Blue Marlin

Delightful. Affordable seafood on the bay!…read more A rather "raw" experience vs fine dining that's for sure. A MUST for your visit to the area. An experience that must be done.

I was very disappointed with this restaurant. I have been coming here since around 2011 every year…read more Sometimes multiple times. We were sixth in line. The restaurant wasn't busy. Half of the tables were empty. It took us over 15 minutes just to put our order in. After receiving our order the shrimp was good as always, but my fries were so hard I could only eat half of them. The hush puppies, were just ok. What was once a favorite restaurant in the area, now needs to get back to being the restaurant I once loved.

Jan 2023: The on-site ATM-- 100% cash business

Steamed clams

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View from the tables. Literally at the docks so if you don't like dock life, this is not your place.

Tide Tables

4.5(1.1k reviews)

0.6 mi

Tide Tables is exactly what you want from a Florida waterfront spot--casual, laid-back, and right…read moreon the water with an incredible view. The food was outstanding. The baked beans may honestly be the best I've ever had--big chunks of bacon and all sorts of goodness packed into them. Seriously, don't overlook the beans! The grouper bites are a must-order--crispy, fresh and delicious. The mahi tacos were equally impressive, with fresh fish, great flavor and generous portions. Great seafood, cold drinks, beautiful waterfront setting and the kind of place you could hang out at all afternoon. One piece of advice: there's only one men's room and one women's room, so maybe don't drink too much. Definitely a spot we'll be coming back to.

Really cute little spot that my mother in law took me to and it was so fun! We parked and had…read moresomeone directing traffic and walked on over to get seated. We had the choice of sitting outside, inside or at the bar! It was quite busy when we arrived so it was a little bit of a wait to get served. However, Our server was very sweet and attentive towards our party. Gave us some great recommendations. We started off with clam chowder, gumbo, and ceviche and it came out pretty quickly. Everything was made in house and absolutely delicious! The gumbo was my favorite. After the appetizers came through we ordered our main dishes and got fried shrimp, and fish tacos! It took some time for it to come out but once it did it was super exciting to get it. Everything was delicious, and for the shrimp you had a choice of small and large. I ordered small while my boyfriend ordered a large. We had tons and tons of food and it was so so good! We finished off with some delicious key lime pie and it was well worth the waiter bringing it out to us! My favorite definitely was the key lime pie and finishing up with that as well!

Fried scallops

Grilled grouper basket (large)

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On the water charm

Beach House Waterfront Restaurant

3.9(1.7k reviews)

0.2 mi

Beach House is always a favorite for me! Food, vibes, and staff, especially Brad and Joe, are…read morealways wonderful! Absolutely would recommend to a friend :)

I love the Beach house. Brad and Joe are the best bartenders on the island! Definitely worth the…read morestop if you're in the area!

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From the beach view

Anna Maria Oyster Bar - Pier

4.0(794 reviews)

0.1 mi

I came here for lunch with my bf. We sat inside because it was raining, but on a sunny day I would…read morerecommend sitting outside because you'll have nice views of the ocean. When we arrived, we were seated pretty quickly despite it being a little busy. Our server was Mel and she was great. To start, she made me a watermelon margarita which was nice and my bf ordered a mango mojito. Then, for our appetizer, we ordered traditional raw oysters. For our entree, I ordered the PEI mussels and my bf ordered garlic parm oysters and rock oysters. Both meals were amazing. Mel was very attentive and I would like to have her as my server whenever I visit again. We wanted to order dessert but we were stuffed with everything we had. However, we will be back. Also, they have a ferry that brings you here too if you live in Sarasota.

The views are amazing. Service is okay. Host was great and got us sat fast. Everyone looks like…read morethey're workin hard here. Food is okay. Oysters were great so were the coconut shrimp. Meal was okay. Inside is nice and cold when it's hot out! I thinkkkk the patio is dog friendly. (Double check first) I would go here if you'd like a nice drink and views and some apps. They did have a drink happy hour!

Oysters Rockefeller

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The pier entrance

Daiquiri Deck - Bradenton Beach

3.4(212 reviews)

0.0 mi

Awesome view if you can catch it for sunset. The rooftop was the best spot to be. The taco bowl was…read moremassive. We were huge fans of the alligator bites, too! They also had live music on the rooftop when we were there.

Good drink bar on Anna Maria island. Menu is full of mixed fruity and 'party style' drinks. Frozen…read morestyle drinks, great for the hot weather. Service was fine and they have food. I'll stick to a cold beer for myself.

