Red Fish Blue Fish

Wow- What a disappointment. My husband and I took my sister and her fiance here, who were visiting from out of town. I had last visited the restaurant about a year ago, and remembered that the food was excellent, as well as the service. Well, apparently a lot has changed in the last year. The calamari appetizer, which used to be my favorite, was almost inedible. Additionally, the portion size which cost $9 was the same size as the ""small"" appetizer which used to be offered for $7. The calamari itself was chewy and lackluster. Many of the ""pieces"" were essentially chunks of fry batter. Three of us ordered entrees, but for some reason I was not brought a salad plate, and the two others were brought a very small salad to share. No bread was brought to our table. I thought maybe they did not bring out bread anymore, but then I saw other tables with it. I ordered the Ahi Tuna, which was delicious. However, the vegetables were disgusting. they tasted like they had been marinating in butter for hours, and were reduced to mush. The mashed potatoes were not very good either. They used to be thick and tasty, with a cheesy-garlic flavoring. I can only now describe them as junk. I had another word here, but the filter made me edit it out. Everyone else moderately enjoyed their food. I was fuming silently the whole time because I knew it was terrible as compared to how it used to be, and I didn't want my guests to know how disappointed I was. One redeeming quality was our waiter. I wish that I knew his name. He was funny and attentive. I honestly think he was unaware of the bread and missing salad plate. He was surely poorly trained, and looked rushed most of the time. Despite that, he was quite enjoyable. I will never go back here again for food. It is such a sad thing because the building and location are both optimal. Ugh. Soooooo disappointing. Pros: waitstaff Cons: food more

When we arrived we were genuinely excited. It looks nice and presentable from the parking lot, but as soon as you turn the door handle and walk inside your hopes will be shattered.The Red Fish Blue Fish was the worst dining experirence I have had in a long time, and to boot we had taken family there because we thought it looked good.The wait staff or lack there of is more interested in standing at the bar and telling each other how ""funny and smart, hey you're really smart, did you know that?"" We sat for about 10 minutes easily maybe 15 before we were greeted. Our waitress walked right by use to stand at the bar waiting for the lazy bartender to make another terrible drink( Frozen & mixed drinks were digusting) and then ""our waitress"" called over the poor hostess to come and tell us that she will be right with us. Then after waiting an hour we got our food which was fair to midland. The fried food was edible but my Blackened Grouper was about 85% cooked and my wifes food was a wet mess of so called Scampi? Our waitress was under trained and over worked and the manager that was walking around was from outer space. So here is some free restaurant advice, re-train your wait staff to actually serve the customers( every interaction was rushed and was like she was burdened to be our server) and then get a real floor manager to run your floor, this includes making the 3-4 employees constantly standing around the bar to move around and pretend to be getting paid. You have a great customer base ( rich people with low standards for hang outs) you just have to clean it up a bit and get your staff to work. We will never return and we will tell all of the people we know to stay clear. Pros: Great Location, Low expectations Cons: Everything food to wait staff, we will never return more

Red Fish Blue Fish used to be the best in town...as a regular customer, I and most of Crystal Beach stopped going there when they canned the chef last year, then they dismantled the bar....its a poor shadow of what it used to be. It's run by a new age wacko who offers aurra readings and once let a girl who was BAKER ACTED manage the restaurant simply because ""she just kept showing up""......stay away. Pros: Bar staff is great Cons: everything else is garbage more

