Visiting the Lake Wales area for a day trip. After checking out the Bok Tower Gardens (a must see), we wanted to find a local dining spot, not a chain restaurant or fast food place. We found Melanie's Seafood! Small place and simple decor. All the cooking is down out in the open. Our server, Cricket, was friendly and inviting and gave us some good recommendations. I had the Mahi Mahi Reuben sandwich with potato salad. My wife ordered the Crabcake sandwich with their own coleslaw. We just drank water. The food was really tasty and welcome. We haven't had any seafood in a while so this was greatly anticipated and it was not disappointing. So tasty and different. The coleslaw was really interesting and flavorful. I asked for the ingredients and was told the secret. Not giving it away here! The restaurant is clean, simple and organized well. It was somewhat quiet because the start of the college football season just started and everyone was watching at home. The service was terrific and attentive. I recommend checking out this place. read more

Melanie's Seafood - Crabcake sandwich with coleslaw - Seafood Near Me - Lake Wales, Florida

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Fresh and delicious Had the Mahi Mahi Omg amazing Definitely worth the cost. Great service. Will definitely return read more

Was not expecting much. Boy what a surprise. The fish was meaty, flaky and not greasy. The shrimp were large and crunchy. The service spot on. The place is older but clean and inviting. read more

Melanie's Seafood - Beer Battered shrimp - Seafood Near Me - Lake Wales, Florida

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We were looking for a good place to meet family driving over from the west coast and this was perfect. Very friendly and welcoming. We followed our server's recommendations and had some of the best fish dishes we've had in a long time. Sides were also delicious. Enjoyed it so much that I would drive out of my way to stop here again. Food and service are great and they really make you feel welcome with small town hospitality. And don't miss the nitrogen ice cream shop across the street. Fascinating process making delicious custom ice cream tailored to taste or dietary concerns. read more

One of the most underrated restaurants in Lake Wales.The tuna special was the best I ever had.The shrimp cocktail was tender and the house made cocktail sauce was delicious.The Cajun Burger was cooked perfectly and seasoned even better.The Shrimp and Grits were creamy and flavorful.Bobby loved his Shrimp Alfredo.The service was attentive and courteous. 10 out of 10 would recommend.We will be back. read more

Always great good and great service!! Locals really need to support this restaurant during construction in downtown Lake Wales during the downtown renovation project. We have a weekly dining out group and we try to frequent this business as a group monthly. read more

Constantly Great food, service and has a locals presence. The chefs are very experienced. Seafood is very fresh. Love this place.

The service and food are beautiful. The front patio tables are a wonderful place to sit and relax. The chowder was really ta The lobster Mac and cheese has fontina, cheddar and Parmesan cheeses. The lobster had been perfectly poached. It was splendid! The mahi mahi Rueben was tasty but a little small for the price point. read more

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Came here with a friend. Nice menu, good variety, reasonable prices. Everything we had was fresh made. The blackened whole pompano was perhaps the best fish I ever ate. A religious experience, minus the holy water. Great friendly competent service. Definitely will return. read more

The best fish sandwich I have ever had in my life. It was so fresh he filleted it right in front of us!!! I would give it 10 stars if I could read more

Nice little place in the historic district. Nothing fancy , just good fresh seafood. Really enjoyed the fried shrimp! Delicious and batter dipped in the kitchen. read more

Tried to get some information and the man who answered the phone was incredibly rude. Definitely going to tell everyone not to come here.

We come once a month for the Shrimp Grits and it is always delicious. A family owned restaurant that serves amazing food.

Simply excellent food I had the Fish Reuben and it might be the best day*um fish anything I've had in FL, seriously This is coming from a FL resident more than 25 years. Do yourself a favor and stop in Lake Wales and grab a bite here .. you wont be disappointed. read more

They are going to need a bigger boat! The food was fantastic! I had Oysters Rockefeller and it was so good and the added touch of bacon did not hurt! I cannot say enough about how good the food was for all 3 of us and we shared just for the taste and everything which was exceptional! Emily, our server was energetic, professional, and cute as can be. She was a high point and an asset to this restaurant. I'm from the West Palm area and I would choose this restaurant over anything I've had on the east coast. Good job Melanies and you may want to expand! read more

