Harborside — Restaurant in Winter Haven

I was in the Winter Haven area for a mini reunion with some longtime friends and our friend who lives here suggested this place. Before I visited here I did some research and I thought the prices were a little expensive as compared to other places around the world that I have been to but I thought I would wait-and-see once I got there if my assumption of the prices was correct. Where the restaurant is located is phenomenal. It’s absolutely beautiful on the outside and the inside is fantastic as well. The view is gorgeous and you do not have to get dressed up to go there. You don’t need reservations.

I ordered the stuffed flounder and it was good. My friends ordered the grouper sandwich and both stated that their sandwiches were not hot enough and they weren’t really wild about the coleslaw either. They said that the sandwiches were just barely warm, so they were disappointed.

I also thought that the presentation of my stuffed flounder dinner and how it was plated could’ve been just a little bit nicer. I also had the salad that came with my dinner and it was just pretty much a bunch of iceberg lettuce and a bowl with some green olives, cheese etc so maybe that was my fault I don’t know maybe there were another choice I think it was a Cesar or regular I can’t really remember but I thought for such a nice place that looks nice on the inside maybe you could just up your house salad game to something a little bit better that has maybe some nice mixed greens in it, some Romain lettuce, arugula, that kind of thing, a spring mix. While, we were waiting for a table I was looking at the oysters, the lobster tails, and the snow crab that they had on display in their case and I thought to myself, those lobster tails are kind of small and the snow crab legs are so skinny that they looked anorexic lol, and I wanted to love this place so much because it just looks so cool. I wanted to love this place so much because it was packed with people at 4 o’clock in the afternoon on a Saturday and I was just hoping that it was going to be better than it was.

Like I said, I just think it was a little bit overpriced. I also think that maybe they should try to get some Maine lobsters in because I really wanted to order the fillet and lobster tail but when I saw how small the lobster tails were, and the menu said market price, I said there’s no way, and that’s why I opted for the stuffed flounder.

This place has a wonderful atmosphere. It’s busy and it’s loud and it’s packed with people. That’s a good thing for them. I just wish that the prices would be a little bit cheaper. I wish that the plating of the food/presentation of the food would have been a little bit nicer and I wish the menu had just a few more choices on it such as a whole Maine lobster with baby red potatoes and some corn on the cobb, or a New York strip with lobster. Or some whole Dungeness crabs, Mussels for an appetizer, etc.

The place definitely does good for itself that’s for sure and I’m not putting them down. I would just like to see them improve on a few areas. I’m not sure if I would go back there again. I say, give it a try and see what you think. I think honest, constructive criticism is...

Having been to Harborside many times over the past few years, we grew fond of the place. It was a popular place that had an upscale feel to it, they had my favorite beer, we enjoyed the signature salad (made and served at our table), the seafood seemed fresh, and we enjoyed the fresh Italian seasoned bread that accompanied the meal. That said, Harborside was purchased by Tim Kirby in May 2023 as the new owner. On Facebook there is a bio that introduces his new team, however, since their takeover, several disappointing changes have been made. The team has been consistently missing the mark ...

First, they stopped selling my favorite beer (Space Dust - an IPA). They stopped making and serving the Harborside Salad at the table, and when we went there this past weekend, the waitress stated they removed sliced olives from the Harborside Salad. Trying to save a fee bucks? Moreover, rather than including the salad in the price of the meal, they now charge an extra fee for it - trying to make an extra few bucks? Rather than serving the tasty Italian loaves of fresh made bread, they now serve a flavorless dark bread, one I believe I have seen sold on Publix shelves. Lastly, the meals served to us that evening were not warm enough and the shrimp had an odd flavor.

Finally, each time I have been to Harborside since Mr. Kirby took over, we have noticed changes to the staff. Most of the folks who worked there before Mr. Kirby's takeover are no longer visible, and when I have shared my disappointment about the changes noted above, the waitresses have stated that they have heard similar complaints from other customers. Indeed, they have encouraged me to write this review as a passive protest to Mr. Kirby's changes. In addition, the last few times we have been to Harborside, the upscale feel to the place has noticeably disappeared, and the staff stands idly by chatting among themselves rather than promptly serving their tables. It is far less busy than I recall it being, the clientele seems more like that of a Golden Corral, the bathroom seemed unclean, and, sadly, we have crossed Harborside off our list of go to places. Fortunately, a new Millers Ale House location has opened up in Davenport, and all of their meals exceed the declining quality we have been getting at Harborside. One less reason to make the drive up 27 to Harborside.

That said, for those who didn't know the pre-Kirby Harborside, enjoy your meal, until additional...

1st time at Harborside and wow! This place is really nice. This restaurant is on the water and many tables are right at the windows overlooking the lake. I will say that this was listed as $$, but it’s really much closer to $$$. We ordered Ahi Tuna off of the starter menu as one meal ($13.99)and added a side of broccoli ($3.99), Sea Skins (1/2 order), also off of the starter menu, which came with two potato skins with shrimp, scallops, cheese, bacon and sour cream ($8.49) and the Harborside Fish Sandwich ($14.99) with a side of sweet potato waffle fries ($2.00 upcharge). They also brought out a basket of cut pieces of fresh baguette with a Parmesan on them with a side of butter. We thought this would be better with olive oil and pepper to dip it in and requested it. Very very tasty. The Harborside fish sandwich is huge. In fact, it is large enough that it could fit on two sandwiches.it’s a fried white fish with a light and crisp batter. It is served with a couple of slices of good quality bacon,lettuce, tomato and a tarter sauce on the side. I’m not much of a fish sandwich guy but this is a quality fish. I think that I might prefer this served on a garlic Texas Toast instead of the bun ( although the bun is a nice brioche) or without the bun altogether. The sweet potato waffle fries are THE ABSOLUTE BEST I’ve ever had. They are perfectly crisp on the outside, soft inside and they are not served with cinnamon and sugar which I cannot stand. The Ahi Tuna we ordered the large size and really good. The side of broccoli was nicely seasoned but too salty. The Sea Skins (1/2 order) was very tasty also. The service is friendly and as attentive as we would want it to be. The dining room is nice and comfortable and they have a sizable bar if that’s what you are looking for. This is a higher priced restaurant than we usually choose as our bill was $56.10 for the three of us with 2 appetizers, one main course and three iced teas. By the way, the iced tea is brewed ( not out of a machine) which is always...