Oh dear I should've taken a picture! I ordered the short rib dinner! States that it is slow cooked however the way it came out was more like charcoaled-the meat was charred and crunchy-that's right I said crunchy! I was so interested in trying this offering but so dissatisfied and disappointed when it wasn't even edible! The waitress had it taken off the bill and agreed that it had a good crunch to it and apologized for even allowing it to get to the table. She also offered a free dessert, I chose the peanut butter pie, but this also went into the trash-the pie itself was dry and the whipped cream had a crust on it. Patronize at your own risk! Hopefully this review opens eyes! read more

Food was great service and ambience just as great. Took my mom here for Mother's Day and it was great. read more

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Our service was excellent, we were seated right away and waitress came right over for a drink order. My husband and I got the chicken tacos, they were delicious. I would definitely return and recommend. read more

The boothbay pasta is probably the best pasta I've ever had! The specials are so good, there's really nothing bad on this menu! Can't wait to try more! read more

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One of the worst meatloaf dinners I have ever ordered at a restaurant! I asked the server if this was one of those meatloaf dinners that was made ahead of time and then fried black to heat it up!! IT WAS and tasted like it was! TERRIBLE!! And I am sure the gravy came out of a can...TERRIBLE!!! Our first time here and our last!! read more

Lobster lasagna for me and Tuscan pasta linguine for my better half. Terrific, delicious and served with a smile by Terra. Glad we chose to stop here for lunch. read more

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

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Good food. Good service. Somewhat divey but that's ok by me, as long as the food is good. The place could be cleaner and the cooks can maybe use at least one cooking glove. read more

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We loved it thats why we came back. But waiting for 40 minutes and to be told you can sit at a high table, meant for 2 people while there were 3 of us. When I asked so if we don't want the high table, what is our option? Manager said, "don't argue with me". Disappointing. There were other customers that didn't have reservation, guy forgot we have been sitting and hearing whether people have reservations or not. Good food doesn't mean you can talk to customers like you own the place (but owner probably wouldn't anyway). Small town feel but also small town attitude. read more

So I got to enjoy this place on my quick visit to Bradenton. It is a gem of a place. We ordered the lobster lasagna and flank steak. The lobster lasagna was hands down the best pasta I have ever tasted. Just delicious. My mouth is watering from just thinking about it. The flank steak was good too, but I just can't stop thinking about the lobster lasagna. You can tell it's fresh food and every bite was just savoring. We also tried to goat cheese bruschetta and that was also delicious. I would have never thought of ordering it but I am so glad I did. Sorry no picture of the goat cheese bruschetta, we were starving and ate it all up. My server was Alex and she was attentive and had a great personality overall. Despite a small mishap at the end of the night, I will definitely be visiting again. If your in the area and want some fresh, delicious food. No better yet, mouth watering, down amazing food stop in and enjoy. read more

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

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Food was amazing, flavor was good, was cooked to perfection. And the server Tavi was amazing. Best spot we ate at on or vacation. Looking for more local restaurants like this read more

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Ok, so i use Yelp when im in areas i dont know to tell me where good places are to eat, and it never disapoints me. This place is a cute little place with outstanding food. As soon as we walked in, they welcome you with open arms, booths were a bit small, but comfortable. We started with the varsity appetizers and it was amazing.. all 4 of us ordered separate dishes and were very pleased with the portions size and quality of food. Pineapple shrimp was amazing, lobster lasagna outstanding, lamb was great and the pork mac n cheese hit the spot. If were back in the area, we will be back. read more

Our first visit to Mean Dean's and it won't be the last. Personable and efficient service, warm welcome from the owner and wait staff. Excellent food. The ribs were very flavorful and truly fell off the bone. Good pours on the wine as well, which we appreciate. Plan to hold our Christmas party there this year! read more

This was our second visit to Mean Dean's, enjoyed our first experience here and have been meaning to come back for about a year now and we finally did! 3pm on a Saturday and it was pretty quiet, just a few folks at the bar and us. We enjoy a quiet/relaxing atmosphere while dining out, so this was perfect for us. Alex was our server, he was polite and attentive. We sat at a double booth, it's half table/chairs and half booths throughout the place. Dean's offers $8 select apps and some wine specials from 3-5 daily. We got both the atomic shrimp (really good, sweet, 7.5/10) and the spinach artichoke dip (amazing, super cheesy, chunky artichokes 9/10). My husband enjoyed both a Yuengling (7/10) and Trash Panda Ale (7/10) on tap, priced reasonably at $3.50 for a draft beer. He got the Gouda Burger (juicy, flavorful, lots of toppings, 8/10) with Slaw (chunky, saucy, 7.5/10) and Fries (super crispy, soft inside, 9/10). I got the 2 Pulled Pork Taco app $8 on special (amazing house made bbq sauce, plentiful, 8/10), added a side of Mac & Cheese ($5, smoky, moderately cheesy, but pretty greasy, 5/10). I wanted to order the peanut butter crunchy dessert, but was too full...next time! We spoke with Dean on our first visit, didn't see him this time around, but he was friendly, knowledgeable and seems to really care about his establishment, staff and guests. Great choice for lunch or dinner, fantastic menu options, lovely local feel, and we live within walking distance, we will definitely be back! And sooner than last time! read more

