Cedar Reef Fish Camp

A flavorful surprise, especially since it’s in a little strip mall and the outside of the restaurant is unassuming.
All of our food was pretty good, and I felt like the prices were fair for what we got: crab dip and alligator chowder for appetizers, blackened snapper sandwich, swamp tacos, key lime crème brûlée for $ 50.
I consider myself to be a crème brûlée connoisseur, and theirs wasn’t that good in comparison to others I’ve had. The texture of the custard was off, but the hardened sugar top was perfect.
Everything else was really good. I’d go back again.

We’ve had better many time over. Based on Unilocal reviews we went here for our first night in the Venice area. The Oyster Reefafellers were very good. But the main dish was very much like hospital food, bland and easy for forget. The grits under my fish had the consistency of hard mash potatoes and 3 of the 4 fish plates had no flavor and it wasn’t a fresh catch. One more day and that fish would have turned. I have the opinion that they hired a marketing company to pump up their Unilocal reviews. wasn’t bad enough to walk out of but wouldn’t return.

I would have given 5 stars but my husband’s portion of fried shrimp was pretty small for the price. My 2 lbs of Dungeness crab was AMAZING though. Deena was very attentive and even the owner/​manager came to check on us right after our food was delivered. We will try again on Prime Rib night

My family and I are from Orlando and were in the area so we stopped by based on the Unilocal reviews and we are so glad we did! Service was exceptional and the food was great! Something different from the regular chain restaurants.

Dropped in for dinner with the family tonight. I’m not sure what they mopped the floor with, but I might as well been wearing ice skates. Yes, the floor was that slick.
Service was fast and friendly.
Appetizers: biscuits, fried pickles and fried green tomatoes. Biscuits and pickles were good, tomatoes had no taste.
Dinners: fish tacos, crab stuffed shrimp, coconut shrimp and fish n chips.
All were pretty good, no complaints here. All of the fish dishes had good quality fish and not cooked too long or served greasy.
I had the Key lime Crème Brûlée. It was a nice texture and flavor, but needed more key lime juice in it. Def not strong enough for most Floridians.

This is a pretty decent place. The food is good, and the service is great. I’m not a big fan of fish, but they have a pretty decent selection of non-​seafood. Be aware that their crab is cooked in old bay spice (a spice I don’t care for), and NOTHING on their menu is dairy-​free. The breading they use to fry things has ranch in it, which is yummy, but not dairy-​free. (My daughter has a dairy allergy).
Overall, I would definitely recommend this place, as long as you don’t have a dairy allergy :)

Not sure why this got such great reviews. We decided to try this place because all of the great reviews and were a bit disappointed. Started off with the crab dip it was very salty and lacked much of the crab flavor. We got the lobster lasagna which was the special. Needless to say it was underwhelming. The lobster was extremely dried out and the scallops that were in it were clearly frozen. We also ordered the diver scallops which were the catch of the day. They were full of grit and had a very strong flavor. The rice it was served with was good but the broccoli was again frozen. Sad to say we probably won’t be returning after this experience. On a brighter note the service was pretty good and the atmosphere seemed friendly.

Cedar Reef Fish Camp is found in the center of strip mall anchored by a Publix. On the outside there is no boathouse décor, no fish themes, nothing flashy. It’s the kind of place you may even just pass by and think nothing of. Inside, however, is a seafood mecca for fresh fish, shrimp and gator fare. Yes, gator. Something we do eat here in Florida. Something I had to try.
There is much debate whether alligator is considered meat in the sense of a land lubber and something a Pescatarian would not eat, or is gator meat considered to be seafood? Either way, I ordered a cup of the Alligator Chowder and it was magnificent. I am not sure if you can really describe food as being magnificent but it was. There was a definite spicy kick (though not too much) and it certainly did not taste like chicken. The gator meat is blackened and thrown into a chowder with potatoes, celery, onions and carrots with a variety of spices.
My main dish was the blackened wahoo sandwich, a special they were running. I loved the meatiness of it and savored every bite. The sandwich is served on a bun with lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles and a side of their spicy volcano sauce.
My friend ordered the blackened yellowtail sandwich, served the same as the wahoo sandwich. It too was also quite meaty and fresh with a slight kick. I often steer clear of anything blackened because blackened normally means more saltiness as well as spicy, but here it was blended nicely and quite mild.
We visited here on a Tuesday night about 8pm and the place was packed. The fish is fresh, the gator chowder is to die for and the joint is crowded. That says a lot about a dive-​looking restaurant in a strip mall. The locals sure seem to love it here. There is also a huge selection of seafood pastas, shrimp, crab and oyster dishes. 4 ½ out of 5 sprouts.

