Service was quick and friendly, a busy local restaurant with great view over the water

One of my favorite things about St. Johns River Steak & Seafood is that you're not just going there for dinner -- the location makes the whole experience. Sitting right on Lake Monroe with that view of the water, especially around sunset, is hard to beat in Sanford. The food is excellent too. They have a huge selection, so whether you're in the mood for seafood or a steak, there's something for everybody. The seafood always seems fresh, the portions are generous, and they don't skimp on the good stuff. The blackened fish with shrimp and crab risotto is a standout, and you hear people constantly talking about the grouper, shrimp and grits, conch fritters, gator bites and seafood combinations. Their steaks are also legitimately good, so you don't feel like you have to order seafood just because it's on the water. The atmosphere is probably what keeps me coming back. It's casual enough that you can bring the family, but the view makes it nice enough for a date night or special occasion. There's just something relaxing about eating dinner and looking out over the lake. Service has always been another big positive. The staff is friendly and attentive without hovering over you, and even when the restaurant is busy, they do a good job taking care of everyone. That seems to be something a lot of other people mention in their reviews as well. Good food, cold drinks, great service and one of the best restaurant views in Sanford. If somebody was visiting town and asked me where they could get some seafood and actually feel like they were in Florida, this would definitely be on my list. read more

St Johns River Steak & Seafood - Seafood Near Me - Sanford, Florida

This is one of my favorite seafood/steak restaurants in Sanford right on the water! Getting to the restaurant is super easy. It's a straight shot right by the water. The parking lot is spacious and they have free parking. I really like coming to this restaurant and asking to be seated by the windows. Around 4 to 6 PM on a summer night while you're eating you can look at the view and if you happen to get done early with dinner then you can walk right along the pier and even catch a nice sunset ! The food is really good too. I've been here twice and the two times that I've been here, I've gotten different meals but the waiters are really helpful with helping you decide what is best on the menu! When the waiters really know the menu and suggest items to help you narrow down your selection for me I enjoy that because I am indecisive lol. Anyways, check this place out if you're around, enjoy my pictures attached to this review the 2 separate occasions I've been here and I can't wait to come back! read more

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We came here with a group of 16 so that was a challenge from the get-go. However they had us all set up and ready to go. At first they only had one waitress then they added another. In the end everyone got their food and drinks and the ladies were happy. Only one girl didn't get her meal so she had to wait for them to cook it and was the last to eat. They did however give her a small discount off her food. I got the fried fish tacos with mango sauce. Served hot and fresh. I did add a little tartar sauce and it was good. It also came with coleslaw. The view of the river is beautiful. I do however think they need to take some money and get them a new sign out front it's made out of wood and falling apart. They also need to freshen up the front of the building the welcome mat at the front is definitely seen it's better day. Overall good experience good food friendly service. read more

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Very welcoming and quaint restaurant. I had excellent cocktails at a great price and the most delicious chicken. The dish is called Key West chicken. I recommend getting sauces on the side since the dish comes with pineapple and onion. Served with the chicken. read more

St Johns River Steak & Seafood - Entrance - Seafood Near Me - Sanford, Florida

A place that you wouldn't even notice so thankfully we found out about it from a neighbor. We got there around 1:15 on a Saturday afternoon and there were only a few tables filled. The food coming out looked well presented. I got a St John burger and we also got fried fish entree. Both were very good. The only downside is it was wicked loud in the room we were at which overlooked the ocean (thankfully). By 2:00 it was getting packed and even louder. They need those noise canceling panels on the ceiling and maybe some music. We would definitely go back and try some other entrees. Maybe we should sit outside next time to eliminate the inside noise. read more

St Johns River Steak & Seafood - St John's burger. One of the best tasting burgers I've had in Florida. - Seafood Near Me - Sanford, Florida