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Bought a gift card for a friend and she was pleased with her experience. Glad to help local business after the hurricanes.

Wanted to make this a spot to go for Holidays since other places are closed. Made a reservation for Thanksgiving, it went good, so good we tried again for Christmas Dinner. Christmas at was horrific. I reserved a table for 3 and they started by trying to sit us at a high-top table barely big enough for 2. The food came out fast we had one salmon entry, on steak entry, and one chicken entry. All were cold, carrots were as if someone gave you cooked carrots out of the fridge. The steak was as if it was someone's leftovers from the night before fridge cold, but oddly enough cooked. The chicken was cooked but smelled funny, and my wife ate 3 bites and left the rest. No one asked how the meal was, or came back for refills on refreshments until after the meal was done. The worst part of it was we all went home feeling sick to our stomachs, which continued until time to go to bed. I would not recommend going. Sorry what a disappointment. read more

We have eaten here plenty of times but it's a hit and miss type of thing. Ribs are good but would be excellent if membrane was removed. Gross seeing the veins. The meatloaf Marsala, meatloaf was good but Marsala was just a very thick brown gravy. Very untasty gravy. My husband loved the lobster raviolis. He's still talking about that meal. I love the ribs just can't order them because of those veins grossing me out The cauliflower appetizer is to die for! Their house salad is awesome too but not enough greens at times. We eat there frequently, But stick with what we like. Since prices are outrageous these days or we'd keep trying other things to find that one awesome meal you have to have and go back for again and again read more

I was in town visiting my grandparents. We decided to stop by and check this place out. The Shrimp & Grits were fantastic!!! read more

Mean Deans Local Kitchen - Shrimp & Grits! Crazy good! - Soup Near Me - Bradenton, Florida

What a find. From start to finish the food was excellent. We had the redfish, swordfish and seafood pasta with an outstanding homemade lobster sauce. We finished with a guava cheesecake...it was so good. Linda was our server and did a wonderful job explaining the menu and letting us sample a few different wines to see which we liked better. The atmosphere is nice, not loud or busy when we were there and quite pleasant. I would definitely put this on your list! read more

Good food and a decent meal u. Wait staff friendly. Atmosphere is relaxing. Can't wait to try desserts, they look amazing

OK, here is goes. Was recommended by a friend we met on the golf course. He raved about it. Additionally I went on the web and read all of the 5-star reviews and even watched Mean Dean's many TV appearances, so our expectations were HIGH. It took us almost 40 mins to get there as we live in East Bradenton. When we walked it, the restrooms are at the front of the dinning room and the stench was horrible, we should have left right then. We were seated in a booth the seats were wrapped in plastic like, my grandmother living room furniture. Food service from the kitchen took a long time for our appetizers to come out, the main course came out before we had a chance to finish our appetizers. I had the Blackened Alligator Chowder, while was tasted was extremely greasy. My boys shared the Chef Dean's Award Winning Spinach Dip, which was un seasoned and so NOT worth it, not sure where Dean won the award for it. Onto the main corses; my wife had the Baby Back Ribs Half Rack; while tasty it was 4 of the smallest ribs I have every seen. My son and I both had the Cedar Plank Salmon. the Salmon was the highlight of the dinner, I ordered it med-rare and it was good. The rice was unseasoned and the zucchini was uneditable. Lastly my other son had the Lobster Lasagna, the waitress said it was the last piece of the night (it was a special price that night), which was code for the scrapped the bottom of the pan, put it on a plate and put sauce on it, it was NOTHING special. 2 Stars is being kind, may have been a bad night, but we will NOT be back given there are so many better food choices in the area. read more

Awesome food! Great atmosphere. Love the seafood pasta and the salmon. Great food for holidays as well.

