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

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

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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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

Lunch here today with some friends and everything was great. The food was wonderful. I had a wedge salad with chicken on the side. It was huge and piled high with goodies. It is more than I can eat for two meals. Looking forward to my leftovers. Friends had chicken sandwich and bora bora chicken bowl; both delicious and more than they could eat as well. Parking lot was easy and right in front. Table was very comfortable. Decor was neighborhood bar/restaurant type and just fine. There's a big area in the front for larger parties. The best was our server Theresa. She was fantastic. Totally tipped the scales to make this a 5 star review for me ( I only review places I really like). She was very nice and on top of everything from greeting us and checking in on us to checking out. I'll be back and I'll bring more peeps. Another reviewer said Real Deal and they were right. read more

If you're looking for a place to have a group dinner or lunch, then Mean Dean's is a great idea. We celebrated a birthday with 7 in our party. I can't say enough about our server Ashley. What an awesome person. She was like a good friend that wanted us all to have a great time, you could really tell. She was really so accommodating and went out of her way to serve us. She greeted us put our gifts in a place off to the side, cut our cake that we brought and served us. Our food was delicious and served fast. Ashley is someone you meet and would love to have as a friend, the chef was very funny and came by to wish us well. I have dined here before and it was ok, I didn't even think I'd be back. Several months later, pleasantly surprised. The menu is better and they have a liquor license now which they didn't before. I had a salad called Wendy's salad and it had pieces of fried coconut shrimp with a delicious citrus dressing. Everyone loved their meals. Going back with my husband soon for dinner. It's really a treasure and I highly recommend you try this establishment, whether you have a group or a party of one, you'll feel right at home and well fed. read more

On the positive side the food was tasty. The place is pleasantly decorated. The service was okay. The waitress gave us her attention. On the negative side. It was very noisy. We had dinner with another couple. It was nearly impossible to hear each other. We will not go back. read more

First time here. Love the atmosphere and decor. Menu and bar have varied options but we honestly in on the prime rib and we weren't disappointed. We declined the sides in favor of the carnivore presentation and they were happy to accommodate. read more

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

Loved everything about this hidden gem. Had the blackened gator chowder and it was very good. Will be going back for more of this. Great blend of creaminess and not spicy. Tried the wedge which was huge and delicious. Took home the crunchy Peanut Butter pie that was very good. read more

Mean Deans Local Kitchen - The wedge salad! - Soup Near Me - Bradenton, Florida

Service was great drinks and food also great will be back for sure. We were first time diners with thus restaurant and were pleasantly surprised that everything was great. Thats hard to fond 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

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

This place is a must try!! From the service to the food everything was great!! My husband had the shrimp and I had the blackened redfish! Food was incredible! Our waitress Sierra was amazing and very attentive to everything we needed! We will definitely be coming back to mean deans! read more

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Excellent experience last Monday for Martini Monday. Celebrate a late birthday for my husband. Service was excellent about 4 servers and the manager came by to see if we needed anything. Troy the manager Matt our waiter, Lynn, Amanda and Ryles all awesome! Definitely going back some Thursday for live music. Food was delicious too. Great job everyone!! read more

Every thing is so perfect at Mean Dean except the bathroom part that most of reviewers complain about, the best food, the best service... the best key lime crème brûlée I ever had. Please do something about the bathroom, it didn't smell bad, but its smelled like a bathroom up to the bar area read more

Mean Deans Local Kitchen - Key lime crème brûlée, the best - Soup Near Me - Bradenton, Florida

Ambiance was a cute restaurant, seems like a lot of locals go here. Service was okay I think our waiter was having a bad day so I'm not gonna knock a star off the restaurant for that, things happen. Anyways I 100 percent recommend the appetizer of Buffalo cauliflower , super delicious . I think the lobster lasagna has potential but my meal arrived slightly warmed so it wasn't hot. I just don't really enjoy Luke warm food but anyways it tasted good if it came out hot probably would have changed my rating. My friend agreed the pulled pork as well deserved four stars. Overall, we would both come back hear to eat but probably try something different as for the dinner menu items. read more

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Me and my family came here for dinner. We had a really great time. The server was on point. The menu options were great and the price is even better. The setting in the atmosphere was perfect. Parking was easy food was cooked perfectly. read more

We came for a grouper sandwich. Unfortunately they were out. So we both had the Cuban. My husband thought his had little meat. It was spicier than I like. Oh well. read more

bar bites: brussels sprouts? artichoke dip? cauliflower dip? cheese bruschetta? who the hell picked these for bar bites? maybe mix a few guy choices? no more tiptoe thru the tulips choices! read more

