Food was good but the service was terrible. Was there on a Tuesday night and was hardly anyone there but was told we would have to wait for 20 minutes or we could be seated right away in the bar area. We chose the bar area but the service was very slow. I will say I was surprise however at how good the food was. My wife had the Maple Salmon and loved it.
Review Source:We went early on a Friday evening and sat at the bar. Â We made our way through a big portion of the drink menu. Â They were all delicious. Â We also had a few appetizers and then split an entree. Â Everything was really good. Â If it wasn't for the female bartender feeling comfortable enough to make a racial slur to us regarding some of the clientele, I would have given this restaurant 4 stars. Â Personally, I don't think racism is EVER acceptable, but somehow is even that much more offensive when it's coming from someone who serves all walks of life and kind of earns her living on tips.
Review Source:Are you a fan of mediocre food and barely acceptable service? Â Do you like your beer/drinks served now or approximately 15 minutes later? Â Do you especially like to wait even longer when you have a child with you for dinner? Â
The fish tank is amazing! Â We were seated right away on a Saturday night. Â After that the rest of the experience was unremarkable. Â My fiancee ordered a drink and they brought him a margarita instead because they were out of the other drink mix. Â He didn't like it and got something else...all of this was time consuming. Â Our friend ordered a beer. Â The server forgot and it took 15 minutes to get it. Â
The bread was extra crusty, stale and tasted like plain white bread. Â Our friends who had dined there previously and loved it knew that this was not typical. Â They asked for another loaf of bread which came to the table warm and delicious!
They do not have any vegetarian dinner entrees. Â I had the Islamorada salad which looked good, but the mixed greens weren't crispy and the feta was really bland. Â Our friend ordered a steak which came out considerably more well done than requested.
If the food was served promptly we honestly wouldn't have complained about it because it really was fine (just fine, not good). Â But after waiting for nearly 40 minutes for dinner, you really expect a good meal! Â The food (chicken, ribs, etc) does appear to be precooked and then reheated when ordered...so not sure what the deal was with the long delay.
Trusted the reviews for this restaurant  , Yes inside bass pro shop, and we were not disappointed. We went before going to the iPic theatre. Of course we started with  delicious drinks (try the rum runner). The shrimp and scallop dinner was exceptional . Very fussy about my scallops and these were cooked perfectly, not over-seasoned. The flavor of the scallop should not be drowned in seasoning anyways. The side dishes were also very good. I would definitely not doubt the fact that this restaurant resides inside of a outdoor store. The atmosphere, waiter staff, food, drink, evening was very nice. I was overall very satisfied and would attend this establishment again no question about it.
Review Source:Who knew that there would be a perfectly okay seafood restaurant in the Bass Pro Shops?
Here are the pros and cons:
Pro:
Decent seafood at a decent price. Bayou platter was especially awesome: catfish etouffee and crawfish tails.
Pretty awesome interior of the restaurant - huge fish tank and weird fake fish all over the walls. Like albacore tuna!
Amazing bread that is brought out to your table. Omg, bread is so good.
Cons:
Hostesses were kind of crappy. They just stared at us when we walked up to the hostess desk. No "hello", no smiles, just blank faces for an awkward 10 seconds before they're like "table for three?"
No. Table for four, beeyotch.
Then they told us we had to wait for 25 minutes. We waited for at least 40 and they didn't seem to care, even when we were like the only people waiting around for about 10 minutes. Idk, I just got a really crappy vibe from them, a vibe that could only be offset by a real lionfish!
Other cons: They sat us in a table directly next to the server station where they input all the food orders. It kind of felt like a second dis after the hostess snub.
That's about it...I guess I just kind of felt treated like a 2nd class citizen by those hostesses.
Okay, maybe my Star Trek tshirt wasn't "cool", and maybe my boo's tshirt had "holes in the armpits"...but he didn't lift his arms the whole time we were there, so there's no way you could actually see the holes in his armpits. Don't treat us differently! Our money is still good and nobody puts me in the corner. Or next to the server station.