The pulled pork was scrumptious- I got the tacos and hubby got the Cuban . Both made with the bourbon pulled pork. Only issue was the smell of the bathrooms right as you walk in Not sure what's going on with that ‍ read more

2nd time in, Ashley was took care of us, fantastic server, specials both vocalized and displayed, so we really didn't have to ask, great atmosphere, friendly staff, had the chicken 5 cheese Mac and cheese was fantastic, had to grab the candied old fashioned AGAIN! Unique, one of a kind restaurant, A must! read more

Went in for a quick bite with my partner and Ashley treated us lovely. Would highly recommend! Great atmosphere, food and drinks! Will definitely be coming back soon! read more

While the food was good I do have some questions about the service. My partner and I were not offered a free glass of champagne to celebrate their 4th anniversary while everyone around us was. We were also not told the specials for the evening while everyone around us was. I wonder why? read more

Last night was our third and final visit to this place. We were not impressed on our previous visits but went again with friends who, for whatever reason, love it! Our Server, PJ, was good but the food was mediocre - the beer was warm, the gator bisque flavorless, my wife's salmon took a lot of sauce to be tasty, my meatloaf special of the day was a dense lump and the garlic mashed potatoes equally flavorless. Sorry - there are too many good restaurants in town to spend any more time and money here... read more

Had the ribs and was very pleased with them. The service was good. The key lime crème brûlée was great, thanks for bringing it back

Had the Saturday night rib special. Delicious! Service was excellent and every aspect of meal was great. We will be back.

We were there tonight. Two of us ordered New England Clam chowder and it had CARROTS in it. There is no way that New England, or anywhere else, had carrots in it! Also ordered fried whole belly clams. 1) they were really over cooked and too crispy. 2) because of the overcooking, you could NOT detect or taste the belly part. In other words, they were no better than overcooked clam strips. What a disappointment as we drive all the way across town to try it. read more

A staple when in Bradenton/Sarasota area. Feels like family , warm ambience. Small menu but perfect selections. My favorite is the local catch or the Cedar Plank Salmon. read more

The ribs were very good, however, the price for what you get is high. Looking over the complete menu, their prices are much more than other restaurants prices that feature similar items. read more

My girlfriends and I visited Mean Deans last week for their second trivia night. Although this local restaurant has been open for a couple of years, I had not been there. We arrived during their early bird hours and were very pleased to see a nice early bird menu and drink specials. The drinks were delicious and the specials were ordered "New Orleans bowl and mussels" were tasty and plentiful. Two of us ordered from the regular menu. I had the blackened redfish. It was cooked perfectly and was delicious. The staff was incredibly friendly and helpful. The trivia game was a lot of fun and we won a $35 gift certificate for our 1st place win!! We will be back again for sure. read more

Solid food with quality ingredients. They have some tasty items on the menu that are definitely "out of the box" items that you won't see elsewhere. Friendly staff, clean and nicely decorated. read more

I've been here a few times with my wife and it's a very cozy date night with your special someone spot without breaking the bank. Menu options offer just about anything you could want to choose from a somewhat upscale type of place and the staff are fantastic. It has somewhat of an open kitchen feel as you can see the chefs work their craft from most seats in the house which my wife and I appreciate. We're both big foodies and like watching craftsmen work their craft and they do a fantastic job. While I haven't tried everything yet, I have yet to leave without a large smile on my face. The menu has a lot of options sure to quell any husband and wife "discussions " on where to go out when we decide to. I'll update after a couple more visits but it's rare to find a place where literally anything you order is done very well and the staff is so friendly and attentive. Very well run restaurant top to bottom read more

Check out this review of Mean Deans Local Kitchen on Tripadvisor: https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g60786-d22922938-r935561945-Mean_Deans_Local_Kitchen-Bradenton_Florida.html read more

Went a couple of nights ago. Very rude manager and servers. Used to be our go to spot, especially to show family and friends in town, but after the treatment we received we will never be returning. I advice others to be careful when coming here. The staff may pick fights with you over feedback. I NEVER write reviews, but was compelled to share my experiences with this place. Left such a sour taste in my mouth. Disappointed. read more

This little place is amazing it's off the beaten path but what a fantastic find ! Staff is wonderful and food is out standing ! I highly recommend Mean Deans and there awesome staff ! read more

THE BEST STEAK I'VE EVER HAD...dare i say, best meal I've ever had? Possibly. If i didn't live hundreds of miles away I'd be here all the time. I got the filet mignon topped with blue cheese with garlic mashed potatoes and candied carrots. read more

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

Great family restaurant. Variety of American grill menu to enjoy. Support your local restaurants! read more

Food was just ok, server was friendly . Powerful idea because it took a while to get our rolls and our soup order got mixed up. Our server apologize and got us what we needed. read more