Man oh man ... I'd love to give this place a higher rating. The food was good, the service was great from (smiling)Ashland (sp?). However the maintenance and cleanliness gets a "0" star rating. Just needs a good cleaning and some serious maintenance. Truly a shame when a place gets within the "Goal-Line" and "Fumbles the ball". Good Luck Guys we hope to stop back and see some improvements. read more

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Food was delicious. Salmon could have had a little more seasoning but overall I enjoyed it. Next time I'm in the area, would come Back! read more

Cedar River Seafood - Cheese grits, mashed sweet potatoes and hush puppies - Seafood Near Me - Starke, Florida

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Met a friend for lunch on a Saturday afternoon and was pleased to see quite a few patrons enjoying lunch although not packed so we were seated right away. We opted for a starter of fried pickles which came out quickly and were hot although a bit greasy. For mains I chose the cheeseburger and fries and my friend had the flounder sandwich with fries. Each meal came with two hushpuppies. The burger was very good, cooked well done as I asked for but appeared to be a "Bubba burger". Lettuce, tomato, onion and pickle came on the side so you can add what you'd like. I'm not sure what the bun was, however it was not a standard burger bun that has a tendency to fall apart; it was also lightly toasted with mayo on the side. Fries were hot, crispy and not greasy. My friend said her sandwich was good and appeared to have a large portion of fish. It too had the same nice bun the burger came with. Service was very good with the server checking on us often without being overbearing. Overall, the ambiance is that of a quick service seafood restaurant with a variety of options available at reasonable prices. The restaurant was clean although could do with a makeover to make it more modern. However, I'd come back again. read more

Cedar River Seafood - Fried pickle appetizer - Seafood Near Me - Starke, Florida

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The food and service have come to a really high standard. I've been there half a dozen times in the last several months and have not been disappointed. I highly recommend this restaurant to anybody either passing through or living in the area. read more

Located off the main road, this place was recommended. We were seated quickly and drinks were brought immediately. Another 15 minutes passed before our order was taken. All the waitresses were friendly and polite. The carpet and interior could be updated, but they were cleaning tables off. As long as it's clean . I ordered the whole catfish with okra and baby limas, unsweetened tea, Came with hush puppies. Music was playing different songs in the dining room and kitchen. It was unnerving. But when the food came-----delicious!!! Limas seasoned perfectly. Okra fried crispy. The best hush puppies in town, made with sour cream. It's sweet as cake. Speaking of cake, we ended with the key lime pie. Graham cracker and butter crust holds together nicely and the pie itself is very smooth and slightly tangy. Yes, we'll be back! read more

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Extra courteous waitress.. Her entre recommendation made the meal very pleasant.. I'll definitely revisit when in the area.

My husband called in a take out order. When he got there 15 minutes later, he had to wait a long time. I ordered the deviled crab with garlic mashed potatoes and baby limas. He ordered shrimp scampi with the same sides. We did not order drinks. My deviled crab was obviously frozen. Cold in the middle and full of wet, nasty breading. Very little crab, which had no taste. Got canned green beans instead of potatoes (didn't bother trying). Limas were also canned and very salty.​ Husband also got beans instead of potatoes. Shrimp were over cooked and rubbery. Melted "butter sauce" was a strange dark color and very greasy. It looked like burnt oil with herbs thrown in. We could only assume the green beans were a mistake and since we live 30 minutes away, we weren't going back for what were probably instant potatoes. For a meal that cost us $43, we were VERY disappointed. Will never go back again. read more

Step back in time! Map of Florida placemats, fish nets and bouys decorating the dining room, '80's music playing in the background, paneling on the walls - so nostalgic! All you can eat options looks amazing but we chose blackened shrimp and stuffed crab plus fried scallops and clam strips - sides were Lima beans and green beans - both seasoned to perfection with pork! - coleslaw and fried okra. Couldn't finish it all! Very family friendly with limited bottled beer options. Staff were so kind, very much representative of southern hospitality - wish we lived closer or had this in Tennessee! read more