Went there last nite! Food was excellent. This was our second time. We took our 6 yr old and my mother in law for her B-Day. Â They have a kids menu which is always a plus. Food was so good and Fresh. We travel from Elgin because its so worth the drive! Our service could have been better. Our server seemed to be lost a couple of times and we had to wait far too long to request dessert and then our check. But other than that totally WORTH IT! We love the keys and this is the closest we can get to it when in Chicagoland!!! Put this on your list of places to go to and its fun to hang out in the Bass pro shop afterwards.
Review Source:Excellent scallops and their signature fish and chips. Waiter was a little invisible. Alligator was excellent and I am hooked on their peach and pepper hot sauce from Uncle Bucks also sold in the Bass Pro Shop. Â I did not expect to find good food in a Bass Pro Shop. Â My kids also loved the giant fish tank, although I probably would not take them back to eat here because of the cost.
Review Source:My good review sticks. I went tonight and had a fantastic and economical meal. Â I love that everything doesn't come fried (unless you want it to). Most times when I see fried seafood on a menu I ask "Can I have it grilled?". When they say no it means that the food is not fresh and was breaded then frozen before it arrived at the restaurant.
The service was good and the GM came out unsolicited and asked how my meal was. I can count on one hand how many times that's happened in my restaurant experiences. When I asked her what was in a sauce, she listed ingredients and the preparation. This is rare, very rare.
Honestly..the fish is fresh and well prepared. I read that the calamari is bad here. Don't get the calamari, get something you can't get at every other restaurant. The venison stuffed mushrooms were very tasty.
I'll be back again. The place is really good
My hubsand and I love our dates nights and especially when we go to Islamorada Fish Restaurant. They serve us some nice fluffy white bread that has some sugar on top and so it's a sweet bread. We always order a bowl of hot creamy hearty clam chowder soup, and we try to go for something differerent every time we order.
This week we tried the soft shell crab sandwhich and I had their appetizer platter and we enjoyed it. I had the appetizer platter with onion rings, breed batter fried clam stripes, spinach artichoke dip with flatbread and a quarter of ribs. I had more than enough to eat and the food was very yummy.
what we like about this place is that it has a giant acquarium to look at while you're waiting for your food and the fish are fun to watch. I would recommend this place if you like seafood and a nice date night or family dinner.
Went on a very hot evening as did many people not wanting to cook, so the restaurant was understaffed. Had a large section that was closed off as not enough servers. Ended up stting in the bar area, which the bartender and one of the cooks served us. Â (the bar area was very busy, so he needed the help) Food overall was okay. Been at the Alabama location a couple of timesand it was much better, so I may give this location another chance.
Review Source:The quality of the food here is no better than Long John Silver's, but because they have a gigantic fish tank, they think they can get away with charging you triple. Â
--EVERYTHING is fried, unless stated otherwise.
--From the looks of other reviews, it seems like there's usually at least 1 thing a night that you can't get from their menu; for us it was the alligator bites.
--The portions are microscopic. Â The calamari were about the size of a fingernail, and as far as I can tell, their clam strips are just seafood-flavored strings of dough. Â Try and put your fork into either, and it will basically crumble into dust.
Everybody I ate with agreed that the place sucked. Â We won't be going back.
Falling below the line (hey, big branded box meal, don't expect too much). Â Seated in the bar when I said, "one for dinner". Â restaurant sparsely filled. how is dinner=drink? Â do I look lush? Â hmm. went out on a limb- sauteed shrimp & scallops. cooked right but on smelly side of fresh - not sickening, but not mucho gusto. Â pasta overcooked and gummy. Â steamed broccoli... this time limp sadness. still, while traveling, a VEGETABLE! Â IF, if, if I go back, I will stick with the fish tacos and hold the mandarin orange slices. Â Not enamorada, but walkable from aloft hotel. Â Discretion advised.
Review Source:I had better calamari elsewhere ! It just tiny battered squid. I don't think it's  homemade just very plain for the price . They charge pricey for plain food and say "world famous"  they just over advertise to get u in. This was my first & last time dinning here. The salmon I had better elsewhere ! It didn't taste fresh just very plain. I won't be returning! Don't go here! Save ur selves & ur $$$
Review Source:Wow. I was definitely not expecting a place of this caliber to be attached to an outdoors shop... even if it is the Disneyland of outdoors shops. We were here because a friend was selling girl scout cookies outside, but we missed them, so we ended up just wandering around inside the store with our three year old. After venturing into the restaurant to look at the salt water fish tank (after having already looked at the fresh water display in the store), we liked the look of the place so we decided to have a late lunch / early dinner. This was about 4:30 on a Sunday afternoon and tables were plentiful. The service was also very attentive.
