Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    Rusty Bellies

    4.4 (2.7k reviews)
    Closed 11:00 am - 9:00 pm
    Updated 2 months ago

    Waitlist - Rusty Bellies

    Waitlist closed

    The restaurant is not taking waitlist parties right now

    Rusty Bellies Reservations

    Order Rusty Bellies Takeout or Delivery

    Rusty Bellies Photos

    Business Info

    RUSTY BELLIES ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Touristy
    Moderate noise
    Good for kids

    Recommended Reviews - Rusty Bellies

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    Reviews With Photos

    Entrance!
    Aaron B.

    After an 11 month hiatus I came back to Rusty Bellies and it did NOT disappoint. Checked in with the hostess and asked how long the wait was for outdoor seating, and she said 20-30 mins. 10 mins later, I was being seated at the table by the water at the Sponge Docks. You get complimentary Hush Puppies to snack on while you figure out what you would like to order, I had a Crab Bisque to start and it was sooooo delicious! Thick and creamy, all the things! I had the Chef Special Sea-bass, Clam Chowder Risotto, and Sea Scallops. This was SUCH A DELICIOUS MEAL! Everything was cooked to perfection. The vibe is laid back and chill while you take in views of boats, leaving and coming back from the gulf. All-In-All great food, great service, great views and I won't wait as long to come back, but I have a food bucket list I'm working on lol!

    Tia T.

    We sat on the back porch and with it being covered it was very enjoyable. Our waitress was very thorough, prompt, and kind. We had the group and mahi sandwich and both were delicious. The hushpuppies were a nice touch. The inside was clean and I would definitely go back.

    Shrimp bisque & mussels with garlic oil sauce
    Rachel M.

    Service was pretty good considering how busy it was. It was to be expected bc of Mother's Day. We enjoyed our food. I ordered the 86 proof which is salmon and scallops and my husband ordered the chicken Alfredo. 3 stars bc the girl who took my phone number to text me when my table was ready put my number down incorrectly. I had a feeling this would happen. I know our wait was about an hour and a half and I was prepared for that. But I went back earlier to check on where we were at with another girl and found out my number was wrong. I'd already waited an hour. The other girl was like oh maybe that for someone else. I was like no that's me she put the first two numbers of my phone number wrong. If I didn't go back to check I'd be waiting for nothing. They need to be confirming phone numbers. I should have at first and I'm glad I finally did when I did. Ambiance is loud bc of big groups, again to be expected especially with the holiday. Outside would be the best place with the water view, but it was too hot for outside right now.

    Dawn C.

    What an awesome little gem tucked at the end of the sponge docks! As I was alone I sat at the outside bar. Bartender was awesome ... friendly and welcoming. I ordered mahi piccata with veggies and rice. Beer on tap from local brewery. The food was amazing, piccata was lemony and loaded with briny capers. Didn't have quite enough so they gladly brought me a side of sauce! The mahi was so from and tasty! Nothing fishy here! Oh and let's not forget the complementary hush puppies they gave me as soon as I sat down.

    Menu
    Chris S.

    Food was ok fish spread was Good but pretty salty I did enjoy the veggies it comes with first time I have seen that pairing. Chicken Dakota was the star of the meal my wife loved it the mahi sandwich was very dry and lacking in any flavor I took the lemon wedge out of my water to try and save it. Overall average food nice view decent service. If in the area worth a try but if you order the mahi I would try blackened fried was a no go.

    Fish and Chips
    Robert G.

    Went to Tarpon Springs on a day trip and Rusty Bellies was recommended as the place where the locals ate. Our intention was to eat at a Greek Restaurant but decided to give Rusty Bellies a try. When we entered they were fairly busy but was able to seat us right away. Our waitress greeted us and assisted us in making our selections. I ordered the Seafood Gumbo to start my meal which was very good, actually if I return I would probably order two bowls of the Gumbo for my meal. My wife ordered the Fish and Chips which was very large and also came with fries and coleslaw. She thought the coleslaw had a funny taste but I tried it and thought it was good. The fish which was cod was very large and my wife was unable to finish it. I had the Shrimp and Grits which was all right. Overall the restaurant was clean on the water and we were happy with the service and the food. The prices were fair for what we ordered.

    Poke bowl--the small version. Plenty of food here. Could not finish
    Whitney W.

