This spot gives the seaman's kitchen vibe, with burnt out chandelier lights that need to be replaced. It's rather quiet except for the loud voices of customers. The hostesses always seem less than thrilled and/or not very energetic in their role. I can't think of another place where the people who greet you & seat you, are so drab. You don't have to be like Texas Roadhouse but, a little something would be nice! The servers do what servers do. I've sat with several and can't say I have a favorite & can't say there's one I refuse to have wait on me, again. They're courteous, and attentive. They're consistent with their food offerings and can't say there's much I'd ask to fix, except the hush puppies... seems like they always fry them too long! Otherwise, it's still on the "yes" list! read more

Beware of purchasing a gift card. I purchased a $50 gift card on May 3rd on the website. It was an actual hard copy gift card. I spoke to a man by phone after the purchase (PayPal) and was told it was mailed to my son in Macclenny, FL on May 4th. My son has yet to receive it. He went to the Macclenny restaurant and was told there wasn't anything they could do to resolve the issue. I have tried numerous times to call the original number, left texts as well as emails to two different addresses listed as their "Contact us" email address. No response. The end result is they got the money and my son got nada. Thankfully, PayPal refunded my money. read more

First hostess didnt even bother greeting us. Sat us quickly and threw the menus on the table. Food was so bland and had barely any taste. Not worth it. read more

Food and service were excellent! We were in town for a couple of days and liked our lunch so much that we came back for dinner the next day. Will definitely visit again when in town. read more

Very nice clam chowder. I ordered fried mahi and shrimp with a baked potato with extra butter. My fish was overdone and the shrimp were OK but were from frozen. The baked potato was brought out with a bunch of packets of greasy yellow stuff that was not butter. I was informed that they don't have any butter. What type of seafood place doesn't have butter? If I had been told when I ordered, I would have chosen a different side. The service was fast and friendly but the food was underwhelming- except for the chowder. The portions were large so you don't go away hungry. read more

Sam's Crystal River Seafood - Perfect clam chowder - Seafood Near Me - Macclenny, Florida

Got the plenty for one platter and it was cooked to perfection. Very juicy and crispy. The scallops were so good. Got the gator bites as well and they certainly did not disappoint. Outstanding and friendly customer service from our server. Dined in on the patio with a beautiful view of the tree's right in front. Will definitely come back when I get the chance. read more

Excellent seafood, excellent service. We had a variety of seafood and all of it was top shelf!! The place is clean and modern. The prices are very reasonable too. read more

A safe bet if looking for a restaurant in MacClenny. Sam's is located in a shopping center, with plenty of tables and plenty of parking. Service was friendly, though a tad slow. I ordered the grilled shrimp and scallops. Both were seasoned nicely, though I expected larger ones from a seafood place, with a smaller portion to offset that. I rarely have hush puppies, but had actually had some a few nights before at a different seafood restaurant, and Sam's win out, as they had a lot more taste. The baked potato was perfect. The green beans were ok, though on principal I don't get why a restaurant would serve up canned veggies instead of fresh. read more

Sam's Crystal River Seafood - Grilled shrimp and scallops - Seafood Near Me - Macclenny, Florida

The food was delicious, the service was excellent and the price were so reasonable! Absolutely a win win!!!! Our server's name was Jimmy! He was EXCELLENT! read more

I'm usually very reluctant to eat at any seafood restaurant that's akin to Cedar River because everything's usually frozen/not fresh, greasy and plain gross. We found ourselves with a choice between Sam's and a small steakhouse just up the street and because there were 4 adults and one child in our party, we opted to try this place out. Our appetizers didn't take long and the fried green tomatoes were stunning! We also had the stuffed mushrooms and the filing of bread crumbs and crab was delicious (although the cheese on top was applied with a heavy hand, it was gooey enough to remove a good amount before eating them) and everything came out to us quickly. I was very impressed. All four adults got the trio dinners and I have to admit I was surprised with the freshness and quality of the food...granted, for our main meal both my sweet potato fries and my husband's fried corn on the cob were missing, but they soon turned up and were hot and fresh. I got pollock and a double order of some of the best chicken tenders (hand breaded) that I've had anywhere. The huge amount of sweet potato fries were hot, fresh, large individually and perfectly crispy! What a joy to munch on! Everyone's shrimp was delicious and our grand daughter also enjoyed her Mac 'n cheese with her chicken tenders. All round, there were no complaints from any of us about our huge quantities of fresh delicious food. Our servers were attentive and our food was excellent. My only one complaint was that it easy obvious this was the area they put parties with children and larger groups of people, which I've no problem with....however, besides wiping off the tables and clearing them, the floor caked in sticky spilt drinks and gobs of napkins and food should have at least been attempted to be swept up at some point BEFORE seating more people! If you're looking for a good, fresh seafood or even steak and seafood or chicken and seafood meal, I highly recommend stopping by this place. They were excellent with a nice family friendly atmosphere accompanied by an enormous parking lot! Plenty of seating inside assures you quick seating as well! read more

This is the place to go if you want fresh seafood at a good price. Staff are very friendly and polite, the food is always fresh and the ranch is really good. It's a nice & small establishment with room for larger parties. Always clean & fresh, the shrimp and scallops are fantastic! read more

Food was cooked great and portions were huge. More than I could eat. Service was great too.

