Yes, the chowder here is amazing. The chowder definitely lives up to the hype. The rest of it, though? It's fine. Most of the food is friend and most of it is heavily focused on non-fish (mostly shrimp) seafood. Not really my thing. The wait time was also very very long. We waited almost 45 minutes to get in and then another 45 minutes to get food. I'm not usually one to notice long wait times, but we all definitely felt it here. Worth a shot if you're in Cedar Key, for the chowder if for nothing else. read more

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Best clam chowder I've ever eaten. I would have licked the bowl if there hadn't been anyone else in view!

Tony's is worth the wait. Lizzie delivered great service to seven tables. Enjoyed the giant bowling alley size fries, 1.99 bud lights and famous clam chowder. We also decided to get dessert to go and have a competition. Cheesecake versus Key Lime. The WINNER is choose both. Support this local business. read more

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Great chowder , small, good service and the prices are not too bad. If you like clam chowder this is a great place to try.

Best clam chowder I've ever had in my life! I highly recommend trying Tonys when your in Cedar Key

I am a seafood aficionado but more importantly, I'm a New England girl, born and bred. So when I heard about wicked good New England style clam chowder in the quaint town of Ceder Key located on the Gulf Coast of Florida, I had to check it out. Tony's Seafood Restaurant won the Knorr Chowder Cook-Off in Newport, R.I. three years in a row. That's impressive. New England takes its seafood and chowder seriously and places like Red Lobster are the equivalent to McDonald's for us. Even our chain restaurants like Legal Sea Foods are better than the typical seafood found in Northern Florida. This here Boston girl was quite skeptical walking into Tony's Seafood! The verdict? Is the clam chowder good? Yes! Is it worth driving from all areas of the country to get? No, not really. Is it worth seeking out if you're in the area? Yes! Is it the best chowder I've ever had? Again, no. But is it wicked good? YES! I really, really enjoyed it. It's not exactly what I'd find in New England. It's a bit different, a fact that's apparent before you even try it. The red specks of what I assume is pepper clued me in to the fact that this wasn't Legal. My husband eyed me warily, waiting for my opinion, as I took my first spoonful. I paused. Took a second taste and said, "Yes, this is good." Another pause. "But it's different." He tried it and we both agreed. It is good enough we will go back for more and it's good enough that we brought some home for his mom to try. It's good enough that I'll probably go back and buy some of the canned version to give as gifts to my family. It's good. If asked by my fellow New Englanders to describe the clam chowder, I'd say it tasted like it made a pit stop in Manhattan on its way to Maine. They would know exactly what it tasted like based on that description. The other seafood? We ordered Tony's Seafood Platter for 2 so we could get a taste of their variety of offerings. There was fried and steamed shrimp, scallops, Ceder Key farm raised clams, fried oysters, a stuffed blue crabmeat shell, clam strips, and fried fish. The platter for 2 comes with two sides and salad. We got fries and cole slaw. The price was decent. It came out to about $15 per person. I loved, loved, loved the fried oysters. My husband's favorite was the crabmeat. The clams were good too as were both kinds of shrimp. The fried fish was pretty average. I was immensely disappointed in the clam strips, they had zero flavor and could have been out of a box of Gorton's which is unfortunate because I adore clam strips (and WHY can't I find fried whole bellied clams in Florida?). I definitely will be back to get me some oysters and clam chowder. Other reviews mention slow service so I want to say our service was excellent. It wasn't slow at all. And there appeared to be just one waitress dealing with the whole restaurant. Maybe it depends on what day and time you go? We were there early afternoon on a Friday but it was also Valentine's Day. We were happy with the service. I will comment that it seemed to be mostly locals who were there at that time, not tourists. read more

Tony's Seafood Restaurant - World champ clam chowder served here. - Seafood Near Me - Cedar Key, Florida

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I have had so many customers come to the restaurant where I work and say that this is where they've had the best seafood served to them on the island! They always save us for last but wish they hadn't!!! read more

Ok so I've lost count of the cans of Tony's clam chowder I have enjoyed and the chowder served in the restaurant is even a level above that but the rest of the food was nothing different than I have pulled out of the freezer of my local grocery store and the portions are laughable. Service was good, ambience of course was touristy but it's nothing I would venture back for. So I'm review, clam chowder and service good, entree, portions, ambience? Not so much. read more