We started with the shrimp flatbread appetizer. Olive oil, shrimp, cheese, and tons of minced garlic. If you love garlic, like we do, you MUST try this appetizer. If you are not a fan of garlic, steer clear, because this thing is literally overflowing with toasted bits of garlicky goodness.
For dinner my wife ordered the Islamorada Portofino (blackened tilapia with shrimp on rice with a lobster cream sauce), I had the Seared Shrimp and Scallops (with mushrooms, peppers, angel hair pasta, and a white cream sauce), and our daughter had the mac n' cheese (your basic Kraft dinner).
Everything was fabulous, the scallops were among the best I've ever had. Seared crisp on the outside, tender and sweet on the inside.
For desert we opted for the ice cream cookie sandwich from the kid's menu for our daughter, and the bread pudding to split for us. The ice cream sandwich was huge, adult-sized, but very tasty and our daughter loved it. The bread pudding was almost perfect... bread without any currants, raisins, or other nasty surprises, topped with ice cream, whipped cream, and I think a caramel sauce. The only thing keeping this from being the best bread pudding ever is the fact that Opah in Orange County has a bread pudding made of chocolate croissants.
We were definitely impressed with this place, and not just because we had low expectations going in. We will definitely be going back.
Sit back and watch the fish show! Â The menu is always changing so if you go there more than one time, be prepared for menu changes. Â Grouper on and off for example. Â The only negative and it is only in cold weather that the walk can be a killer to the front door if Bass Pro Shop is busy, so wear a good coat if below 30 and snowing or raining. Â Food is very good, service is good, and the Fish Show is entertaining. Â Plus if you are lucky your spouse will let you go sample the fudge in the Pro Shop.
Review Source:Husband and daughter had a great experience last time so we decided to take the parents. Called ahead, seated right away, but....service was -very- poor and after waiting 40 min for our food, it was cold. I saw other tables getting great service and food had good flavor. I just hope that waiter we had doesn't stick around if he dislikes his job that much!
Review Source:I love the atmosphere and feel of this place but the menu is kind of boring. It's mostly fish (which is fine) but I would expect more seafood choices for being a seafood place. I have been here once before and shared the sampler appetizer with calamari, alligator, cheese quesadillas and chicken wings. I had crab legs and my boyfriend had the steak and everything was good, but this time I had the angler which was bad. Crab cake was gross, I don't know why but it was. The mahi was so boring even with two wedges of lemon and then broccoli, dirty rice and shrimp which was ok. I think this place is good I'm just a little but disappointed with the flavor in the food and the variety of the menu.
Review Source:This is the second time I've gone to this restaurant and both times it was a positive experience. Â There is a coupon in the local Val-Pak for 50% off an entree with the purchase of another that inspired us to go-not that we mind spending money on restaurants at all.
I know some will roll their eyes about eating in a Bass Pro Shops, which by the way, isn't exactly a bait and tackle shack, but get over it! Â We went for a late lunch on a Saturday and the one strange thing was that they don't serve baked potatoes until 4 p.m.-maybe the recipe isn't visible until then!
I had the Angler, which is a small crab cake, 5 grilled shrimp on a skewer, and a grilled mahi filet. Â All were very good-the mahi in particular. Â The sides were decent and the side salad to start was good as well. Â Kids meals appeared decent.
Overall this is a good place for fish/seafood in an area that is lacking and the restaurant is well run, clean and a pretty good value as well.
Went with the family on a Saturday afternoon.
I asked the host if we could sit near the fish tank as my 2 year old love "fishies" and she was very accommodating.
Our server was friendly and very informative. She listed all the specials and answered any questions we had. There was a fishing ban on Mahi Mahi and she was very helpful in suggesting other substitutes.
I got the Pro Patron Margarita and it was awesome. One of the best margarita's I've ever had, and not too overpriced either. $8.95 for a Patron margarita is pretty decent. My mother in law got some sort of punch that she said was good and my husband and father in law got beer. I will say, if anything, the beer is slightly overpriced, but not by much.
