Wanted to like this place. Decor is interesting and host is very friendly, but service was very slow and indifferent and two of three dinners were over cooked. I had grilled shrimp skewers and they were on the rubbery side. read more

We made a far drive to eat here and were less than impressed. The service was horrible! Appetizer never came out until we had our food which was a good 45 min wait. My husbands drink was empty a lot. My food was cold, not warm but cold. For the price i was expecting way more! Overall not impressed. read more

What a nice little treat on a visit to Okeechobee. Visited on a recommendation from a friend, and it did not disappoint. Yes, it's a little 'old school' with stuffed mounts and a quiet location next to a campground. But the food did not disappoint! It's not a healthy fare, but really good food all around. It capped off a great day trip to the lake. read more

Just a great place to eat and atmosphere is inviting!! Love the food, I always come for catfish, and the cheeseburger is fantastic too, my kids think so. read more

See all

Was in Okeechobee for the weekend with my girlfriend and we were looking for a nice dining experience. After scouting out Yelp and Tripadvisor, we decided to try out the burgers here (neither one of us care for seafood). First impression was not so great after we came in and waited by the "please wait to be seated" sign for a good 3 minutes before anyone helped us. The place was not busy but the wait staff seemed overwhelmed. The actual food we received was delicious but wish they offered a smaller size than the 3/4 lb. as I was not able to finish it. Prices were high for the level of service received. We chose to eat out on the patio which was really nice because it is screened in and that saved us from getting eaten alive by bugs! Good experience overall. If level of service was higher and prices were a little better, would have given 5 stars read more

lunch on porch,nice catfish fingers very good cole slaw running not very good corn and crab{?} great fish wrap hard to eat, runny, seasoning over powering nice waitress read more

Food is great, fried shrimp, raw oysters, any fish!! Location beautiful! Wait staff should be trained.

I am an old Florida native, I have a seafood from all over the state. Years ago we used to come here when driving through town. This is not the place I remember. Although it has been updated, the food was below average, nothing special. There was several open tables, I figured this is probably attributed to the menu pricing- way to high for the quality which is lacking. My advise? Find something in town, or go to your brothers with your fresh catch! read more

Decided to try this as my husband had seen it out while motorcycle riding. Visited on a Tuesday night at dinnertime. The place was dead, but two men walking out said they had been coming there for 30 years, so we decided to give it a go. The waitress was very friendly and after reviewing the menu (which is a bit hard to read with the layout), we sat down. The first thing I noticed was the menus were in awful condition! Mine was taped together and felt sticky:( The place was a bit cold (air was on even though it was cool outside), and the table set up was rather like a sports bar. The decor was pretty cool though. My husband had the special, which was a cajun fish dish, and I decided on fried catfish. Salads came out and were good and pretty big for a side salad. Dinners arrived and the presentation was fairly good. My husband loved his fish and the small 1/2 of a stuffed potato that came with it. My catfish was ok, but I kept tasting a dirt taste. Maybe it is because it was catfish and I am used to cod and other whitefish in a fish fry. My french fries were battered or something. Very odd but the best thing on the plate. Wasn't into the "chips", or whatever the round fried balls of dough were. By the time we were midway thru dinner, I was shivering and got up to go to the bathroom just to move around. The shocker was the price. My husbands special was $25!(should have got a whole potato for that) My dish was $16. Neither dish was worth this amount of money. A $25 dish should be served with linen napkins and a candle on the table. Maybe we will give it a try on the weekend when we are told it is busy, and eat "lunch" instead of dinner. It is located in a neat area and it would be fun to watch the activity. read more

Planned on going to the Okeechobee flea market today and ended up here for lunch. I had read the positive and negative reviews but my hubby is a big fan of fried oysters so thought we'd give it a whirl. Yes, some things service wise were odd. My husband waited in a short line for a table but was told they were short staffed in the kitchen and we'd probably have a 15 minute wait. Even though they had tables available and my husband pointed out a booth he'd like to have, he was told by the manager that he'd rather have him wait. Ok??? So I found him sitting on a bar stool. Just weird considering that after we waited, and then reminded the waitress who started seating people that we had been on the list of people waiting, we sat in that booth anyway. Yeah. So why the 4 stars?? From that point on, service was stellar and the food was great. So an inauspicious start ended up being a terrific visit and yes, we would definitely return when in the area. Our waiter couldn't have been better. Husband ordered the fried oysters (he enjoyed them very much but not the best he's ever had and considered it a small portion) and I had the blackened fish wrap. With some help from our waiter, I chose Tile fish and the wrap was pretty darn awesome. Packed full of fish that was not overly done with the blackening spice (and doesn't that happen way too often??!!) and the sauce on it was just wonderful...and it had grilled corn which added a nice twist. Both meals came with fries which were hand cut and there was a sauce on the table that went great with them. So all in all a great visit with an odd start. read more