This was a nice surprise. A cozy little place that I enjoyed so much I almost want to keep it a secret. We went about lunchtime on a Saturday and there plenty of seats including a small table outside. Wanting something simple, I ordered the beer battered fish. But I also didn't want the usual freezer-to-fryer french fries so I ordered something I don't usually care for - coleslaw. Turned out to be the best coleslaw I have ever eaten. It wasn't too sweet or a runny pile of mayonnaise and cabbage. This was coleslaw the way it was meant to be made. The fish was cooked perfect - crispy and not dried out. I intend to go back to Melanie's Seafood many times just so I can try other items on their menu. read more

Melanie's Seafood - Beer battered cod and coleslaw - Seafood Near Me - Lake Wales, Florida

The restaurant is family owned and operated. The owner and staff are very friendly and nice. We always have a good meal. It is a cute storefront restaurant. Our favorites are the raw oysters(theirs are so big) And the homemade key lime pie. They even have Coke Zero ! read more

Melanie's Seafood Restaurant will be our go-to spot whenever we're in the Lake Wales area. This small, family-run restaurant has a friendly wait staff and is clearly popular among locals. The fried shrimp was offered two ways, and we opted for the batter-fried version. The batter was light and delicate, allowing the fresh shrimp to shine. It was served with a choice of sides, and we went with the sweet potato fries, which were perfectly crispy and not greasy. The house-made coleslaw had good flavor but was quite thick and heavy with dressing. The fried oysters were outstanding--probably the best I've ever had. The menu featured a great selection of fresh seafood dishes. The restaurant itself is simple, with minimal decor and an open kitchen, but it was very clean, including the restrooms. Parking on the street was easy to find, though it could be limited during peak hours. Prices were reasonable for the quality and portions. We'll definitely be back! read more

Everything we had was delicious... The crab cakes were very crabby... lol... and I loved the large slightly crunchy pieces of onion in them. The sauteed spinach was the best I've had anywhere with chunks of garlic cooked with it. The cole slaw was also the best I've tasted... Hubby had blackened mahi mahi, the cole slaw and black beans and an extra side of sweet potato fried and everything was delicious. We'll be going back for sure! The service was great and the waitress was very personable... the ambiance may not be everyone's thing but the classic rock heard faintly from the kitchen area was our thing! The seating was in a nice clean environment and we had a comfortable booth. read more

We ate lunch at Melanie's Seafood Lake Wales today after seeing it on this page. Kind of a haul from where we live but after one visit we definitely plan on going back. Everything, and I mean everything we ate was delicious. Manhattan clam chowder, cold shrimp, fish and chips and a lobster roll. The potato salad with the lobster roll was so good I began to wonder if it was just that I was hungry, but no, it truly was some of the best I've ever had. read more

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Perhaps the best burger in Polk County. Large, fresh patty, fresh bun, fresh, crisp toppings--are you sensing a theme???

Quaint little restaurant downtown and super accommodating. Loved the fried mushroom appetizer! Wedge salad with added Bacon was absolutely huge, fresh and delicious. Fresh fried flounder was fried perfectly with house cut fries and slaw. Only wish batter had a bit of seasoning and would likely have it grilled on our next visit. Great menu selections and highly recommend a stop if looking for a great local business to patronize. read more

Melanie's Seafood - Flounder and Fresh Handcut Fries! - Seafood Near Me - Lake Wales, Florida

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Food was good service was good first time having pompano it was fried perfectly we will be back to try some new things. read more

Melanie's Seafood - Whole pompano and shrimp po boy everything was amazing fish dip was also good. - Seafood Near Me - Lake Wales, Florida

Melanie's Seafood was amazing. Cute and clean restaurant. All the staff were kind and attentive. Fresh as fresh could be sea food! The salad dressings and dips all made in house. Grouper delish!! Best conch fritters I've had since Key West! Key lime pie! read more

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While staying @ River Ranch RB&B "the sheriff and having a beautiful time, we decided to eat @Melanie's. The food was delicious and the ambience was great. Highly recommend both places. This place is paradise and has nature @its best. read more

Melanie's Seafood - Delicious Cannolis - Seafood Near Me - Lake Wales, Florida

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Great food and generous portions. Friendly atmosphere. Fried Green Tomatoes were excellent as were the fish dinners and pastas. Highly recommend! read more