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I usually come here for lunch during the week with my family and we visit often. The seafood here is some of the best in the area and everything always tastes fresh. Tonight we came on a Friday night and it was very busy. We waited about an hour to be seated and about 45 minutes for the food to come out. Just something to keep in mind if you plan to come on a Friday. The service was amazing though and everyone was very welcoming. It's a great family spot with a fun atmosphere. It can get a little loud so it's not really an intimate setting. I had the blackened grouper with dirty rice and also tried the haddock. Both were fresh and delicious. The view of the St. Johns River is beautiful and definitely adds to the experience. Even with the wait the food and the view made it worth it. If you want a more relaxed visit though I would avoid Friday night. read more

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First time for me here at St John's River Steak and Seafood. Lovely place and the dining room looks out over the water so very peaceful views. Katie, one of our servers greeted us immediately and got us started with drinks and appetizers. We ordered the special spicy mango margarita and a classic lime margarita. The margaritas arrived quickly and the spicy mango was delicious! Mango with shaved ice and some pickled jalapeños and carrots. Tahini on the rim added to the wonderful flavor. Cant beat a classic lime margarita on the rocks, cool and refreshing on a warm day. We split a crab cake appetizer with house made remolade. Just one crab cake but big enough to split. Cooked perfectly and crab very fresh. Sauce was great as well. Server Justin took our meal order. We opted to split the fresh 2 lb. Snapper special. Choice of blackened, fried or baked. We choose baked and he advised baked takes a little longer but we were in no rush. The snapper arrived with mixed vegetables as our side. Snapper was perfectly done, falling off the bone, tender and flavorful. The fish was so fresh, delicious and didn't require any additional sauce or seasoning. Mixed tender crisp veggies; squash, zucchini and broccoli were a wonderful complement to the amazing snapper! Afterwards, Sarah stopped by to check on us and brought a lovely slice of Key Lime Pie for our dessert. It was perfectly tart and a fabulous finish for a delectable late lunch! Amazing food, great service and friendly staff make St John's River Steak and Seafood a "must stop" in Sanford, Florida. Highly Recommend! Kate the Artist read more

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The staff was very friendly and efficient. The decor could use an update. Furniture etc was showing age. The food was big and tasty. There were four of us so we had a nice assortment of food. I had the salmon handheld and there were two pieces of salmon! The brioche bun tasted a little stale but the salmon was tasty! The homemade chips were also good. Rib had the mahi handheld and sidewinder fries which he really liked. Also, plenty of food. Our two friends had the fries with a fried catfish handheld and bang bang shrimp. Both enjoyed their food as well. read more

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Excellent service and food. It's always a do over when we go here - can't get enough.

We heard about this cute little restaurant that was right on the river in Sanford. We did make a reservation a few hours before we decided to go, which was the best idea because they are very busy restaurant. The first thing that I think was amazing was that they were collectively as a team to serve each table which really made the customer experience skyrocket cause anytime you needed something somebody was like hey is everything OK? Do you need your drink refilled is everything as you wish there was somebody within earshot to assist with whatever you need. We had coconut shrimp hush puppies the key was platter in the whole snapper I will say they have large meal size and definitely could be shared All of our food was extremely good and we shared it amongst the whole table 4 or five people The service was great. We sat in the covered enclosed patio close to the river, which was nice. read more

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Pretty quiet at 4:30 but the porch was full an hour later. Servers work in teams so we were very pleased with service. Stuffed grouper is a huge portion. Dirty rice is very special. Fried okra was delicious. My blackened grouper was outstanding. Happy hour drink prices are super. We had a table by the river where we could watch boats, ducks and walkers on the riverside path. We couldn't have had a nicer time. read more

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Everyone enjoyed their food, it was hot and tasty. Happy hour was extended for us (missed it by this much) and the team of servers were friendly, attentive and welcoming. We were a bit close to the door and got a little blast of the "cold" so it was a little uncomfortable for a few seconds here and there. Better than some previous visits and we're glad we went back. read more

