Crystal River Seafood — Restaurant in Tallahassee

Frozen processed food, reheated to order. After a few bites, we left the entire meal untouched and had to go home to cook because everyone was still hungry. Basically, we were charged high prices for a public school tasting lunch.

The restaurant was empty on a Sunday after church. We thought we got lucky, but now we know why. My husband was looking forward to trying Crystal River because it had been years since he ate there, & now he remembers why. He summed it up by saying we should have kept our $60-$70+ and went anywhere else, even mcdonalds (which is saying a lot) because at least we would have eaten something & the kids would have been happier. Now I have to go home and cook because everyone is still hungry.

It is very misleading by labeling it "chicken tenders/ chicken strips" when it isn't real chicken. It was previously frozen light brown mush, which may or may not have contained chicken mixed in, stuffed into a thin fried layer of skin. The seafood plate wasn't any better. Fried okra was okay, but very obvious it was previously frozen & probably reheated in a microwave and waiting under a heat lamp, just like everything else. The only thing the kids would eat were the fries.

The waitress was nice but did not bat an eye to see we had not eaten any of our food, nor asked us once if we liked our food. It must be normal for guests to leave their 'food' untouched.

Crystal River needs to take the extra steps to buy, batter and fry real chicken and seafood, verses just reheating frozen processed mush. The cooks would be proud of their work, and the waiters would get more business & tips. I'm sure if the restaurant made changes and had a reopening, Tallahassee would gladly turn out. Currently, I have no idea how they make enough to stay open or even get returning guests (if...

This restaurant had the most tastiest seafood and a hard-working staff. My crew members and I decided to try this place out for lunch because the original seafood restaurant we were going to try was closed until 4pm but advertised to be open at 11am. What a lil' hidden gem this place turned out to be. The atmosphere is like a 90's Florida seafood restaurant with an awesome music playlist full of nostalgia of the 80's, 90's n early 2000's of all different genres. The establishment itself was a lil' outdated and had some ol' skool ocean themed murals, but DON'T let that fool you. The food was delicious. Our captain ordered a variety of appetizers for the 4 of us to share. Stuffed mushrooms, calamari fries, and crab cakes. My good friend and fellow fa ordered the corn nuggets appetizer. I ordered for myself the low seafood boil that came w/ amazing well seasoned and cooked perfectly snow crablegs, crawfish, shelled shrimp, 2 boiled red potatoes and seasoned mini corn on the cobs, and sausage. After hearing the raving reviews of the restaurants clam chowder, how could I resist. I opted to give it a try and very glad I did. Our waitress informed me that adding it to my order was only a $1.99 upcharge for a cup. Everything was cooked well and had its own delicious flavor. Again, like the look of the restaurant from outside/ in, not esthetically ideal, but the flavors, menu options, and fair prices more than made up for it! Definitely recommend and look forward to my next layover/visit and will personally make sure I stop by for more tasty seafood and try other menu items, including...

UPDATE! Original review at bottom.

Update: 9/29/2023. Since Tammy left ( older blonde, I think that's her name) things have seemed to go downhill. Even though mullet is in season their fish didn't appear to be all that fresh. They were also cut weird? Cut it in chunks instead of long fillets. You get one tail section and front pieces with fins still attached and no backs! Pretty much unlike any other restaurant I've ever ordered from. Sides are always good. I told the manager to use cornmeal on the mullet and catfish and and it would make a huge difference and double his sales. Their fish is sorta like going to eat fish up North. Nothing but flower based breading. Nah. Oh and the best part, I got 1 tail portion and 3 midsection chunks (dinner portion) for a whopping $25- without tip!!!!! I think I'll wait and go to Savannah's on Friday or Saturday and get all you can eat mullet cooked right, scallops, shrimp, catfish, and crab legs with great sides. Much better deal. Sorry folks, until you listen to your customers and get it I won't be back.

OLD REVIEW: Finally went to Crystal River on Monroe after many years of absence. Last time I went was when it was on West Tennessee probably 20 years ago. Been a few times within the last few months and have been impressed with the food, waitress and quickness of the return of food and quality. Now is it Angelo's ambiance? No. But for half the price it ain't too bad. Sides...