Nice place to eat. Our waitress was very sweet and the food came quick, hot and delicious.

I went there for Father's Day with my sisters and parents and we waited more than 30 minutes for our food. Our waiter came out and apologized and said they had a problem with their printer. Ten minutes later the manager came to apologize and said we could order desert free of charge for our wait. We received our food. I ordered a pound of shrimp for $25 to share with my mom. It came with 2 hush puppies, coleslaw and a handful of fries also wat I assume to be a pound of shrimp which barely covered half my plate. I can't believe how small of portions they give you. A literal handful of fries? Our drinks were always empty, our waitress barely showed up after the food got there. After we ate three of us decided to partake in the promised free desert for our wait. Guess wat? They only discounted us one desert! We asked our waiter why and she said the manager only meant to offer us one free desert! I couldn't believe my ears. Our check came back and the waiter said she spoke with the manager and she took off the other two because of the miscommunication. Wow! This was not the only bad experience I have had here and I told myself this is the last time I will ever go there! read more

Good was good large potions, just didn't have a good selection like they used to. I got the gator tails and must have been 50 on the platter, brought home left overs. My daughter got the grilled shorn was large portion also. The gouda potatoes were good. Got fried green tomatoes weren't particularly fond they cook in meal, i like mine cook with flour. Must try good service. A little high priced but that's whay you pay for seafood. read more

I eat, hunt & fish all over this great state of FL, I was in okeechobee picking up a airboat & stop by Lightsey after seeing the great reviews. Waitresses are very cute and responsive, beer is ice cold, oysters were amazing & the crab cake was the best I ever had read more

I give it three star for atmosphere and service. If you're a fan of a big plate of fried food you would love this place. For me, I ordered a crabcake special and the waitress told me it was lump crabmeat with some shrimp very meaty and she loved them. I could not taste any crab there were several chunks of shrimp and feeling to call it a shrimp cake, but not one piece of lump crab. For 1250 crabcake sandwich. I would try the place again to find something else on the menu. The menu is quite large with lots of offerings, I think I just did not pick a good one. read more

My wife and I ate at Lightsey's today the food was excellent presentation was wonderful and Johanna our server was totally totally awesome very good experience would highly recommend. read more

The best place for dinner in okeechobee. Good fresh food. Friendly staff. Try the fish dip and fried green tomatoes.

Lightsey's has moved. They are now in town. And just as good as they have always been. And one of the top 5 glasses of iced tea that I have ever had on the road. Hope you visit is as good or better than mine. read more

After reading the reviews I was hesitant but the food was excellent. They have been in business for 35 years so something is right. We were new in town and looked around for a place to eat....I had the broiled shrimp...with seasoned red potatoes and fresh corn on the cob....they get extra credit for the corn not soaking for hours....my wife had the broiled scallops...they too were awesome...the server was very attentive and even better for a Saturday night...when back in town we will come back. read more

Best grouper ever. Try it Cajun :) Very fresh, large portion. Hush puppies are also delish. At $27.50, a little pricey.

Awesome just awesome food and drink. Service is poor wait staff stretched causing long wait for service not wait staffs fault, poor management really. The wait staff is doing their best with a tough situation. read more

Food is excellent, but slow service and dead animals all over the walls take away from the whole seafood experience. They charge for water even with a meal. Overpriced and poor service. read more

Best local seafood we've had in a long time! Wish we loved closer I would be there every week!