We ordered our son's meal first and it came out super fast. This is a bonus when you are eating with small children.
Our food also came out quickly. I got the Island Mahi Mahi but has to substitute for Grouper b/c of the ban. It had a good teriyaki glaze and the grouper was a decent substitute though I would like to try it again with the Mahi. I didn't particularly care for the "salsa" on the side of it. (not sure if that's what it's called but it looked like a fruit salsa) There was an overpowering spice in it that didn't really jive with my tastebuds.
My husband got the blackened tilapia and my in-laws got the fish and chips. Overall we were all pleased with our food.
If you are in the mood for seafood this place is definitely worth the trip. It is a laid back atmosphere and very family friendly. I would like to go back in the summer as they have a nice outdoor patio area. Hopefully they will have Mahi Mahi by then, b/c I would really like to try the Mahi Mahi Sandwhich.
I'll admit I'm skeptical about shopping in a store that sells such a wide array as guns, women's apparel and flatware, so you understand my trepidation about EATING at a place that you can pick up all those things. Â But I'd heard good things, so I tried it. I've learned my lesson. Â If they sell guns, apparel and flatware, RUN! Â
The service was not good. Â The waitress spoke to us (2 adult women) like we were 8: slowly and condescendingly. Â Food coming out of the kitchen was prompt, but that is my only positive on the kitchen. Â I ordered a salad with seared tuna. Â The greens and garnishes were decent, but the tuna was HORRIBLE. Â Firstly, it was cooked through and I don't care if you're serving sushi grade tuna, if it's cooked through it will taste like shoe leather. Â Honestly, I would have taken shoe leather. Â This piece of fish was clearly frozen and thawed, overcooked and not even HOT on the plate. Â I get that Bolingbrook isn't exactly near an ocean, but there is no reason for a 'fish company' to be serving frozen fish. Â So incredibly disappointed.
Giving 2 stars because a)1.5 isn't an option; b)The hostess/greeter was very polite; and c)The giant fish tank in the center of the room is cool (except the dead one floating at the top).
If you want fish, go elsewhere. Â (In fact, drive up 355 to 290 and get off at Higgins Road. Â Take a left on Higgins and a right into the streets of Woodfield. Â The first building on your right is Shaw's Crab House. Â They would never serve frozen fish and costs about the same)
I took my family to eat here after visiting Santa last night. We have eaten here before with the hopes of being impressed.
As in the past, the decor impressed and helped pass the time waiting for a table. (The kids love watching the large saltwater fish tank) It was very busy as many families were out to see Santa. Our wait was about 40 minutes after being told 20-30 minutes. Not bad for the crowds.
The food unfortunately did not impress us. It is disappointing because I want to like this place, because the service and atmosphere is enjoyable. I tried the world famous fish sandwich and was disappointed with its tastelessness. My wife tried the grilled shrimp (teriyaki and cajun) Although the teriyaki sauce was not what was expected we both enjoyed it. The cajun (or blackened, not sure) was so spicy they were almost inedible. The kids meals were typical "kids meals" any restaurant would offer. I can't say the food was terrible, but just okay making us choose other placing in that area in the future for the cost.
I would go with a 2 1/2 if possible. Overall more of a one-time place to add to the experience when traveling to shop at Bass Pro.
We tried to have dinner here tonight, and well, failed miserably. It was 7:30 pm, and there were 5 full tables, and a couple at the bar. We had 5 adults and 5 kids, and ok with 1 full table, or 6 and 4. The hostess told us it would be a 60 minute wait for a full table, or 45 minutes for 2 tables. Now, I'm ok with a wait, it is not an issue, except for the fact that there were so many empty tables. I counted over 10 empty booths, and over a dozen tables with no one sitting. Also, the hostess was VERY rude. Was there an invisible friend convention in town tonight? I dunno, but I can tell you I sure won't ever waste time trying to eat here ever again. Thanks guys, appreciate it. Steak n Shake is 4 miles west on Boughton, and a little bit South on Weber, west side of the street. Got seated right away. :-)
Review Source:I took my daughter here for lunch today. Â Where do I start?
