitude. I tried teaching my son this will happen anywhere and there should not be a reaction to other people’s misery you do not put your 2cents to situations like this mind you if it would have happened 5 yrs ago the outcome would have been different I just choose to be the grown mature adult handling an overwhelmed teenager in her job and I still tip her just to see if that changed her mood later but will definitely drive to Altamonte Springs next time. Sanford is to ghetto for me I will drive my boogie self 20-30mins if I have to in order to have a...