7/ 24: Originally planning to go to St. Augustine for dinner after the beach, but a traffic jam caused us to stop at the nearest restaurant, which was Commander's. This place is a hidden gem. We ordered some beers at their smaller bar while we waited for a table. The atmosphere is really nice because there's an elevated deck that you can walk all the way out onto the water, pretty much. Once we were seated, our server, Danielle, was very knowledgeable and answered all of our questions. We both ordered the fish sandwich - I got swordfish and my sister got flounder. YUM! It was fresh, juicy, and delicious. We also got a side of hush puppies and roasted potatoes, which were also tasty (the potatoes needed a little salt though). My nephew had a hankering for dessert so we ended the night with some cheesecake. The slice was big enough for the three of us to share, and pretty good. I'm a big fan of the crust, which I loved. My sister and I both ended up taking home leftovers since the fish sandwiches were pretty hefty. The prices were average for a seafood place. Overall, it was a great experience with really tasty food, fun atmosphere, and great service! read more

Food was meh. Service was double meh. Deck on the water was closed--underwhelming and disappointing overall. Came for the fresh wahoo--it was good! Boom boom shrimp were good. Fish dip (looked like salmon--disappointing. The fresh catch smoked would've been ). Okay taste; too mayonnaise-y. Needed some veggies to dip and jalapeños instead of just pre-packaged crackers. Nothing to write home about. Hush puppies were hard as a rock. Worth a shot, but needs much better attention to detail, effort and execution. read more

We had a party of 6 that dined at the end of the pier patio and food was great as always-- the only issue eating there is you have to order your drinks and food at a station prior to the walk to the patio--your food is brought to the patio, but additional drinks require you to go back to the order station as there is no server option-- if you don't mind a little inconvenience, the view of the inter-coastal is nice with a great sunset! read more

Our server was wonderful and the location is great but the food was just ok. They don't have liquor, only beer and wine based drinks.

Great place, great service. I had crab and corn chowder and it was delicious. We had fried shrimp and the shrimp Poboy. Food was great! Hush puppies were very tasty read more

Commander's Shellfish Camp - Bars Near Me - St. Augustine, Florida

The outside deck is nice, but the restaurant doesn't support it. They treat the customers like they don't exist. We ordered over 200 dollars worth of food and they never fulfilled our order. We had to go home and order pizza. read more

We searched for crab legs in St Augustine and found very little. Happily Commanders Shellfish Camp had snow crab legs at $35 a pound. When we arrived we were asked to sit outside but then found they couldn't accommodate us there either. We were then asked if they could seat us out by the water T their outpost. We agreed which removed having a waiter and we were left to fend for ourselves. My salad showed at the end of the meal in a to go box. Our request for water and ice tea refills was gladly received but the food server never returned. He seemed to be a busboy. We were only offered plastic silverware which made eating crab legs difficult. We were covered with OldBay spice and butter and as our baskets and plastic platters were removed from the table I asked if hand wipes might be available only to be told yes and I usually hand them out half way through your meal but I didn't this time. Ten minutes later when I had finished my after dinner said he could be seen chatting with the bartenders and leaning on the fence having no memory of his offer of our drink refills. The most troubling thing was that the crab legs were almost cold when they were brought to the table. Do not sit in their outpost under ANY CONDITIONS. read more

I ate there last night with friends and ordered the blackened Mahi Mahi. The fish was very flavorful with the spice and a good amount. The green bean side was superb! The chowder was okay, I come from NE and like the chowder a certain way. We ordered gator bites which were tasty with the remoulade sauce and the datil sauce. The server was very attentive, stopping by frequently to refill beverages. Very nice view of the sun setting. read more

We decided to give this place a try but unfortunately we won't be back. The wait to sit in the actual restaurant was an hour, we went ahead and put our names on the list. We ended up getting a picnic table on the back deck and ordering our food from there. We waited a good 45 minutes for our food. The fresh catch fish sandwich was way too salty and nothing special. My husband's fries were cold and unseasoned. The only good thing about the meal were the grits, they were fantastic. When the sun started going down the bugs came out in a fury. Not enough good things for us to come back. Very disappointing. read more

Decided to add this place to my "give it a try" restaurant list after seeing a shared social media post about local oyster season in 10 days. Left St Augustine Beach today in search of good seafood, specifically oysters & shrimp. Commander's came to mind, locating on the map, realizing it was another 30 min south, thought about reconsidering the drive. I am so glad we trekked on! We enjoyed dusted fish bites, VA oysters, snow crab legs, peel & eat shrimp & the creamy grits. The only thing that was disappointing was my belly being too full to eat more. The story and history of the Commander and it's namesake is great and seeing some of the seafood and ingredients farmed and grown there on the ICW is a bonus. Being a Jacksonville native, I love to see a local resource and small business partnership. Highly recommend giving this place a try. 10 out of 10!! read more

Never disappoints Freshest seafood Great staff Royal reds are amazing If you love sunsets, it's perfect read more

