Great little bar/restaurant just off Jacaranda. Menu was better than expected. I got the shrimp and grits and added the andouille and it was great and a good value. Wife got the fried chicken special it was solid too. Friendly service, good food, good value is hard to find, especially in one place. We'll be back in a hurry. read more

Food was great and the service was outstanding. A little hidden gem. Will definitely try it again.

Great local non chain restaurant. The staff is very friendly and engages with the customers. Nice seafood menu that offers many different types of plates. Food was prepared well as all four of of party members enjoyed their selections. Nothing fancy about the inside but it was clean & homey. read more

If you want a quick meal, served hot, this is the place. Food was served quickly. Was hot. But flavor was just meh. Definitely under seasoned meatloaf. Wife had the turkey and mash taters. Meh. Staff was super friendly. read more

The service and food was wonderful! I had the shrimp burger and it was super tasty! The staff was very welcoming and nice

Typical bar and grill food. Server was nasty. They have happy hour food specials. It wasn't outstanding enough for me to come back. read more

Took our daughter here for dinner last week, after hearing great things about it. We had the Open Faced hot beef with mashed dinner, Blackened Mahi Mahi tacos with homemade chips and the Shrimp burger. Our daughter capped it off with a piece of the Bailey's cheesecake made by an in-house pastry chef. Everything was excellent and we will be back. Small place but cozy atmosphere read more

See all

We had a cod fish fry and ordered a grouper Reuben. I didn't want French Fries and wanted to substitute it for something else. I was told that they couldn't do that. I ordered a salad and was told that she was still bringing me the fries???? Also charged $6 for the salad. Instead of getting a grouper Reuben, we got a grouper sandwich. They offered to replace it, but then we would each be eating alone. Food tasted good, but service average. They did deduct $3 off our bill for our experience. We were not impressed. read more

Everything was so good. The fish was fresh and seasoned perfectly. The onion rings were amazing!!!! In fact I would go there for the onion rings alone!! They were hand battered and fried to perfection. All food was excellent. The only negative with the food were the salads. We ordered a garden salad and a Caesar salad. Both salads were a little gritty and not appetizing. The service was friendly and very quick. We were a party of 6 and they went over and above to take good care of us. The ambiance was also fun and relaxing. Overall, it was a great experience and we're looking forward to eating there again. read more

After reviewing some of the Yelp reviews and being a Fish and Chips snob, I had stopped in for a late lunch. Was greeted by Kathleen C who was very accommodating and friendly. I had ordered the cod fish and chips with their homemade cut French fries, and a drink from the full bar. Service was excellent throughout my meal. The cod fish and chips were fresh and not oily at all they used cod loins for the fish the French fries were fresh and seasoned perfectly the home made coleslaw was also refreshing. All it's were fresh and cooked to order. The location is a bit confusing but we'll worth the find. Everything including service was outstanding. Recommended they also have a great selection of fresh fish sandwiches. read more

Our bike group went to The Red Tavern we were absolutely pleased with all our meals. As New Englander, we were so impressed with the clam chowder and fish. A must try are the onion rings and chips beyond delicious. All our meals were fantastic! The service was excellent, attentive and made excellent recommendations. A treasure in Venice. read more

You can't go to a place like Venice, Florida and not have seafood. I was staying way far out of town by the interstate 75, and I thought I was destined to have a hamburger. To my surprise I spied the Red Grouper Tavern hidden among the burger joints and motels far from Venice Island. The motel manager hadn't eaten there, but heard good things about it. So I gave it a try. A small friendly restaurant with a down home Venice feel. The clientele was 100% Venice Seniors, tanned, gray haired, casual dressed, happy and enjoying their wine and beer. I felt right at home ! I wanted a blacked grouper, but I had a Lobster instead. It was great and reasonably priced. I'll be back, even if I have to drive that far off Venice Island. P.S: the waitress was Devine ! read more

Really nice place, great customer service, delicious food, delicious wine. Service was fast and as expected. read more

Red Grouper Tavern - Grouper sandwich - Seafood Near Me - Venice, Florida

See all

I was disappointed on my first dinner there. I was looking forward to it because friends had said it was good. My two friends said their seafood dinner was just ok, dry/overcooked? and worse, I gifted my brother a lobster roll and he said the next day is was dry and grainy and the roll was so flimsy it was hard to eat. Not likely to go back, and disappointed. marcy f. read more

Found this restaurant thumbing through Yelp and decided to give it a try. Located just off I75 it's very unassuming from the outside but don't let that scare you. The food is amazing. Lots of great, fresh seafood and other items if seafood is not your thing. I had the grouper sandwich which is normally fried but you can get it grilled or blackened. I had the blackened which comes on a fresh baked roll made exclusively for the restaurant. The onion rings are hand cut and breaded and are the best in the area. Highly recommend you give this place a try. read more

Loved the Caesar salad , meatballs and Shrimp Cocktail recommend 10/10! The owner and the staff were so lovely!

