We were on vacation in April, staying on Okaloosa Island for a destination elopement. We love to try out non-chain restaurants while on vacation. On our first night in town, we stopped in AJ's on the Bayou and it happened to be during trivia night, and while the food was genuinely great, the service missed the mark. We got our drinks shortly after sitting down, but our server didn't return to take our food order for quite a while. As the restaurant got busier, the delay became even more noticeable. Our meals arrived quickly -- delivered by someone other than our server -- but we didn't get a check‑in for a long stretch. If she had come by, we definitely would have ordered another round of drinks. Eventually we asked for the check, paid, and headed out. The food itself was very good, and the location was neat. Hopefully our server was just overwhelmed or having an off night. read more

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After being recommended to go to any Aj's in the area, I finally decided to give them a try and went to Aj's on the Bayou since it's the closest to my house. After all, they're usually packed so it's gotta be good. However, after my experience, I will not be coming back nor recommending this place to anyone. Walking in the restaurant, it feels pretty cozy with a fishing/rustic country vibe. The hostess was friendly and quickly had us sat inside. While walking to our table we noticed that the restaurant looked visibly unkempt but figured they just hadn't gotten a chance to clean up. Once we got to the table, everyone noticed how sticky it was so was asked for some napkins to lay down so we weren't having to keep touching the sticky table. The floors all around the tables were filthy and had a layer of who knows what all over it - really off putting when sitting down for a meal. The entire hour we were there the towels remained on the floor, not a single employee was seen with a broom to sweep up any of the numerous messes on the floor, and the one table we saw get bussed didn't even get wiped down (explains the stickiness of our table). The food was ok along with the menu. I'd gotten the grilled crab cakes with a cucumber salad and fried okra. The crab cakes were pretty good; the sauce on them really made the dish. The fried okra was extremely plain and soggy. Then the cucumber salad was just drenched in vinegar and just overpowering for the whole side. Overall, a mid meal that was priced too high for what it was ($32). Our waitress was great and friendly. She was very attentive and made sure our drinks were always full. She was definitely the best part of the Aj's experience. read more

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Nice place to meet up with an old friend for lunch. Good raw oysters, good brews. I had the fried chicken dinner with potatoes, gravy and green beans. Good stuff. Portion was good - two pieces of dark meat. Provides a nice atmosphere sitting outside by the bayou, weather permitting. I would eat here again. read more

I started out with she crab soup which was way to thick, the taste wasn't terrible but the texture was off. Then a had the Cajun pasta it was just okay, too spicy, not flavorful spicy just spicy. I ate as much as I could stand just because of price. I would not recommend this place unless you just want to sit outside and listen to music and have a drink. read more

Went on trivia night and sat outside. Trivia was fun and sunset was lovely. Hubby wasn't too hungry and just had fried pickles which were freshly breaded and very tasty. I ordered the "special" of prime rib with side salad and baked potato. Both sides were good and the beef was adequate size but a little over cooked (requested med rare and it had NO pink at all). It was tasty enough though. Kirsten was a wonderful server. She checked on us often and kept a cold beer in my husband's hand from after dinner through the trivia game. read more

We are here out of the summer rush season and we were seated immediately for lunch. We sat up in the outdoor patio right next to the water and it was amazing. We opted for the fried pickle appetizer and they had luncheon specials on Tuesday and I chose the Tuesday tacos, which had lots of choices and I chose the spicy shrimp and the regular shrimp and it was phenomenal. My husband chose the captain's choice. Fish sandwich made with blackened red fish and it was terrific. He didn't even eat the bun. He just ate the fish cause it was so fantastic and he said the fries were phenomenal Our service was excellent, and we never had to go looking for our waitress. She was always there taking care of. Us I haven't been here during tourist season so I'm sure it's kind of crazy trying to get a table and get your food, but we have to be forgiving for those times of the year I would recommend this restaurant to anybody. Even if you just wanna stop in for an app and cold beer, I think it's a great place. read more

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We didn't have a wait to be seated. Didn't know what to expect of the place. Just searched seafood. I wasn't a fan of the food. Nice patio for drinks and entertainment read more

Stopped by Sunday afternoon for drinks. Drinks and live music was awesome, however seeing a manger talk to his employees so rudely was very off putting. read more

Had a great meal of the fish we caught offshore today. Code Blue charter with Captain Chip was amazing. Service was excellent. Brendon Preece played live. Atmosphere was phenomenal read more

AJ's on the Bayou - Brendon Preece - Seafood Near Me - Fort Walton Beach, Florida

Sat down at 530. Took right at 15 mins to even get our drink orders taken. Then another 10+ to even get the drinks. Ordered an appetizer, and was served with no plates. No napkins, had to ask for plates. Still got no napkins at the table. Drinks have been sitting empty for about 15 mins now. They do not appear to be over busy. The appetizer was good, but the service is really terrible. read more

Waited 20 minutes to order. Food was terrible. Fried fish sandwich still had some skin on it. The music was the only good thing about our stop. Keep driving!!!! read more

