Love love love this place. We started off with cocktails and they were delicious. Large martinis served up cold. It was a little strange cuz it was New England night and that's where we come from but we ordered the clams and the asgar go and both were delicious. Cute restaurant even if it is in a strip mall and the waitress was attentive and welcoming. I went with the shrimp and grits and they were the best I've had. I did sample off of a few other plates. The blackened shrimp with pasta and lobster sauce okay was also a big hit. The owner dropped by the table to say hello and make sure everything was okay. We told him it was and they were the best clams we've had and we come from New England. If you're in the area, I strongly suggest going to mean Dean's local kitchen. read more

We stayed in the area with a nearby Airbnb to attend a wedding and found this place was close and wanted to give it a try. We really enjoyed our cocktails, especially the peach spicy margarita. My husband and I both ordered the short ribs over peanut butter noodles. It was OK, they said it was going to be spicy and it was not. After a few bites of the noodles it was very thick, like we were eating a jar of peanut butter. The short ribs were very tender and was super good. Margarita, peach spicy margarita, bourbon, maple, short rib over style peanut butter, marg read more

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All three times that we dined here the service was slow. Maybe because it was weekends and maybe because they often times have huge parties dining here. Our first time that we came here for prime rib day we were told that we couldn't have prime rib that day because they overcooked the prime rib. So they lost money on us because we both ordered items that were three dollars cheaper than the prime rib that we have been expecting. Then the next time we dined here, our waitress took my martini order and 20 minutes later. It still had not arrived, so I went to the bar and there was no one at the bar and when the waitress came back, she told me she would just going to the bar to make it. And she did. Such good reviews made us come back for a third time which was kind of a combination of the first times we had dined here When we come back here to Florida 10 months from now, we'll give it another shot, but this time we're going to try it during the week. read more

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Mother's Day Brunch was great! The service was super everyone super attentive and Linda was great! The food was also very nice and huge selection. I had prime rib and ham both done perfect! I forgot about this place and glad we went back! The coconut cake was wow thanks Dean! read more

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This was such a pleasant surprise. I picked Means Deans because I was meeting a friend for dinner. She was driving from Sarasota and I was driving from St Pete. It was 1/2 way in b/t so I picked it. It is a wonderful restaurant with a large, friendly neighborhood following. The food was comforting and delicious. I picked the meatloaf from a large menu with many great selections. The meatloaf and sides were delicious! The portions were large and reasonably priced. Dean, who is the owner, walked around to each table and introduced himself. He stopped and chatted with us for over 10 minutes. The restaurant and staff echo this personal touch. Service was fast, efficient, and friendly. I will travel across the Skyway again to eat here and say hello to Dean! read more

I stumbled upon this place by chance, and it's a total hidden gem. The interior is incredibly cozy and inviting--perfect for a relaxed meal. A huge shoutout to Sierra, who went above and beyond to ensure we had a fantastic dining experience. The food was outstanding! I'll definitely be back. read more

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We went to Mean Deans for dinner tonight for a birthday, and overall it was a really good night. Everyone was super friendly and attentive from the start. The restaurant was clean and had a nice, relaxed vibe. The food was good, and the drinks were great -- they even came with an orchid on top, which was such a fun little touch. Since we were celebrating, the birthday girl got a free dessert of her choice & a birthday card, which was a sweet surprise and made her feel special. The only downside was that I had two Visa gift cards I planned to use, and they wouldn't accept them. That was a little frustrating, but other than that, everything was smooth and easy. read more

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I was visiting the area and looked up this place on yelp and noticed it strong reviews. After going, I had to agree. It seemed fairly busy for a Tuesday night, but not terribly loud and I found it relaxing. I was tempted to get the shrimp and grits, but my friendly and attentive waitress Zoe made another recommendation and I was glad I went with it. I chose the blackened grouper, with chunky pineapple-mango salsa, Caribbean rice and green beans. It was delicious. I added this place to my favorites list. read more

Mean Deans Local Kitchen - Blackened grouper with chunky pineapple-mango salsa, Caribbean rice, and green beans. - Soup Near Me - Bradenton, Florida