This was my first visit to Cedar River Seafood. I was recommended by a bus tour group as we stopped in for lunch, so I had not read the Yelp reviews until afterwards. I wanted to collect my own impression based on the food and the service. Since we were a large group, I did not expect to have the service we had, but I was pleased overall. The servers were fast and efficient. Next, the food which is the most important element of Cedar River. The fish was crispy, but not too hard and it was fresh. The portion was plenty and the prices were fair too. I learned that there are at least three Florida locations: Fernandina, Callahan, and this one. I was surprised to see the low ratings, but it really was tasty food here. I would recommend giving it a try for yourself. There were lots of cars in the parking lot, so I am not sure the air of mediocrity hangs over the restaurant. Again, I enjoyed my food and the experience. read more

Cedar River Seafood - the front of the restaurant - Seafood Near Me - Starke, Florida

Saturday night at 5 o'clock we were coming through Starke heading back to Lakeland. We stopped for supper. It's six now and we are in the truck heading home. Dude, the food was fantastic! I went with the popcorn shrimp, fries & collards. My hubs went with fried shrimp, baked potato and fried okra. The shrimp were perfectly cooked on both our plates. My fries were plentiful and his baked potato was nice and fluffy. The okra was excellent and so were the collards. Seriously, good eats here. The servers were nice, answered questions and were a pleasure. Y'all need to stop at this little gem! read more

I enjoy coming g to this Cedar River location usually when I am in the area for work. You cannot beat the Frist Mates Shrimp entree. They give you a plate full of medium sized shrimp that are well seasoned but not overly breaded. I can never eat the entire meal in one setting. The price is comparable as well. The service is about what you expect for the area and price point. But overall I've been to this location four or five times and I am always pleased with my food. read more

Doesn't look like much but the staff is very friendly and the fried flounder was actually pretty tasty. I would like to see more attempt to clean, table was sticky and I could see dust all around the restaurant. Overall not a bad place to get a fast meal read more

Cedar River Seafood - Blackened catfish - Seafood Near Me - Starke, Florida

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My family and I recently moved to Starke and have had trouble finding a great restaurant if I'm being honest. We stopped into Cedar River Seafood on a Monday evening and was instantly greeted by friendly faces and warm smiles. We had the calamari to start, which was piping hot and crispy. Followed by fried shrimp with all the fixings. I can't say enough great things about the food here. Everything was fresh and fast, and the service was amazing. I didn't catch her name but she was energetic, interacting and gave my (at the time) grumpy kid a big smile on her face. Let's just say, she wasn't grumpy for long! The server was amazing. Safe to say, we will be RUNNING back. read more

Service was superb. In these times, we have come to expect delays and long wait times. Traveling we can find this a bit frustrating but we were seated and waited on immediately. The clam chowder was hot but just okay. My flounder was hot and delicious. My macaroni and cheese side was generous and creamy. Two hush puppies were light, not the least bit greasy and delicious. The fresh fruit side was generous but might have come from a jar. My companion had the fried flounder sandwich --more flounder than he needed on his fresh roll. Nice atmosphere but might be a bit noisy when crowded. Very reasonable prices for the quality. Nice kid's menu. Would definitely return. read more

I hadn't been to Cedar Rivers since I was in college at UF. It seemed better in some ways but not all around. Pros- First and foremost they have great service. They were sweet and helpful. Food was delicious. Who doesn't love fried seafood. Sweet tea was absolutely amazing! Cons- shrimp was not deveined. The shrimp has an awful taste since they didn't get rid of the poop before frying it. That was a problem for others in my party but I don't eat shrimp so it was not a problem for me. read more

Cedar River Seafood - Fried to perfection- okra and catfish - Seafood Near Me - Starke, Florida

Typical small town seafood place except for the tween working the kitchen and delivering food while wearing a sleeveless shirt, way against cleanliness standards for restaurants in Florida. Won't be back. read more

Service was disappointing for sure given our circumstances today. One of our friends had a hair in her tomato okra. We told the waitress and she just shrugged it off and didn't even take it away. One would assume she'd tell the mgr. but that didn't happen. Didn't offer to comp the meal or free dessert??? On top of that, one of our orders was wrong and she put another person's meal on the wrong ticket. All in all, terrible service. Exercise caution and check with the health dept on cleanliness. read more