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St. Johns River Steak and Seafood popped up when I was looking for a place to take my aunt for dinner during a recent visit to Sanford. The reviews were mixed but we wanted a menu with a wide variety and this fit the bill. We arrived on time for our reservation but there seemed to be a staffing issue from the second we pulled open the door. There were people milling about waiting to be seated and two hostesses at the hostess stand seemingly unsure about what to do with all the people pouring in the door. We had an elderly person with us who had a walker and couldn't stand for long periods of time so eventually I told the hostess that we were moving over to an area to sit to wait. The problem was that "out of sight, out of mind" so she started to seat other people without reservations before us. Finally- after tracking her down and offering up a suggestion as to how she might organize the chaos at the front door, we were seated in the back inside along the water. Our experience got much better at that point with our server, Christina, taking great care of us. The menu has a wide range of items so we ordered some appetizers to start- calamari, boom boom shrimp, onion rings, grouper bites and clam strips. All of them were fried (Ha! who cares about calories?!) and came up hot and delicious! For my entree- I had the NY strip and a baked potato which was surprisingly quite good, others had shrimp and grits, the grouper and a filet. My NY strip was large so we ended up taking half of it home for another day. Everyone was satisfied with their food. And the bartender also poured some really good drinks! The prices are really good as well. The decor of this restaurant is simple and a bit dated but that goes with the charm of being on the river. I hope the next time I go that they have solved for the drama at the front door as the first impression I had here almost had me going someplace else. I'm glad we didn't as we would have missed all the good food and drink found inside! read more

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Nice view great service the food was okay not outstanding but good we just loved the view ... we will come back

We visited 8/27/26. Second visit here. Would not have chosen to go back but meeting good friends there who are regulars. Food not great first time, can't remember details but had no desire to go back. Grouper dinner with two sides ordered by myself and SO, he got blackened grouper, I ordered fried grouper. Everything looked pretty on presentation, but I took one bite and knew immediately it was not grouper. Fishy taste, not grouper. I tried my SO's blackened "grouper" and it was the same fishy tasting fish and it was without any blackened seasoning whatsoever as well. Now I find myself in this awkward position of knowing what they just did, while with friends that like the place, joke with the waitress and staff, etc. The whole meal was pretty much ruined at that point and I did not want to make a scene and ruin it for our friends. I was not going to say anything but our friends insisted and mentioned it to the waitress. Someone came over to the table that was very nice, I assume it was the manager or assistant manager. I told her it wasn't grouper and she admitted that the fish was not Gulf Grouper, but came from somewhere outside the country, possibly South America. That means I was served a frozen product that may or may not have been a grouper species found in another part of the world, that tasted nothing like grouper from the Gulf of Mexico, which apparently is what I'm used to eating and has a completely different flavor and texture. I appreciated her honesty. They offered to bring me something else, so I asked for blackened mahi , not wanting to make the whole experience a downer for our friends. The mahi was OK, it was dry (baked?) and had no blackening seasoning whatsoever on it, but I think it was probably Mahi. How hard is it to shake some blackening seasoning on a piece of fish?! It's listed as an option on their menu, yet the "chef " doesn't seem to know how to do it. Sides: cooked vegetable medley was OK, handmade "potato chips" did not have good flavor, tasted a little burned somehow and not good. Usually I love those kind of chips, I'm guessing they came from somewhere else and were not fresh. They were not worth eating. The tartar sauce they served me was an oddly sweet mixture with sweet relish in it and tasted nothing like the tartar sauce usually served at restaurants in Florida. It was awful. My "painkiller" drink was good and the complementary chocolate cake the manager gave us to go was out of this world good. It comes from a bakery, not made in the restaurant. It's right on the water and the view is lovely and the staff are nice. I don't think there's much actual "cooking" going on in the kitchen, I think it might be a lot of warming up of foods that might be prepared or frozen. Their prices are not in line with the quality of their food. This restaurant has a beautiful view and if you wanna go in and have a piece of cake or a drink, you'll probably be happy. I'd stay away from the food. I've never had a Restaurant bring me something that is not what I ordered and try to pass it off for the real thing. There's no chance I would ever go back to this restaurant. read more

My guy and I really enjoyed the food. The food is well seasoned and the portion size is enough for two people to eat from 1 plate. The service is a little different than what I am used to. So we had our main server but when he walked away someone else came over and took our order. Then after that person walked away someone else came over to check on us. The manager explained to us they all work together. It's not a bad thing just different. We sat on the enclosed patio with the beautiful view of the river. We will definitely dine there again. read more

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The food and service was very good. Nice enclosed climate controlled outdoor porch. great view of Lake Monroe.

