the fish house

stopped off on the drive down to key west. the place was very busy, but was turning the tables over petty quickly. we ordered the cracked conch to start with which was pretty bland - more crumb than conch and over cooked. i ordered the groper sandwich which wasn't cheap. it was a over cooked and could have been any fish. in and out in half an hour and back on the road. wouldn't stop there again.

recently ate here for lunch for my office christmas party, i was very unimpressed. my blackened mahi was severely over cooked and my mashed potatoes were cold. i was able to get two sides one of which i wanted a caesar salad. i know there is an up charge for salad as a side, not here. they do not offer that at all. unless i wanted to pay for a separate salad and have the 2 additional sides... no thank you, so i had to opt for fries. completely turned me off especially since the rest of my food ended up being mediocre, at least i could have counted on my salad (i think). our server was terrible. i did not think the "infamous fish house" was worth eating.

the "iconic" fish house... really?. i googled "fish house in pensacola " and this popped up. by its description i recognized it as the one touted by joe scarborough on msnbc's morning joe . so i perused the menu posted on line and it sounded great. the building looked the part and the atmosphere was wonderful on this night of perfect weather. the "asian style" calamari sounded like a dish we used to relish at the captain's tavern in miami. but it arrived nothing like it. instead it was deep fried, overly breaded (most probably sold frozen as such in bags) and served with an uninspired sauce not much better than the duck sauce that comes in little plastic pouches at low end chinese restaurants. my seafood platter came with 5 medium sized shrimp, 5 plump fresh oysters breaded so aggressively it was like armor. why would a restaurant in a region of the world known for its oysters serve them like that? that's akin to a great steak served smothered in ketchup! the fish, which thankfully along with the shrimp was offered cooked one of several ways, came blackened and was sea trout. any other fresh fish would have added $4 to the $26 price. it was a thin piece about 1/2" thick and way drier than it should have been. the best things on the plate were the sides, a nice rendition of grits (their version called ya ya grits) cost an extra buck fifty because of the "ya ya" sauce on top while collard greens were delicious and perfectly seasoned. when i referenced it, our waitress told us up front that the menu posted on line was old and no longer accurate. why? a few clicks could have remedied that and painted a more truthful picture - including higher prices, sadly, i'd have to say the copywriter responsible for those dated descriptions was far more talented than our chef on that night.

gone downhill. i used to go to the fish house at least once a month (if not more), over the past 10 years. however, over the past 2 years, it has gone down hill fast. the service is still good, but the food is barely adequate. there are many restaurants in the area that are better priced and much better in food quality.

great experience. had totally great experience. had the best crab cake i found along the gulf coast (staying in orange beach.) prices are in line with other better restaurants and server cared that we were satisfied. will return.

generally love the place,but last month had cold entree and side. ordered the fish enchiladas wth rice. both were cold. we waited a little while to get the food (enough time for two beers for hubby and two martinis for me, while jsut chilling) so i didnt even say anything to the server until i asked for a to-go box, then i said it was cold when i got it (enchiladas had sat out before i got them, i knew this because the ends were hard/stale and cold, and everything inside was cold, the rice had been out so long it was cold and crunch-i did not take the rice home it was gross) he said "oh, ok" huh? not, "im sorry"? or "would you ilike something else?" hmm. well we like the jinja roll (sushi) and ahi tuna, so maybe i should stick to that and not hot entrees.

we do like this place a lot, so we will go back. but next time i will send the food back and order something else

we had the restaurant week specials (two different selections) and neither was spectacular. the grouper was overcooked and chewy and under seasoned with a presentation that was not appealing. the steak medallions were rare rather than medium, and under seasoned as well. the grilled shrimp seemed raw and did not pair well with the purée that accompanied the two jumbo shrimp. desserts, however, were excellent.

the first time we went to the fish house i ordered a filet, it was excellent. my husband ordered the grits a ya ya. i do not like grits! i tried his grits, now i know i do like grits, but only the fish house grits. i never go to the fish house with out ordering them. the sushi is really wonderful also!!

there are better places. good food, but so overpriced. there are places serving food that is just as good and their dishes are more appropriately priced.

good food, cramped and unattractive atmosphere inside. we sat outside and enjoyed our meal. service was excellent. highly recommend the hogfish matecumbe. fresh with lots of taste! the lobster bisque wasn't very good, but the fresh key lime pie made up for it! homemade daily, so i recommend.

love those grits and greens!!. we got lucky and discovered this restaurant in downtown pensacola just right before it got crowded. what a relief to find something besides heavily breaded and fried fish! i had blackened shrimp which was quite tasty but i really loved the collard greens and cheesy grits. the greens still had texture instead of being mushy and they had a subtle flavor of pork. i love grits but i've never had them like this and i licked my spoon. i would have licked my plate but alas i was in public. my husband had the grilled salmon and it also loved it.

i am from maryland, and i admit i can be a seafood snob, especially when it comes to crab. the fish house makes a crab cake that is the best i have ever eaten. it almost pains me to say that it is superior to any crab cakes i have had near the chesapeake bay itself. also, the black and blue yellowtail snapper was probably the best fish dish i have ever eaten. amazing waitstaff as well. eat here. it will be the highlight of your stay in the keys. i guarantee it.

always a good choice!. we went here about a week ago while on vacation. i am from pensacola and always thought of the fish house a a good choice for work lunches, visiting family/friends. i still do! i ordered 2 orders of sushi, and my partner ordered their famous grits! delicious!

ehh...nothing spectacular. i've eaten at the fish house on more than a couple occasions and it's been good, but i've had a lot better. i read one review about the calamari and totally agree...there were pieces of fried green tomatoes in there....what a weird combo and way too much batter. i like how it says "asian calamari" is on the menu...i'm pretty sure fried green tomatoes are not asian.
bbq shrimp is probably my favorite...the shrimp and grits are really good, but very rich--i'm sure there is cream or something really heavy in them.
it's a pretty good place, but not my first choice.

fresh snapper, excellent and attentive service. also, their smoked fish chunks appetizer is delicious-- smoked king fish. we've made this restaurant a regular destination to take friends and family... well worth the long drive down from miami.