The Grumpy Grouper Grille

Friendly establishment.  Cold beer.  Good fried and broiled seafood. Everyone liked dinner.  Two of us had  broiled.  grouper,simply  prepared and  tasty.  Our friends had fish and  chips and clams and ate every morsel. We also   calamari (OK but not great).  and mild but good chicken gumbo.   An unpretentious bar/fish joint with good food.  We will definitely come back.

I went to Grumpy Grouper with a friend this past Friday night around 7:30.  It was very busy but the wait wasn't very long, only about 10 minutes.  The décor was very... simple?  Only a few decorations on the wall, a few seashells painted on the booths, and there was a large fish tank in the middle of the restaurant, which was nice I guess.  It was very loud in the restaurant, but luckily for my friend, so am I.  :) Our server took our drink order promptly after we were seated, and because most of the draft beers had run out we were left with a limited selection of bottled beers (sorry, I can be a bit of a beer snob) but we made do.  Despite being very busy, the server provided great service.  We ordered a basket of hush puppies as an appetizer and they tasted fine.  Not great, not bad, but fine.  Next we received our salads (see food pictures for reference) which were very unimpressive, not that I had high expectations for a salad from a casual seafood restaurant.  Then our main meals arrived and we both found the meals to be lacking.  Both dishes were pretty bland, and his fried platter wasn't very crisp at all.  Overall, it wasn't a bad experience, the food just left a LOT to be desired.  I feel bad giving a bad review because I really hoped I'd like it.

And just as an FYI, I'm not a picky eater at all.  I'm only a picky drinker.  :)

I'm really happy about this addition to the area. The decor leans Key West and is minimal but inviting. The bar/lounge area looks cool. Kinda dive bar, with flat screens for sports viewing. I think that could be a popular spot for a beer.

The food is awesome! I normally get the Grumpy Grouper sandwich blackened. It's well-priced, delicious, with generous portions as are the rest of the meals that typically make it to the table: dolphin sandwich, grouper salad, fried gator appetizer. The lunch pricing is fantastic for seafood... like $8.99 for a huge dolphin sandwich.

The location is "ok" being in Lake Park and in a shopping center, but whatever. The food should be able to carry them and it has become a favorite, especially for lunch as my office is right around the corner.

I like the changes they've made to the decor since opening. They moved around some of the stuff on the walls and added an aquarium that divides the bar and dining areas, so they've stepped it up since my first visit. I def recommend checking them out - especially for lunch!