Wow, so it's been 5 years since we last visited this place. As I stated in my previous review dated 2018, the service has never been great there, but the last time we were there the service was horrible. However.... We were craving good seafood and decided to give them another try. As typical, the food is always good. The service wasn't as awful as it was before, but it wasn't amazing either. We overheard that one of the ovens wasn't working, and at one point, our server stopped by and apologized for the wait. We could tell she was doing the best she could do. My only criticism of her is when she took our glasses away to refill. This is a big "no-no" for restaurants, but I see it all the time. It is not sanitary to do this, but again, as I stated in my previous review in 2018, this shows a lack of training (which is on management) not a lack of effort by the wait staff. The wait was longer than we would have liked, but the food was delicious. We had calamari and string onions for appetizers. Both were fried perfectly. You could tell the oil was fresh. Four of us were in our group. One got grilled shrimp with a side of cheese grits. She said the grits were excellent, but she struggled with getting the shrimp off the wooden skewers. Maybe someone there thinks the skewers look cool, but it makes it difficult to eat. Another in our group at the crunchy group with a side of slaw, and she said it was very good. Two of us got the Miami Vice soup, yumo! For anyone going for the first time, I highly recommend this soup combination. One of us had the mahi tacos. He liked them but had to ask for hot sauce. No salsa or any kind of spice (like jalapenos) was included, so it was a tad bland. I had the Thai rock shrimp appetizer as my entree, and they were delicious. The sauce was light and spicy, and the shrimp had a nice crunch. We are glad the service was good this time and hope it's not another 5 years before we return. read more

The restaurant is really small and not fancy... But clean. Service was good...thanks Priscella. She said as a sweetheart. Really good food! The freshness of the seafood was the absolute best. The lobster club was loaded with lobster meat. And the Mahi Mahi in the tacos tasted like they just caught it. If I make it to that coast again, I'll go back for the fresh seafood. read more

12A Buoy - Mahi Mahi tacos - Seafood Near Me - Fort Pierce, Florida

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Great little place! Food, drinks and service all outstanding. Highly recommend and will definitely come back again when in the area. read more

12A Buoy - Spicy tuna poke bowl and Stuffed shrimp dinner - Seafood Near Me - Fort Pierce, Florida

This place is a must go! . It was amazing, especially black and crusted snapper. Outdoor view is amazing on a small pot. The fresh Apple pie was excellent waitress service was extraordinary. read more

I have been going to 12a buoy for 5 years and loved the place. The last 3 times I have been, something has changed. Today was the worst, Lobster Macaroni you had to look hard for the lobster. I ordered Shrip and french fries. French Fries were terrible, cold and hard. Waitress was very nice and I had her to swap me a cole slaw in its place. The cole slaw has changed also, I could have taken a tablespoon of mayo out of it. I do not mind the price and would pay more, but coming from Vero Beach to get there and have bad meals is no excuse. Anyway, I may wait until the end of 2026 and try again. Please bring back the quality you have had . read more

Found this restaurant on Yelp and decided to give it a try. Appearances are deceiving--you might think this is a bit of a dive from the outside, but it's definitely not. Wine and beer only, but the selection is really good and prices are reasonable. Staff is friendly and fun. Scratch kitchen, so food can take "up to an hour" according to the server, but I got the impression she had to say that because other patrons have been upset that food isn't ready immediately. The outdoor dining area is covered and has fans, so it was quite comfy even on a hot evening. This place is very popular--expect a bit or a wait on a Friday (we found space at the bar and had our table in under 20 minutes). Food wise: absolutely the Best. Clam. Chowder. EVER. Super-tasty and served piping hot. Hubby had the lobster Mac and cheese and declared it average. Good, but not anything to set the standard for other Mac and cheese dishes. I had one of the specials of the day, the mutton snapper with a mango salsa, sautéed squash, and French fries. Everything was fresh, but it was lukewarm at best and some parts were cold. I'm sure the flavors would have been enhanced if it had been served at a higher temp. That was disappointing, since the server had said everything was made from scratch and so I assumed it would be hot when served. Go-boxes are foil containers with plastic lids. Not plastic-free, but certainly more environmentally friendly than styrofoam. Overall, I think we will return as the food is fresh and well-prepared. But we will definitely ask that food be served hotter next time. read more

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Quantity n prices Very overprice For what you get Down to the ice tea What a disappointment Isn't number one in my books anymore read more

Service is amazing, food was fantastic and the patio is casual, relaxing and music is not too loud, not too quiet...just right. Grouper, snapper, shrimp were all so fresh and prepared perfectly. Get there early. read more

Excellent food. Excellent service and great prices. We had blue point oysters which were the best and biggest we had. Lobster salad sandwich was full on chock full of lobster meat read more