Cod was mostly fried crust, had a hard time finding the fish. Someone else had special chicken dish and chicken was very dry and hard. Lobster lasagna noodles were not all cooked. Only garlic mashed potatoes, no baked. Side were a poor selection. Menu dull. On our list of don't go back. read more

Food was outstanding. I had Shrimp & Grits and it was fantastic. I'll be dreaming about the Apple Cinnamon Bread Pudding. Service was friendly and attentive. Dean himself even came by our table to check on us! read more

My husband's meal came out correctly, but I was served a dish I didn't order. The waitress explained there was a mix-up in the kitchen. While waiting for my correct meal, my husband finished eating and mine still hadn't arrived. When the waitress finally came back and said my dish was ready, I mentioned that it wasn't enjoyable watching my husband eat while I waited, and I didn't want him to then watch me eat. I was surprised when the suggestion was that I take my meal to go. Unfortunately, it took away from what should have been an enjoyable dining experience. Mistakes happen, but how they're handled makes all the difference read more

You need to go here, like.. right now! I am not joking, put your phone down and drive here immediately. This is a place that we just happened to drive past and said "What's this? Let's try it!" And WOW are we so happy we did! Everything from the service, to the casual ambience, to the amazing selection on the menu and specials board - you will not be sorry that you came here to try it out. Now, the food. This is what solidified their 5 star review - the FLAVORS, the presentation, all perfect. We tried the meatloaf which came with a side of mashed potatoes and green beans and the salmon which came with their Caribbean rice and green beans. Let me tell you, that is the most flavorful and delicious meatloaf I have ever tasted in my life. A lot of people do not like meatloaf for good reason, but THIS meatloaf will change your mind on that immediately. The mashed potatoes were also out of this world! The salmon was extremely flavorful, definitely marinated with different seasonings that you would not find elsewhere and the Caribbean rice was amazing. Not only has Mean Deans moved to our "frequented spots", it has moved very close to the top of that list and we will be coming here a lot more often to try out more of the delicious menu options! read more

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

It's apparently a popular spot. Staff is friendly, Dean stopped by to say hi, and the menu offers a tremendous selection. We dropped in for lunch, and the space was mostly empty. That being said, the food was mediocre. The Angry Squirrel Burger was way over the top and a "been there done that" never again. My wife's quesadilla was nothing special and the sides were lacking in flavor. Nothing special here unless you like lots of comfort food. read more

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Great local restaurant with good food. Excellent service with attentive wait staff. Our half rack of ribs were prepared well and meaty. Nice local vibe. Go there. read more

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

This! This place is a hidden gem! Best service I've ever received at ANY restaurant ANYWHERE, EVER! I almost don't want to leave a review for fear we will be waiting the next time we want to go. read more

We have frequented Mean Deans a few time and have been impress with several of the Chef's signature dishes. We had not had the Lobster Lasagna....in a word... Amazing. Lobster in every bite, perfectly prepared pasta noodles, and the Vodka sauce infused with more Lobster goodness made our evening nothing short of perfect. I don't know if I will ever get to taste any of the other fantastic dishes as I will most likely skip the menu and order the Lobster Lasagna. Thank you Chef read more

Wow! What delicious food! Gorgeous presentation, excellent flavor combinations, absolutely delightful! We came for dinner on a Tuesday night, had a reservation but it wasn't too full and we were seated immediately. Our party of three had the spinach dip and Brussels sprouts as appetizers, both were very good. Our three entrees: Curried tofu - spectacular! Scallops & shrimp in lobster sauce - delicious! Mac & cheese - the only less than great item...too dry. The peach cheesecake for dessert was out of this world. Our waiter was the best - attentive but not obtrusive. Highly recommend this restaurant, we can't wait to go back! read more

Best restaurant around!! The food is excellent, the service is top tier and you cannot beat the ambiance. Chef is world class and you always get the best meal no matter what time of day you decide to stop by!! I highly recommend Mean Deans to anyone, you will not regret it!! read more

We stopped for lunch with friends. It's in a small commercial mall with lots of space. It's has a big menu with daily specials. I had the crab and corn soup special which was a good start. They have a lot of lunch sandwiches and I had the drunken Cuban. It was packed with so much filling that it was heavy to pick up! I took half home. My wife had the Gouda burger which was a hit too. Theresa was great with service and suggestions. Prices were also reasonable especially for the amount of food we got! read more