Horrible quality spoiled seafood. Tried this overpriced place several times and the fish is always spoiled tastes weeks old. Service isn't much better. read more

In town for the week and tried The Red Grouper Tavern. The food was fresh and prepared to perfection! Service was great as well! I would recommend to anyone! read more

A great casual affordable place to grab a meal in Venice. Everything was wonderful. We've been back several times, and will continue to return. Very pleased. read more

Totally amazing. Food was exceptional and service was friendly and fun, albeit short staffed, everyone made you feel like you were family. The Gulf balls are NOT to be missed, and island rice - Fabulous!! But really, being welcomed like family on our first visit- and the delicious food!!! The only draw back was no dessert... which means we will Definitely Be Back!! This is a hidden Gem of Venice. Thank you so much for a great evening !! read more

We decided to try The Red Grouper for lunch after reading some great reviews and we were not disappointed. I had the spicy spaghetti and meatballs and my date had the fish and chips with onion rings. Both were delicious! The onion rings were the best ever with a light batter coating and not greasy. Matt provided excellent service. We will be back to try some of the other menu selections. It was difficult to choose. read more

Had a wonderful meal!! Calamari was great! Husband had lobster roll it was excellent! I had meatballs the sauce is the best ! Meatballs delicious! Probably our new favorite hangout. Do not hesitate to give this place a try!! Obtw our service was excellent! read more

Had lunch there a week ago, with my husband, and they had received live lobsters from Maine that morning. We both had the hot lobster with butter. Delicious and dessert was so good. We highly recommend this lovely restaurant. The service was excellent. Friendly waiter and owner also came out to speak with us. We loved the ambiance of being a smaller more intimate atmosphere. 5 star review. read more

Talking about good food and value (which is very rare!!!) you will find it here! Love love my salmon salad, the grilled salmon cooked perfectly! If there is more stars than five, I would give them! Will definitely be back. read more

See all

My wife and I stopped for lunch after Legacy Trail bike ride in Venice. The staff was super friendly and the atmosphere was very casual & tastefully decorated. We enjoyed fresh salsa & chips with a couple of ice cold beers served in a frosty mug... mmm after our bike ride. Our entrees included lightly blackened grouper, and they're special Hand-cut french fries. We also enjoyed the island rice side dish. My wife had the Hamburger & coleslaw both were tasty & well prepared. Overall a pleasant relaxing meal to cap off a fun day. Another plus is their Location. It's right off Interstate #75 & Jacaranda road, easy in & out. PS. We met the owners there. They were friendly & very welcoming. They take great pride in Everything being Fresh, never frozen! read more

We had delicious fresh grouper and red snapper sandwiches. Service was fast and efficient. Next time I want to try the lobster rolls.

So. I never judge any restaurants by others reviews so since this place was a mixed bag of reviews I was curious to do my own. There is no signage from the road so other than a welcome mat with the business name on it,, this place is easy to miss in the dark . We were greeted very warmly upon entering and it seems to be a smaller more casual dining place that is newer to the area. Menu consists of fresh fish such as shrimp, haddock, salmon,grouper, snapper and lobster. Also sandwiches and salads are available. We sat at our table waiting for acknowledgement...Server came over and apologized for the delay as they are busy..,They have a full bar but no frozen drinks.... This is more a local hangout , type of place...The owner came by and made sure our orders were taken. She also was cleaning, bussing tables and involved in what was going on in the restaurant so it was a nice personal touch. She asked everyone if it was their first time in, welcomed them and told them about menu options prior to the server showing up.Our server was nice but she brought us the wrong entrees, no silverware or napkins and my husband was just done with the experience. For me , the people were nice, the food was okay...Seafood bisque wasn't creamy , had a sweet taste to it and lobster roll was kind of dry , no mayo or butter. Service could be better but they just opened and they were busy so I give them some leeway. For me it was good not great.... As they are open longer hopefully things will improve. We ate the wrong entrees rather than chance sending them back and hoping they get it right second time around. Not a great experience... Hopefully it gets better with time. read more