My friend wanted to try and after a very bad experience I finally said ok because sometimes you need to give a place a second d chance . This time the waitress was very friendly and the food was good . I had the special "chicken parm" and my friend the burger and both were good so this time I had a good experience I will give it another try and see if the first time was just a bad day for the cook or the staff read more

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The staff is friendly and the restrooms are clean; a good start. For apps the gator bites and calamari were both good. Instead of marinara the calamari had sweet heat drizzled on it; so good. The entrees we ordered: salmon, Cuban sandwich, pork loin, meatloaf, and a filet. Both people were happy with their salmon, but not the side of plain cooked carrots; a little lack luster for the price point of the meal. The salmon was marinated and both people loved it. The pork was good, but it was smothered in large apple pieces, just too thick for the size of the meat- the apple pieces seemed like canned pie filling. The meatloaf had no complaints and with a little extra charge, the side salad matched the meal perfectly. The side salad was quite good. The filet was presented nicely, but alas was overcooked:/ lastly, the Cuban sandwich and black beans over rice was my dish. The sandwich was delicious and shared with the filet and person, who Loved it as well. The black beans only needed just a bit of liquid to make that the perfect side. Although the steak was overcooked, the meal was really solid for the rest of the group. We would probably go back again for sandwiches and the salmon. I'd like to try their fish and chips as well. The menu had a great deal of options. The only part that lagged was the side choices for us. read more

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Amanda and Linda are SUCH awesome servers. All the food is fresh, delicious, and spectacular in every form. The ambiance and hospitality is something every other restaurant should strive for. read more

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We visited Mean Deans for the first time last night. They offer a large diverse menu which meant lots of questions for our server. Michael did an excellent job fielding them and making our special evening even more special. The one question I forgot to ask was whether Chef Dean was sometimes mean. What I can say is the entire staff was great, definitely not mean. We were celebrating a birthday and they went above and beyond. It was also Monday Meatloaf Day, so I had their Marsala Meatloaf. This was a nice comfort food meal. I may have missed some of the nuances of the dish but overall, it was a delicious meatloaf with gravy and potatoes and veggies, a meal I grew up enjoying. My nostalgic dinner started with a small Caesar salad, actually called Vintage Caesar on the menu. It was, too. I even got it with anchovies. We finished our meal by sharing a Key Lime Crème Brulee. I like wood, and there was plenty. One wall was made with various colored boards with chalkboards built in. One chalkboard answered some of the questions we had asked Michael. They have a menu where anybody can find something they'd like to try. My wife raved about her Cedar Plank Salmon, I want to try their Gouda Burger. We'll find a way to return someday. read more

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Lobster lasagna live music amazing. Food, service ambiance amazing. Highly recommend ,

Adorable upon arrival, the corks and decor of wood was very cute for a fun lunch before the holidays. The place was not busy, 1 person taking care of the 4 booths. Walked by our empty glasses several times, she apologized for the wait, "wanted to make sure the salmon was fully cooked". The blackened salmon Caesar salad arrived with a burnt filet explaining it was what blackened meant. When I asked for dressing she said there was already dressing on. I tossed it on a larger plate and tried it. The lettuce was dry. When the homemade Caesar dressing arrived,it was delicious w the grilled lemon. They ended up crediting us for 1 lunch salad but truthfully, the other salmon was even more burnt than mine. (The burnt char thick casing across each side of the filet is a giveaway!). I will give them another try but be diligent on my order as well as making sure to have more time. read more

We drive 40 minutes from LWR to get here because the food is so good and the staff is so nice. Even Dean. lol. The meatloaf with marsala sauce is great and my wfe loves the curry with tofu. We're not normally tofu fans but it works great in this dish - no meat needed! Of course you have to get the peanut butter pie. If you're too full get one to go. read more

Well...this was one of our top go to restaurants. We took some friends there tonight and were actually embarrassed. We spoke so highly of the place. I got the chicken parmesan and it was horrible. Tastes a bit like store bought Ragu on under al dente pasta so a bit crunchy and the chicken was dry and breading not good, almost zero flavor. Honestly was like something i can get out of a fridge. Grouper had zero flavor or seasoning as well, cesar salad was just not good or edible, very greasy which was odd. The buffalo gator bites were pretty good and the artichoke dip was the best of what we had..had i known it would be this had i would have def ordered just that. Sadly i don't think we will be back....especially since our bill was $160 for 4 of us...FOR THAT?! So frustrating. read more