I'm always looking for a new seafood place to check out near a beach. Here is Commander's Shellfish Camp in St Augustine Beach. Hidden back on A1A on the inter coastal side is this quaint little restaurant they call a shellfish camp. Easy parking. Good for motorcycles. This Camp has indoor and outdoor seating. A little tight on the deck, but a great ocean breeze to keep you cool when it 85 degrees. Six in our party had no problems getting seated on the patio deck. The Camp is very clean and the servers were polite and kept our drinks full. Everyone had a mix from seafood salads to steamed clams (they raise their own), to fried shrimp (major thumbs up) and the shrimp poor boy. The good: The salads were great. No iceberg!!! The fried shrimp were LARGE crisp and perfectly cooked. The OK. The shrimp poorboy was served on basically a nice hamburger bun. Otherwise good. The disappointment: Of all things the two dozen steamed clams. The meat was the size of a dime, and they weren't. $18 bucks for two dozen. Though the clams were a disappointment, we will be back. Nice place. Good selection Nice staff read more

Commander's Shellfish Camp - Outside patio - Bars Near Me - St. Augustine, Florida

Delicious shrimp, conch fritters and hush puppies. Basically everything we ordered was great. We will be back! We ate it too fast to take a photo! read more

I cannot believe that I have not previously reviwes Commander's. We order take out from here, or purchase seafood from the market, at least 2-3 times per month. You will not find better fried shrimp anywhere. Great people own and run this place , and they hire great people, too. We buy whatever their freshest fish is, and routinely pick up Royal Red Shrimp to cook at home. Highly rec, either for take out or dine in. They are spacing as required, and routinely do a deep "anti-covid" cleaning. read more

One of the go to go places if you love sea food . Great location Great food , tasty and fresh . Loved the service will visit again

We were four and ordered 2 appetizers and then the large plater of seafood with lots of king & dungeons crab and shrimp. Both types of crab were dry (I suspect previously frozen). Not worth it. 3 stars is for the atmosphere and pleasant service. Food was so so. read more

We went for lunch and it was busy but we got seated right away at the picnic tables outside. It was a nice setting by the water. The food was great! Our kids had the kids shrimp dinner and chicken fingers. The shrimp were huge and the chicken fingers were lightly breaded and tasty. We had the boom boom shrimp appetizer and again the shrimp were huge and the sauce on them was good - slightly sweet but spicy too. I had the crab cakes and they were very lightly breaded on the outside and it was full of big chunks of lump crab. So good! My husband had the blackened flounder sandwich and he really liked it. I also took a cup of clam chowder to go and it was delicious! This was by far the best meal we had while on vacation in St Augustine/Crescent Beach! read more

Place was packed during COVID Thank goodness outside eating as inside was really not safe. Oysters raw were tasty but not cleaned properly so lots of shell and grit. Service very good. Drinks good and cold...overall good but not fantastic.... read more

Great experience two nights in a row at Commander's. Great fresh seafood and friendly folks. We will definitely come back. Highly recommended. read more

Best oysters ever. I'm told they farm their own oysters. It's very casual friendly and low key but the food is 5 star.

Great seafood in a friendly setting. Service indoors or outside. Service was quick and friendly. My wife loved the crab legs. Look forward to our next visit read more

A new find. Food, service was great. Will definitely be back. First introduction to Argentinian red shrimp. Oh, my. Lobsters' first cousin. read more

Been twice, enjoyed it both times. Staff is friendly and attentive. Menu is limited, but that ensures the food is fresh.

This is a late review of Commanders. I went in March of 2022 and always wanted to try shrimp and grits for the first time. I tried at Commander's. Big mistake. I spent the rest of the month trying shrimp and grits at different restaurants all over St. Augustine and nothing was even half as good. I'm going back in March this year (2024) and I've been thinking about it all week. I've been Googling looking to find their recipe (cant find it) and going down a shrimp and grits internet rabbit hole. Even though we will be staying in Fort Pierce this March, we are going to stop by and eat on our way down from Massachusetts. See you the end of February! read more

Our new favorite place on the beach! We made it a point to try a new restaurant for lunch and dinner every day this week and decided on this one for last night. I wish we had come here the first night and then did a repeat. First and foremost the restaurant is very clean and open. We started out with two Stellas which were very cold and promptly delivered. Followed by steamed clams, can't recommend them enough. I only wish I would've ordered two dozen. For dinner we went with Argentinian red shrimp and the commanders dinner. The Commander dinner was good but the Argentina red shrimp was phenomenal. Highly recommend it. read more

Great little seafood spot! Small, great atmosphere, outdoor seating, fast service and solid food. The oysters were huge, fresh and delicious! Prices are fair, and portions are large! Try the datil pepper sauce if you like a little spice. The deck outside is nice and it has a walkway that leads down to the water for a little scenic area. read more

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The shrimp is so good. One of my favorite places in Saint Augustine. The deck is nice and overlooks the bay. Good place to watch the sunset