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12A Buoy was probably the most underwhelming restaurant we've visited from Yelp's suggestions so far. The actual restaurant was pretty small for the heavy traffic they were getting surprisingly. Highly suggest sitting outside if able, inside is so cramped and loud, it's hard to hear the people sitting next to you. We got there and the wait was an hour, which we were willing to do since the reviews on this place are so good. We figured good food is worth waiting for! Our party of 5 was warned by the waitress that the kitchen was super backed up and apparently there was only one grill, one chef, and essentially one of everything so the food would take at least another hour. Our poor waitress was so sweet, but she was clearly under alot of stress & trying to make up for the kitchen's mess. Now this isn't what you want to hear but again, we were willing to wait for a quality meal! The food came out and was quite disappointing. Everyone's dish had something wrong. Missing a side, food cold, too salty, etc.. the list goes on. We have never been complainers but a $200+ bill for 5 sh*tty entrees is beyond me. Especially when the reviews really talk this place up. We've eaten at plenty of less expensive restaurants with way better quality food and less than a 2 hour minimum wait time. I hope everyone else has an experience better than ours. Maybe we went on a bad night, but overall it was a really big disappointment. read more

12A Buoy - Imperial Grouper - Seafood Near Me - Fort Pierce, Florida

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We always have a great meal at 12A Buoy. Last night we enjoyed fresh Alaskan snow crab legs that came directly out of the shelf for us as an appetizer. We followed this with a Florida lobster - Tis the season! We had it pulled off the shell and sautéed and chunks with garlic butter, and it was prepared perfectly. Our server was prompt and checked on us frequently. We didn't leave any room for dessert, but I'm a fan of their peanut butter pie as well! With an extensive menu there is something for everyone. It's a casual environment with cute T-shirts for sale too. While they let everyone know upfront, I will reiterate it is a very small kitchen and it may take a while for food to come out. You can always ask your server for your coleslaw in advance- it is the best on the treasure coast! read more

12A Buoy - Florida Lobster- Baked Potato and Cole Slaw - Seafood Near Me - Fort Pierce, Florida

Today, 2/4/26, I had the Lobster Mac n Cheese for $20. It was delicious, EXCEPT, they should rename it Mac n Cheese and almost lobster! My boyfriend had a very well charred burger which was so obvious and it was $15! $15 for something so burnt! It was black. It was insulting and to make it worse and even more insulting, the waitress asked if everything was good, like she didnt know! They did discount for the Mac n cheese but he didnt say anything about the burger. We won't be back. I know things are more expensive these days, but it should be worth it at least. I never thought to take a pic. read more

12A Buoy is a must stop for my boyfriend and I when we are driving from orlando to Miami! It's a small restaurant with lots of seating but there's always a well worth wait. Service has always been friendly and honest. They do have a small kitchen so expect to wait a little. I promise it's worth it!! We ALWAYS come here for the mussels in spicy tomato sauce. The first mussels I ever tried was here and nothing compares. They are hands down the best mussels I've ever had. The tomato sauce is the perfect amount of spice with so much flavor that you'll find yourself slurping it up. We've also had their fried shrimp which are a decent size with a flavorful cocktail sauce. I like them lightly breaded and they don't disappoint. Not pictured is the conch fritters. They're also good and perfectly cooked. I 100% recommend stopping by. GET THE MUSSELS!! read more

12A Buoy - Fried shrimp and mussels in spicy tomato sauce - Seafood Near Me - Fort Pierce, Florida

Awesome place great menu. Lobster Mac is amazing and nice big chunks of lobster. Comes out hotttt. Spicy tuna bites are insane good if you like spicy and raw tuna. The girl with the octopus tattoo is who we have serve us each time and she is fun and quick. I can't remember her name. It's a small restaurant inside with a small kitchen but tons of staff and nice big outdoor seating. Everything is made from scratch and they're always busy so don't expect to get your food in 5 minutes it's not fast food it's good food. read more

12A Buoy - Seafood Near Me - Fort Pierce, Florida

Been to this restaurant a few times in the past and knew what they were special at which is their chowder and the lobster macaroni and cheese. So after playing a round a golf, I had a craving for dishes that I was very happy with. I was told that I had to order from the bar for takeout. I sat at the bar for a ridiculous amount of time and the bar tender never looked at me. I got up and asked if I could get a table instead. I was told to go back to the bar and order. I told them that it wasn't happening as I wasn't getting any attention. Another waiter gave me a menacing look and told me to go back to the bar!! I turned around and and decided that I no longer wanted to give a penny to this restaurant after being treated like they didn't want me there and wanted me to leave. I will not ever visit this restaurant again. I overcame the loud ambiance in the past because they had decent food but now that they basically shut the door on my face...I won't be back. read more