Stopped in a few days after the hurricane. So thankful it was open, because the 3 other places I tried were closed. First time here but had multiple people recommend so glad we finally got to go. They had a limited menu due to the hurricane and losing so much of their products but still the menu had many options. I had the Gouda burger. It was delicious! I loved that it included mushrooms and onions. The fires were nice and crispy too! My friend has the peanut noodles with chicken. Looked delish! The Oreo cake was also a must try! Love that everything is homemade! Can't wait to come back! read more

Mean Deans Local Kitchen - Oreo mouse cake - Soup Near Me - Bradenton, Florida

Alex was perfectly attentive. He knew the menu well and made recommendations. We each enjoyed everything we ordered; app, salad, entrees, dessert. Nicely decorated. We had a good impression when we walked in (friendly, local people) and were not disappointed. Big fan of the Tropical Grouper!! Highly recommend. read more

Ambiance is okay , friendly servers, service was good, I'm having the filet mignon, hubby is having fig rosemary chicken, and spinach dip for appetizer, Spinach dip is wonderful , my filet didn't have much flavor, Madison's is much better, I got some A1 that helped. The fig chicken was very tasty, dinner rolls with strawberry butter were ok. My favorite was the spinach dip read more

The food was awful. The pork and potatoes were cold and the burgers were badly undercooked. The service was ok but not great and because we were a party of 12 they added 20% automatically. We wont go back. read more

The food at Mean Dean's is consistently good - no matter what you get. Been a number of times with different groups and everyone enjoyed their meals. Great service. Cute place. Will keep coming back. Only negative a faint smell near the front door when you come in. read more

This is our go to restaurant in Bradenton. There is always something for everyone. We always try the special hush puppies and the grouper ones last night were delicious! The special scallops melted in our mouths. You can't go wrong with anything on the menu. We have tried it all! Enjoy! read more

Mean Deans Local Kitchen - Soup Near Me - Bradenton, Florida

We were sat quickly and the food looked delicious at the other tables. Unfortunately, we were sat with a server who was recently overwhelmed with a table of 6 (his few words to us). He took our drink orders and after waiting for 30 mins... no drinks. No food order taken. We were ready to order our food at drinks with a promise of "be back soon" that didn't happen. I'd say the restaurant was busy, but not swamped. Truly unfortunate experience. read more

Good was beyond what I thought it was going to be. Delicious in every way with an awesome mix of flavors. Very unique dishes for what I thought was just an American grill. Thank you to Ashley who was attentive to our needs. She's was great. Definitely coming in again read more

Mean Deans Local Kitchen - Daily deals and happy hour - Soup Near Me - Bradenton, Florida

Great food, really great service great atmosphere! Can never go wrong at Mean Dean's !

Omg so delicious! What a creative menu. So glad we found this local chef restaurant. No pics, ate it all too fast lol. All house made. I had the escargot, lobster lasagna and gary had Cajun potato chowder, baby back ribs w cranberry citrus coleslaw. Taking keylime creme Brule and peanut butter chocolate pie back to our hotel. Portions are really large ! Our server was friendly, knowledgeable, gave great recommendations. Oh and they have a pup menu, if you eat outside w your furbaby. Thank you cindy! read more

First let me say we've ordered from here on Doordash several times, and it's been great. This time we ordered for pickup. The ribs were not great, not cooked enough (a long way from falling off the bone tender), and the flavor was only OK, not worth the cost. I ordered a salad with fried chicken; there was no chicken. They are giving us credit, but that sure doesn't help with my daily protein intake... NO IDEA WHERE BRANFORD CT CAME FROM, WE ARE IN SARASOTA FL read more

Was excited to try gator for the first time so grabbed a to-go order that included the highly recommended chowder but there was zero in it but potatoes and creamy broth, that's it. Not one piece of gator plus it was bland and without any flavor whatsoever. I would STRONGLY suggest against adding it to your order. Gave it a star because the staff was helpful and the turn time on the order was fairly quick. read more

Memorial Day = bbq and burgers rule so I was initially disappointed when our destination restaurant was closed. Fortunately, we relied on Yelp and Mean Deans pooped up. My boring Burger was cooked perfectly and the fries were tasty and not greasy. The drafts were varied and tasty as well. A nice find off the beaten track. Definitely worth a return trip sometime in the future. Very reasonably priced for the quality of food. read more

