chef john's place

a gem!. great food, lovely atmosphere and terrific service, all in the delightful historic kissimmee neighborhood. thefishis very fresh and creatively prepared. one of our very best dining experiences!

delicious!!. i have to admit we were a little skeptical going into chef johns place but the food was so worth it!! we drove 30min and it was worth every mile! we had ahi tuna, shrimp scampi,fish& seafood, crepes, and multiple sides....everything was absolutely delicious! we definitely joined the clean plate club on this dinner! recommend it to everyone.

wonderful. i can't say enough stupendous remarks to describe how wonder chef john's is. if i ever owned a restaurant i would run it the way chef john does. although the restaurant is in a chain mini-mall, you would never know once you step inside. you can be as casual as flip flops or wear a suit and feel just as comfortable inside.

i ordered the blackened grouper linguini and my boyfriend had the beef brisket and pulled pork served with collard greens and mashed potatoes.

this was one of the best meals i've ever had and you can't beat the prices. you could tell thefishwas fresh; it didn't have that watery after taste of frozen fish. it was cooked perfectly and the sauce was light and flavorful. i found it interesting that green beans were used in the pasta. this was a great addition to your usual pasta vegetables that i never thought about using, and paired well with the fish.

my boyfriend's pulled pork was amazing. there is no bbq sauce because it is slow cooked in its own essence and didn't need any additions. the beef brisket was also good but it didn't compare to the pulled pork.

we ordered the key lime pie for dessert. it was different from any key lime pie i have ever had. it had a gelatinous texture and was sweet but not too sweet. the whipped topping also tasted homemade.

service was excellent. the servers were quick, but not so quick that you feel they are rushing you. when i go out to eat, i want things to be relaxing, and that is the atmosphere you will find here. chef john also came out to greet the customers and ask how our meals were. this was a nice touch, especially considering that it appears to be either just him or mainly him cooking all of the excellent meals. you can tell he takes pride in his work, and you can taste the love in his cooking.

i think i talked about this place to my friends more than anything else on our vacation.

wow. great food. great atmosphere.. my wife and i have a strong "no chains" rule when traveling. we believe in supporting local restaurants and pubs, instead of big franchises. sometimes our "no chains" rule, doesn't work out. today was not one of those days. it worked and we were rewarded with a most excellent meal at chef john's dockside inn.

my wife, two daughters (ages 10 and 15), and i were looking for a local restaurant that served seafood while on vacation at universal studios. we were staying in kissimmee, fl and didn't want to travel far. a quick internet search turned up some favorable reviews of chef john's dockside inn and after a quick google maps look, i decided this was our dinner destination.

i called at 3:30pm for reservations at 5:45pm and the staff that answered the phone were pleasant and accommodating. we had our reservation for four. upon our arrival, we were promptly seated in a table that had our name and reservation on it (for no prior seating) and our drink order was promptly taken. i can't say enough about the waitress we had. she was pleasant, helpful in suggesting the specials, and in explaining the differences in thefishthey were serving that evening.

we ordered the fried clam strips for an appetizer and they were absolutely delicious. i ordered the grilled mahi mahi served over a bed of linguini and scallops in a light citrus sauce with a cesar dinner salad (it was delicious). my wife ordered the parmesan crusted snapper served over a bed of cajun rice (she was really pleased with how it tasted and raved about it) . my oldest daughter ordered the chicken alfredo (served with sun dried tomatoes) and a dinner salad with the house balsamic vinaigrette (again, she loved it and it was a different alfredo sauce then we are normally served in st. louis). lastly, our youngest daughter ordered the kid's menufishand fries and was pleasantly surprised (thefishwas fresh cod, that had been breaded and fried and was delicious, and the fries were thick cut steak fries; not normally what you find on a kid's menu).

we each tasted a little bit of everyone's food, and everyone was completely happy and surprised at the food. the waitress continually checked on us and kept our table clear and our drinks filled. she suggested that we order a piece of the key lime pie as a dessert to share, and we took her advice. the key lime pie was like no other we have had before. it was a great way to end a great meal. i can't recommend this place enough, if you are traveling through kissimmee, fl you should check it out. the atmosphere was great, even if small, so i would call ahead for reservations, even if not needed.

(as a side note, there looked to be several neighborhood bars in the area as well, if you chose to grab a drink before or after the meal).

tops!. dinner for two was tops. the restaurant was packed, but we, just passing through the area, were made to feel at home. the special: a salmon linguine, as well as a staple, the grouper, were oh so good. thefishwas not overcooked, just perfect. prices very reasonable for what we got.
if i lived near kissimmee, i'd be there very often.

awesome food, great atmosphere. chef john's dockside inn should be requirement for any visitor to kissimmee or anybody who lives in the city. we went for valentine's day and there was great, relaxing jazz music playing and fresh flowers on each table. my boyfriend had the grouper linguine, while had grouper with pasta salad and steak fries. we also had salads with out entrees.

first, the salads were excellent...yes a salad. the caesar salad was topped with a strawberry and the house salad has fresh veggies with homemade ranch dressing.

the blackened grouper linguine had the perfect amount of seasonings and spices. the right balance of herbs just bursting with flavor. thefishwas fresh omg. the standout to me was the pasta salad.....i wanted to hug the chef is was sooooooooo amazing. it consisted of orzo pasta, tomatoes, cucumbers and this amazing sauce.

for dessert we had quite possible the greatest carrot cake ever!!!! the icing was not to sweet...it was perfect, smooth, creamy and divine. the cake had a nice hint of cinnamon and the carrot bits provided an excellent balance.

i can't say how much i enjoyed my experience at the dockside inn.it was quite possibly one of the best times i have ever had. the wait-staff were perfect and attentive. the chef and his wife seem like good people. we will definitely be back.

now to whoever is reading this....get there asap!!! you won't regret it!

disgusting! bad service & food.. my husband and i stopped by this restaurant for lunch--and it turned out to be a huge mistake. he ordered gumbo, which resembled nothing like the dish we are use to (being originally from southwest louisiana) but at least that was edible. i ordered the chicken salad sandwich, described in the menu as a regular recipe. what i was served instead was a soggy, vinegary, salty-sweet mix of grilled chicken, cubed grapes, and some other unidentifiable mix. it was revolting. i sent it back, and the waitress had an attitude, snapping "well, do you want something else?" hungry, i thought i would stick to something simple, so i ordered a cheese quesadilla. even worse--a plain small tortilla, filled with yellow cheez-wheez looking cheese, store bought yucky salsa and a teaspoon of sour cream on the side. that was it--i called her over and said i didn't want it, and which point she rolled her eyes and said "fine, i'll take it." when the bill came, a whopping $26.00 for my husbands friedfish& chips and one bowl of gumbo, she had the audacity to say "i do apologize (with a smirk) and have a wonderful afternoon." now, please tell me, how does one have a great afternoon with nothing to eat? maybe when chef john prepares the food. take my advice--stay away from this overpriced, bad service nightmare.

kissimmee downtown revitalized. very small overall but chef john turns out plenty of great dishes. try the gumbo and fried olives (yes, fried olives!). we had the crabcakes (fantastic), gumbo, bean soup and thefishfry, grouper and shrimp (not memorable but very good). gotta have the cole slaw!

we went on friday night, dakin closed to traffic, live band in the street & rather crowded but great to see some action in downtown kissimmee!

will go back soon & bring friends so we can sample more of the menu.