Pick-up order ready when promised and food was great as usual. Placing order online was a breeze.

My mom and I were in town for a concert & decided to try. We both ordered the 20 piece shrimp. The shrimp were fried perfectly and were a decent size. I ordered the cheese grits which were flavorful & creamy. My mom enjoyed her green beans & we both had fries, which were average. We got there are 4:45 on a Friday and the restaurant filled quickly after we were seated. Our server was friendly & prompt. The sweet tea is sweet & delicious. I would visit again if a local. read more

I am so mad. Called in an order to Crystal River tonight. Looked at their menu online, picked an entree that said it came with garlic bread, salad, and one side for 11.99. Order it, don't get the side. Whatever, I was going to give it to my boyfriend anyway. Pick it up, and the total is $20?? Whatever. Everything's going up, and frankly, I gotta eat dinner either way. Just drop it. Drive 30 minutes home, and realize I have two salads and no entree, and just as a little additional the dressing is wrong. Soo I call and speak to a manager. She tells me she can offer me a giftcard. I told her sure I can come get that, can I -also- get the dinner I paid for? She says absolutely. So I drive 30 mins back into civilization, and I walk in and my correct order is waiting on me. No giftcard. Manager comes out. Tells me it's the food -OR- the gift card, she will not do both. Okay but that's not what you said on the phone. She says "well that's not what I meant" cool! Regardless of what you meant, that's what you said. "Well I'm not doing both." I also wanted to know why I was charged $20 for something that's listed as $12 on their website. ‍ "Our prices changed." It would be one thing if this wasn't what I was told, but that's what i was expecting for an hour round trip for THEIR mistake. I was so mad I was in tears. read more

My husband and I both agree that everything is delicious! Casual ambiance. Service is fast and professional. We will be repeat customers!

Great food and service. Can't go wrong with this little surprise of a seafood joint. Fried fish and hush puppies were delicious.

Solid seafood pick from the country. I'm not gonna order it for a last meal, or look forward to it all week, but it's good. The kind of place you leave happy, but only ever go to when you are driving around and can't decide where to go, then drive up to it by chance, if that makes sense. No complaints, and they actually offer a pretty good value for the 2 person platter, but the service is meh, not particularly good not especially bad, and the sides leave a little to be desired while being good enough to finish. Lackluster might be the word. The decor is sort of a blend of a fish camp and normal sit down restaurant, which works well. Fish tank, mounted fish, and a very neat looking bar area I've never sat in unfortunately because I admit I like what they did back there. read more

Great service. I ordered the Senior Fried pollack@ $15.59. Very surprised at the portion of fish that was two tiny pieces. Looked like a child's meal portion. I have enjoyEd many good meals at this restaurant over several years so this was disappointing. read more

Crystal River is awesome anywhere. Cost is way better than expected. The way they make the Key Lime Pie is the best anywhere across the board. Other places add in so much additional lemon and lime that it will eat a hole in your gut. This place is fantastic. Never disappointed. read more

Wife & I shared the Seniors special. Everything was very good. The price was also good. Our server handled our table of 4 couples like a champ. We will go back. read more

Happened on this place while traveling, and I am glad I did. Great food and great service. Generous servings at a fair price. Let with a full and happy belly. read more

Not the best food, not the worst. If you like fried seafood then it isn't bad. If you request broiled or blackened be prepared for it to be overcooked. Happens every time I order stuffed flounder or blackened fish so I quit ordering those. They do have great gator tail, it's fried but always tender. The grilled chicken salad is a nice size and consistently good. Service for the most part is good. read more

Crab legs, Conch Fritters, Catfish, Tropical Tea Had a fantastic late lunch, early dinner for my Grandma's 72 birthday. We had a party of 5. We ordered the Conch Fritters appetizer, the Catfish Platter, 3 lbs. of Snow Crab Legs, which included 2 sides. We picked green beans and French fries. My Grandma is a resident of Macclenny and she recommended this restaurant for the catfish - she enjoyed it very much. Her reasoning was that they give large portions, and you know that you're eating catfish because you get the "whole" catfish. I was able to taste it and it wasn't my favorite, but I'm glad she liked it. I had the sweet tea and it was perfect southern tea. Not too sweet and not watery. My husband had the tropical tea. He was pleased with it. He said it had good flavor. My husband and I shared the crab legs. The butter was really great (not bland oil). A traditional shell or garbage bucket was provided. The conch fritters were good. I wouldnt order them again, because I'm not actually certain if there was any conch meat in the stuffing (for more than $1 a piece, this is important). For seafood accompaniments, it was just fine, but we'll skip it next time. The sides served with the crab legs were surprisingly small for a $41 dish. The green beans were nothing special - just basic, french cut and flavorless. The french fries were fabulous though! Extra crispy and seasoned. Initially I just split the fries between the 2 kids at the table because that's all we could do with the portion size we recieved. Our waitress came back just in time. She was great and super attentive! I only wish I got her name. My husband asked her if the portion size was correct for this dish and she said it was -- BUT that she would see if she could get us more and she did!! **A $75 meal saved with a few extra fries. Servers like this make all the difference** We finished our meal and paid. Our server never left us wondering where she was. My Grandma was happy and so were we. I think we'll have to do this again soon :) read more

Sam's Crystal River Seafood - Loving the company. Happy Birthday Grandma!!! - Seafood Near Me - Macclenny, Florida

Food was outstanding. Service was good. Clearly a favorite of the locals. I would definitely go back.

