We stopped in on the weekend of the Fiddler Crab festival in Steinhatchee, Fl. Our first choice was busy, with an hour wait, and a storm coming in, we opted for Fiddler's. We were warned that there were only 2 wait staff on at the time, and to be patient. To that, our waitress had the sweetest southern accent, her name started with an M, she was amazing. She handled her section, yes we waited but had no real complaints. The prices were a bit out of line with the food offerings. I paid $25.99 for some tender, juicy shrimp and $29.99 for a plate of "fried scallop" all were the size of a nickle and tasted like punched ray wing. I iver heard another customer state that they would like more chicken in their Chicken Alfredo, as the serving they got, 4 peices was ridiculous for the price they charge. read more

See all

Alana the bar tender is very good at her job. She had to deal with some rough customers who were making some patrons a little nervous. A very entertaining, true Florida, off the beaten path experience. While the restaurant is not the best in the world, it's pretty good and the only option on a Tuesday night that we could find. The place was crowded and we were taken care of with the right level of attention. We stayed in the newly remodeled first floor of one of the buildings. There's still lots of cleanup and re-building to do. It's a little sad to see Steinhatchee suffer so much. But glad to see folks trying to make a go of life again. read more

Fiddler's Restaurant and Resort - They will cook your scallop catch - Seafood Near Me - Steinhatchee, Florida

Amazing place! The best kept secret! We stayed for the night at the resort. I recommend first floor rooms. They are all newly remodeled and updated rooms . They are still under construction after hurricane Helene. Beautiful room totally redone. Beds are comfortable . Enjoyed sitting on the screen patio looking at the water. We had some wine and dinner with C C, she is so sweet! Enjoyed our conversation with her. We ate dinner and everything was hot and fresh. We ate seafood. They also have hamburgers, sandwiches, pasta and more. Everyone was so nice, like being with friends. I highly recommend this place. It's my third time here and I love it every time! read more

See all

Love this little gem. I've stayed here twice and never a disappointment. The entire staff was super sweet with all the southern charm. Salad bar and coffee bar are my favorite. We stayed on site and love the water view and the rooms were clean and decorated so adorable. The live music on the both porches was a plus. Had a blast dancing with friends and watching the football game while we ate dinner. It had everything to keep us entertained and coming back for more ! read more

I stopped in Fiddlers and overnight in Steinhatchee on a quiet Oct Thurs. Sat at bar and had a couple beers and stone crab claws. Bartenders were both pros, friendly and quick. The claws tasted right off the boat......since this place is in the middle of a fishing village I assumed, but asked anyway. Yes! all the seafood was local and fresh. The town is still beat up from storms, but bouncing back. Thanks! I will be back. My only request is to add a bar TV facing inside for those inside on chilly nights. read more

We visited here on our way home from my daughter's house back in May 2024. She lives a few hours away in the Panhandle of Florida. We stayed at the tiny fishing cabins across from the Fiddler's Restaurant. These cabins also are owned by Fiddler's Restaurant. We went to dinner there and they were just about to open the full restaurant after all the renovations from the Hurricane Ian. The food was delicious. The service was great. The following month, Hurricane Debbie hit the big bend area and I am disappointed that another hurricane just hit in August/September. Mother Nature needs to give this area a break! read more

Jadyn made some very good coffee this morning! She is a super sweet girl. Can't wait to come back! read more

Fiddler's Restaurant and Resort - The tea - Seafood Near Me - Steinhatchee, Florida

Horrible service! My wife & I went in at 5:15 on Friday evening. There were only three other tables of families eating, the place was empty. Ordered drinks while looking at the menu, having never been here before. My wife ordered blackened redfish. I ordered fried oyster dinner, soon the restaurant started filling up. Over the next hour and 15 minutes, I asked our server many times, when is the food coming? Every table that arrived after us, got their meals and was finished eating. Finally, a young girl brought over a single small plate for my wife. It was a tiny slice of fish the size of a Tampon . She couldn't even cut it with a fork. I asked, how about my dinner ? She said.... Sorry, we're out of Scallops! I said I didn't order scallops! I ordered fried oyster dinner. This was an hour & 20 minutes after we sat down. I literally drank 5 rum runners waiting. Needless to say, my wife sent her food back! We didn't get anything to eat at all. All the while waitresses would stop by and ask, if we were being helped. I told everyone, Summer took our order. I would not recommend this restaurant to anyone!!!!! read more