    Our meals were delicious--bbq, poke bowl, scallops. However, I would not recommend the ceviche. It was very avocado and tomato forward. Super fun atmosphere. Servers were great. Recommend!

    Cajun Gulf Grouper
    Dennis T.

    It was quite busy on a Saturday night at this restaurant - the host said 1 hour and 45 minute wait but only ended up being 30 minutes. They have a bar outside and you can use the seating there if you order takeout (this is a hack). They had some string lights in the beach area with an outside bar and live music, which was nice. The only con is that the price is pretty pricey for a medium sized portion. The 1/2 lb peel and eat shrimp doesn't come with anything else other than shrimp. The Cajun grouper flavor was ok. I'm not sure if the Cajun style in Florida is different than a Louisiana Cajun sauce. The grouper was very meaty though.

    Hush puppies
    Sarah A.

    The location was great and loved the patio. Service was friendly. Our appetizers of buffalo shrimp and fish spread were super delicious and yummy. I also love that they bring out hush puppies before the meal. My salad was good, but the egg on top seemed overly processed and the bacon had an odd texture. The salmon was fantastic. I think I'd prefer a different meal more.

    Fried shrimp and fries
    Ashley B.

    This place is terrific! It's super busy, so make a reservation unless you want to wait. There are plenty of spots outside to sit and wait, and a bar around the back, so you have options. The food is just plain good. You get hush puppies at the table. Crispy in the outside and soft on the inside. So good! We chose the ceviche stack, which was honestly terrific; big enough for 4 to share. For dinner, I had the 86 Proof with salmon, scallops wrapped in bacon, rice and green beans with a bourbon-based sauce. Also just delicious! My husband got the fried shrimp with fries and cole slaw. He shared a shrimp with me, and it was delicious. So fresh. I'd recommend eating here if you're in the area. Portions are very generous. What a great spot!

    Hush puppies
    Reginald A.

    Never a disappointment here. I've been coming here for years. We moved away due to work but we come back a few times every and this place is a big part of why.

    Time for late lunch
    Yvette T.

    Rusty bellies has some of the freshest seafood I've ever eaten. Amazing customer service and a huge variety of food to choose from an addition to seafood. Took a friend of mine here as well as my aunt who is from Pennsylvania, and they both agreed the food was very good. Highly recommend making a reservation as it does get very busy.

    Fat Cat Alfredo with chicken
    Emily S.

    Our server Louie was so great! We have great food and a great time! They were so kind to keep our birthday cake in the fridge until we were ready for it! We will be back!

    Crab Bisque

    See all

    1 month ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 month ago

    Rusty Bellies is an area gem! The food is fresh and never lacks flavor. Drink are amazing along with service and views

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 month ago

    Great food , friendly staff. Long wait, but worth it. Family friendly environment. Will definitely visit again.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 month ago

    Helpful 19
    Thanks 8
    Love this 15
    Oh no 0

    21 days ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 month ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 days ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 month ago

    Helpful 8
    Thanks 3
    Love this 5
    Oh no 1

    14 days ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    2 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    18 days ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 month ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    16 days ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    10 days ago

    Business owner information

    Photo of Ashley G.

    Ashley G.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    6 months ago

    Business owner information

    Photo of Paulina S.

    Paulina S.

    Thank you for visiting us.

    Helpful 42
    Thanks 10
    Love this 38
    Oh no 1
    Photo of Cole W.
    6
    59
    39

    25 days ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 months ago

    Business owner information

    Photo of Paulina S.

    Paulina S.

    Dave, thank you for stopping in and enjoying your visit.

    Helpful 17
    Thanks 6
    Love this 13
    Oh no 0

    7 months ago

    Business owner information

    Photo of Paulina S.

    Paulina S.

    Helpful 11
    Thanks 7
    Love this 13
    Oh no 1

    8 months ago

    Helpful 6
    Thanks 1
    Love this 2
    Oh no 2

    8 days ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 months ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    8 months ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 months ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1
    Photo of Debra V.
    158
    2022
    9005

    5 months ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 1

    2 months ago

    Very good food, above average service, and memorable hush-puppies. The best scenery of any seafood restaurant in the area.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Mai L.
    307
    786
    1893

    9 months ago

    Business owner information

    Photo of Paulina S.

    Paulina S.

    Thank you for dining with us, Mai. We hope to see you again soon.