Come here all the time for brunch and mixed drinks. Service is generally pretty good and food is pretty good. It's right on the water and has a great view. read more

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I wanted to pass along a big thank you for such a great time at the Dikki Du Jam yesterday. We're from Louisiana, and being there honestly felt like we were back home for the night. The music, the crowd, and the whole vibe were just right -- y'all really nailed it. I especially want to recognize our waitress, Lauren. We had a table of twelve, and as you can imagine, we were up and moving, dancing, laughing, and visiting the whole evening. Through all of it, Lauren never missed a thing. Drinks stayed full, orders were right, and she handled our rowdy Cajun crew with a smile and total professionalism. That kind of service doesn't go unnoticed. She's a rock star and a real asset to your place. Thank y'all again for the hospitality and for putting on such a fun event. It meant a lot to us to find a little slice of Louisiana away from home, and we'll be talking about this night for a long time. Laissez les bons temps rouler, Glen read more

AJ's on the Bayou - Outside patio - Seafood Near Me - Fort Walton Beach, Florida

Food was ice cold The gumbo and the oysters on the half shell were the same temperature (room). Hush puppies tasted like cardboard. Blackened skewered Shrimp on my wedge salad was the consistency or rubber. Somehow, this was a seafood beach place that couldn't serve a Poboy. The only good was that the beer was good and cold, even though it took too long to arrive.. read more

AJ's outstanding. One of my go to restaurants anytime I'm in the area the food and staff is all great little bit off-season so it was pretty quiet. If you have time check them out. read more

I was hanging out with my friends on a beautiful Saturday afternoon and went to order some food and got their daily salad special. I misread the menu and it had ended at 4pm but Star, the kitchen manager made it for me anyways and it was AMAZING. Top tier service for drinks and food. Thank you Star for hooking me up and making it happen. :) read more

Found this spot because they had live music and stayed open "late" which was at least 10pm. We got there at maybe 9:15pm. Band was still playing we were seated in the back by the water away from the band but we could still hear them which was great. We had to order quickly because the kitchen was closing shortly. We ordered the Mix & Match which was a big plate of fried seafood and the Wagyu Smash Sliders. Everything was alright for the moment because we were starving. When I think of "smash" sliders, I think of meat that a person actually flattened out with their hands or spatula. These seemed more like frozen beef patties. Server was friendly and attentive. Curstyn was her name and wouldn't have guessed it was her first day. read more

Wouldn't know about the food. Sat for 15 minutes when I started counting & never even got a hello or a glass of water. Sad! I have lived here 6 years and finally decided to try it out. Wouldn't recommend or return feel very slighted by the treatment! read more

Highly recommend the back deck and bar! We had a great time. Live music was good. Service was excellent!! Laid back, comfortable place to spend an afternoon. read more

Dog friendly, with a good patio view. Things you should know: I. PARKING There's a large, free parking lot out front. Always an available space. Easy. II. SERVICE The food was timely; the waitress was not. We had to hunt her down after waiting 20 minutes for our check. III. QUALITY I wouldn't say this is the place to go to for food and leave it at that. My party was dissatisfied. On a positive note, I can see this place being more known for its bar ~ something we didn't experience for ourselves. IV. CAPACITY The indoor dining was almost empty. Most people will sit at the patio area. read more

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Our favorite place on the Bayou. Love the chicken piccata on Thursday afternoon menu. The fish basket was very good. The staff is excellent our favorite place for sure. read more

The only good thing about this place is the décor--it looks amazing inside. Unfortunately, everything else was a letdown. We were seated quickly, but it took 15 minutes just to see a waiter and at least another 10 for drinks. The food itself was just okay, but I got really sick after eating and still don't feel well. For me, that completely ruined the experience. Definitely not somewhere I'd come back to again. read more

The food was wonderful. The service was great. We loved the live music. We sat outside, that was nice. I definitely recommend! read more

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Good food and good service !My wife and I shared the Run of the Kitchen... I think that's what it was called? It was good and the cucumber salad side was great! read more

Took my kiddo here on our girls dinner and it was amazing! The food was delicious and the service was top tier! We sat outside on the back patio and watched the water and the jet skis go by it was pretty quiet and nice out there! Will come again read more

Horrible experience! Waited over an hour for our food. We called to make sure no wait and arrived less than 10 minutes later. Prime rib wasn't fit to serve to a vulture. Was cold and tough. Asked for the manager. She offered to reduce the price by $4.25. How she can sleep at night charging someone for this is beyond me. Finally after complaining for another 15 minutes, the waitress took the prime rib off. Shouldn't have been this difficult. We wasted almost 2 hours. Worst experience and worst food of our Fort Walton Trip. read more

Another great Sunday at AJ's on the Bayou. A new server who was fantastic. Love the comfortable local atmosphere and the extremely friendly service! read more