I go to fiddlers for lunch order coleslaw and 10 fried shrimp. 50$ fuckin dollars. That's not the worst part .I eat my shrimp first they were good but when I took a bite of coleslaw it tasted funny so I took one more bite then it hit Mt like a brick to the face it tasted just like a condom smells. That place should burn down. Discussing place i would never recommend anyone to eat there . Not to mention that place has been flooded several times. There is no way they got the mold out of the walls. read more

Spent the weekend at Fiddler's for a Girl's Trip and had such an great time! The condo we stayed in was beautiful! The restaurant and bar was so much fun. The food was amazing and there was little to no wait for drinks at the bar. The band was fantastic and the upbeat atmosphere topped off the perfect evening. Thank you to Fiddlers and staff for such a memorable experience! read more

Staying at Fiddler's felt like stepping into the heart of Steinhatchee. From the moment we arrived, the vibe was relaxed, quirky, and welcoming. The rooms were clean and cozy, perfect after a long day on the water. Food amazing!! Highly recommend! The staff were courteous and super helpful! read more

Love the atmosphere... laid back ...on the water... live music on weekends.... Cayla was most informative on all the menu options as well as casual convo about local area, restaurants, & lingering hurricane effects. All you can eat crab legs delicious... great taste... a bit smaller than we are used to but good! Peppered Tuna on point! Not overcooked like many tend to do... great job! Almost didn't come bc of the 2 star reviews... glad we did... definitely deserving of much more than 2 stars! Recommend without reservation! read more

Fiddler's Restaurant and Resort - Crab legs ...salad bar ...Cosmo martini - Seafood Near Me - Steinhatchee, Florida

See all

We showed up and the restaurant had barely any lights on. The door you went in through was not even unlocked and then there was no hostess at the front to greet you. We stood at the wait to be seated sign for 30 minutes while many workers saw us and passed by. Once someone finally approached us they said food was done being served for the night and to please come back sometime. Needless to say that will not be happening. read more

Food was excellent and service was surprisingly good for as many people we had. I had fried shrimp and it was so good. Highly recommend this place. read more

The food was excellent. The decorations and ambiance was nice. And our waitress, Ryleigh, was awesome!

If I could leave a half star I would. Horrible food, horrible atmosphere, nothing but trouble all days of the week. States they don't condone underage drinking or having underage people there at a certain time....half the business they get on the weekends are underage people. read more

Went there last night after watching the sunset to get a bite to eat before driving the hour and half back home. Walked in no one at the desk but a sign that says wait to be seated and a bell with a smile on it that I rang a few minutes the host showed up and show me and my wife to the table and left. We sat there for 30 mins and watch her seat another group take there drink order and then there food order and completely ignore me and my wife no food no drink for us not even a glance. My wife spent her whole career helping others in the medical field that she just retired from to be treated this way I cannot wrap my head around this . Scarlett was the host she said proudly after treat us this way. The service was very very bad I sure the food is to read more

The food was boring. The best thing we had was the salad bar. When talking with others after we left, we were told that the place is hit or miss. Sad because we really wanted to love it. read more

Was impressed with the service, unfortunately that was the end of being impressed. The food was for the price you are paying mediocre at best. Crab claws were over cooked and prime rib was so well done and tough you could not cut it. This definitely a tourist trap to lure those in who are unfamiliar with real fresh seafood. read more

So our first time here last night. Food was ok. Nothing tremendously special about it. Nothing tastes bad and was well presented. I'm giving this place a 3 because of service. As one of the first customers there around 5:30 I expected much better service. Drinks were quick so not waitress fault but the food took wayyyy too long. I guess if you don't mind waiting then this could be the place for you. As the evening went on more locals arrived and anything we ordered after the crowd arrived took even longer. read more

We have been coming down for years and the fiddlers we use to love is no longer. The food on seafood buffet night was sparse at best. If a restaurant is going to have a buffet keep it stocked it's too much money for no food. No boiled shrimp and wasn't restocked. Only got crab legs once and we waited for a hour for more. It had fish that was supposed to be grouper but really don't think it was but at least they had it and fried shrimp. The service was ok but the place was half full on the inside. We have tried it now several times since it sold to see if they get their act together but I think this is their act. They really are going after the drinks and bar more than food. This used to be a great place to get excellent food but not anymore. I sure hope they get it turned around but not getting my money until they do. Summery is poor food quality and quantity with a big price equals very poor experiences. Sad read more