The seafood was very good and thankfully we were staying in a house very close by. We had gator tail, oyster shooters and shrimp and oysters. We loved everything! Very fresh! read more

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The shrimp was so fresh it tasted like it just came off the boat. I started with the New England clam chowder. It was smooth and creamy with plenty of clams in it. It had also been seasoned very well. I then had the shrimp po'boy. The shrimp were a good size, and it cover the bun completely. My husband doesn't eat any kind of fish so he had the burger. It was a basic one, but he said that it was good. We chose two of the pies as samplers - the coconut cream was smooth and had a great coconut flavor. I wasn't a fan of the chocolate one as the chocolate had a bit of an aftertaste. Our server's name was Crystal and she took great care of us. This is our first time at St. Augustine, but this was a great choice for a casual place during the week. read more

Blue Crab chowder is killer! Flounder was excellent, shrimp was too! Highly recommend Captains Platter

Great experience. We ordered a boil with shrimp, sausage, crab, and lobster, po boy, and combination plate with shrimp, blackened fish, and oysters. Po boy was plain, but everything else was wonderful. Only suggestion is to have more options for people who don't eat seafood. We had 1 person with us that was limited to order a chicken po boy or hotdog. read more

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Went with a party of 8 (4 kiddos) and had a great experience. Seafood combo plate was delicious, steamed red fish amazing, and service was wonderful! Recommend this place! read more

Beware this establishment as I was reluctant to give it even 1 star. Had two positive experiences in the past several months with good food and service and a pleasant "Fish camp" experience although it was a bit overpriced but overall quite fun. Yesterday I went with visiting family for a birthday lunch and was appalled by both food and service. The quality of the food has plummeted and the prices are ridiculous; a fast food fish sandwich was $18, served with soggy French fries (one side only) in a styrofoam container with an overpriced beverage served in the same manner. My son picked up the check which was far in excess of $100 for the four of us and given family conviviality we accepted the experience and left vowing to tell about this dreadful experience as we are local and have many social interactions. A shameful experience that should be avoided! read more

August Friday early eve. I'm local, I fish, I know good seafood and I'm the chef at home. The good - The beer was cold, our wait person was friendly and attentive, the patio was lovely. The not so good - The food was a waste of time and money, commissary fare, tasteless and expensive considering the outcome. The fish dip was the worst example of its kind, blended cream cheese with nary a hint of fish. This was our first visit and we were eager for delicious seafood. Sometimes it doesn't work out. As a local it pains me to write this review. read more

When given the opportunity, a lot of people take it upon themselves to be a discerning food critic when their last meal was paid for through the car window. This place serves some of the best food in these parts. Fresh, prompt, delicious. I'm no critic so what more can I ask for? Definitely try it here! read more

Food is fresh but very basic. Wife had the fried flounder. Was just ok I had the Argentinian shrimp steamed. Good but did not come with any sides Good place if u like clams and oysters read more

The hush puppies and fried oysters were so dark I thought they were overcooked. Nope. Fried food that is dark but not overcooked means one thing. The grease in the fry vat is too old and should have been changed yesterday, if not the day before. But the sauteed swordfish was definitely overcooked and dry. That's an oily fish. But what we were served didn't have an ounce of moisture in it. And my piece of swordfish was 50% larger/thicker than my son's. I just wish I had taken a photo of my son's entree. It wasn't worth $20.00 much less $32.00. I didn't complain because of how long it took to get our food in the first place. One other thing, a pound of King Crab isn't remotely worth a $70.00 price tag even in the off season. Especially since the menu didn't specify Alaskan. read more

Just finished lunch here on the patio. Dog friendly! Everything was great. Royal reds, blackened flounder and chicken po boy. Fish dip excellent. A little heat guessing from the datil sauce that the spice lovers in our party liked a lot. But those grits! Had to chat it up with Chef Matt. You'll never guess the secret ingredient, just trust me if u like grits, try them. Service was very attentive and really nice/helpful with suggestions. Been by here many times on my way to st Augustine. So glad we stopped. read more

Commander's Shellfish Camp - @ladiestheaandpoppy - Bars Near Me - St. Augustine, Florida

We had the drunken clams, clam chowder, and grilled mahi mahi. Everything was delicious and very fresh. The mahi was unbelievably fresh and flavorful. Our server, Joshua, was wonderful and made great recommendations! Highly recommend! read more

I want the shrimp and grits to be better, I really do. They can fry some things up, that's for sure, but we felt that they missed a few things compared to our meal last year. We remembered the green beans being great. This time they were oily. The grits were extra creamy and I thought they sacrificed flavor for texture. We had to add salt, but maybe they are looking out for the high blood pressure of the geriatric patrons that are eating a big ol' plate right behind us. Went here twice in a couple of weeks, and decided against going back a third time. Nothing wrong and the servers are friendly, it just wasn't as tasty as we wanted. read more