Ensure that the so called "Cobb Salad" is NOT a tossed Salad. The Cobb Salad BTW, came out With a thick black 2 in long curly HAIR in it. Regarding Chicken and Waffles,the dish looked delicious. I asked for chili syrup and I was served the dish drenched in sweet syrup. The result was an inedible Chicken and waffles, I could Not make sense of the flavors. I was then given chili syrup on the side, but who could eat a dish when your friend just discovered a black thick curly hair in her salad? We should have walked out immediately. Somehow, I thought they would do the right thing. They said "sorry about that" (the Hair) and quickly took the napkin that contained the Hair. Then we sat and they brought the check minus the Cobb Salad. They literally expected Me to sit and consume the Chicken and Waffles, (cold by now) after the hair incident. I wish we had taken a photo of that Hair, but I have a photo of the the "Cobb Salad". Served. And another of an ORIGINAL Conn Salad. The phot of my chicken and waffles stench in syrup all included. I was in too much shock to photograph that Hideous hair' read more

12A Buoy - Seafood Near Me - Fort Pierce, Florida

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Tuna tartare is out of this world, mango, avocado salad, crisps, crafts up shrimp is wonderful and their main course salad is great. Compared to any high price restaurants in any big city if I came here again I would order the same thing again. It was so good. read more

Great place and in a good location too. The conch fritters are really good and the service was great as well

I thought I had reviewd this place before. Busy spot just before the bridge, with a wait for a table. We waited about 40 minutes, however had a beverage from the bar so we were all good. We dined outside and found that they have kind resident cats that come around looking to see if you are will to share. They do not both you though, they just sit off to the side or lay around. It was nice to see them so happy, which I am sure they are well fed here and receive plenty of petting. The baked potato was good. I ordered a fish special. It was okay. A little dry. However everyone else that did not order the special really enjoyed their food. I would go back and try something different when I am in the area. It was not a deal breaker at all. The server was efficient and did great with a large group. They have a bar inside and seating inside if you prefer to dine inside. Great ambience. Relaxed vibe. You can tell a lot of locals come here. Enjoy!! read more

12A Buoy - Menu - Seafood Near Me - Fort Pierce, Florida

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My hubby and I travel a lot and like to check out new places. We came cross this spot in our most recent visit to Ft Pierce area. Our hotel recommended we check it out and we're glad they did! Food: Apps- We ordered lobster Mac n cheese and Thai Shrimp as starters. There were a great start as both were delicious and tasted fresh! The lobster Mac and cheese had loads of lobsters and crispy burnt pieces of cheese that were to die for! Mains- I ordered the filet with loaded baked potato. Filet was cooked perfectly medium and packed full of flavor. The baked potato was also good but a touch too dry since the skin was burnt but still very tasty and nothing some extra sour cream didn't fix. Hubby ordered shrimp platter with loaded baked potato as well. His was taking a little longer so they gave him complimentary Brussels sprouts. He said shrimp tasted really fresh and he wasn't a fan of the sprouts. We each also had a salad that was pretty good too! Service: I will say the service was outstanding! Our server was patient with us after we'd said it was our first visit. She made recommendations based on what we told her we liked and they were pretty spot on! She also was good at updating us on the status of our food. Since their kitchen is small the food takes a little longer so we appreciated the heads up and keeping us in the loop. Ambiance: I was nervous to visit due to some of the review saying we'd be sitting in a parking lot but that is not true. There is an indoor area as well as an outdoor area. The outdoor area looks like a deck with tables and chairs and inside we sat at a booth which was just fine! The pricing was a little high but that's expected. We'd come back and try more if we're back in the area again! read more

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I wouldn't say scenic view. You're looking at a parking lot. I gave this place a try seven years ago, and it was so loud that my boyfriend and I couldn't even hear each other talk. But I will give it another try just to see if things are different. But I would much rather prefer Chucks seafood and STEAKHOUSE up the street over the bridge looking at the dolphins and sitting on a balcony that's very serene. And I find seafood to be delightful. read more

It's been about 4 months since I was there but the food has always been good, the service friendly. The ambiance is casual with indoor and outdoor seating. The seafood is fresh. It is a bit on the pricey side but it is so good you don't mind splurging once in a while. read more

Good food & service. Priced fairly. Not an ocean view but you can smell the water Right near marina in ft Pierce

Best conch fritters ever! Food was pretty good too! Service could be a little more attentive! But we would go back.