Stuffed mushrooms with extra ranch to smother them in and it was a nice reminder of growing up in the Midwest but at Sam's Crystal Rivers Seafood, delish! read more

Waitresses are always polite and efficient, food has always been great! Seafood is fresh and plentiful, I've never had a bad meal! Great place to go for celebrations too! read more

terrible food bad other than shrimp and way overpriced takes too long ambiance terrible and service meh boring very boring

The food was great and the service was great Daisy was our waitress it was really nice and will be back many times again I definitely recommend this place read more

Food was wonderful. Gator tail, cheesy grits and fried okra was delicious. Tory, our server, was attentive and so very friendly. Highly recommend! read more

We have been going to this restaurant for years; however, they have gone downhill. Tonight we thought we would try it again to give it another shot after our last experience. we had to wait an exceedingly amount of time with no one in the restaurant. Once we were seated, it took a long time for anyone to acknowledge we were there, then they took people who came in after us order before taking our order. We will not be coming back. read more

One star to much. Me and wife their last night. My dinner was ok Wife had the salmon one pice dry out and paper thin a lot of batter other one was raw. Yes raw. Told the waitress she said she told the manager about it and he didn't seem to care and coleslaw was bad. But the waitress took 15 percent of the meal that wife could not eat wow wth a dollar your kidding me I thought she took the whole sorry meal off but nope 15 percent off if I would have known this would have talk to the manager and not would have paid for this meal. We go their about every other month Needs less to say won't be back again when hell freezes over save your money go somewhere else poor customer service. None at all. And when you seat people at a table clean the floor up be you seat them napkins on floor French fries etc no body likes to sit at a dirty table get broom clean up the floor read more

We will not support you anymore . Ordered at 6:27 this evening and was told it would be ready in 30 minutes went up there and waited another 40 minutes and finally left at 7:35 and it was still not ready !!! Some people were walking up and had ordered 20 to 30 minutes after me and walked away with their food !! Called and wouldn't even let me speak to a manager !!! I understand about how hard it's been not being open full service but this was horrible !!!! read more

Ate here tonight with friends. Food not good. Fish was almost not edible. Gross. Will not be back. Service was good. Waste of my money.

This is a fried-fish place. I came here to get fried fish. I got fried fish--crispy, light, tender fried fish served by friendly, attentive staff at good prices! We dined on the patio which is situated out of the evil Florida summer sun. Ceiling fans discourages the inevitable fly and keeps it cool in the shade. I recommend that you stop in for some good food! read more

Oh-My-Goodness. "Grits & Shrimps" the Bomb. We had the fried green tomatoes appetizer- so good. Normally grits are not my thing but I decided to give them a try after listening to the hostess share the history of the restaurant & gave her recommendations to try them so I did. The cheese is real & not pre shredded - shred it when they prepare them. We will return when we pass through on our travels again. read more

Free wfi !!! For steff. Home made pies key lime, peanut butter pie; not much of a sweet tooth eater. But sounds good. Bar is open at 11:00 am whoohoo... The food was great!! Got the fried shrimp stuffed mushrooms, plus gator tail... read more

Sam's Crystal River Seafood - Getting my grub on! - Seafood Near Me - Macclenny, Florida

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Went here again a couple nights ago and got the 30 piece shrimp for $14.99. They also had all you can eat for only a dollar more. We didn't receive any hushpuppies with our meal even though other guests did but since last time I dined here they tasted half frozen in the middle maybe that's for the best. Our waitress wasn't terrible but she certainly didn't impress. Personally I'd much rather dine at Pier 6 but I ate here to satisfy those I was with. read more

Either they are racist or blind. Sat for 15 minutes and no one brought water, or took our order. Then they sat 2 other folks and 2 minutes later the waitress came to get their order... we walked out. read more

For a seafood restaurant this place sure has a lot to improve on. We came on a Sunday after church, so I expected a little wait. We were, however, seated within 5 minutes. Our server, Emily, was quick to the table to take our order. Drinks came out in a decent manner. Food took a little longer than expected being it wasn't really busy. I ordered blacken Salmon, which was NOT fresh at all! and it was overcooked to the point that it was kinda hard :( My honey makes a killer salmon so it is hard to live up to! My side of green beans lacked any seasoning, I couldn't even eat it. The rice pilaf and cheesy grits were fine though. Service was fine, nothing to write home about. I probably wouldn't come back, I'd spend the time and money to drive into Jacksonville if seafood was on the agenda. read more