Horrible horrible - where to start Called to place order - on hold over seven minutes - decided to order online - not something easily done on website - takes you to third party that charges $4.99 - placed order only to get a call within a few minutes telling me that "the prices online are not accurate - we haven't updated it, you owe about $15 more and we don't have the ribs you wanted" to which I reply you mean to tell me I'm now getting one less meal and it's costing me that much more money? - she said yes - THIS IS ILLEGAL - bait and switch - cancelled our order but still had to pick up our friends so we tried to order at bar - over one hour wait - didn't order, had to wait extra 15 min after we were told our friends order was ready for pickup - absolute disaster- and our friends said it was the worst food ever. read more

A prime staple of Florida Gulf cities are the seafood restaurants that serve local seafood in dozens of ways. In the old days you only got a choice of fried everything, but in today's more heart healthy environment you get added choices of broiled and blackened. Fiddlers is that quintessential Gulf restaurant complete with a bridge over water at the entrance and numerous window views of the water. Our server was new, it took her some time to insure she got our order just right, but she was fantastic. Our party of six ordered a good cross section of the menu, salads, gumbo, fish, crab and the Steinhatchee special scallops. Here are some highlights: Seafood Gumbo - full of seafood but really spicy, too spicy for my tastes and the roux over powered the contents. Salads - well prepared with homemade dressings (Salad Bar - there was a salad bar but we did not try it) Crab - snow crab with drawn butter, two full clusters that were on the smallish size but very tasty. What I not enjoy was the drawn butter with garlic, it was thick and had an odd flavor. Our waitress was so pleasant and clearly very busy that I did not have the heart to ask for plain butter. Scallops - fresh and lightly seasoned Shrimp - fried to perfection, but lacked spice The decor is Americana, with seaside pictures and interesting artifacts. Spend some time checking them out as they are part of the fun. Parking is plentiful out front and during the three month scallop season there can be a wait, but otherwise you will fine with locals. read more

Terrible food. Prime Dip sandwich was so salty it was inedible! Salad bar had rusted , wilted lettuce, French fries tasted and felt like they were reheated in the microwave. The baked potato was overcooked , dry, and tasteless. Avoid this place. So many other local places to go , for far less cost, why waste a vacation meal on a bad meal. read more

Wonderful place for lunch on the Steinhatchee River. We had a party of 7 with individual checks. The waitress was efficient, sweet and knowledgeable. Everyone loved the food and the prices were beyond reasonable. Will definitely go back next time I come this way. read more

The previous owners where great. I don't eat crab or prime rib and they were always nice enough to charge me the kids price. Not with the new owner and they have a lot less options on the buffet. I really wanted fried chicken but not for buffet price so I ordered it off the menu and was very disappointed. Now they are charging a 15% upcharge to every bill. Needless to say they lost my families business and a lot of our friends that always went with us. If the new owner is reading this, the way the buffet was set up before was much better. Everyone is to crowed in now. read more

Waited 20 minutes for a server to come to our table and then was greeted by a rude attitude. We had to request silverware on several occasions while sitting with food in front of us. Asked to speak to a manager and was given our server to speak to. Finally got an actual manager and was greeted with excuses and more attitude. Offered free drinks but had the audacity to tell someone at our table that it was obvious he'd had some drinks today. Unprofessional. Rude service and atmosphere. Will not return. read more

Awful! No service so have no idea how their food is. No drink service either. 7 pm on Sunday.... We were just ignored.

We stumbled upon fiddler's after the restaurant at the motel where we were staying at informed me that they were closing early (not cool in my book). I walked into Fiddler's at 9:40 and asked them what time they closed and a sweet waitress told me 10 PM, but they would definitely have no issue with still serving us. Score! We sat down, ordered our drinks, scanned the menu quickly since we were starving and decided to order the grouper fingers, the chicken fingers, and the fried shrimp. All of which came with two sides and each one of us ordered a Caesar salad and fries. Our food came out quickly, was hot and fresh, delicious, and was served with a smile. Not once did our waitress make us feel rushed or unwelcome, even though we did arrive super close to closing time. If you ever are in Steinhatchee scalloping definitely check out fiddlers for some excellent food and great customer service. read more

See all

I Was okay with the food. Had overly intoxicated customers that were not asked to leave. My experience should not be determined by how uncontrollable other people are allowed to be. But wait! When I received the bill there was a service fee added without one previous mention. Be aware if you add the tip and the service fee you end up at 27% added to your meal. That's ridiculous to me. The price to dine at this restaurant should be reflected by the prices in the menu. I've been coming to town for years, Fiddlers wont be anywhere in my future. read more

Didn't eat here. Six dollars for a 12 ounce bottle of Yuengling no thanks ! No draft beer only bottles and cans.