THE NEW OWNERS DON'T CARE ABOUT THE PLACE. WE TOLD THEM ALL OF THE FOLLOWING AND WERE TOLD THAT WE WOULD BE CONTACTED TO ""MAKE IT RIGHT"" AND STILL HAVEN'T HEARD FROM THEM. IT HAS BEEN OVER A MONTH!\r My fiancee and I took each of our parents to Red Fish Blue Fish. The parents were meeting for the first time so we wanted to make a good impression. We were sat outside and waited for service. The waitress came up after a few minutes and we ordered drinks. The drinks took forever to arrive. The food took even longer to be able to order and then EVEN LONGER TO ARRIVE! When it finally got there, it was mostly ok. My finacee's firecracker shrimp entree was a different story. When the waitress brought it out she mentioned that it looked like the shrimp had a large amount of the spice on top of it compared to normal. When my fiancee tried it, it turned out the spice was primarily cayenne pepper and it was way too hot to eat. We called the waitress back and had her return it for shrimp with a light amount of spice on it. By the time that came out, everyone at the table was through eating. The waitress took it back and put it in a to go container and brought it back to the table. When the bill arrived, we were charged for every meal even though my fiancee couldn't eat hers there. I called the next day to complain and the manager said that they wanted to make things right and would talk to the owner. I never got another call and haven't heard from them since.\r \r AVOID THIS PLACE IF YOU WANT TO EAT IN A TIMELY MANNER AND HAVE GOOD FOOD! Pros: Not very busy Cons: Had to wait as long as most restaurants that are overbooked. more

BAD BAD BAD BAD BAD!!!!!!!!! Holy cow do not go here, unless you sit at the bar. Its dirty, the service is the worst in town, the food would be good if it ever got to the table before it turned to ice. and the music is the same cd over and over and over again. How this place is still open is a mystery to me. Lets start with the staff. I think the owner pulled up to some high schools smoke hole and paid every one ten dollars to come put on a dirty uniform and act like jack asses. The only people who seemed even old enough to be in the place was the bartenders, who made bad drinks in a slow amount time. Next...... dirty, starting with silverware all the way down the list, floor, windows tables everything GROSS. Only thing is food is good but order something cold or you will be sorry. Have to laugh saw a buy one get on free and a 10$ coupon in the clipper, its the only way you could stand the place is to get something for free because if you had to pay for the bad service and the cold food you would be angry. Suggestion to management clean the place up and get some staff members who actualy have a pulse and work, never seen worse service any where. Oh and change the CD. Pros: awesome set up and location for drinks Cons: service. music more

The same excellent food, along with some new items! Live music, karaoke, Service standards raised, 3 bars, expanded outdoor seating, new flatscreen tvs, try it - you'll love it. I did! Loved it enough to come work for the company! Pros: Casual island theme, great seafood, steaks and more, all FRESH! Reasonable prices! Cons: We've gotten rid of the cons... more

I like sitting outside and listening to the music, but the service was bad. The food was not that great. It would be a great place to get a drink and listen to music! Pros: music on the deck Cons: food and service more

This is my wife and my favorite restaurant in the area. The food is excellent and the entertainment at the outdoor bar is always good. When we want to go out for good seafood as a family we dine indoors (I recommend the Key West Grouper and the Ahi Tuna). For those times where we can get a sitter, my wife and I love to dine on the outdoor patio and listen to the reggae music after dinner. \r If you don't want dinner, I recommend appetizers on the patio. My recolllection is that they have entertainment on the outdoor patio on most nights.\r This restaurant, in addition to having very good food, manages to strike a nice balance between being family friendly as well as a fun place for couples to visit for dinner or drinks.\r [I rate it as four stars, but relative to other restaurants in the area, it deserves five]. more

My Mother and two kids (6 & 9) came here during our Mother's Day weekend getaway. Everything was so wonderful that I'd visit FL again just to come here. Great Service (Dana, best waitress I've ever had, A+++) Great Atmosphere (excellent patio seating and creatively decorated indoors), Delicious food with large enough portions for lunch the next day, fabulous live music, even on a Monday. Absolute-ly (Vodka) Rigatoni is out of this world!!!! Pros: Food, Service, Atmosphere Cons: Greeter or sign for self seating at back entrance in rear parking lot more