We had 4 people in our party. We were told you must get the Lobster mac & cheese. So both of our wives ordered the Lobster Mac and cheese. Both orders, there was only a few pieces meat, top was overcooked and crispy. The rest was all pasta very discouraging for $20. I ordered mahi-mahi with onions and cheese on top (very flavorful) and got towards the center and the mahi was raw. The manager came over and said I'll cook that longer for you, and almost 12 minutes later it finally came back out. The manager said oh I put a fresh baked potato on there for you, but it was no lie the driest shriveled up crispy potato I've ever gotten out. Service was fair. Drinks empty during the meal. read more

We had lunch here on a Wednesday. The service was a little slow at first as it was very busy. Our food made up for that tenfold! I had the lobster bisque and the tuna tartare, OMG.. I could've gone back for both of these for dinner. My boyfriend had the fried shrimp and ate every bite, my grandma had the lobster sandwich, and grandpa had the burger, they both really liked their food as well. 10/10 would recommend, will be returning! read more

12A Buoy - Lobster Sandwich - Seafood Near Me - Fort Pierce, Florida

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It was kind of difficult to find but once we did we were pleasantly surprised. We had live music by the waterfront. The food was some of the best I've had in Florida. The mashed potatoes, steak, calamari and lobster was delicious and my dad enjoyed his meal as well. Can't wait to go back again when in town. read more

As much I loved going to this quirky place, I don't think I can return. The prices have gone through the roof. $26 for a fish sandwich Is outrageous and it wasn't anything special. Just served with coleslaw. .Plus the steamed shrimp were mushy and did not taste fresh. read more

We walked in and we're immediately greeted by everyone from the bartender to the hostess! Great customer service. I will say the place needs a bit of a scrubbing. Maybe it's the fact that everything looks a little "tired." Otherwise, great service. We tried the conch strips with the dipping sauce and a side of tartar sauce. I've never tried conch, and I've been wanting to since we moved to the area. I wasn't really familiar with what exactly it was, but the waitress explained it, and we decided to give it a shot. It was ok. Nothing special about the flavor. Kind of chewy and tasteless. My hubby got the fried shrimp and he said it was just fried shrimp. Not super flavorful, but edible. I ordered the grouper sammie with coleslaw. We had just been at another place (for drinks) and I saw a grouper sandwich go by, so I was expecting a nice thick piece of fish. Not the case here. Super flat, and a little well done. The breading was thicker than my grouper. The coleslaw was really yummy though!! Overall, I'm glad we gave it a try. read more

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Good food, good service, and fun atmosphere. Have visited a few times and I've not been disappointed.

I don't live in the area, so coming here and finding this place was a treat. My job brought me down to Ft Pierce, and before heading back home, my work partner and I decided to get some seafood. I always read reviews and saw that 12A Bouy had lots of favorable reviews. So we go. I got a fish sandwich and some lobster bisque. Fresh and filling. Service was top-notch, and they treated us like locals. About a month later, I found myself back in Ft Pierce. And I went again. Same great service and same great food. I made a third trip with the same results. I'm not working that job any longer. I retired. But I know when I'm in the area I'm going to 12A Bouy for lunch. read more

Not one thing negative. Great service and great food. Conch fritter appetizer was some of the best I've ever had. Crab stuffed shrimp was delicious. My husband had the fried shrimp dinner - a huge portion - and said it was great. The coup de Gras was the apple pie Ala mode. The apple pie was 2 inches thick, flakey and with crumbles. Yum, yum! I very highly recommend read more

Guyssssss. Once i came with my son and tried this lobster mac'n cheese. And was 3 months trying to find this place again.. u have to try. Is THE BEST!!! Every fork is a lobster chunk! It made me smiley read more

Love this place for great tasty choices on menu. Pleasant surroundings, easy parking, reasonably priced.

Everything is always great! You he other night we had Prime rib, rib eye with a a semi glaze that is so delicious! But if you go, you must get the lobster and mac it is by far the best one around for sure! Please be sure to have the waitress set aside a piece Of key lime pie too! It is not your average key lime pie! read more

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Food was great. One of the best New England clam chowder I ever had! The grouper fingers were very tasty.

Well it's come to this sadly ! Sunday was a very disappointing episode good champagne disgusting food Thanks Owen pre cooked shrimp cocktail absolute worst cold Fried shrimp ever were the French fries from Costco ? O the angus burger16$ go to McDonald's it 10 times better and great fries read more

Waze had trouble getting me to this establishment BUT pictures on Yelp of the actual building really helped. It was worth the wrong turns. The food out of the "teeny tiny kitchen" was generous and well worth the 30-45 min wait. We had lobster mini sliders and fried shrimp. Brought leftovers home!! read more

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Great food Indoor and outdoor dining You would never expect the food that you get out of this place read more

This place is phenomenal! We had an awesome bartender, Rachel. She let us sample a few things and we couldn't figure out what we liked the most because we loved it all. The soups are all amazing! The service is great and they do tell you up front to expect a wait on the food because the kitchen is small, as many reviews had mentioned. It is totally worth the wait, the food is just out of this world good! Stuffed shrimp is stuffed with crabmeat filling, nothing to disappoint there. Huge shrimp, great portion. Lamb chop was great as well, cooked perfectly. The sides were all tasty. I can't not wait to go back! read more

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