Food 4/5 Service 5/5 Ambiance 4/5 St John's was an awesome find in the Sanford area and it's right next to the water. The stuffed grouper was very flavorful. The waiter made a solid recommendation to have the sauce on the side which I appreciated as it was very sweet. The gator and calamari were fried well but it was heavier on the salt content. The filet mignon was well done. The service staff all assisted with each table so it was different but still efficient. We look forward to returning here! read more

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My husband and I joined our nephew for dinner on Friday evening, 2/13/26. We had bragged to our nephew about how delicious the seafood is at St. John's Steak and Seafood Restaurant. But, we were very disappointed on Friday evening. Most of the food was not seasoned. The only thing we enjoyed was the Boom Boom Shrimp. We spent a lot of money for food that we didn't especially enjoy. Not sure if we will be returning to St John's Steak and Seafood Restaurant. As for the service, it is probably better if you go when the restaurant is not especially busy. We did enjoy looking out at the beautiful water while we were eating and visiting. read more

Food was good value, very tasty, we had the grouper special, extremely tasty. The shrimp were just slightly over done I will come here again they have a lot of options that are not deep-fried The waiters are absolutely amazing. Everyone takes care of all the tables. You just wait anyone down and they will take care of you. I've never seen this kind of service. read more

St Johns River Steak & Seafood - Stuffed grouper - Seafood Near Me - Sanford, Florida

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Food...large portions but good food. Sit outside on a nice sunny day. Tons of wait staff to attend to your needs. read more

St Johns River Steak & Seafood - Menu - Seafood Near Me - Sanford, Florida

My wife and I were in the area and decided to stop in for dinner before heading back to Oviedo. We had eaten here a long time ago when it had a different name but recalled that the food was good. Now, I have NEVER seen steak prices listed as Market Price??!!!! Seriously?? Seafood, yes, steak, no. I asked about the prices and they were high for a place like this so I passed and ordered the twin pork tenderloins wrapped in bacon. My two sides were sidewinder fries and onion rings. My wife ordered grouper, fried, and asparagus as her side, with a Caesar salad. I will say that the service was extremely good and I did not run dry on my sweet tea. The fact that the servers work as a team ensures that someone is close by if you need anything or just have a question. Great idea to use that process for servers. I wanted to try the New England Clam Chowder so I ordered a cup. It came out in a bowl (my apologies for no photo on this one), which, was thick and rich. Homemade with tender clams and large potato slices. This "cup" of soup was certainly a meal! It was very good but was very thick and had it's own flavor. I love a good clam chowder but this one did not make the cut, even though it had all the makings of a good one, I have not see clam chowder quite this thick. The pork tenderloins were very good and not tough, cooked to just medium / medium well. The sidewinder fries were cooked perfectly and came out hot and delicious, with a side of ketchup. Now the onion rings..........oh MY!!! Huge!!! Delicious, not greasy, more of tempura batter so it was not overpowering the onion inside. I was pretty much filled up on the clam chowder that I had to bring most of my meal home. My wife asked for her Caesar salad to not be drenched in dressing. It came to the table exactly as she order and it was fresh and delicious. Now for the "grouper"............ We spend a lot of time at our beach house in Southwest Florida where grouper is plentiful along with snapper, our two favorite fish. We fish for them and bring them in fresh for dinner. I can tell you that what she received was NOT grouper. It tasted and looked more like fried haddock. Thus the 3 star review. If people don't know what grouper tastes like, then this place can get away with substituting haddock and they will have no idea. But those that know better will realize it at first bite and be very disappointed. We wanted to give this place the full experience so we ordered the Jack Daniels Chocolate Cake for desert. None of their desert selections are made in house and all come from local bakery. The cake arrived well plated and looking delicious. The cake itself was a bit dry. The whipped cream mounds on each side helped out when eating it but it will not be my choice again. All in all, and out the door without the tip, was $80 for two (with a military discount) and only one glass of wine for my wife. This place could be awesome but not at these prices. read more

