marina cafe

my husband and i went on a saturday night to celebrate my birthday. dining outside overlooking the marina with a full moon and clear skies created a romantic atmosphere.
the staff was attentive and friendly. the service was prompt and efficient.
i had a light and delicious drink to start that i had never had before - a fleur de lis. it featured sparking wine and grapefruit juice.
my husband had the crab cakes for an appetizer. they were blue claw crab with a lot of crab meat and a nice sauce. he had the red fish for dinner. the fish was fresh and cooked well with a spicy sauce.
what was disappointing were the non-descript, bland vegetables on the side. my sides were also disappointing. i had to pay $2 extra for fingerling potatoes which had a nice flavor but were overcooked. it's irritating to be nickel and dimed at a restaurant that is already charging high prices.
marina grill pays careful attention to its entrees but drops the ball on the rest of the plate. on that note, we decided not to stay for dessert. if it wasn't fish - we didn't think they would attend to the details.

underwhelming and overpriced. we've eaten at marina café for the last 17 years, and planned a final big event, due to closing on our house. we invited our neighbors, and ordered a
really nice bottle of wine. service was slow, the wine didn't exist, so we had another vintage. three of us ordered the yellow edge grouper, with crab. the
plate was totally colorless. overcooked fish - maybe grouper, maybe not -
totally bland white beans as a side, and some nice crab on top. all of this for
$35!!!! my husband had the veal chop - nothing special. we spent a lot of money for a very disappointing meal. this is a beautiful restaurant - just not
making the effort. it used to be great, but not lately.

service was fair at best (they were not busy), and the food was very underwhelming, especially for the price. my blackened shrimp with "seasonal vegetables" was simply grilled shrimp topped with a mix of sauteed onions and tomatoes. the "rice pilaf" was plain rice, and the sauteed spinach was loaded with garlic. the complimentary bread basket that we received contained bread that had been burned on the bottom. would not recommend at all.

best seafood in destin. the best fish you will ever eat hands down.
me and my wife have been going to marina cafe for 16 years.

my favorite place in destin. my boyfriend and i have had 6 different plates at marina cafe and all have been exceptional ! great deal with the bogo on entrees! highly recommend.

dinner date. my husband and i went for a date night while on vacation. i made reservations three days ahead of when we were going. we arrived on time and had to wait about 10 minutes for our table. it was a thursday night and the bar area has $2 drinks, so while we waited, i ordered a glass of wine. we were seated in front of the large windows over looking the bay. we had to wait a few minutes for our waiter to greet us, but once he did, he did a fine job. he made appetizer and course suggestions. we had the scallops for an appetizer. scallops are my favorite, and i was extremely disappointed when he brought it out. there were only four very small, thin scallops. they were so small, i thought the chef had taken one large scallop and sliced it into fourths.
the complementary bread and garlic-infused dipping oil was very good. i liked having a choice of white/wheat.
our meals, however, were delicious. our waiter recommended the crab-topped grouper with a citrus buerre blanc sauce. it came with a cucumber-grape tomato salad. it was phenomenal! my husband ordered the rib-eye topped with crabmeat. it was also good. we decided not to have dessert.
if we go back next time, i will try a different appetizer, but get the grouper again!

great food, terrible service. the food here is wonderful, which is why i was so disappointed in the service. we called at 6:55 to see if there was a wait and were told we could be seated immediately. we were right there and pulled in, but at 7:02 were told there was a 25 minute wait. i don't mind waiting, but dont tell me there isn't a wait when there is.

things continued to go downhill with the manager. instead of being welcoming and friendly he hollered at us across the bar to tell us when our table was ready. this was after he had given two other couples at the bar who had arrive after us half off on drinks "due to the long wait". oh, and they also got seated before us.

the manager visited each of the three tables around us to ask how the meal was and bring extra bread, but he skipped right over us.

one of my biggest pet peeves is being treated differently because we're a younger couple, and this was incredibly obvious to us tonight. we frequent destin and always love going to new places, but we will most certainly not be back.

this restaurant has a lot of potential, but the management stifles any flicker of hope.

very professional place. by far the nicest restaurant i've eaten at this week in destin. we made a reservation and had to wait about two extra minutes because the manager wanted to ensure we had the best view in the whole restaurant. from start to finish he checked on us and made sure everything was satisfactory. not overbearing though. staff was incredibly friendly and was guest oriented which is very important to me. we started off with the calamari. before i go on i must make not that the food was creative and refreshing to see that kind of creativity. the calamari was topped with shredded banana peppers, nice touch! i had the swordfish special over some sort of garlic roasted mashed potatoes, topped with braised spinach. that was fabulous! very enjoyable. she got the filet topped with jumbo lump crab meat. talk about food envy! that was over roasted potatoes. we then decided the vanilla crème brûlée. wow! that was the right choice. that was fabulous with the cup of coffee i had. pricey but worth every penny! server was a gem as well. he did an extraordinary job. i will be back next time i am in destin!

absolutely one of the best meals i've had in a long time!! can't complain about a thing. got the eggplant appetizer, grouper, and creme brule. all were wonderful!!!

wonderful food awsome view. we go to marina cafe at least 3 times when we are in town, its by far the best place for dinner and happy hour and the staff is wonderful. we love this place and if you are in the area you should stop by and see what we are talking about. wally is the best and his staff is wonderful. great food, great view, what more could you ask for.

while planning my trip to destin i scoped out a couple places on urbanspoon that i thought would be good places to eat. when i arrived at my hotel today i noticed the marina cafe was right next door to the hotel and knew we just had to eat there after seeing all the great reviews. and let me tell you, the reviews were spot on! our food was delicious! yes it's a bit pricey but you definitely get what you pay for! definitely eat here if you're in town, you won't regret it!

great food, great view, good service.. decided to give this place a try based on the good reviews. went in for there 2 for one entree special between 5 and 6pm, and what a deal this is. the food was very good, the service was good and the price was unbeatable. this was our first visit, but it will not be our last. if you are in the area, make your reservations, as it fills up quickly for the 2 for 1 special. any time that you can get a great meal, with a great view, and good service all for less than $50 including tip, i'll take it every time. the grouper and the swordfish were both excellent. i can't wait till we get back down to destin so we can eat here again.

not a single thing to complain about. maybe a better craft beer list. but incredible atmosphere, great service, perfect pacing, and awesome. food. no waiting issues. the snazy vibe goes over incredibly well without being too terribly snobby. worth every penny.

one of our favorites in destin. love the variety on the menu, the service is wonderful, and the cocoanut cream pie is the best dessert!

marina cafe was recommended, and i am oh so glad it was! it is a very warm restaurant and has terrific water views. now, for the food... as you know, i'm a steak lover and will never turn down a filet (unless i'm ill). i was thrilled to hear the sauce was gluten free and they would happily substitute lyonnaise potatoes for gluten free potatoes. check out the full menu.