Last week, we decided to check out Mean Dean's for lunch. I had heard a few good reviews, so I had to check it out. We arrived around 1 pm to find the place busy. We were greeted and seated immediately. Our server was great throughout our visit. We looked over the menu and decided to start out with the gator bites. For a our mains, we went with meatloaf and the angry squirrel burger. This burger had peanut butter, bacon, and spicy maple glaze. Our food came out quickly and the appetizer looked good. Fried gator tossed in buffalo sauce served with a side of blue cheese dressing. It had good flavor, but the breading was falling off. Our mains came out shortly after and they both looked really good. My father really enjoyed his meatloaf. I took a bite of it and was impressed as well. My burger fell a little short unfortunately. It was cooked properly, but had no spicy maple glaze on it whatsoever. The peanut butter and bacon combo was decent, but not my favorite. Overall, we had some hits and some misses. The service was great and my father really enjoyed his meatloaf. My burger and the appetizer could have been improved. While I wasn't blown away by the food, I will certainly return as I feel this spot has potential. Maybe it was just an off day. read more

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Fantastic experience at Mean Deans tonight, our first and most definitely not last visit. The host was very cordial and professional while dealing with some difficult customers, but he took care of them and seated us right away. We looked over the menu, which has so many tempting options that it was hard to choose. I was torn between the lobster lasagna and the redfish special and I let our wonderful server, Terra, help me with the choice. Terra said I could get the lasagna anytime but the redfish was a special so she would go with that- and I followed her advice and am extremely happy that I did. We can't say enough about Terra, she was very professional, super friendly and funny, and on top of everything as far as making sure we were well taken care of. We both really enjoyed our meals, the redfish was outstanding, and my wife loved the 5 Cheese Mac and her salad. We barely had enough room for dessert but when peanut butter pie is on the menu, you can literally hear my will break. Well, we decided to split a slice of PB pie and oh man! it was soooo good. My wife took just a few bites and I had to finish it for us because, well, I couldn't insult the person who made it now, could I? We will definitely be back as we're new to the area and just getting settled in, and I am going to try that lobster lasagna for sure. Thanks to everyone at Mean Deans for a great experience, all of you did an outstanding job. read more

I saw this place on Yelp and Google so I gave it a try based on reviews. I'm definitely coming back!!!! Everything was delicious!!! I was cautious because I wasn't asked a temp on the salmon I ordered, but it was amazing. Cooked perfectly!!! The calamari was on point!!! I have had freezer burned calamari at several restaurants, this was so fresh tasting! And the marinara was delicious. And the dessert was beyond expectation! The service was excellent with Paige. I couldn't recommend this restaurant more!!! Very impressed!!! And they have a great wine list read more

It's a very good restaurant! Wish we lived closer. Enjoyed our one time dinner! The staff is attentive! It's definitely worth trying.

Shout out to Penelope. Thanks for the recommendation! It was great! We came in on Wednesday and you were off but had an awesome meal!

Absolutely fabulous first time at Mean Deans and won't be the last despite the 30 mile trip! The food was great - fresh, from the goat cheese bruschetta to the perfectly prepared filet mignon. Despite the crowd, and no reservation, and arriving at 6 on a Saturday night, we were seated and able to have our conversation! Our server, Linda, is top notch and a great brand ambassador! Parking is plentiful, too! ENJOY! read more

Recommended by friends, we went on Christmas Day, so the menu was limited. A pleasant experience, this restaurant is located in a strip mall and apparently will be expanding to the available space next door. Our main server was good, but additional wait staff helped deliver our order and seemed a bit more attentive. ( maybe overwhelmed from the holiday crowd?) The Mediterranean bruschetta was excellent, good flavor but could have had some more toasted bread. The gator bites were okay; just not into gator! My salmon was well cooked with accompanying rice and vegetable ( carrots) ;very tasty and nice presentation but would have liked a touch more of the sides to go with such a big piece!! My husband enjoyed his duck, and K enjoyed his balsamic Brussels sprouts, excellent taste. No room for dessert, but given the reviews we will try again on a non holiday. read more

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I celebrated my 31st Birthday last night at Mean Deans with both my family and close friends. Keisha and Sindi were both phenomenal waitresses they were attentive to all of our needs. I really loved all of the appetizers and entrees. I am a regular at Mean Deans, and all of the staff always go out of their way to make all of their guests feel welcomed and happy at all times. read more