Came here with my friend and his parents since there is a nice waterfront view. We all got drinks: my friend got the Wicked Weed Perni Haze, his dad got an Old Fashioned, I got the Emerald Coast Lemonade, and his mom got a glass of red wine. All of the drinks, excluding the wine, were served in plastic cups and the old fashioned "tasted like water". We also got the boiled shrimp to start, which was good. My friend and I each got the AJ's House sandwich, which I thought was pretty good, the fish was alright and the fries were well seasoned. The real highlight of the sandwich were the spicy pickles, which were delicious. My friend and his family said that the food was just alright this time. Also, the live music was very loud and the table was very small for 4 people. Overall, this place was kind of mid. read more

AJ's on the Bayou - AJ's House Sandwich - Seafood Near Me - Fort Walton Beach, Florida

Just terrible- Was greeted by a very ghetto young lady with a fairly poor attitude. Ask three times if we could sit on the back porch, but not in direct sunlight. She tried to set us at a table with direct sunlight that was dirty like it hadn't been cleaned in days. When we went to the clean table, that's in the shade, she talks to a waitress who says I can't have two people sit at a six top. Did not hang around for the rest of the crap experience ! read more

We came on a Friday night. Had to wait maybe an hour even though they told us 20 minutes. Service was not great at all. We had to keep constantly asking for forks, napkins, spoons, plates. They did not provide all of that stuff at all- one of us would ask for the whole table and they would only bring for the person that asked so we had to keep asking constantly. And then they got an order wrong too. For the food, the gumbo ($9) bowl was a big portion (like a meal) but it wasn't very tasty. It was our least favorite of the food. It was also a little spicy fyi. The lobster rolls were very tasty. It came with two small ones and some delicious potato salad. Highly recommend. We did not find the hush puppies appetizing The shrimp pasta linguine was far too rich The music in the back was very loud. They played some good oldies by the time we left. Overall, a chaotic experience! read more

2.6. -- outdoor seating and live music provides a nice atmosphere with a view of the bay. Service was good. They were out of lobster rolls and lunch menu is kind of small compared to the dinner menu. Grilled scallops were slightly overcooked and better without the bacon. Calamari and spinach dip were good appetizers. Chicken Caesar wrap was under par but Kahuna burger and fish tacos were good. read more

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Came by for some good food. Maybe a bad choice with the gumbo, but a thick gravy and enough tobasco sauce to cover any semblance of a gumbo taste. Luckily I got the dried out cornbread as well. It's beach bar food, but why can't it still be good. Very disappointed. read more

Beautiful waterfront patio. House salad was pitiful; lettuce, a couple tomatoes a few cucumbers and pickled carrots. Gumbo was so spicy I couldn't enjoy it and I love spicy food. The she crab soup was yummy. Poor table maintenance. Our server started out strong but was distracted by side work. AJs house sandwich was just Okay. If you are coming for the view and cocktails , it's great but for food, not so much. Disappointing. read more

The food at AJ's was good and the service was wonderful despite it being very busy. Although the food did take awhile to come out for of the tables. They have an outdoor seating area along the water which I'm sure is very nice but it was way to warm and had just rained so we opted for the comfort of inside. read more

After a weird experience with a customer, the bartender Jamie made sure I was okay. She made me feel so much safer and better. Also the appetizer of cheese balls was amazing. There was live music which is always a win read more

Warm beer, overcooked chicken, fish sandwich with no toppings, Bloody Mary with no salt rim, slow service, hot in restaurant and flies. Terrible! read more

We were on a mission to find a place in FWB for a decent steak and potato dinner, and AJ'son the Bayou hit the spot! Friday night at 5pm, and we were able to walk right in and be seated and served - easy peasy! Ribeye steak cooked as ordered, Kahuna burger was perfect, and the Sliders were delicious. read more

Service is always great! Friendly patient servers. Food is on point and reasonably priced considering the current local economy. Views are outstanding. Might consider an upgrade to the seating soon. Old plastic wicker chairs are not comfortable and have seen their better days. Otherwise decor is fun and fascinating! read more

I would like to share this experience with you and I will also be posting this everywhere I can. Today, I experienced the worst service ever and the worst food. I ordered an appetizer for my meal. It came out after everyone had their meals. It was mozzarella sticks or balls. They were at best luke warm. I ordered what I thought was potato skins. She told me it was, but what I got was a bowl of crap. We had to wait for our waitress after she walked by me twice noticing I didn't have my food nor drinks. You guys really need to step it up. and even after I complained I was never even acknowledge by a manager. You have definitely lost my service and anyone I can see or voice my opinion. read more

AJ's on the Bayou - This is the bowl of crap aka potato skins!!! - Seafood Near Me - Fort Walton Beach, Florida

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Have been there a few times before. Not sure if is a new chef are new management but the food was disappointing. The appetizers were good had fried pickles and artichoke dip. The drinks were just plain mild alcohol taste no flavor in margaritas or daiquiri. Red beans and rice were inedible. Crab cakes had way too much salt . The view overlooking bayou was the best part of evening. 3 stars is a gift maybe it was a bad night read more