Recommended by locals, we tried this popular seafood restaurant and were not impressed. Seemed to be a lot of fried options and bar-type food. This is not what I expect from an advertised "seafood" restaurant. To start, we ordered unsweetened ice tea which was extremely bitter and the fried calamari which tasted much like McDonald's French fries (old oil). The house salad was decent with artichoke, cranberries, and walnuts for a different flare. For our main course, my husband and I both ordered the swordfish. This dish was the most appetizing and nicest looking item on the menu (pictures courtesy of previous Yelpers). The swordfish was seasoned with what tasted like Old Bay seasoning, covered with a lemon butter caper sauce, and served with well cooked green beans and heavily seasoned quartered potatoes. The fish was cooked great with just right amount of firm/flakiness. While the main course was delicious, the entire experience (including the slow service) was not worth the $24 price tag per meal. For a grand total of $77 (with tax, not including gratuity), in my opinion, we could have gotten a much better meal/service. On a side note, we originally wanted to enjoy the outdoor seating but were informed the service would be exactly the same but the menu would be extremely limited. Why would you limit menu choices based on seating?! You're still getting the same servers who bring your food... what does it matter what they are bringing??? Picture shown is Swordfish in lemon butter sauce (without capers), roasted potatoes, and green beans. read more

The Mucky Duck - Swordfish in lemon butter sauce (without capers), roasted potatoes, and green beans - Seafood Near Me - Captiva, Florida

Long time since we had been to The Mucky Duck... it is even better than I remembered! We were lucky to grab a green outside table for dinner. While waiting, we ordered beer and Rum Punch oh yeah... refreshing and so good! Next, the Smoked Fish Tapenade! Yummy! The perfect combination of flavors here, with sweet onions and capers. A few oysters on the half shell too! On to dinner with Crunchy Grouper with Corn Flake Crust and the Seafood Platter. Grouper was wonderful... Corn Flakes made a delicious coating. The platter was full of the best seafood. The scallops were lightly crusted and PERFECT... the Red Potatoes were OMG incredible as were the green beans. Just a delicious meal. Dessert was Blueberry Sour Cream Pie.... tasted like Grandma made it... so, so good. Grabbed another Rum Punch and headed over to sunset... oops, no alcohol on the beach. Drank it up and sat in the sand, waiting for the glorious end of the day. Lots of friendly people chatting and sharing touristy information. What a nice experience here at The Mucky Duck. Be prepared for a wait if you don't get there early. read more

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Good food. Fun atmosphere and our waitress was funny and helpful. Beautiful views of the ocean capped off our time there. Recommended.

Excellent food and service! As family of 9, our experience was amazing! The hostess was very thoughtful and welcoming. Our waiter was very accommodating, funny and attentive. Food from dinner rolls to desert was great. With a table of 9, we tried most of the menu so I will skip my normal review with specific order. Not one of us was disappointing, a tall order for this picky family. We will come here many more times! read more

First time here! This is a wonderful place to watch the sunset and have a few drinks and dinner. I had the surf and turf, which was amazing! The bbq bacon-wrapped shrimp alone were fantastic. Filet was also great. read more

The Mucky Duck - Seafood Near Me - Captiva, Florida

Stopped in at the suggestion of a regular to find the restaurant packed and no service outdoors due to the possibility of rain. Almost left but the hunger in my belly kept me there and I'm glad it did. The Mucky Duck is quaint pub right at the south end of Captiva. It sits on a beautiful beach (we saw a pod of dolphins go by as we ate) and has plenty of seating when both inside and outside are open. They serve beer and wine, some basic cocktails I believe but not a full bar. For food they got everything you'd expect from a pub but also some seafood options. We had the grouper sandwich, fish and chips and key lime pie. The sandwich was excellent (they bread the fish there at the restaurant), fish and chips good and the key lime pie above average (but melts quickly!). The outside view is really what won me over but the food was good as well and worth another visit. read more

Was staying at Sanibel but drove out to Captiva to watch the sunset at this beachside restaurant . Loved the vibe outside while waiting for our table, esp the 1 man band performance...he was awesome! Kinda rustic inside but fun quirky staff and food was good bar fare food. Highly recommend the cotton candy cheesecake. read more

The Mucky Duck - Waiting for our table with a great view - Seafood Near Me - Captiva, Florida