Very clean, and amazing service. It was a bit quiet when we were here, but what a cute place!! Mel's Belle Burger and the Shrimp and Grits were both delicious!! read more

Melanie's Seafood - Mel's Belle - Seafood Near Me - Lake Wales, Florida

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Met Melanie! Amazing service and amazing food on a beautiful winter evening. Their shrimp Alfredo pasta is sublime along with their Ahi sashimi. read more

Service food and flavor is to die for An experience that I want to repeat nothing but good people good food and great service from the get-go felt right at home except no cooking. Do yourself a favor and spend some time at Melanie's. read more

What an amazing diamond in the rough. Don't let the road construction deter you from discovering this scrumptious seafood. The service is beyond fabulous. Really felt like family here. We were forced to find an outdoor seating area due to our fur baby and this place fits the bill. Speak of the bill we were also happy with the prices. Next time we are in town won't bother looking for anywhere else to eat. We found the perfect place on the first try here. read more

Excellent food and even better service! We just moved to the neighborhood and stopped by for a quick bite. The shrimp poboy was deñicious!

Excellent service & quality ingredients exquisitely prepared. Anyone who can make cooked spinach tasty gets my vote. Tried grilled mayo mahi, grouper, fried cod & fish tacos. All strong contenders. We will be back. Thanks! read more

Date night with the wife. What a great meal and phenomenal service. Started with the chilled shrimp cocktail plenty of shrimp seasoned with Old Bay. I decided on one of the specials Shrimp Jambalaya seasoned to perfection. Thank you chef Brian for the recommendation. It was a perfect portion and delicious. My wife had the fried cod and enjoyed it along with her sides. And we topped it off with a piece of peanut butter pie. Sorry forgot to take a picture. Place is clean, and friendly staff. read more

Melanie's Seafood - Jambalaya Special - Seafood Near Me - Lake Wales, Florida

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Small town local lunch/dinner diner in downtown historic Lake Wales. The food is freshly prepared and amazing! The sweet tea is as good or better than NC homemade and that's good! The beer battered shrimp was lightly battered with seasoning that has been in the chef's family for 30 year. The Mel's Burger with Pimento Cheese and fried green tomato was to die for! The freshly seasoned vegetables were grilled to perfection and sweet potato fries with keylime sauce...oh my! read more

Good food. Nice staff. Reasonably priced. Very cozy. Had the lobster Mac n cheese and bison burger. Both were delicious!

We had the best dinner here! We were visiting Bok Gardens and I'm so glad we found this restaurant. Staff is super friendly and the atmosphere is really comfortable/relaxed. Everything was clean and organized. The food was awesome. The lobster mac and cheese had lots of lobster and was a great homemade macaroni. Mahi Reuben was delicious, and the fried shrimp were crispy and fluffy. We really enjoyed dinner, highly recommend. :) read more

Very cozy atmosphere. Open kitchen concept with very friendly staff. My husband and I got the shrimp and grits. They were fantastic and completely different from the typical dish. My daughter got cheese curds as an appetizer and grilled chicken with fries. All were very good. Glad we gave this place a chance. read more

Melanie's Seafood - Shrimp and Grits - Seafood Near Me - Lake Wales, Florida

Delicious!!! Fish tacos were awesome (get the blackened ). And the store across the street fun to hit, too.

Agree it's not fancy and the town is kind of sad, but the food was really good. Thumbs up for the burger, tacos AND the homemade key lime pie. Burger was cooked as requested and all special requests were honored. Hubby said "it was a GOOD burger". In his language that's like 5 stars. The mahi in the tacos can be fried, grilled or blackened. Two tacos, chock full with slaw, yummy corn salsa & fish. Plenty of fish. Served with white rice & black beans. Would have liked a little more interesting rice and to have salsa and avocado available. The creole mayo was a nice addition suggested by the server. Service was very good. Server was sweet & cheery. Offered to-go cups. Pie was perfectly sweet. The music was great when we first got there. As we were finishing someone else made the music selections and it was a bit too edgy. read more

We started with the mushroom appetizer and loved it. The horseradish dipping sauce was perfect. My husband and I got the cheddar cheese burger and thought it was delish! Perfectly done and tasted like a good old burger from the backyard grill! We are visiting from Vero Beach, but can't wait to come back and try everything! read more