Mean Deans Local Kitchen - Soup Near Me - Bradenton, Florida

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Some meals were very good while others were not. The Good: The Bayshore Garden salad; Chicken Parmigiana; Pulled Pork Mac & Cheese. The Bad: Fish & Chips (the battered fish was undercooked); Lobster Lasagna (I never came across any noticeable lobster or "sea scallop chunks"; it was almost all cheese. And I encounter lots of shells to spit out) -- very disappointing for $30. Also, the food took way too long to come out -- about 30 minutes -- on a non-busy late Sunday afternoon. The managers just seemed to be walking around doing nothing much; I was thinking they should go help in the kitchen to get our food out earlier. read more

We drove 30mins to play trivia as we heard the food was "really good" and the ambience was fun. We were a party of five. We were greeted on arriving by the strong smell of sewage. It was not a one-off night as we were told that it is the norm when others have been there. We were told that goes away once in the dining room. It did not. I ordered the bora bora fried shrimp with cole slaw. The bora bora sauce was slathered over the shrimp that rested on wet, tasteless cole slaw. It was a yuck on taste and texture. I ordered ginger ale that tasted like water, not a hint of ginger. Wanting a re-fill, I to wait for a long time. When prompted twice, she said "I do have to go to the bar to get it you know." Will not be back I do not think the sewage stench is healthy around food preparation. read more

Great unique homemade food drink, service, and desserts at reasonable prices, with multiple daily specials. Stopped there for lunch while visiting Bradenton and was not disappointed. Favorites included a delicious salmon sandwich, and pineapple Keylime pie. Also a great Pinot Noir. (Full bar) Don't be discouraged by the residential strip mall location. read more

Bartender was great. Food ok. Heard mean Dean complaining about large group of women who said they called but he didn't know about. Acted like it was an effort to fix a table for them. It wasn't even crowded. Wouldn't go back. read more

We had their very generous Easter buffet. The service was good and friendly. Some things in the buffet like: candied bacon, salmon with dill sauce, roast beef -- we're very good. Others like grocery store desserts, fig chicken and florentine eggs weren't very good. Most things were lukewarm, not hot. But hey, I understand how hard it is to have an all day buffet. We had fun anyway. Pretty steep with a cocktail and the 20% included tip ran us about $80 each. read more

Great food and service. we had the special and the salmon. Both perfectly cooked, especially the salmon as usually it is over cooked. Terra was friendly and on point as server. We had a great experience and will be back read more

Every time I have come to Mean Deans, the restaurant has been almost totally empty...and I have no idea why!! The menu is unique and always updating, they have great daily specials, and the food is top quality! Some things we've tried and liked: fried pickles, gator bites, gator chowder, salmon tacos, smothered clucker, fig chicken, red fish w/ rice and beans, several salads, prime rib pasta, chicken ravioli, bread pudding, and OF COURSE the peanut butter pie!! Mean Dean's is absolutely making it into the rotation of top spots to visit when I'm in Florida. read more

Mean Deans Local Kitchen - Smothered clucker - Soup Near Me - Bradenton, Florida

Great place, I have been there many times. Food has been good to great, service very good. Ambiance may need a little work, but the food and service easily hide it. Prices are reasonable and even Dean will come out of the kitchen and meet he customers. He actually talks to his customers, not a quick "how's the meal?". The only issue I have had was not having 1 item available, this means I will have to come back. read more

Exceeded expectations! Seriously I was very pleasantly surprised by how vey good the food was. I only say this jokingly because the name implies something more casual, but the menu was impressive and the food was great. Our server, Veronica was very pleasant, helpful and attentive. We were visiting from St Augustine, but will eat here the next time we're in town. read more

Service is excellent. The owner Dean even comes out to see his customers. Everything we order is top shelf quality. I always order his signature dish maple bourbon short rib Thai pasta that is delicious. I even take half home. Every dish is delicious but the presentation is beautiful also. This is a foodie must. I love a casual relaxed place. read more

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Service was great , no one rushed you. Finally got a great meat loaf dinner in a restaurant. Will be back.