Was visiting friends in Ft Myers and we decided to go to Captiva for lunch. They had been to the Mucky Duck many times, but it was my first time. And it won't be my last. The refreshing home made ice tea was sweet and perfect The oysters rockfeller with tasty and smothered with cheese and spinach. The special of the day was a fresh fish sandwich which I had blackened and it was the most juicy and succelent fish I have had.....it tasted like they just caught it in the gulf and served it to me The fishermans platter was full of clams and shrimp and fish and was delicious too We will be back.....over and over and over again read more

So much to say about the Duck. Historic, a must go and see place. Picnic tables on a beautiful beach outside bar. Can you imagine toasting the sun going down here? With all the outside attractions we of course ate inside. WARNING this place opens at 11:30 am. Get here no later than 11:15am. They have a small lot and a street that dead ends. I have never seen a parking lot bouncer before now. They have a big guy who yells at all the people trying to get on the lot not to block the entrance/exit. Because you cannot get off the lot if it is blocked. We needed him to get off the lot. I was once again on my search for the perfect Grouper Sandwich. Not bad sandwich whatsoever. Not that expensive when you understand what this property must be worth. Trust me if you are in the area and want to hoist a few and have great view come here. read more

Cool restaurant if you aren't eating the food. Views are amazing and that's clearly what drives their business. Food is edible and that's about it. It could be an amazing spot, if they put a bit more effort and care into the quality and taste of the food they serve. read more

I ignored an earlier one star review to my own peril! The earlier one star review was spot on....Lunch: February 16th...First of all the New England Clam Chowder was horribly bland and luke warm and nothing like that of it's 1980's and 90's splendor. I should have known better when my wife and I got an inside table when we walked in. My wife got the Fish and Chips and I got the Fisherman's Platter. The Fish were actually Fish Sticks, most likely from a frozen food supplier. The Fried Shrimp were also most definitely sourced from a frozen food supplier. The Shrimp looked like they were served at any family style restaurant you'd go to near your home. The steamed shrimp were not cleaned and had a black strip of shrimp excrement completely visible, see my picture and you'll understand why I spit it out into my napkin. This experience absolutely ruined my perception. I always had wonderful experiences at Mucky Duck but not anymore! read more

The Mucky Duck - Uncleaned (Black Shrimp Poop Dot in end of Shrimp) Steamed Shrimp at Mucky Duck. Yuck.... - Seafood Near Me - Captiva, Florida

Mucky Duck is always a must do for my family when we visit Sanibel/Captiva. The food is always spot on and the service is excellent. We have a tradition of coming here on Christmas Eve every year and it is always the highlight of our trip. They have live music outside and literally what can be better than sitting on the beach, watching the sun go down and drinking a nice cold drink. I highly recommend getting here early so you can watch the sunset. It is unbelievable. The food only adds to this great place. The scallops are the best of the best and I crave them all the time. The service is great, although is can sometimes be slow, but why rush through a meal this nice? This is a must do for anyone visiting the island! read more

The Mucky Duck - Views from the restaurant - Seafood Near Me - Captiva, Florida

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For starters, they made sure every guest was wearing a mask as they walked to and from their table. Each server and employee were wearing masks as well. We watched a beautiful sunset as we ate dinner inside. It was pretty crowded, but thankfully we had no wait. The food was great!! We started with the duck duck shrimp which was quickly devoured by everyone. Three of us got the pasta special (angel hair with tomatoes, mushroom, and choice of chicken or shrimp) and then the fourth got the surf and turf. None of the food disappointed. I definitely recommend the Mucky Duck! read more

The Mucky Duck - Surf and turf - Seafood Near Me - Captiva, Florida

Such a fun atmosphere to grab a beer and pub food while getting a beautiful view of the water. They have a mango pale ale that is my absolute fav. The food is good quality, a good bit of it is fried. Ordered the oysters last time we went and they were great! The drive up is very scenic as well. Parking is a bit limited. read more

The Mucky Duck - Seafood Near Me - Captiva, Florida

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TLDR: Great spot to watch the sunset, with beach access but parking sucks. ---------------------------------- Let's start with the NEGs: Parking is EXTREMELY limited. & you can't stay parked to head over to the beach even if you consumed at the restaurant. This was pretty upsetting because that was our whole plan and after we ate we had to drive down to the nearest marina to pay to park and walk all the way back. Also, FYI everything is served with disposable plates and silverware. Not very eco-conscious; just a personal pet-peeve. Now the PROs: The food was also OK. It's pretty traditional American. I expected a greater variety of fish but overall it was fine. But the location - OH YES. Our goal was to find a place where we could eat on the beach and this spot definitely hits that check mark. We didn't catch the sunset but we knew it would be stellar. The Mucky Duck is a good spot for a quick bite or drink, but I wouldn't recommend going out of your way to find it. UNLESS you need a spot to watch that west-coast sunset. read more

