Big Water Fish Market — Restaurant in Siesta Key

After a Well earned day at Siesta Key Beach, I took to Google to find a Real Seafood meal to top off the experience... within 15 min of the beach in an unassuming strip mall we found Big Water Fish Market. It brought me back to N.Y. as we walked thru the front door. Sea fearing gear and trinkets adorn the walls and ceiling, The staff greet and seat you at the front door. Simple sturdy tables but not a warehouse, but a cosy shop... With real fresh sea food being sold at the back counter for those who want to do it their way. But for us, it was the dine in menu that made our day! We ordered the conch fritters, My wife said they were the best she's ever had. Light batter with real flavor and a tangy dipping sauce. Then the Clam chowder came with a clam in the shell on the edge of the bowl "nice touch", rich and filling with a nice blend of seasoning and veggies and of course Clams. As we waited for the entree, the lunch into dinner crowd came in, like old familiar friends who knew their way around the menu, who didn't mind sharing tables to have more people share the experience. Then our grilled Snapper, Grilled scallops, and for me a Grilled Grouper sandwich, graced the table. With a variety of sauces and seasonings on the table to make the genuine taste a personal engagement. All Aces... With my wife surprising me with ordering dessert, we don' t do it... trying to watch the weight and the wallet. We bought a single slice of Key Lime, the only treat they need to serve in my opinon. It's not a favorite of mine, but it was today... The staff buzzed around all the tables giving everyone the sense of pride they had in the presentation and quality of the food they were serving. I left promising to leave this review and promised myself not to miss this quaint, welcoming little treasure the next time we pass thru. So to the staff and cooks who helped my family make a memory, "Thank You!" Stay humble, stay Blessed, yours...

In May of 2018 I rated the BWFM a 5 star. Today, I still rate the food a 5 star but the service was maybe a 1 star, thus the 3 star rating. When we arrived a waitress immediately asked for our drink order then proceeded to totally ignore us. Another server, a waiter also asked for our order, and we told him the waitress had already taken our drink order. Then NOTHING. No drinks arrived and no one came back to serve us. We were seated next to the cooler so it wasn't like they couldn't see us. Eventually I flagged the waiter and explained, so he took our order and brought us our food and drinks. Then NOTHING for most of our meal. Another waitress passing by did casually ask if we needed anything. By that time we were already finishing and my husband had already paid the bill. I want to go back and enjoy the food but service has to improve. Not sure what happened but it shouldn't have happened. I am terribly disappointed as I have told everyone we know who comes to Siesta Key to check out BWFM. I don't know if I can do that in the future. I'll see how our next visit goes.

UPDATE 5-5-22. We made another visit today to BWFM and am pleased to report the service was better. There were 4 servers I believe, and 3 of them were engaged with the customers. The 4th which was our original server, one of the waitresses doesn't seem to do as much as the others. Because our service was good I moved my...

So sad to be giving this restaurant a bad review but I have to tell this story. We are full time residents on siesta key. We live in walking distance to Big Water. We love the food but we don’t eat inside restaurants due to covid. We order for pick up and we always tip on the food we order. Big water has cut off all 3rd party delivery so I call for pick up. Tonight I called 3 times and they let the phone ring off the hook, then they started sending the calls to voicemail. So I got in my car and drove to the place. I went in to order and the young woman at the front met me and kind of rudely told me to go to the back to place my order. She then made me stand and wait, the SHE walked up and took my order. Then after taking my order she said that will be 45 minutes to an hour!! I said really and she just stared at me. I said are so these people sitting here waiting 45 minutes to an hour (it was busy but not that busy, there were several open tables and I could have just sat down and eaten) she said there are many orders ahead of me. I left. I am so disappointed but it seems like they don’t want take out orders. Spearfish grill down the toss also is rejecting take out orders. In the depths of covid I supported local restaurants and was happy to do so. I hope this restaurant figures this out so we can come back. In the meantime I am going to places that want and appreciate...