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Do not use a Giftly card here. Restaurant/manager kept 20% as a fee. The manager was very rude and acted like they couldn't use it, even though it was presented in both a pay app and paper. read more

5 stars every time! Not only is the food always delicious the scenery is beautiful and the staff is amazing. We have our preschool anniversary here every year and Sarah the manager goes out of her way to make sure it is the best experience for us year after year. read more

There is a lot to love about this place, the view of the St. John's River the team service and the food was amazing read more

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My husband and I stopped in for lunch, after getting a local recommendation. We had the most amazing and attentive service team. Sarah. Damien, and Leah ( forgive the misspellings) . The hostess sat us at a perfect high top with a great view in a quieter section. The food was delicious and large portions. There were so many standouts in this late lunch meal but some of the most memorable were the Ahi Tuna ( expertly described by Sarah so that we knew exactly how it was prepared), the surprisingly flavorful hush puppies! Definitely going to try to recreate them at home, and the delicately cooked asparagus, not one bit was under or over cooked. The entire meal was yummy and we even ordered some to go for dinner to match with our leftovers. We were honestly surprised when the check arrived , it was a great value for such wonderful food, service, and atmosphere. read more

Went here for a very special occasion. ( they knew it). Nothing was acceptable. Waited 15 minutes for a server to acknowledge us. Tool app and drink order and was another 20 minutes fore the app. We were told that we could not order our entrees until after the app. We felt very rushed, yet the server wasn't in the least bit rushed to take our orders. It was over an hour til our entrees were on the horizon but by then we'd decide to cut our losses, pay for what we'd had, and leave. We were talking to a server when our food came out but we sent it back, never accepted it, as the special occasion was ruined by incompetence and rudeness and by some servers who clearly hate their jobs and have no people skills. I give it 1 star because the spinach artichoke dip was yummy. read more

While visiting relatives in Sanford we decided to try St John's Steak and Seafood Restaurant. I'm not sure if this was an off day for them, but it sure was for us. My wife had the mahi tacos which were dry and tasteless. My son had the grouper sandwich which smelled and tasted fishy, as in old. I had the gumbo which was seafood less, but full of andouille sausage, very disappointing. My daughter in law had the hamburger which was acceptable. The best looking and freshest meal was my grandsons fried haddock for kids. The service was exceptional unfortunately the food left much to be desired. Not thinking we will be returning in the future. read more

Taste: 4/5 Value: 4/5 Ambiance: 5/5 Great place to check out if you're looking to enjoy some water views while you eat. Food was tasty and were portioned well. When we went, multiple servers were assigned to our table and everyone we spoke with was pleasant. We were fortunate enough to be seated immediately with no reservation, but based on the other reviews that does not always seem to the case. Overall good experience. read more

St Johns River Steak & Seafood - Shrimp Po Boy - Seafood Near Me - Sanford, Florida

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Food is fabulous,service is above average (lack in water glass refills) the patio area is fun, offering a great water view! I love this place and keep coming back! read more

There was no wait to be seated and we were served promptly. The view of the St John's River is fantastic. The food was excellent, the drinks were great and the servers went out of their way to make us feel welcome. The location was perfect for us, since we were on our way to the Lantern Festival close by. read more

The service here is great, has a varied menu, and the food was delicious. I have been there several times with friends.