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The male host was very rude and condescending to my dad when he was looking to buy a t shirt or hat. The restaurant was incredibly hot registering over 80 degrees on the thermostat. We sweat through our meal. Food was very average. Beautiful view and spot though. read more

So two other buddies and me were staying in Hollywood, FL, on the east coast and Hurricane Matt was coming and I was told by a friend that whenever at Sanibel Island, you have to try the Mucky Duck! We went and it was awesome. I got the Captiva sandwich and it was focaccia bread with pesto, Swiss cheese, roasted sliced turkey, prosciutto and tomoto. Really great and the atmosphere was fantastic. Right on the beach and very laid back. It worth a visit! read more

The Mucky Duck - Captive sandwich, one off the bucket list - Seafood Near Me - Captiva, Florida

Let's talk about what makes this place a 5 Star. The happy hour food/drink set up, outside festivities and the sunset. Mucky Duck has long been a local favorite to take in the sunset. If your looking for a place where the sun setting feels like a celebration - everyone knows, you go to the Duck. They have a bar outside as well as capacity inside at the front bar for the sunset crowd. They have a process specifically for this time of day with an easy exchange of your credit card for announcement on the intercom when your food is ready. Must haves on the appetizer menu outside are the "Duck Duck shrimp" and the fish dip if you like smoked fish you'll be pleased with that order. The fish dip comes with (a very small side) of fruit, although small it's a nice switch up to the toasted bread (which is so tasty) and the crackers. Have fun with the live music, ring toss game and locals while you feel your stress level deescalate. read more

The Mucky Duck - Seafood Near Me - Captiva, Florida

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No decor/atmosphere in the interior. No social distancing, spacing out of tables, requirements to wear masks inside even briefly. We sat elbow to elbow with neighboring tables coughing and sneezing all over the place. Waiter brought wrong drink refill but I was so thirsty from not having seen him in so long I drank it anyway. Additionally I would consider it $$$ not $$. Good luck trying to navigate the tiny parking lot with people standing all around the middle of it waiting for a table read more

The hostess was rude when we entered the restaurant. We decided to order a couple of appetizers and get a drink from the bar. The crackers were stale and the shrimp salad lacked flavor . We also ordered peel and eat shrimp, they were ok. read more

Wednesday evening 4:45 pm. Inhospitable. Host made no eye contact just sat there as my friend and I stood directly in front of him. I had to approach and ask for seating. Denied table in the shade as we wanted cocktails and host said we had to order dinner. Multiple open tables outside. Inside hostess hesitated when we asked if we could just order cocktails. Seated us by the door and walked away again multiple open tables inside. Poor service and attitude. We left didn't order and won't return. read more

Food, service and sunsets on the beach are fantastic. There is live music and lots of laughter. Staff is attentive and fun. Kids enjoy it as well. read more

All of Sanibel may not be back. But Mucky Duck is. Waiter was great. full house right as they opened at 11:30 today. but positive solid serve, quick hot food. great views.. just be prepared for parking issues and you cannot leave car and walk the beach after. friendly guy in the parking lot.. But if they allowed everyone to leave there they'd never have any business. Nice place indoor and outdoor seating been here several times read more

The mucky duck is one of those bucket list items that you have to experience at least once. It is a bit strange in that they offer no real liquor, only beer and wine that is like simulated liquor. So the drinks are a little off in my opinion. But let's face it you're there for a gorgeous sunset view sitting out on one of the chairs overlooking the beach.If you're there in the season parking is a bitch so be prepared. read more

The Mucky Duck - Seafood Near Me - Captiva, Florida

The food was delicious. We had the blackened grouper with sautéed green beans and roasted red peppers paired with Sauvignon blanc. The server, Micah was wonderful and pleasant. He recommended our entree. The hostess girls reminded me of the movie "mean girls". They were intrusive, judgmental, rude & catty. Other guests were feeing the same way about the hostess'. The parking attendant was rough, not rude but just abrasive. I think the restaurant could improve on the personality of the hostess' It would set a more positive tone for the rest of the evening. read more

The Mucky Duck - Sunset view while waiting for a table. - Seafood Near Me - Captiva, Florida

Awesome, family friendly spot to grab a drink at sunset or a meal with your family. Every time we went in the afternoon there was live music. The vibe was great, food was delicious, and perfect for a crazy 2-year old who can't sit still! read more

Havent been there since hurricane hit, but it hasaleays goid food, atmosphere and lots of people