I've been in here before for business dinner. It's located in/next to the Bass Pro Shop. Â It's a pretty solid restaurant overall.
This visit was great. The service was wonderful - and I mean top notch. Â Our server even ran and got my daughter a band aid because she had a small cut from yesterday which did not agree with the salt on her french fries.
A couple of gripes. Â They did not have Mahi Mahi, but replaced it with Grouper. Â I had the fish sandwich (with the Grouper), beer battered and a side of fries. Â The sandwich was great - just not Mahi. Â The other issue was with the check out. Â They lost the credit card connection, so I had to pay cash. Â Just an inconvenience and the manager was more than apologetic.
Top notch food, great service and usually four or five stars. Â Just can't go five on today's experience 'cause it wasn't a perfect game.
Oh, they have a huge salt water aquarium in the center of the restaurant with a 360 degree view. Â My daughter loved it.
What a wonderful place to eat. The first time I ate here with my dad I certainly had my reservations, but now it is one of our favorite lunch spots. The ambiance is very St. Pete's Beach and there are different kinds of fish all over the walls. In the center of the restaurant is a massive saltwater reef tank and my son could not love it more.
Before your meal a little loaf of bread with sugar baked on top is brought out with butter and it is awesome. The drinks are all delicious and fun. The meals are all reasonably priced, for seafood, which tends to cost a little more anyways. I have not had anything here yet I haven't liked. There are even fun appetizers like Smoked Wahoo Dip or Fried Alligator! PS, the alligator is really good.
It is very kid friendly here and they will happily seat you next to the big tank. My son loves to watch the fish swim and point out the sharks on the wall. Once we even got to watch a diver swimming around in there. The servers have all been friendly and attentive. We have had an order or two mixed up here but they are always very quick to fix it.
My only real complaint about this place is the cleanliness. Most of the times we come here I notice stuff on the floor. It's not like all the tables are nasty, but some more care could be taken and we have never had dirty silverware or glasses. Someone needs to go in there with a good vacuum and just go nuts. I still love this place though!
We came here after an afternoon of hanging out in Bass Pro Shop with our kids. Â This place was very good. Â The salt water tank inside is very impressive with tons of fish and eels. Â
The menu was actually pretty good. Â I got the fish and chips, others got burgers. Â They were very delicious and not too bad of price. Â
Since we had kids, sometimes places can get weird, but the waiters and managers were very friendly, especially the manager who took the time to hang out and play with our kids. Â That goes a long way.
We will definitely go back and recommend to others.
Ok I have driven past this place MANY times and I always say I want to try it. Well tonight I met my parents there for dinner. Woohoo.
I always liked Bass Pro Shop in general after all I do come from a family of hunters and fishers.
I walked in to meet them at the table they already had and I was NICELY surprised. I just LOVED the HUGE beautiful salt water fish tank they have in there. You can sit at the cool bar area and just watch the fish. :)
Nice seating area with options for a table or a booth. We had a table near the fireplace. I thought it was odd to have it on since it was 85 outside BUT you could not feel the heat so all was good. :)
I decided to try the Lemon/Pepper Tilapia with extra veggies instead of the wild rice it comes with. NO CARBS for me! :)
My dad had the fish and chips but he was not 100% happy with it. Boooo.
My mom being my silly mom had a cheeseburger with white cheddar. She liked it but they cooked it wrong. She does not like to send items back but I ALWAYS say you are paying for it so you need to get what you ordered.
I like the outside seating area as well. Perfect for the not so hot afternoons or evenings.
I will defiantly go back.
Cheers!
There's only 1 in IL and it's 5 minutes from where I live... I'm pretty lucky.
The venue itself is pretty amazing in terms of decor. Â I give this place credit for their exterior, interior and of course, the gigantic fish tank. Â I dined here for Halloween with a group of friends. Â They gave us a private room, the "Hemmingway" I believe, in the back so this place can accommodate large groups.