Tony's Seafood Restaurant - World famous. - Seafood Near Me - Cedar Key, Florida

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We had a seafood platter with a cornmeal coating that did not overpower the seafood. The salad was very fresh and had a variety of salad greens, pepper and beets. The crab stuffed shrimp was also delicious. The clam chowder was great and I can see how it won several awards. It had a bit of spicy kick but was not overbearing. The location was right in downtown Cedar Key with plenty of seating. The atmosphere was upbeat and the service was very good. I would have given this place a 5 star but they were very limited on healthy grilled options. Overall a very good seafood restaurant in Cedar Key. We will be back. read more

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International award winning clam chowder lived up to the hype. Order the bowl. Seafood Po'boy was finger licking good. Highly recommend this place for great seafood. Had lunch here for the second day. Tried Tony's Fisherman Platter and it was perfect for sharing - fried oysters, shrimp,clams, haddock and hush puppies were all very good. The fried brownie bites with ice cream can't be missed - perfect ending to a great meal. Don't miss this place!! read more

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Went there today for lunch. Very crowded not many tables would not go back. The waitress we had was running around like a chicken that had its head chopped off. Very annoying only got chowder we didn't order anything else as we both wanted to get out of there. Chowder was ok but we won't go back. read more

Great class. The clam chowder is the best ever. The steamers were very fresh and delicious. Service was a bit iffy. We had to ask for lots of things, but the footage up for it. We would go back. read more

The clam chowder has earned its reputation. Its Delish! If your near Cedar key it is worth the stop over. Additional the little seaside town is quite cute. The Wait could be very long... read more

We were only in Cedar Key for a short period and while I don't always like going to mainstream places, I do believe this place was amazing. The clam chowder is as delicious and creamy as the reviews say. All the other food was great, fried shrimp to just the right brown. Hush puppies were perfect! My mom got the combination platter and there was fish, scallops, fried shrimp and oysters, all very good. We ordered corn nuggets and they were a delicious and sweet fried comfort food. The salads were great too . The waitress was amazing, friendly and though she was busy still made us feel special and taken care of. read more

Tony's Seafood Restaurant - Shrimp and pasta, great flavor my niece thought it could be a little creamier but very tasty. - Seafood Near Me - Cedar Key, Florida

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Great little restaurant. We order their chowder from their website. I've never had any better. Their lobster bisque is just so so in by option. Just a trace of lobster. read more

Some of the best Fried Clams we have ever tried....decent portion as well, a little pricey for not getting a side item if you were one that desires that...I came for Clams and was o.k. with that and did not want anything else...Steak and Cheese was o.k. Potato Salad, excellent..Onion Petals 8.49 and there were around 20 on the plate and they were good, just too $$ for what was served on the plate.... read more

About 9 years back, I had the most amazing grouper sandwich at this restaurant, so I returned with hopes of being reunited with this old friend. However, Tony had other plans for us--NO grouper anywhere to be found on the lunch menu. Dagnabit! I hate ordering off menu, so I decided to consider other options. La Chica loves clam chowder, and I'd never really had clam strips, so that was the order. Both items were seriously toothsome. The chowder was thick and chunky. The clams strips were massive in comparison to those I had seen in the past. What I did was dip them into the chowder for a little double-clam action--derishous! No beers on draft, but ask for an ice cold mug! Life hack number 4,234. You can thank me when you send me a compliment. When we arrived, there was only a table of 4 inside, but every table was occupied by the time we left. The place was very quite and the waitress talked extremely loud, like Marine Drill Sergeant loud. It made me a little uneasy, to be honest. Bathrooms were about a 3.5 on the cleanliness scale. Seen better, seen worse. read more

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This is by far the best Clam Chowder I've ever had. Granted the only other clam chowder I've had is out of a can, it still was amazing. My girlfriend and I didn't have any other things off their menu, so I can't really comment on any other food. The only other thing I'd like to mention, and the thing that kept Tony's from a 5 star review, was the service. I had to get up from the table THREE TIMES to track down our waitress so we could pay our bill. Ugh... so frustrating... Definitely stop by to check out the chowder (which is worth the price), but be prepared if the service isn't top notch... read more

Tony's Seafood Restaurant - Bowls of Tony's three time world champion hall of fame Clam Chowder - Seafood Near Me - Cedar Key, Florida