Food and service were both terrible. I was really surprised when the host was snipping at people and then our server walked up and greeted us at our table and when I ordered cocktails and water he stated I could just skip hop right over and get my own water. From there on everything was terrible. My oysters were spoiled and thus of course I didn't eat them and they still charged me and didn't seem concerned that they are serving spoiled raw oysters. All and all it was a really poor experience and we would not be back. read more

If I could, I'd do 3.5 stars. Nothing was at all bad...just compared to some other places we'd been, I wasn't quite as impressed. Our fish was fine (I had the grouper), and our server was really friendly and approachable. The view was so amazing. I just felt like the fish was good, but not great. read more

The Mucky Duck - Seafood Near Me - Captiva, Florida

Service was good, but food wasn't. My friend and I got the crab legs and they were not great. Also the sides were drenched from the juice of the crab and so everything was just mushy and bland. I dont think they even seasoned the green beans lmao. If ur taste buds are broken u might like this place read more

The Mucky Duck - Alaskan Crab Legs - Seafood Near Me - Captiva, Florida

Best seafood and view on Captiva. Thank God they survived Ian in 2022. Fun atmosphere and great service and drinks. Indoors or outdoors you can't beat it read more

I've been coming here since I was a young child, although it's been 9 years. We came for lunch yesterday, relatively early (11:45). We were seated right away with a seat close to the window, which was great. The view is phenomenal! Very relaxing! You could tell it was a seafood place by the smell... smelled of fresh fish!! Okay by me. They had grilled lemon pepper mahi mahi as a special with fries and coleslaw, which is what I got. Omg probably some of the best fish I've had. It was so good. My boyfriend got fish and chips, and he was happy with that. He was able to sub extra fries instead of coleslaw, which was nice. Not all restaurants do that. Typical tourist prices- more than we'd typically pay, but a great lunch with a view. read more

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Worth the drive to the end of the island!! We enjoyed the beach chairs while we waited for our table!! We loved the New England Clam chowder, the smoked salmon and the seafood platter that included clam strips. Sorry, but everything was so yummy forgot pics until it was all gone!!! Anyone with a 4 star or less clearly is a Karen!!! read more

Would not advise anyone to go to this establishment!! My brother and his family went here and were going to place an order for appetizers and drinks in celebrating him in finishing his radiation treatments! After they seated us and we were getting ready to place our order the waiter proceeded to tell us if we weren't ordering food we couldn't stay! Mind you we were ordering appetizers just not a meal since it was between lunch and dinner. The waiter then got hateful with us when we told him no we just wanted to order appetizer's! The waiter said we couldn't stay. Since my brother had just finished taking his radiation treatments he can't eat very much at all and has very little appetite! Shame on this establishment for treating my brother a cancer survivor this way!!!! read more

Oysters and Duck Duck Shrimp are delicious. Very fun atmosphere with great service. Our server Lori (LC) went above and beyond. read more

The Mucky Duck - Duck Duck Shrimp and Raw Oysters - Seafood Near Me - Captiva, Florida

Oh man I can rave about this little hidden gem of a restaurant all day long!!! W O W! We visited Captiva and rode jet skis and decided on an early dinner (5pm) since we were hungry and also wanted to make sure we wouldn't miss the sunset so we waited until opening time and we're lucky that the restaurant wasn't too full yet. The dinner rush probably wouldn't happen for another 1-2 hours but we were looking to avoid just that. Good thing we did decide on indoor seating since it started pouring outside and the guests dining outdoors had to be rushed inside. Well let me get started on the food. First the appetizers, we ordered calamari and BBQ bacon shrimp. The shrimp was sooo freakin good! WOW! Next up caesar salads and soups. I had the shrimp bisque and hubby had clam shower. Both were delicious. Tasted like the real thing. Wish I would've had room for another bowl. That's how good it was. I wasn't sure on my main entree BUT I finally decided and took a chance on ordering something different. I've never had hollandaise sauce and much less on salmon but I went for it. My salmon was baked inside a puff pastry with crabmeat and it was one of the best ways I have ever eaten salmon. Wow! What a delight! One of my daughters ordered the fish & chips and my other daughter ordered the Chicken Marco Rosa and I was really not interested in tasting it because it had goat cheese but to my surprise it was delicious. The fish and chips platter was extremely good. The fish was fried to golden perfection and was also very flavorful. my husband ordered the pasta of the day which was a linguine with basil and olive oil and butter and shrimp and fresh tomatoes. Another delicious dish. Even the chicken tenders my daughters best friend ordered were great! I know you can't go wrong with chicken tenders but these were crunchy and tasty. Maybe one of the best I've ever had. So now to my favorite part- DESSERT!!!! One of the chef's selections was a limoncello mascarpone cake and I went with that plus the crème brûlée and walnut brownie sundae. Every single dessert was AMAZING! Oh gosh that limoncello cake, I could've eaten probably the entire cake. It was that good. The crème brûlée was very good too. Not my favorite dessert choice BUT my husband wanted to try it. Perfectly done. Taste was on point too. And last but not least one of my favorite desserts- brownie with ice cream. It was mouth watering. The brownie was impressive. Warm, not too gooey and not too sweet but not too bitter either. It was done just right. Loved every bite. I'm a huge fan of anything chocolate so I couldn't resist! Overall this little hole in the wall, is a jackpot! I can't wait to go back and try other things on their menu. If you're in the area, make sure you stop and check them out!!!! I assure you, you won't be disappointed! read more