Service is fast, food is fresh and fairly priced. Definitely worth a visit

best buffet in Okeechobee .. the (appelachicola .. sp ?) oysters are awesome and cold on the half-shell .. the price is accommodating and the best value for sunday in Okeechobee county .. hah . four stars for the area . read more

Had the all you can eat. Did not bring anymore fish to table after request to bring more. Said bday party in restaurant was priority and busy. Only 4 tables in place. Give this place 0 stars and I never have commented on service ANYWHERE. But so blatant that could not let it go. Do not go here. read more

We did not like the whiskey shrimp, sauce is way too over powering. The raw oysters were fairly clean but had little flavor. Great atmosphere but I probably wouldn't eat there again. read more

My steaks were over cooked I asked for a medium rare and when we asked the manger if she could comp us she told us that she could re-cook the steaks to our liking how you gunna re-cook a steak? The waitress had our table of 6 and another table of very needy older folks about 20 of them. She delivered our food it was not at all close to what we ordered. She apologize an the manger was extremely rude an b**chy. Was totally uncalled for. Steaks extremely over cooked, waited an hour an half for steaks. Management was extremely rude an disappointing! read more

The food is fabulous!!! It's never a disappointment and there is something for everyone. The fish dip is the best I've ever had! Strongly recommend the shrimp platter. They cook your own catch too!!! Delish! read more

Decided to try this restaurant once again only to end up in the same situation as our last visit. We arrived at 8:30 on Saturday night for dinner it was a beautiful Florida night thought we would sit on the patio. We were greeted by a server (Joanna) her first statement to myself and my guests where do you have reservations, our answer was no, she said you can't sit here I have to clean the patio. We were directed inside to the hostess (Morgan) who gave us a choice of a table by the kitchen or a booth in the middle of the bar area with bright lights and told us that was are choice everywhere else was closed might I say again this was 8:30 on Saturday night. This is the 2nd time this has happened. Might say we left. read more

Fun atmosphere--not too noisy for us retirees! My broiled sea scallops were excellent and hubby had a wonderful huge bacon cheeseburger. The pumpkin bread was sweet and yummy--a unique surprise! read more

My motorcycle riding club went there today for lunch. Very accommodating, great food & great service. Very fresh seafood and a friendly atmosphere. read more

Mostly local seafood and just about all of it fried. Poor selection of other fish such as swordfish, grouper, mahi-mahi, bass, etc. Food was hot and good, not great - and somewhat pricey , but typical of most marina-side restaurants. An ok meal but not high on my list to go back. Had the sampler plus sides for $26. Margaritas were a deal @ $3.50 and were excellent! read more

Went in for lunch with my cousin and his wife. We had an adult beverage which was only one of many on the menu - IPAs, locally brewed and others. I had a blackened chicken sandwich (needed a break from seafood) and it was absolutely the best chicken sandwich I think I ever ate... Lots of chicken on top of coleslaw and pepper on the top. Great flavor! The wife had Lobsterr Bisque and some catfish bites, she raved about both so I tasted the catfish and they were excellent, a bit spicy, the way I like them... My cousin had aligator, don't recall what his wife had but both were very satisfied. Enjoyed eating outside on the patio, very comfortable. Service was just ok, prices were in the medium range, we felt they were ok for the quality of the food... We will go back to try some of the other menu items.... read more

Visiting our friends and they took us to Lightsey's Restaurant for the first time. I had the best fried shrimp and hush puppies. My husband had blackened red snapper that was the best. Can't wait to go back again. read more

Seems to be declining in quality over the years. If you liked fried food this is your place. Some good dishes, like crab corn chowder. Has unique seafood/lake food options. read more

Good food and unique atmosphere. Tried the catfish, it is lightly breaded and deep fried. The Seminole bread is pan fried and a sweet. The coleslaw is one of the better kinds I have had. Overall the food is pretty good, just greasy. read more

Good food, nice variety. Great location, friendly staff. Takes awhile to get the good to the table but had a fun time with our group while we waited. I would definitely come again and bring friends. Nice atmosphere! First time I had frog legs, gator and turtle. Everything was good. read more

Went to the new location for the first time a couple nights ago. Things have changed from old location. Food was just ok, not worth the price, and service was terrible. Have been to the old location many times and always had very good food and service. We had the catfish, shrimp and salads. Again the food was just ok. Sorry to see this place go down hill. read more

Excellent food in a former bank building, which creates an interesting atmosphere. A little pricey!