We stopped at the one off Alligator Creek and had lunch. It didn't look like much from the outside but our meals were delicious. I got the broiled scallop and shrimp platter and it was delicious. The sides were good too. If you drive by here it's worth stopping!! read more

I have taken several of my friends from Orlando when they come to visit. So far everyone loved and want to know when you might have a store in the Orlando area. I always say I am going to get something different, but then end up ordering the fried shrimp every time because it is great. Hushpuppies are crisp and light You would not ask for better service. You never have to ask for a waitress because they check back with you often. read more

Fish was nasty, mashed potatoes nasty, shrimp good, baked beans good. Would really not recommend. Should have hit up McDonald's.

Service was fair - the waitress did deliver our food while she was on the phone which I thought was rude. We all ordered something different some fried some broiled and none of us were happy completely with our food so this will be our last visit. The broiled scallops were extremely fishy read more

Probably the worst overall restaurant experience I've ever had. Me and my wife wanted to have a nice dinner with my parents and catch up but that wasn't ever going to happen. We ordered drinks and salads. Both times the waitress came to our table with the items she was loudly talking on her cell phone which was pinned between her head and shoulder talking about how much liquor she wanted from the store and so when the the food(fried shrimp) came out right away you could tell they were frozen just but the feel and overly fishy taste. The potatoes were cold and tasteless as if they were just in the back under a warmer all day or something. Only thing that was o about the meal was spending it with family. I'd rather run next door to Popeyes next time! read more

If I could rate as zero stars that is what I would give. This place was absolutely horrible. The service was slow, the food took over an hour to get and when we did finally receive it, the scallops weren't cooked and tasted like straight garbage. When we asked for the manager, it was our server. We complained about the wait time - and she replied that she "has never heard that before." We complained the loaded baked potato was far from "loaded" and she made no apologies or offer to fix. Nor did she offer to fix the scallops. The only remedy she gave was to take my food off the bill after I said I refused to pay for raw seafood. I will NEVER return to this disgusting, not even close to mediocre restaurant. This place should be shut down. read more

Everything is priced well and the food was good for the price. Other things bothered me though. I had some weird tick like looking bug crawling around on my plate. The vegetables on the plate were amazing though. Then i wanted to bring my daughter to the bathroom to change her and someone had thrown up so a lady was cleaning it but they had no changing table and the sink was too small to even lay her on. Even though she cleaned a portion of the floor where someone had thrown up the rest of the floor was disgusting so...yeah, not laying a baby on that. All in all I would maybe go back. Maybe... read more

Great place to go for lunch or dinner. There prices to me are a little high but the food is always good.

Where do you find a quality restaurant - open on the 4th of July? My daughter was going back to school on the 4th and I wanted to have lunch with her while driving north. Every fast food restaurant is open - but we wanted to sit down, have a real menu; relax, sit and talk and enjoy our food and company. I googled several restauants in the Starke area and found Cedar River there. I put their address in my GPS and we headed out. What a great find! In addition to fresh seafood (we both had that) - their sides are "to die for". Hush Puppies and Slaw - I'd drive back just to have those again. Seriously - if you are heading north toward Jacksonville - or coming south towards Ocala, Tampa or Orlando, put this restaurant into your address book. Right off the main highway, plenty of parking and a wonderful, cordual staff! You won't be disappointed. read more

The food was served hot and delicious, always a fan of their fried shrimp. They would have been a 5 star restaurant if they rip out the old carpet replace the weird tile ceiling and replace the 70's paneling. Don't get in a hurry here the place had about 4 other couples eating and it took a long time for the food to cook. we were done eating for at least 15 min. and waiting on the check the waitress just disappeared, way under staffed, maybe she was also the cook, it took long enough for that to be the case. The food makes up for a lot of the short comings though. I'll be back!!!! read more

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I had been wanting to try Cedar River since we moved here in 2013. I finally had that opportunity. I ordered the salad with chicken. It was absolutely awful! The chicken was chewy and I could only eat a few pieces, and the lettuce was very chunky as if no one took the time to prep the salad. Never again: read more