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This was the first time I have ever not left a tip in a restaurant. Before I explain the debacle, I must say that the food was amazing. I had the snapper special and it far exceeded my expectations. We had a couple of fish and chips at our table that were well liked and a crunchy grouper and a crunch pork chop. Everyone felt like the food tasted really great. Our server was rushed but nice. Remind me never to show up at 5pm when the kitchen opens for dinner. It was like a herd of people filling the restaurant up and the servers all get hit at once. It was oppressively hot in the restaurant. So hot that none of us really savored our meals because we felt like there simply was no fresh air and we needed to leave. I have no idea how the servers worked in that heat. My brother in law sat under a duct and it dripped on him. I thought maybe that would help him but it was more of an annoyance. We should have sat outside because it was cooler. My sister and I sent the kids and hubs outside to wait while we paid the bill. Our server grabbed the two check folios with our cards and eventually came back with my sister's card and told me I didn't put my card in there. I panicked. This was our last night before hitting the road for home. I needed that card to travel and I knew darned good and well I put the card in there. She went back to look. I saw the hostess looking around, another server looking around.... We were all looking around. I sent my sister out to get my husband. Server (Ashely I think) came back and said she couldn't find it. I was furious. I told her to go back there and find my gd card. No manager came to me to apologize or assure me they were actually doing something. Our server disappeared. It took 30 minutes of sitting in this hot restaurant (made much worse by my blood pressure spiking out of frustration) before she came back with my card and said "it somehow ended up in the kitchen." Are you kidding me? She did say she was sorry, so I guess that was nice. I felt vindicated knowing that they probably thought I was trying to rip them off. In the midst of this disaster I froze my card just in case, but is it safe to say no one took a picture of the card and it will use it? When will American restaurants get on board with hand held cc readers so they don't have to take your card??? I didn't leave a tip.... I have never not left a tip - something at least; but no one really seemed to care they had lost my card. I got a half hearted apology and a disconcerting "it was in the kitchen." In someone's back pocket perhaps? 3 stars for the food. Might have been 4 except for the bloody heat. Could have been 5 if they just gave a crap about the lost card..... and I definitely would have tipped at least something. read more

I feel like I'm about to be crucified for this because this restaurant is a local favorite. We had a group of 8 come in and we ordered a few appetizers ands drinks. Our party shared the oysters and bbq shrimp and salads. My boyfriend said the oysters were great, the bbq shrimp were a bit over cooked. If you're doing a salad the house champagne vinaigrette is amazing! Our party then ordered the special of the day Mahi Mahi, Salmon En Croute, several steaks, cheeseburger, etc. I would come back from the Mahi Mahi alone because it was cooked well and seasoned to perfection. I think most of the issue with our meal were the inconsistency in cooks. My Salmon En Croute was way over cooked which was disappointing. The steaks were all over the board. Two were ordered Medium and one came out Medium Rare and one came out Medium Well. My family isn't one to complain so we went with it. This review isn't to deter anyone from going there because there are definite highlights however I think the kitchen needs some fine tuning so I'm hoping this will help the restaurant in the long run. I know the devastation of the hurricane hit Captiva hard so I appreciate you all for sticking through and making it work during the hard times. We would come out again especially is the Mahi Mahi is on the menu! read more

One of the worst restaurants I've ever been to. Lousy service and even worse food. Terrible fish and chips at a British Pub? Really? It's unfortunate because it has a great location. I won't be back. read more

Great crab cakes, steamed shrimp. Beer and wine only. If you go to see sunset, be 2hr earlier than sunset time. read more

The Mucky Duck - Seafood Near Me - Captiva, Florida