The painful urge for good fried shrimp struck again at the end of the week, and knowing that I couldn't satisfy it in Gainesville, I remembered hearing something vague about decent seafood in Cedar Key and turned to my fellow Yelpers. All relatively positive reviews mention the clam chowder. Why oh why did I not just go with some clam chowder?! The menu is small and focused on seafood, primarily shellfish (though not crab/lobsters). Food is relatively pricey--my shrimp dinner and a Red Stripe came out to $28 before tax--and they devote a good amount of space on the menu simultaneously defending their admittedly high prices and proudly proclaiming that they don't cut any corners anywhere in their food preparation. That's great! ... has anyone in the kitchen heard of seasoning? Could you add it to the food PRIOR to cooking? Your shrimp aren't fresh enough to steam naked, and your scampi isn't awesome enough to be served with butter and basil alone. Sorry. Even light seasoning would have really helped out here. The butterflied fried shrimp were tasty, but unfortunately there were only four of those. After ordering the shrimp trio and tasting one of each kind, I saved the rest of the fried shrimp to eat last. I was actually surprised how much I enjoyed my salad considering that it had horrible horrible red beets in it. I bit the bullet and ate 'em and ... I liked them. I can't believe it either. The dining room is very small, and this restaurant definitely attracts parties of five or greater on a regular basis. If you're at the window seat you are very likely to have waiting customers' butts in your face as you eat. Service is kind but not exactly personable; because the space is so small and the restaurant is so popular, they're trying to turn tables as quickly as possible. You are not encouraged to linger over empty plates--they will definitely let you know that they need you to take off when you're done eating. This is a place where you need to really like your dining companions because there isn't much in the restaurant to distract you if you're not really into that talking fad. If I'm ever back this way and hungry, I'll probably get some clam chowder. But as for shrimp? Nah. Better to go to St. Augustine and wait in line at O'Steens. ... I'm not really complaining about that. :) read more

Tony's Seafood Restaurant - Garden salad (with black olives, beet slices and a pepperonici) - Seafood Near Me - Cedar Key, Florida

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Great chowder. But horrible staff. Besides beyond told 15 min and it was 35, besides other staff issue... when we finally got our take out chowder they were all out of take out spoons. And staff was very rude and nasty about it. Plus got sandwich order wrong even though she confirmed it 2x read more

Had the chowder naturally. Very satisfying! There was a lot of color in the chowder from seasonings and of course the clam and potatoes were great, lovely texture. Definitely some spice to it and lots of yummy bacon. For the meal, we got the blackened grouper sandwich and the southern boil. Sandwich was good, fish was very hot when it came out and the flavor was good. The southern boil had two blue crabs, shrimp, cedar key clams of course, along with corn, sausage, potatoes, and hush puppies. Naturally we were a mess when we finished, but wow, that was good! Service was a little slow but the food definitely made up for it. read more

The best clam chowder I had. Just enough spice. The best part is the amount of large clam you get. Their seafood is really fresh. Taste great too. If the dinner is too expensive for you, you can just go for the soup alone, They offer 3 different sizes. read more

Tony's Seafood Restaurant - Tony's famous clam chowder - Seafood Near Me - Cedar Key, Florida

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We came to Cedar Key for a mini -getaway weekend in February of 2018 and found Tony's Seafood and the best Clam Chowder we have ever had. Getting ready to come back in the next few weeks, so happy to see on Yelp you are still there. read more

Simply the BEST and Clam Chowder I've ever had the opportunity to enjoy. If they shipped it I would order several no questions asked. They do sell quarts to go so definitely grab a few. Unfortunately ours was gone within a few hours due to lack of self control on our part. The only reason the review isn't 5 stars is because the service was lacking. read more

I came here several years ago and wanted to see if Tony's clam chowder was the same wonderful stuff. I heard they have opened up in fancy Mount Dora and are placing the soup in cans. I am happy to say the clam chowder and the seafood is as great as always. And I'm from New England. read more

Best clam chowder and the Tony's Platter for 2 was the best ! The waitress are friendly and we did not enough have to ask to fill out drinks. We will be back. read more

The clam chowder was amazing! Not too thick. Not too salty. It had a slight zing to it. The potato salad was good. The blackened fish sandwich had no flavor at all, I have no clue how blackening spices can be bland . You could tell it was just frozen fish because the texture was strange. The Jonah Whale sandwich was also tasteless, frozen fish. The person I was with left most of it on the plate, which it totally out of character. I would go again for clam chowder, but wouldn't order anything else. The wait staff was efficient and friendly. read more