The food itself wasn't anything amazing to me although they sure had an adventurist kind of menu that includes alligator and venison meat. Â They also have a large variety of seafood offerings too. Â This place is a bit more upscale and the food quality seems alright. Â Though that a lot of the dishes came out with a bit more oil and fried than I would like . Â
Honestly, I can't say that I had an amazing food experience because the food must have been decent but it wasn't memorable. Â However, Â we did have an amazing customer service experience. Â One of our friends ordered a steak and it came out way overcooked from how he had asked for it to be done and when we told the hostess, a manager came straight to party to apologized, ordered him a new steak and gave all of us one complimentary desert. Â The deserts were quite good.
So my overall reaction to this restaurant is that it's a place I would definitely give another try someday. Â I'm giving it 3 stars for now because the food was alright but should it be amazing the next time I visit, it will definitely be upgraded to 4 stars.
Had no idea some of the Bass Pro Shops have a restaurant. I love having a drink at a bar that's in front of an aquarium!! Totally Neat! Â
The service is always fast & friendly. Their lobster tails are pretty good. (They are a lil sauce happy w/ many of their items on the menu. If you like a lot of sauces, come here). Â The decor is the best part--you feel like you're in the Keys, the Bahamas, along a coastal beach, etc. Â LOVE IT. Perfect for a rainy or cloudy day since its so cool on the inside.
A pretty good place. Â The beer is cold and the grilled grouper sandwich was very tasty. Â The service was very good and friendly. Â We sat at the bar, but it appeared s though there was plenty of room between tables in the dining room area...not everyone crammed in elbow to elbow with no room to get around.
The centrally located aquarium is fantastic. Â It's almost worth the trip just to see that!
I would definitely go back to this place.
A mixed experience, we enjoyed it and would go back if in the neighborhood. Â
Let's start with the strong points: Â Very attractive decor and theme centered around a beautiful salt water fish tank in the center of the bar and restaurant. Â Definitely a place to make you feel like you are on vacation down in Florida and not in the west suburbs of Chicago for a couple of hours.
Service is solid, friendly, and attentive.
The Bloody Mary's are a great standout at the bar, and if you go on weekends, be prepared for a bit of a wait (no reservations taken). Â However, if you can nab one of the soft leather couches, you and your brood will enjoy taking in the atmosphere and even reading through the extensive menu, which of course centers on fish and seafood. Â Although we did not try any of the non-seafood selections, there were plenty to choose from for those that are not big fans of fish.
Appetizers: Â Love the shrimp cocktail----fresh, great presentation, and excellent cocktail sauce. Â Loved them!
The calamari seemed to be an appetizer that would be worthwhile, but ours was pretty undercooked and the girls would not eat it. Â We were in too big of a hurry to re-order it.
Big thumbs up on the Caeser salad. Â Girls both loved it and would order it again.
Two of us ordered the Angler plate which came with (your choice of preparation) blackened Mahi Mahi, a crab cake, and (your choice of preparation) grilled shrimp. Â
The Mahi Mahi was terrific as was the shrimp.  They did a nice job with the blackening seasoning and grilling.  The crabcake tasted like either something that was defrosted and pan fried, or made with  poorer quality canned crab.  Not that bad, but not that great.  I think this is not the place to go if you are dying for killer crab cakes.  I could eat mine and enjoy it, but not so with my special gal.  She wanted nothing to do with hers.
If I had to do it over, I would have gone with the fresh fish of the day which was trout based on the guests at the next table. Â They have a plentitude of fish choices and I like that they are not all fried. Â
Thumbs down to the clam chowder. Â Tasted like flour, potatoes, and hot water. Â Not the worst I have ever had, but a notch below a canned variety from the supermarket.
Don't take my negative comments to heart----the rest of the experience was so good, that we would definitely go back. Â Perhaps if the 'dings' we noticed were removed next time, we would ratchet the rating up to 4 stars.
I really like this restaurant as a great casual fish place. Â Have eaten there 4 or 5 times and each time was quite good. Â My favorite item is the grouper sandwich. Â The fishtank is worth going for a meal in itself. Â Between the Islamorada tank and the huge one inside Bass Pro, my kids think they're at the Shedd Aquarium! Â My husband likes eating here too because we always seem to walk out THROUGH Bass Pro...hmmm. Â Maybe they need to open good restaurants through some of MY favorite shops...lol. Â :)
Review Source:The decor is right up my alley - I love everything saltwater fishing related, and if it wasn't for the crappy (first day of spring, no less) high-wind blown snowy weather, I may have even felt like I were in the keys. Â The giant aquarium is pretty cool, and my teenage niece liked when I told our waiter "I want that one, grilled" and pointed to a random fish. Â He was great, btw. Â Answered any questions we had, made a few recommendations, etc.