See all

Best tasting grouper around!! Friendly staff aims to please! Fun, friendly, energetic atmosphere! read more

Excited to try this new seafood spot in Venice. Ordered the Grouper lightly blackened and the 27-day aged Ribeye Special ($34) medium for a pink center per the server. The ribeye came out rare (dark red center) and the server graciously returned it to the chef. Unfortunately, on the second go around, the steak was tough and overcooked. Despite the manager seeing how tough the meat was, she offered no discount. She did offer to make a new piece but by that point my spouse was done eating. Very disappointing and definitely not worth the price. The grouper was slightly fishy but otherwise ok. The server was a sweetheart but was clearly embarrassed by the food prep. Overall, if you want an Applebee's quality steak an Outback price, this is the place to go. Otherwise, save your money. read more

We were visiting Venice and stumbled upon the Red Grouper Tavern which proved to be an unexpectedly happy surprise. We were greeted at the door and felt immediately welcome. The server was very friendly and knowledgeable. The food was excellent, starting with a great garden salad (with fresh leafy greens and ripe salad veggies), and our entrees (grilled grouper and fried clams) were terrific. The whole belly clams are the best we've ever had (and we've had a lot of clams in New England). This restaurant has some of the best seafood and service in the Venice/Nokomis area. Definitely worth your time. read more

Friendly and engaging staff. Food was quick, hot, fresh and delicious. Full bar and the menu has a lot of variety. We will be back!

Dined with friends at tonight at Red Grouper Tavern. As usual food was fantastic. One of my friends and I tried the "shrimp burger". It was delicious! Almost like a crab cake but with shrimp. And the helping was ginormous! Very fairly priced. The Happy Hour made it even better! Service is great and the owners are so hands on. Great atmosphere too. We highly recommend The Red Grouper Tavern! read more

The food was very tasty and brought as ordered and expected. Even the coleslaw was delicious. The service provided by Eric was excellent. The restaurant is located on a dead end street but it's easily accessible. The ambiance is not to be mistaken as bougie. It's a locals type place with comfort homestyle seafood dishes. We will definitely make another visit. read more

Red Grouper Tavern - Lobster bisque - Seafood Near Me - Venice, Florida

See all

Great atmosphere friendly and clean. Food was delicious we will return. Our waitress Sandy was friendly and attentive.

Probably shouldn't review this restaurant since we only got there 20 minutes before closing. Everything was rushed as we weren't aware of closing time. Food was generous but not outstanding. Probably would have a different opinion if we had come at a different time. They were nice enough to seat & serve us even though they were about to close. I'll try to go here again to be more fair on a review. read more

Good food, warm atmosphere and great service!! Highly recommend to visit this cozy place!!

Food was delicious and service was great! Clam chowder highly recommended, grouper Rueben also fantastic. Food came out fast, would definitely come here again. read more

With all the hoards of people (snowbirds) in town, sometimes you love to try somewhere new, and we finally got around to The Red Grouper Tavern for Friday fish. It was great. As much as this little gem should be "all ours" it's time for us to spread the word. The fish was fresh and tasty, but what I liked about the Fried Cod was the light batter and the fact it wasn't greasy. Cole Slaw was good, FF hit the spot and the people who own it really care. We also had the Italian meatball app to start and that was fantastic. Good food, locally owned and BTW they have a full bar. A+ catch. read more

First time there. Ordered the clam chowder and while it was tasty, did not have potatoes and was very soupy. That said i had the sirloin w shrimp and the shrimp was good but the sirloin was like shoe leather. Ok but when the check came it showed a $2 charge for "rocks". I had ordered JWB on the rocks, and was appalled that they would charge $2 for ice! The owner said that is the way the ordering system is set up & offered to buy me a drink on the rocks the next time I was would come in, but there will be no next time. read more

You were pretty crowded the evening we dined and staff was hustling which resulted in a good wait until our order was taken. However, during that time the over ambiance of a seafood restaurant was pleasantly in the air as evidenced by the aromas. My wife has a soft shelled crab sandwich and I had the 1# Lobster, both of which we enjoyed. i would have enjoyed my lobster more if it had been drained after preparation as the water almost filled my plate and made for a quite sloppy experience in the overall. That said though, I did enjoy the evening and we will return. Oh, the moscow mule took a very long time to arrive as the ginger beer was not readily to be found at the bar. Quite good once found and the mule arrived! Noted that your on site menu was considerable different from the on-line one, which was much more extensive. Was really hard pressed between the #4 and #5 rate. We will be back. read more