By popularity, I was waiting for a better meal and stay. We order several dishes, all good and the famous clams soup on the bread, good but not worth the price and time we wait for. But the sad part was the A/C so cold, even with a jacket, make everyone uncomfortable and want just to leave. PS Don't buy the canned soup, it is expensive and far away from the one you eat at the restaurant. read more

If you're not already aware, Tony's will make it abundantly clear when you enter their restaurant that their chowder has won world champ awards three separate times. For many this will be the main reason for visiting, and it's a good reason to visit. The chowder is a little spicy, thick and creamy, and full of chunks of fresh clams. They serve the chowder in a few different size bowls and if you're looking to only eat their chowder for a meal you should order the super bowl. While the main focus of Tony's is on their chowder, they do pay attention to the quality of their other menu items. When it comes to seafood I prefer what I order fried, and to that extent I've not been disappointed by their fried items. If your heart can afford it, you should get their corn nuggets as an appetizer. The powdered sugar on top is a nice touch, When I decided to try to have a meal here that was healthier, I went with their salad and soup and was disappointed with their salad (relatively flavorless). Tony's serves some of the best food in Cedar Key, but that's not too hard to do considering the sad state of affairs of Cedar Key's restaurants. The thing that makes it a little harder to choose Tony's when we go out here to visit is the lack of a view. Their business is in a little space a few blocks from the ocean. If you're visiting Cedar Key for the view, I'd recommend spending some walking down the main stretch to enjoy the view and then head inland a bit for the better food. read more

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Can't wait to come back the next time we're in Cedar Key! The Clam Chowder is absolutely delicious and I cannot believe I ate Hogfish on top of a salad for only $9.99. Service was kind and attentive. Can't wait to come back! read more

On a recent trip to Cedar Key, we had to stop in! The clam chowder is 100% worth the hype! Get the bowl of clam chowder and do yourself a favor. You can even buy some at the local store to take home with you! Service was great and very friendly. The menu is heavy on the fried food items but everything we had was tasty. I had the po'boy which had lots of different seafood items piled on and was very filling. They also have wine/beer at decent prices. No matter when we walked by, Tony's was packed. read more

I truly loved the chowder and bisque. The service is extremely, extremely slow, but it was worth it in my opinion. I'll definitely be back when we come down again. read more

Tony's is famous for the clam chowder, which did not disappoint. However, we were extremely disappointed that the online menu was nothing like the actual menu! The items and pricing were totally different. I was so looking forward to the salted caramel cheesecake and the clam chowder and sandwich combos. They don't exist. The server was sweet. I understand Covid may have be the reason their menu was so small, but please update it online. Many of us choose our restaurants by the items posted on your online menu! read more

The mullet dip is delicious and they seafood is cooked to perfection. I recommend Tony's while in Cedar Key. I had scallops and shrimp. My husband had Tony's seafood platter and the crab cake was scrumptious read more

OH MY GOD. The chowder at this place is soooooo delicious. To die for. I could eat it for every meal every day of my life. Glorious. Hallelujah. Amen. The other food was pretty good too. Fast and friendly service. A must visit when in Cedar Key. read more

Tony's Seafood Restaurant - Seafood Near Me - Cedar Key, Florida

Great food! Probably the best seafood I've had in Florida. Friendly staff, and quick service. Be sure to stop by! read more

Tony's Seafood Restaurant - Seafood Near Me - Cedar Key, Florida

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Excellent food! Be patient. It can get busy. Excellent staff!! Everything was cooked to perfection. Golden brown. Stuffed!! Good day in Cedar Key!! Thanks y'all - will be back soon! read more

Great chowder and fish sandwich. Waitress was very friendly and provided exceptional service. We stop by here every trip we make to Cedar Key. Never disappoints. read more

It is no lie they have the best clam chowder. They load it up with clams but the consistency is perfect. The only area this place losses a star is in the customer service department. They don't have any room to wait inside and tell you if you leave the area they will take you off of the list. They told us the wait would be an hour but ended up only being 20 minutes. The lunch combo is the way to go. You get the cowder and a soup or grilled cheese. It doesn't sound like a lot but ends up being a good size meal for $8-9. If you are in the cedar key area make sure to stop by and try the chowder. read more

Tony's Seafood Restaurant - Seafood Near Me - Cedar Key, Florida

Just stopped for the clam chowder as we had been told by the locals that's it's famous and amazing. Best clam chowder I've ever had! Yum! read more

Tony's Seafood Restaurant - Famous clam chowder - Seafood Near Me - Cedar Key, Florida