I was one of the friends in this group.....\r Some friends and I went out to Red Fish Blue Fish. There were six of us, not too big of a crowd. The service started out ok, we could tell she was a newer server, so we gave her the benefit, most of us had been in her shoes. We weren't a disruptive table by any means, moms just out for dinner. We ordered appetizers right away, and our dinners before our apps got to the table. It didnt take too long for the appetizers, but an hour later we were still waiting for our dinners. The restaurant was pretty empty, maybe 10 tables total (on a Saturday night should have sent up a red flag itself) so we asked for a manager, just to let them know it was running long and we had other places to go and if our food was not ready to cancel the order. We felt this is something a manager should know when things go wrong. Not an even an apology from her she told us not to blame the server, which we werent in the first place. Instead of trying to correct it , we were all treated very rude by both the manager and the server. We waited yet another hour for her to finally bring us our checks, in the mist of all the arguing they did with us. Other servers were making up for the slack( which we thank, they were great- they could be this restaurant saving grace) She put other another tables dirty glas on our table next to our food, when we asked her to take it with her, she told us she only had 2 hands. When it was brought to the managers attention, well we were accused of being disruptive. All we wanted to do is pay our bill. I know the server was new and got flustered by all the the mistakes she was making, but the management of this restaurant really needs to step up to the plate. Customers should not be treated they way we were. They should not be yelled at or told not to complain- we are paying for good service just as much as good food- but it does not matter how good your food is- if the service is horrible, no one will be there to taste it. Pros: Music was ok. (we were there long enough to see them do 4 sets!) Cons: Poor Management, Poor Customer Service. more

Some friends and I went out to Red Fish Blue Fish. There were six of us, not too big of a crowd. The service started out ok, we could tell she was a newer server, so we gave her the benefit, most of us had been in her shoes. We weren't a disruptive table by any means, moms just out for dinner. We ordered appetizers right away, and our dinners before our apps got to the table. It didnt take too long for the appetizers, but an hour later we were still waiting for our dinners. The restaurant was pretty empty, maybe 10 tables total (on a Saturday night should have sent up a red flag itself) so we asked for a manager, just to let them know it was running long and we had other places to go and if our food was not ready to cancel the order. We felt this is something a manager should know when things go wrong. Not an even an apology from her she told us not to blame the server, which we werent in the first place. Instead of trying to correct it , we were all treated very rude by both the manager and the server. We waited yet another hour for her to finally bring us our checks, in the mist of all the arguing they did with us. Other servers were making up for the slack( which we thank, they were great- they could be this restaurant saving grace) She put other another tables dirty glas on our table next to our food, when we asked her to take it with her, she told us she only had 2 hands. When it was brought to the managers attention, well we were accused of being disruptive. All we wanted to do is pay our bill. I know the server was new and got flustered by all the the mistakes she was making, but the management of this restaurant really needs to step up to the plate. Customers should not be treated they way we were. They should not be yelled at or told not to complain- we are paying for good service just as much as good food- but it does not matter how good your food is- if the service is horrible, no one will be there to taste it. Pros: the bands was great Cons: the management more

My husband & I always go here on our vacations to the Tampa Bay area. The outdoor dining is the best in the area and they usually have live music. The crowd is mostly locals, which we prefer to touristy places. The food is always good and fresh. Pros: great deck, fun atmosphere, good food more

RFBF or ""The Fish"", as most regulars call it, is very easy to find. It's hard to miss in fact. A very colorful exterior invites you in to an even more colorful interior, and the most colorful staff in the area. After a visit or two they knew me by name, you'll find them calling everyone by name, actually. Especially the bartenders, they remember names really well and make me feel at home. A full menu is available at both bars every night of the week. The other fish places nearby are just that, a little fishy. but THE FISH carries great steaks, huge salads, and a chef lead kitchen that will make special orders, time allowing. My favorite place by far. Try the Seafood Carbonara! more

The most friendy staff you will encounter in any resturant. Once or twice there and everyone knows your name. Great food, great drinks, great service, and live music to boot. Even the tourists come back again. Pros: Friendly Staff, Good Food, Fair Price more

This place has a ""Key West"" charm and for the past two years the ""Fish"" has been outstanding. The chef comes out to answer questions and will make creative suggestions on dinner. The food & service are excellent! The outdoor bar has live music every night and the crowd is always fun. Pros: Great bar, Great food, Nice crowd Cons: allows smoking more