We got the wahoo dip as an appetizer. Â I had never had it before, but my wife (who grew up in Florida eating stuff that was swimming freely in the ocean an hour earlier) claimed it tasted "just like home". Â
I had the grilled mahi mahi with roasted garlic, wild rice, and vegetables. Â Everything was cooked to perfection. Â My wife had the grilled grouper, and our niece had roasted garlic shrimp and crab legs. Â Everything was very good, and I tried it all.
Prices are a little bit high, but not too bad. Â Drink prices were crazy, but then again, I think they are almost everywhere :),
We'll be back, I'm sure.
Visited this place at about 4pm. It was just starting to fill up and my husband and I were able to snag the last booth available. Unfortunately it was right next to the credit card machine so I had the sound of gossiping servers and receipt tape in my left ear throughout but it was better than a table.
Our waiter was very nice and patient as we decided on drinks and starters. We did not take his suggestions as we already knew we wanted to try things we had never had before such as deep fried gator and deer. He seemed cool with it and both appetizers were good.
Alcoholic drinks were well priced and intoxicating.
We also had the buffalo burgers which while good were sort of dry and cooked well done opposed to the medium rare requested.
I almost never comment on other patrons but this placed seemed to attract the most touristy of tourist types. There was no shortage of burmuda shorts, black socks, walmart prints and kids that should have washed up before going anywhere near a dinner table. The people watching aspect was entertaining but I was also glad to leave before the place really filled up.
The food could have been better but I would be willing to give this place another try if it wasn't quite so much a drive and not located in a treacherous mall parking lot designed by someone who has never possessed a drivers license. If you do give this place a try be careful navigating with the other drivers as no one seems to know where they are supposed to be going.
I think that is it REALLy amusing that this place is attached to a Bass Pro Shop. I really enjoyed the relaxing feel of the MASSIVE aquarium that spanned through a good portion of the dining room.
First off our waitress mildly amused me. She attacked her job with a certain professional exuberance that was a tad over the top. Â She annoyed some people in our group of 9 but she did a good job of taking care of us.
The appetizers were OK. We had a variety of different appetizers (gator bites, fried combo, nachos) and nothing really stood out but nothing was really dissappointing either. I ordered the garlic grilled catfish. They did forget to add the garlic. If they did add any garlic, I could not taste it. HOWEVER... The catfish itself was delicious. It had an excelent grilled flavor and had a freshness that I am really not used to tasting.
In my family's quest to find an affordable and enjoyable seafood restaurant in the southwest suburbs, Islamorada comes out on top. I was at first a bit leery because it's attached to the Bass Pro Shop; when we lived in TX, there was a Bass Pro near us with a steakhouse attached, which was overpriced and overrated. So it was a pleasant surprise to find that Islamorada is consistently good (we've been several times), not overly expensive, and not just getting by on dragging people in from the connected store.
The setting is actually rather calming, as long as there are no screaming children at the next table: the lobby and dining room are dominated by a HUGE fish tank full of colorful tropical swimmers, so you can watch them while sitting at the bar or while dining. If you're a more restless type and want to roam while waiting for your table, you can take your buzzer and wander throughout the Bass Pro Shop and it will still go off anywhere on the premesis; I'm not really into hunting and camping, but they actually have some other cool stuff to check out that I wouldn't have expected, so maybe browse for fun if it's your first time in.
The fish has been enjoyable every time we've gone. I often get the 5 oz broiled lobster tail for $17.95 (or if you're hungrier, you can get twin tails for ten dollars more), which is always succulent and moist. They also generally have a variety of seafood specials on top of their broad menu, so there's a lot to choose from.
Definitely the best fish value to be found in this area, nice setting and good food.