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 2

    2 months ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 1

    5 months ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    5 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    10 months ago

    Business owner information

    Photo of Ashley G.

    Ashley G.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 1

    1 month ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    5 months ago

    Business owner information

    Photo of Paulina S.

    Paulina S.

    Thank you so much Kelly, we appreciate your insight.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    25 days ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 days ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    Page 1 of 67

    Rusty Bellies Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Rusty Bellies

    Can I make a reservation for 3/21?

    There is a link on their website; we typically make our reservations ahead of time. The wait can be over an hour if not.

    Where can I confirm my reservation?

    Call them

    Are you Open on Christmas Day?

    Hi there! We will be closed Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day.

    Our sever said no oysters because you've been able to find a good reliable source ? I'm hoping on our next visit oysters will reappear on the menu! Five star meal on Sunday !

    Oyster season typically is any month w the letter R in it...

    Do you serve grilled octopus?

    Hi Ken, Currently we do not serve grilled octopus.

    Do you take reservations?

    No they don't take reservations or call ahead seating.

    All you can eat?

    Definitely not.

    Do they take reservations for a large (25) group?

    No they don't

    When is happy hour? And what does it entail? Is there an actual menu for it?

    4-6, it varies depending on the season. Yes there is a menu for it

    Please can we seat ouside?

    If there is space but it's also with reservations. It's usually packed so be sure to get on the reservation lists way in advance.

    Are dogs welcome?

    Hello Howard, As much as we love dogs, only Service Dogs are allowed in the restaurant.… Read more

    Do they have delivery or an App that delivers?

    I don't see that Uber Eats, DoorDash, Bite Squad or GrubHub deliver from here.... that at least narrows down a bit which services DO NOT deliver.

    Do they allow people to smoke on the deck?

    But they do have a patio where smoking is permitted

    Does Rusty Bellies accept call aheads for less than 10 people?

    They have a list you can do on YELP ! We have used it several times and it works GREAT !

    Who is yelp manager for Clearwater area?

    Christina G. Is the Yelp manager for the Tampa Bay Area. I don't know if there is one specifically for Clearwater.

    View All 17 Questions

    Captn Jack's Bar and Grill

    Captn Jack's Bar and Grill

    3.4
    (504 reviews)
    0.5 mi
    $$

    The parents wanted fish before leaving to go back home to Ky…read more It had been a minute since we had eaten here so why not? This place was GREAT! Corey was our server and he was the best! Very helpful answering all of our questions and even making suggestions. 3 of us got the Fish and Chips (2 of us shared 1 meal) and the other got the Captains Feast. The Fish and Chips is more than enough food for to feed 1 person. 2 Large pieces of flounder, fries, and slaw. Very fresh and crispy! (We had enough left over for my lunch the next day) The Captains Feast grilled, was also very fresh! Flounder, Scallops, Shrimp, Crab cake, and he ordered chips and slaw as a side. I would definitely suggest going and I know we will stop in for dinner again very soon. See u Soon!

    I wish I could give 5 stars because the food and our waiter, Jake, were fantastic. However, even…read morewith our 5:45pm reservation "with handicap accessibility" noted, we were told by the belligerent hostess that we would need to sit at a high top or wait 1 hour. I told her to look at my mom and that I would not be doing that. She just said, "well that's the only options you have, I can't hold tables." "Well what is the point of a reservation with notes?" I replied. She proceeded to blame the other host and said "she didn't see anything and couldn't help, we would just need to wait." So I said "that's unacceptable." And when she replied again that she"couldn't do anything." I said "well let's talk to a manager then, because I'm not lifting my mom into one of those chairs." So she stormed off and the manager immediately apologized and said she would fix it while the hostess said I was yelling at her. Unbelievable. I just think the hostess needs a different job. I have never experienced someone so argumentative and rude as a hostess. Then I come here and read comments and clearly she is working a lot and ruining this awesome restaurants reputation. Give her a new job before you lose more customers!