We have ate here 4 times this past winter, the
last included our daughter and son-​in-​law who were visiting. Every meal we had was excellent, fresh seafood, prepared perfectly and service was excellent, there is always a line, but they do take call ahead seating requests. Our last meals included blackened grouper, lobster lasagna and Pina Colada shrimp. Everyone agrees their meals deserve a top rating and the price is reasonable, with portions large.

Eh, I wasn’t super-​impressed. Service was pretty good but food was marginal. We’ll give it a try after the season is over and see if it’s better then. Definitely need to enhance flavors. I know they are catering to an older population, but everything was very bland. Feeling-​Disappointed. Hope to update and improve the rating after the next visit.

Really good food but slow service, if you can even get near the place during busy season.

I ordered surf and turf tacos. It was like the kitchen didn’t even try. Steak was way undercooked. All they had was cheese and a big piece of ice burg lettuce. The only reason I gave it a second star is because the server was good. The group I was with had been before and they all agreed that the food has gone downhill and we will not return.

Have eaten here four times and loved each visit. The food and service are fantastic with ever dish a delight.
Our waitress, Elizabeth was delightful, knowledgeable and efficient. Our waiter,
Rich took good care of us. He was very cheerful and knowledgeable.
The hostess, Pat was a very attentive and helpful. We can’t wait to go back.

Busy place, but you wouldn’t know it by the service. Thanks Teresa; you’re the bomb! It’s busy because it’s great! Surf and turf tacos (blackened fillet and buffalo shrimp) with beautiful black beans and rice were awesome and the grilled scallops were fab!

Yep, it is in a strip mall and yep, the food is wonderful. I had a pasta featuring grilled salmon and a lobster cream sauce, my wife had grilled shrimp that made her day. I think these folks are just plain good, anything you would order they know how to do right.
NOW: our service was not wonderful. It didn’t seem to be all the servers, but ours neglected her tables today. So you may be taking a chance with service when you go here; but you are not taking a chance on the food.

We love this place and know the specials for every day of the week! We love to sit outside on the patio with our dogs and have yet to have a meal that didn’t exceed our expectations. The staff is super nice and welcoming. Come on over — you won’t be sorry!

Stopped her for dinner and was blown away. Great food, big portions and nice atmosphere. Even though this is in a strip mall don’t overlook it if you want some great fresh seafood. Will definitely be back again.

Great seafood place. Crab cake was mainly crab not bread crumbs! Crab legs were very good. Especially the Dungeness crab, just as good as when we had them fresh in Alaska. And the french fries and coleslaw were perfect. The shrimp was alright, not the best I ever had. Overall I plan on making this the place to go for seafood.

Don’t let the store front fool you.
My wife and I were looking for fresh seafood and man did we find it.
Great service. You have to try the Tamiami clam dip. The green lagoon pasta is to die for, even recommend by our server.

The good-​sitting outside with my dog and the excellent service. The not so good-​chicken tacos that I wouldn’t have served. Gigantic tortillas that were intended for burritos, not tacos. Very scant chicken, a bit of lettuce and a very odd pico that was a dark red. When I questioned the server, he stated balsamic vinegar was in it. Why on earth would you add balsamic to pico de gallo? Strange. Interesting that the customer service feedback card asked for email, and comments, and no response after our visit.