Bar top

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View from top deck

Topsail Steamer - Anna Maria Island

4.6(25 reviews)

3.0 mi

A lot of choices in what you put in the can. And it was all good quality food. It was ready for…read morepick up on time very easy and fast. By the way the scallops were great

We tried the Shark Bite bucket with everything so we could sample a little bit of it all. Overall,…read morethe seafood and sides were very good, and the key lime pie was excellent. We did have one issue with a clam that had some black material inside, which affected the flavor of part of the steamer. I called the restaurant afterward, and Nick, the manager, was extremely kind, professional, and helpful. He apologized sincerely and made the situation right. I do not believe anyone there knowingly served something off -- it seemed like an unfortunate one-off issue, and the way they handled it said a lot about their customer service. Because of how respectful and sincere Nick was, I would definitely give Topsail Steamer another try.

Crab, scallops, shrimp and clams

Great and amply selection of seafood

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Bamboo Island Bar

4.7(221 reviews)

0.0 mi

Terrible service. We waited an hour an 45min for our food. Our water glasses went empty. Then we…read morewere served warm water with no ice. The server sat and talked to another table while we waited. We had to go to the bar for our check so we could leave. The food was terrible. What a wasted night and money!

We LOVED everything!!!! The only thing I'm disappointed about is not coming here sooner. We'd…read morewalked past Bamboo Island Bar MANY times in the last 5yrs and always thought "Oh, this place looks cool!" But, never went in‍. Maybe it was the stairs... The not knowing plus the heat. But, it's beautifully decorated, open-aired, the food and service are phenomenal, so 100% worth the climb! We had a lamb, steak, pizza & calamari dish, all were delicious! Our party was made of up 3 career fine dining servers and we had zero complaints! I almost don't want to write this review because I want this place to remain hidden! Maria & Brady, thank you!(sneaking out the birthday dessert because you overheard us say it was my husband's birthday, was so appreciated!) We'll be back soon!

Caipirosca

Upper room entrance

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Cortez Bait & Seafood

4.4(54 reviews)

1.0 mi

Amazing place to eat!! Service is the BEST! Food is perfect! Always come here with kindness and…read moregood appetite!! Drinks are awesome

Stopped by today for Shrimp and fresh fish. Service is outstanding, helpful and courteous. Left…read morevery satisfied and will be back

While fish

Net

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Daily Catch & Specials

Salt Bar and Table

4.4(176 reviews)

1.3 mi

The food was absolutely amazing! I ordered the seafood pasta with the seafood blackened, and it…read moreadded the perfect amount of spice. Every bite was delicious. The service was just as impressive as the food. The staff was attentive, friendly, and made sure our table stayed clean, our drinks were always refilled, and that we had everything we needed throughout our meal. What stood out the most was how accommodating they were to my son, who has a disability. They thoughtfully provided him with a smaller fork that was easier for him to use, which truly meant a lot to our family. Their kindness and attention to detail made our dining experience even more enjoyable. I highly recommend this restaurant and look forward to coming back!

We had a great experience dining at this restaurant, would definitely recommend. Friendly service,…read morecreative dishes and great value. We started with the carpaccio and artichokes to share: the carpaccio was pretty good, nothing too special. The artichokes were amazing. One of the best artichoke appetizers I've ever had. They were soft and tender and the sauce paired deliciously well. Very unique. I highly recommend trying. Scallop appetizer: the scallops were cooked very well, I thought the caramelized onions were not cooked that memorably, they also weren't my favorite pairing with this dish. The sauce was ok, the scallops were the star, the other components were not the best but I enjoyed the appetizer Shrimp and scallops linguine: (blackened) The shrimp and scallops were very tasty and well cooked. The pasta was al dente and sauce was good, maybe could use a bit of salt but the dish overall was very good. Gnocchi and medallions: the gnocchi was surprisingly good, it's hard to get good gnocchi but these were really good. The sauce was delicious!! And the medallions were cooked perfectly and seasoned just right. I'm ordering this again when I come back. Sea bass: really good dish composition. The eggplant and zucchini ratatouille paired really good with the pesto and the mashed potatoes, and the star of the show was the fish, cooked really well and seasoned very nicely (got it blackened). Highly recommend. Brussels sprouts were also a really enjoyable side. I will happily come back :)

View towards the bar.

Gnocchi & Medallions with grilled bread

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White Lavender

Bradenton Beach City Pier

4.3(28 reviews)

0.1 mi

•$

hidden gem. don't tell anyone…read more great for sunrise faces East free fishing trailer park on da water

I was in need of some serious Vitamin Sea to survive the Yule tide whatever, so I escaped to…read moreFlorida for Christmas. On Christmas Day, I headed to Bradenton Beach Pier, basking in the sunshine and breathing in that salty air. The best part was there was hardly any crowds. So parking was easy, stress was nonexistent, and peace and tranquillity were the vibes. The real locals were out in full force, the egrets, and other local birds were checking out the people strolling the pier or fishing. Not much was open because it was Christmas, I'm not added to the charm. It felt peaceful, unhurried, and exactly how I wanted my holiday to be. Spending Christmas here during the off-season was a five star reminder that sometimes quiet is the best gift.