Went there on fathers day at around 245pm just as the church crowd was leaving so there was no wait. First and foremost. I had the best waitress ive ever had in all my 47 years.. dont know her name but she was a 62 yo fire plug with brunette hair.. such a sweet lady. I started with the crab stuffed fried mushrooms and they were so good, perfection... i ordered the big mate which comes with shrimp oysters scallops flounder and fries and a crabcake. It was delicious but one complaint there was too much of the fish fillets and not enough oysters. The fried shrimp batter was soo good. You could taste a hint of lemon!! Highly recommend as the staff and food was phenomenal read more

Good service, great seafood with large portions at a fair price. Convenient hours for the traveler. We will definitely bypass the chain restaurants to return to Cedar River the next time we travel through Lake City. read more

My husband and I stopped here on our way through from Pennsylvania to estero Florida where our son and daughter law live. I ordered the shrimp basket and the shrimp were the best. My hubby ordered the Ashley burger and the ingredients were so fresh. Our waitress was so friendly. Good food. Wonderful southern hospitality We will definitely go again. If we lived near this town it would be our hangout read more

I would never go here if I had my way. We have a big family and its a half way point for all of us to meet up. The service and food are just plain blah. read more

Cedar River Seafood - Seafood Near Me - Starke, Florida

Food under cooked Service tolerable Filthy nasty disgusting restaurant. Never returning read more

I haven't been here in a few years but when I did it was good food,hot and fresh. Good fish,shrimp and hush puppies. Nice fresh salads and sweet iced tea. Friendly wait staff and overall nice people. Restrooms could be cleaner but not that bad. I'll go back when I'm in Starke. The worst part is making a left hand turn onto US-301 coming out of the parking lot. EXTREMELY DANGEROUS! TAKE YOUR TIME! The FDOT is building a by-pass around Starke and it can't open soon enough. Lot's if semi-truck traffic headed north and south between I-10 and I-75 in Ocala. Visit Cedar River and drive safely. read more

Today's visit wasn't as usual. Came in for a carryout; server acted as if I was more of an interruption than a customer.

My friend and I stopped by during our road trip from Gainesville to Jacksonville. Relaxing and quiet place. Portion was good enough. Boiled Oysters tasted great! Very nice people! read more

Cedar River Seafood - Seafood Near Me - Starke, Florida

Not tasty. Everything fried tastes the same. No seasoning. Chicken tenders and fries taste like they were fried in the same oil as the seafood. Hadn't been here in many months due to poor taste in food. We came back because folks told us they had changed. Well, they did not change. I don't even think the scallops are actually scallops. Never tasted scallops like this nor seen any with this consistency. Our service was fine, she's very friendly and knows how to wait a table. That's the only good thing I can say about this visit. read more

Visiting from out of town, we were looking for some good home cooked seafood. Definitely found it! It was a very small town vibe inside, lots of carrying on by staff. They were going above and beyond to abide by current social distancing rules/regs. (Parents bring your own crayons/pens for the kid menu fun!) I watched staff wiping down entire seating areas immaculately. They were taking seating and social distancing very seriously by constantly communicating with one another about where they were seating guests. They were missing quite a few menu items due to shortages (understandable). We got our food in a timely manner and it was really good! We ordered corn dogs, fried shrimp, calamari, clam strips, fried flounder, hush puppies...all of it; and it was all cooked perfectly. Their cocktail and tartar sauce was great. Even their coleslaw was good! It's hard to find a well made coleslaw. Very impressed! And thankful to have found a good home cooked meal while traveling! read more

Went for lunch . Waited thirty minutes we finally got one meal it was cold 15 minutes later after he got finished eating they said mine would be here soon . Never got my food paid and walked out with out eating. This restaurant has really gone down hill. Last time I went I got food poisoning. I thought I would try again. Never will I step foot in there. Terrible management read more

Excellent food. Friendly staff. I have eaten at the Cedar Rivers in jax and macclenny and the Starke store is by far the best. The starke location puts extra cheese in the cheese grits and the batter on the shrimp is tastier and the fries are also better. If you enjoy the cedar river chain, you need to try this location. read more