I have to give props when I find someplace that can knock my socks off with fried food. Â It's not easy to get that perfect balance of crispy- crunchy light batter on the outside and tender juicy fillings on the inside (that aren't oozing with grease). Â But Isla managed to do it and do it with a serious touch of class. The ambiance and service made this much more than a fish and chips place. Â
The interior of the restaurant is definitely sensory overload. Â The salt water fish tank in the center of the dining room is breathtaking. Â It has to be at least 12 feet tall and 30 foot long. Â The rest of the dcor is nautical, as you may have guessed and some of the photos on the walls of big catches are quite impressive. Â
I went with my dad and my husband. Â The moment we sat down my husband asked for raw oysters. Â Our server was great. Â She ran and got that order in right away and the first round came out only moments later with our drinks. Â They also brought homemade bread that was really unique. Â It was a whole mini loaf and it was a flakey white bread with a sugary topping to it. Â Basically a sweet bread and not what I expected at all, but really delicious. Â The oysters were nice sized and the consensus was very good. Â I'm not a raw oyster person myself, so we decided to get a variety of appetizers to see how much we could sample in one visit.
The sampler platter comes with coconut shrimp, alligator bites and conch fritters. Â I have to say that the coconut shrimp was BAR NONE, the best I've ever had. I lived in Hawaii for 3 years and lord knows I had my fill of coconut shrimp. The shrimp was very big, butterflied, coated evenly and cooked to perfection. Â It was fleshy and tender inside and there wasn't any greasiness at all. Â The coconut was well adhered in the batter and nice and toasted. Â The mango dipping sauce was the perfect compliment. Â I would seriously go back just to order an entre portion of this dish. Â
The alligator was good too. Â Alligator can tend to be fatty and chewy depending on the cuts. Â However these were all lean, and not super chewy and again battered to golden perfection. Â The conch fritters didn't do it for me at all. Â But what sticks with me, even now, is how perfect the foods were fried. Â Oh! Â And due to a food allergy to shrimp we had to inquire if shrimp was fried with other foods - to be sure there wouldn't be any cross contamination. Â The staff was really nice and explained it's a common problem (food allergy) and that the shrimp is always fried in a separate fryer. Â I was impressed by that.
We also ordered the venison stuffed mushroom caps. Â This I was very excited to try. I love venison and had high hopes. Â However the caps were drowning in Monterey jack cheese and so the gamey flavor was totally lost in all that gooey cheese. Â Overall taste and texture was good. Â But it could have been any meat in the world and you'd never know the difference. Â
They guys had the conch soup. Â It was tomato based chowder with a lot of smokiness to it. Â It wasn't up my alley, but my dad seemed to enjoy it. Â We rounded out our meal with some Greek salads. Â They were HUGE. Â I mean loaded with tons of olives and peppers, tomato, cucumber...two people could easily share one and in fact we did. I took one salad home and we shared the other. Â The dressing was nice and tangy, not exactly the Greek you'd get in Greek town but still very good.
Our server was on top of the drinks and timely with the check.  But I never felt like I was being rushed so she could turn the table.  I'm looking forward to going back and trying some entre's.  We were having lunch on this visit but I can definitely see doing some serious damage at dinner.  The have a website with the menu online for anyone that wants to tease their tummy.  <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.islamoradafishcompany.com%2Fmenus%2FIFC_Menu_LgMkt.pdf&s=9e7c76b79f464d3b7314b725f942d7440a8e3f50c98de1fb5006d5f89111b2ff" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.islamoradafis…</a>  But you're better off to head out there and see for yourself.  Although all the dishes I had weren't fantastic, the ones that were...were REALLY fantastic.  So I can't wait to see what other treasures they're hiding under the sea ;)
The 5 best restaurants in the 2015 Denver Restaurant Week
3,611 Views | Category: Denver
The complete list of 2015 Denver Restaurant Week businesses
1,972 Views | Category: Denver
The tourists' guide to Portillos: 5 must have dishes
3,318 Views | Category: Chicago
Pho = Pronounced "fuh" not "foe" for pho-king sake
2,915 Views | Category: Denver
Indulgery selected to exhibit at Collision Conference
2,987 Views | Category: Press Releases
Not Logged In
BUSINESSES
Local Businesses
Near Me
My Favorites
SOCIAL
Blog & News
MY ACCOUNT
Login
Register
Contact Us
Add Your Business