    Photos
    Captn Jack's Bar and Grill
    Captn Jack's Bar and Grill
    Captn Jack's Bar and Grill

    See all

    Morgan’s Cove

    Morgan’s Cove

    4.3
    (74 reviews)
    23.7 mi

    What a DOPE, PIRATE THEMED, speakeasy to go to grab some delicious drinks! Totally blown away!…read more Tucked, downtown Tampa you enter through a secret bookcase door and you enter a very low key pirate bar! Lighting is dim, which is part of the concept. (Auto flash is needed for pics) The joint, is VERY CLEAN! The staff is awesome and very attentive! They understand process. The drinks are SOOO WELL MADE! I had a Zombie as my first drink, and it is very well presented and STRONG! I prefer,my first drink at an establishment to be strong cause then I can lighten it up later. Then I had a Rum Barrel, not as strong, but well presented and delicious! Note: Prices for drinks are worth every dime! They have a small food menu, but everything on the menu looked delicious, but I did not eat there. This speakeasy is attached to a British pub which I went for food after. (Review to come) All-in-all great spot to come and have a drink you are well treated, appreciated and just a fun experience! I will DEFINITELY come back here for a delicious drink and DEFINITELY will try something off the food menu. I'll just make sure next time I won't go there after a big breakfast lol! Five stars alllllll day long!!!

    Had a truly awful experience here. At about 9pm on a Friday my party of 5 put our name on a…read morewaitlist. Nearly 2 hours later we had still not received any word from them. When we came back to the hostess we were told that we had cancelled our reservation despite never getting a call or text from the establishment. They could not show us any proof of this cancellation and upon further investigation we discovered that the hostess had typed in the phone number wrong and the system cancelled our names from the waitlist (highlighting his lie that he confidently told us that we had cancelled our reservation and that they couldn't see the waitlist communication after it was sent). Due to the error of their end we asked for him to streamline our names on the waitlist and he became combative and told us that he was not comfortable serving us and asked us to leave. We spoke to the manager and they reiterated that they believe we had cancelled our reservation despite having proof that the hostess was the issue. Eventually after speaking to the general manager on duty he was able to magically find multiple open spots for us at the bar and was completely comfortable with serving us despite the allegations made by the hostess. And then after all that waiting, the bartenders were rude, asked us if we were the people causing all those problems at the front, and drinks were awful. Definitely not worth your time. Everyone is rude and you will feel demeaned just for trying to get access to their "exclusive" speakeasy.

    Photos
    Secret entrance to the speakeasy!
    Secret entrance to the speakeasy!
    Rum Barrel
    Rum Barrel
    The bar area, tables surrounding it and another little closed off section.

    See all

    The bar area, tables surrounding it and another little closed off section.
    Johnny's Taphouse Grill

    Johnny's Taphouse Grill

    3.9
    (207 reviews)
    0.9 mi
    $$

    I am almost a week post visit, but I had to make sure I gave Tyler a shout out for the amazing…read moreservice last weekend. Leaving from the Howard Beach, and stopped in before commuting home to this local joint, and it was surprisingly raving!!! Hillbilly Eggrolls had great reviews and thought I would try, and it was actually REALLY good! Food is served FRESH and HOT! Even with minutes passed, I don't think I ever had food served this hot, but it was a great thing. The bathrooms even had a sign of Caution: Water Gets Hot! And I have hot water at home so I smiled because if the water is that hot, I know germs are being cleaned on silverware! But again, food was amazingly hot, and thank you for the great service, Tyler!

    Came here for dinner last night after the day at the beach...VERY GOOD!…read more This is a local Tap House with a sports bar vibe, looks small on the outside but it's really big on the inside, I opted to eat outside though. For a starter I had the Hillbilly Egg roll Slow-Cooked BBQ Pork, House Made Slaw, Pepper Jack Cheese, Drizzled with BBQ Served with a Side of Ranch Dressing!! Very good! Great portion! For my entree I had the Steak and cheese wrap and its Shaved Rib-Eye, Sautéed Mushroom, Onions, and Bleu Cheese, wrapped in a flour tortilla. Sooooooo delicious and juicy! Service was rocky at first as for as drinks were concerned, and they definitely made sure that it was an addressed and took care of the issue. I had a smoked bourbon for my drink...sooo good! Probably one of the best I've had. All-In-All GREAT local spot for eats!! I'm going to have to come during football season to see the sport vibe...while wearing all my Seahawks gear! Lol!!

    Photos
    Johnny's Taphouse Grill
    More stale yellowish spinach
    More stale yellowish spinach
    Johnny's Taphouse Grill

    See all

    Rusty Bellies - seafood - Updated June 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...