Christmas time pic of the pier

Pelicans on the roof

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Morning on the pier

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David L.

8 years ago

My wife and I revisited the Blue Marlin tonight after two years. I made a reservation for our first night of vacation knowing that the restaurant is small, quirky, loud sometimes, but fun, attentive, and delicious. We started with a ride in their golf cart to bring us from their over flow parking area and then dined in four courses 1) crab cakes with remoulade and a little salad, 2) a salad for my wife and their seafood chowder for me, 3) fresh grouper, and 4) chocolate mousse cake with raspberries and strawberries. My wife's salad was a beautiful mix of greens with feta cheese, etc. She likes "complex" salads with exciting flavors - this fit the bill. My chowder was fresh with lumps of fish/shrimp in a tomato base - wonderful. My wife had the Thai preparation for her grouper while I had the egg wash with Parmesan topping. The grouper was wonderful and cooked perfectly. I donated my asparagus to my wife as she is a big fan and she loved it. Her Thai seasoned shredded veggies weren't my favorite, nor was the accompanying rice which simply wasn't up to the task compared to the fresh fish. We topped it all off with a piece of chocolate cake that exceeded our expectations in that it was light, moist, delightful, and garnished with berries and whipped cream. I've had my share of dry, uninspiring store bought chocolate cake. This was all together different and a wonderful end to a most pleasant vacation dinner. The staff was a pleasure to talk with and provided constant water refills and checked on our progress. I will pay them my highest compliment - I really enjoyed my dinner and it was worth what I paid for it! read more

Robert M.

10 years ago

We make it a point to eat here every time we are in the area and as expected the food and service were excellent. The Stone Crab appetizer, though pricey, was tasty and nicely presented. My wife is a Shrimp and Grits lover and these were among the best she has had. I had the Red Snapper special and it was well prepared and very tasty. A shared Key Lime pie for dessert capped another pleasant meal. Parking is impossible but their shuttle service to a free parking lot solves that. We will return the next time we are near Bradenton. read more

Thomas H.

5 years ago

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Rachel R.

175

102

10 years ago

YUM! Best restaurant on Bradenton beach, hands down! I was able to walk right in, on a weekend which was very surprising to me. The table service was perfect, my crusted grouper was delicious, even the sides were unparalleled. Despite the impressive plate of food before me, I was able to also enjoy an outdoor table, with live music! Highly recommend you eat here at least once before you leave! but if you're a local chances are I don't need to remind you of this hidden gem. read more

Laura S.

157

6 years ago

Seriously the Best. Food. Ever. Make sure to ask for Tim or Mackenzie as your server. Everything on the menu is so delicious. The only thing we miss is our favorite chef Eric! But we hear he is up in NY filming for the Food Networks Summer Rush show!! Try the lobster grilled cheese and I swear it will be the best tasting the best thing you have ever eaten. read more

Brendan B.

11 years ago

This place is AMAZING! I don't often leave reviews but felt compelled to do so after my experience at The Blue Marlin. Food, ambiance, service, all made for such an amazing night. Can't wait to visit again, would recommend to anyone!! read more

Robert S.

7 years ago

Great place, old school, with great food. This IS what AMI is supposed to be. If your on a date...ask for the two top at the end of the bar/kitchen. Awesome. read more

Cory C.

11 years ago

Absolutely delicious! Literally just read the reviews and what people liked on the menu, we ordered it. I put on roughly 15pds after this feast. haha jk! read more

Martin A.

11 years ago

What a nice time. We really liked the atmosphere in the patio area. Great drink prices and good music. It's a fun time.

Gary W.

138

7 years ago

We have made this one of our annual must stops. Great food and atmosphere. The food was absolutely delicious!

Kevin B.

10 years ago

Meal was very good. Atmosphere was unique. Service was very good. Live music on 5/6/16 was very good as well.

Alexa S.

4 years ago

I really love this place. I have good night here and great nights. Would recommend to anyone

Denise G.

10 years ago

Ate here twice this week. Delicious!!!!! Great service. One of the best on the Island!

Cathy S.

8 years ago

We thought it was very overpriced for the quality. Everything sort of tasted the same.

Sophie G.

3 years ago

Always excellent food and service, and one of the few on AMI that take reservations!!

Jen H.

5 years ago

Extremely rude wait staff and management. We were happy to take our money elsewhere.

Paul K.

14 years ago

Good place. Fresh fish, reasonable prices, nice layout. Worth a visit.

Lisa S.

10 years ago

Great atmosphere, food and service! We will be back!

Jeff C.

12 years ago

The tai grouper is a must!!!!!!

Edward M.

13 years ago

Excellent seafood!

Blue Marlin - newamerican - Updated September 2026

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