While the food was good, the service was slow (it was a Saturday evening so that may have contributed). My wife and our daughter's boyfriend enjoyed their Fish N Chips as well as my daughter liked her huge Scallops. She had two sides and it was too much to finish; in fact none of us finished there food in that the portions were large and commensurate with the price. While the taste of my Jambalaya was good, with decent spice, the top was cold and the rice was overcooked and mushy. What was disappointing is that most items are fried; I saw no grilled items. We sat on the closed in patio (too hot to open the doors) and the view was outstanding. The place was packed even as we left after our 6:30 reservation. You get an initial server but several servers brought our food & drinks, and took away plates, etc. The decor was a bit weird mix of beach shack and family restaurant; it could use a bit of a sprucing up, especially the bathrooms. The menu was varied and it would be a good place for children (the inside was much louder than the patio), There appeared to be a floor captain/expediter who was circulating throughout the evening and she made sure to say hello to everyone and check on them - that is a sign of an efficient restaurant. Overall a very good casual restaurant but I wouldn't say it was great. I would go back and give it a second try then decide if it was worthy of an additional star. https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g34615-d8606947-r1066474560-St_Johns_River_Steak_Seafood-Sanford_Florida.html# read more

Arrive for the first time with a party of six no one in the party had been here before so everyone tried something different. The service was excellent and the ambience of being at a table along the lake was very nice. Unfortunately the weather was terrible, but it finally did clear up as for the food. The food was very good, but there were a couple of hiccups. I personally had the jambalaya with rice, which I thought was very good, but it did have a little more vegetables in it than I am used to one party had the catfish sandwich and she said it was excellent. Another party had the coconut shrimp and she also thought they were very good Additional party had the half pound of boiled shrimp which she enjoyed and she had them cold. Where is my preference is fresh out of the boiler? I think the only true complaint was a certain dessert was ordered, and upon being served, they were undercooked and had to be returned. We received prompt attention, not only from our waiters but from All members of the serving staff as well as the manager and chef, of course offered to remake them at no charge and of course the original charge would be removed from the bill. We also ordered coconut crème cake. The cake was served cold so it lost part of its taste. We did bring it home with us and upon being room temperature the cake was excellent, so my suggestion would be to always keep part of their cake at room temperature. The main question is, would we return again based upon the taste of our food the quantity of our food, the value of our food and of course, service and the answer to that is yes every one of us said we would return read more

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Always good food and service at reasonable pricing. All servers work together as a team so there is always someone around to help you with anything, no waiting for your server to come back or asking someone else for your server to come back. All of the servers can take your orders, additional drinks or water, works well for us. read more

Excellent food and a great location on the lake. And, Jennifer at the bar is always great. She is attentive and pleasant. Great restaurant! read more

Food was good, no complaints about that. The problem is the system for waiting tables. We started with one server who took our drink order and disappeared. Our drinks arrived about 15 minutes later. Then we waited again to order our food at least another 10 minutes. A different server showed up and informed us that all the servers wait on all the tables together. Some sort of socialism server system where everyone is accountable and no one is accountable. It took forever for us to finally get our food, no one asked if we wanted another drink, no one refilled our waters, no one checked to see if we liked our meals. I've never seen a system like this for waiting tables but it does not work. If you are really hungry I would not come here. The whole thing is chaotic. There are reasons why every other restaurant does not wait tables this way. read more

Had lunch with a friend for her birthday today, 7/8/26. We had at least 3 servers, which was confusing. I had fish & chips. The 3 pieces of fish were nicely battered and perfectly fried. They were presented on a bed of uniquely shaped and seasoned fries. The hush puppies, usually the highlight of any seafood meal, were dense, heavy, and flavorless over-fried lumps of dough. The cole slaw was bland and too "chunky" for my liking. My friend had fried shrimp and baked potato. Shrimp was perfectly fried and potato looked great. How do you forget butter when customer orders are baked potato? Ours did! As it was my friend's birthday, she was told her dessert would be free. She ordered the biegnets with chocolate syrup. None of the multiple servers told us they were NOT included as a free birthday dessert, so $11 for 4 tiny squares of fried dough and a dipper of Hershey's syrup. We made the best and enjoyed our meals, but I have no desire to return. read more

Our family has been here twice now. The food is always very good! It is recommended you make a reservation on busier days because it will fill up quickly. The service is good, but we had multiple different servers taking care of us while we were there. Unfortunately, when we went in june this year there were so many bugs on the windows so the view wasn't as great. We do love their crab cake pasta! read more