Backwater Jacks Tiki Bar — Restaurant in Washington

Went for the 1st time last night 3/15/25. We go out every Saturday & try to find somewhere different to go. We live in Vanceboro but usually go to Greenville so we thought we would give it a try. Not impressed! 1st the host did not seat us. She gave us menus & said go upstairs & look for the empty table. We were on the deck, wind blowing & freezing. 2nd it took over 10 min for anyone to approach our table to get drinks and another 15 to get our appetizer order. We got our appetizer 1 Hour later. The cheese on the nachos were completely dry and stuck together. It was4 of us & the server asked if we needed plates. Really? That should be a given. Then I asked for forks that I never got. The servers upstairs had no personality, no smiles,no communication skills, no training waiting tables.Never saw a manager walking around checking on people! All of a sudden this other girl approached our table that had long dark braids. She asked to take our plates, she boxed up our nachos, friendly. She new how to wait tables. 1 hour and 10 min later after we arrived, we finally got our entrees. We weren't even hungry anymore. I was freezing and ready to go. The staff needs training on customer service adequate timing. Not a " go to"...

Margarita - should have read the "Don't get mixed drinks here" review before we ordered. Any bar that uses sweet & sour mix to make any drink just doesn't understand how to make a real thing. It really isn't difficult to make a classic margarita w/o that stiff & it's actually cheaper - and more delicious. Do they care? Buffalo shrimp - cooked well, didn't know they'd be breaded, w/ just a puddle of bottled hot sauce poured over them... so much better to make your own! Requested ranch & blue cheese. Got ranch. Waited. 3 little pieces of celery. The price of celery may be inflated & I didn't realize. Crab dip - difficult to taste if it was crab or imitation crab. If real, gotta let it shine. If imitation, go ahead & smother it w/ mayo or whatever. Mahi mahi sandwich was good. Real "blackened" isn't just seasoning, though. Google it. Requested tartar sauce - had to re-request a few times & wait a bit. We came for seafood Backwater, right?) so turned down the plethora of chicken & ground beef offerings & negotiated around all the fried items. We were just in town to explore Washington. I'm guessing there are better...

Nice, friendly staff on a quiet Sunday afternoon just before the restaurant closes for a couple of weeks for Christmas. My wife and I were first-time customers, and based on our experience, we will go straight to Backwater Jacks next time we travel to Washington to eat. Appetizer of peel-and-eat steamed shrimp in Old Bay seasoing was delicious, and shrimp were large. Entree for my wife was the grilled mahi-mahi sandwich with black beans, and mine was fried oysters with french fries. Both were delicious and had come out just as we were finishing our appetizer. The oysters, especially, were a generous serving and were first rate -- lightly breaded, and with the delicate flavor that means fresh fresh fresh. We enjoyed the draft beer on tap and an after-meal drink apiece, weren't rushed at all any point, and loved the tiki bar, shrimp shack decor. Very pleased that we made this choice, and getting the fine service and great food during a slow time indicates a restaurant that takes itself seriously. We look forward to a warm-weather visit with the live music and another fine meal in such pleasant...