Fiddlers is always evolving adding more space the new outdoor venues are great!!! The food is good the drinks are good my only complaint is the prices are a little high. read more

What a dump this place has become, I decided to give them anyone try for breakfast, I got bacon that was undercooked and dripping with grease, the French toast was soggy. I can't understand how or why French toast would be soggy and slimy. I sent that crap back and I will not be giving them another chance. Don't forget about the 15% service charge they add to the bill. read more

Food and view was ok. Went for Mother's Day buffet and have to say very disappointing with service. Had to go up to get drinks two times. Also, had to go up to get bill after waiting for a period of time. This business changes a "service fee". It works out to be about 16 % of the bill. With the bad service I wasn't giving a tip, which was a good thing, because I would have been give her a 40% time with the service fee add. This is just crazy to me. I was told the service fee goes for their 401K and their company matches it. How, this waitress has another 16%! Bringing her up to 56% of my bill. I need to rethink about being a waitress again!!!! read more

We waited for over an 1 1/2 hours to get our food, just to find out the waitress forgot to put it in. When we did finally get our food the "seafood gumbo" had nothing in it just broth, the steak bites were raw, and we never received our fried pickles. The assistant manager was nice and discounted our order for 1/2 price. It was appalling. They weren't even busy. They stocked salad bar though. They should just be a bar, they had more going for them with that. Stop serving food! read more

We waited over an hour for our food. The waitress lied about putting our food in, then we we finally got it, it was all wrong. The steak was raw. Gumbo didn't have anything in it but they claimed it was "seafood gumbo"! Don't waste your money here! read more

Tv didn't work, because of poor internet. Everything else was good. Didn't eat there. We stayed across the street so didn't hear the partying but looked like lots of fun. I'll read more

Choices are limited here. Not bad, not great. Fried seafood and other choices. Had live music. Drunks visiting from Georgia are entertaining. read more

For my birthday, i took my friends out to this restaurant. i have been here before and loved it, but this night definitely changed my views. first the wait was very long, which is completely understandable. we sat down at 7:30. it was all okay at first but then everything went down hill from there. first thing that happened was our waitress was gone for 30 minutes at a time. none of my party had silver wear or didn't get refills from our waitress. we had to flag other workers down just to meet our needs. some of the people in our party did not get there food for over an hour and a half. one of the people in our party stood up for us to someone claiming to be a manager (she was not). the explained how some didn't have their food, one of us had chips of the shell in oysters, some of the food was burnt, and many of other things. but to continue the night, we all just wanted our food and to leave. but another problem happened. the waitress did not ask who was paying for what and decided to put food together on checks randomly. the one person who stood up for us was trying to help her but the checks were still wrong. we wait 30-45 minutes until all the checks were right and were given to the right people. they then told us to go to the front cash register to pay for our food. everyone took their turns paying for their food. but then the woman who was ringing us up suddenly was yelling at my boyfriend. we both were very confused but then she continued to yell at me. after i watched everyone pay for their food, again, the one who spoke up walked back to the register and asked if everything was paid for, and the woman said yes you are all good. (i watched these words coming out of her mouth) after we were told that everything was okay, we left. but then at 10:30 at night (45 minutes after we left) the "general manager" texted my mother claiming that one of us didn't pay, that we left on golf carts (we left in vehicles), and that they had to chase us down. which did not happen. we explained to her that was not true. they doubled down on their claims and said that we were lying. but what they didn't know was that two workers had this persons card for 20 minutes and handed her a receipt that said paid. we asked them to recheck the cameras and look at the interaction between us and the lady who rang us up. all i wanted was to have a good birthday dinner with my close friends, but because of the awful management it was not. it was a headache and stressful. read more

Worst dining experience EVER. Zero stars would be too good a rating. Waited 1 1/2 hours for our food which was AWFUL! On top of that, they tacked on a $9.00 service charge that was NOT mentioned anywhere!! Had to hunt up the manager because she couldn't be bothered to come to our table. Talking to the manager was an act of futility as she said she wouldn't be able to help with ANYTHING compwise. AVOID THIS PLACE LIKE THE PLAGUE!!! read more