Fisherman’s Grotto

Let me start by saying I love trying new places in small towns, because you never know what little gem you might find!
I wish I had checked the reviews before entering into the Fisherman’s Grotto. My friend and I stopped here during a trip on the coast having been lured in by their $ 6 Fresh Seafood Lunch Special sign. We figured we would have a quick basket of fish and chips, and be on our way!
Unfortunately, our high hopes quickly fell. The tables were mostly sticky or dirty, there was a general feeling of being unclean, and I saw more flies than are natural in an establishment for being the middle of winter.
The plates being served around us all looked good, so we continued on!
The service was at a crawl at best, not being helped by the fact that I could hear the waitresses chitchatting at the register. We both ordered the fish and shrimp basket, one with an order of fries and one with vegetables. While cooked well, we both received the smallest cut of fish and saddest 6 baby shrimp I have ever been served — think of the tiny shrimp that come on salads — which is shameful because Charleston is a hub of fresh seafood on the southern Oregon coast.
Her fries were done well, my vegetables were steamed then drenched and fried in oil leaving them went and charred. I would classify this as a «light lunch special» for the tiny portions I received.
We had to pack our things and go to the front to retrieve my debt card, where unsurprisingly, the waitresses were chatting away.
I will not be recommending the Fisherman’s Grotto.

Walked in the door definitely and was not impressed. The restaurant was grimy and rundown. The whole place smelled bad and the hostess completely ignored us. We were a party of four so it was impossible she didn’t see us walk in our hear us chatting. Her ignoring us was a blessing in disguise. We walked out and found a place to have lunch with tasty food and a very nice server.

Terrible service and even worse food. DO NOT EAT HERE! Used to be very good. Ate here for years and always enjoyed the food and service. Place must have changed hands. Not possible to give less than one star or I would have. We will never be back.

Wish there were minus stars!!! When we went in I was sticking to the floor. A customer leaving said run. And don’t order oysters. Then the waitress bitched right off the bat. I made a decision to RUN!!!

Filthy & Flavorless. Frozen veggies, table & chairs sticky & dusty; Grimey. Tried the Grotto 4 years ago. I saw they fixed up the outside; unfortunately, that’s where the improvements end. Too bad.
Charleston OR is in need of a GOOD restaurant.

We stopped by for an afternoon snack and received outstanding service. Very good crab cakes and mussels. Like another said it’s not a fancy place, but the food is very very good.

Great food — horrible service– really need to get their act together– totally made a great meal a horrible experience

This isn’t a fancy seafood restaurant. This is the place where locals eat. My son had the 5pc fish & chips & I had the chowder bread bowl & shrimp cocktail!!! We will be back!!! Too bad the table next to us got up & left!!!

well what can I say. We wanted a special seafood meal while visiting the area. no décor to start with. waitress was slow to sit us. It has tha apearance of coffee shop. waitress is hostess & she kept going into kitchen, so maybe a cook. They have special meals for $ 10.00. I ordered scallops & prawns, only one side came. I got a potato & had a extra salad. So for $ 20.00 I got 4 one knch, scallops 3 small shrimp. this would be fine in a excellent gourmet restaurant but the food was not tasty and overpriced.

Lets start with it took us 15 mins to be seated. After we were seated she walked away without taking a drink order. After about 20 mins or so she finally came back and took are order. food was bland and barely edible.

We were the only ones there in this big empty cold space, like a masoleum. You would think, o good fast service then. Wrong, was seated then had to wait for water, then had to wait for drinks, then had to wait for chowder. Then had to wait for the waitress to remember we were there. Everything echoed as she was bs with the cook. 25 mins later food came out. Would hate to be there if it was busy. But I kind of doubt it because the food was nothing to write home about. Seafood is the fastest thing you can cook. I don’t know why everything took forever. But if the owner is reading this you might remind your help to bs on their own time because you can hear everything when your place is empty.

My family of four stopped by after the place we wanted to go to was not open. The kids were hungry so we figured we would tried this place. Took awhile for our server to even bring us water. She finally came to get our order and then we waited as my 9 year old noted «forever» to get two bowls of clam chowder and some burgers. During our wait, folks at two different tables got up and left because they were not getting their food or service. Aside from my crab burger, the rest of the food was somewhat blah. Would not recommend unless that is your only option but get ready to wait.

The food was good but not worth the hour long wait. Took at least 15 minutes to be seated then the people seated after us got drinks and their meal before us. When all was said and done it was an hour and a half lunch. Service was slow and not friendly. Would not recommend!

Bad/​slow service, it’s really hard to flag the waitress down. Place is old and rundown, when you walk in first thing you see is flies flying around. Food is just ok, kinda overpriced.

I love this place! I absolutely do not understand some of the reviews I see here. The owner is the daughter of a fisherman and has access to top quality fish. The service has been great and accommodating. I am willing to add 20 miles to go here. This review is coming from an ex commercial fisherman. I am pretty particular about my seafood and this place floats my boat!
To be fair, the atmosphere is not the draw. Meanwhile, the awards on the wall do some talking for themselves. Do you want quality food or ambiance? If you answer «both», go somewhere more expensive, and likely lower quality. This place decided to focus on the food. I get it.

I love eating here this place has a special place in my heart I had my reception after my wedding here their food is amazing great portions anything I ordered off the menu has blown my mind I have nothing bad to say about this place. I make the two and a half hour drive just to eat here sometimes amazing wouldn’t change a thing

Ate here last night, food was not too bad but the décor was very outdated and the server was about as friendly as a stump. Most of the food was pre-​made and just fried in the back. The biggest issue was the cleanliness of the restroom that I used on the way out (would of walked out without eating if I would have went in first).

I came here on a Tuesday right when they opened and had no one in the restaurant but me. Didn’t have a long wait (ten minutes), but my waitress admitted to «zapping» my chowder. Chowder was way too watery for me but the taste was ok. Definitely not $ 5 a bowl worthy.

To be totally fair I have to come back another day other than Mother’s Day. By the time time we got there it was nearly 2 P.M. and it was packed with a 15 minutes wait. The waitress were all super friendly. I was surprised by some of the other reviews which state the opposite. They were very casual and family friendly. By 2:10 several patrons had finished leaving 4 empty tables around us. We ordered and our meals came 40 minutes later. During our meal the un-​cleared 4 tables remained just that. It was no longer busy and people needing tables. I’m not sure why uncleared/​dirty tables bother me so much but they do. Never the less, my clam chowder was very good and my only fault with it was that the clams were microscopic. It was a good creamy chowder base only wish there could have been more than ¹⁄₈ teaspoon of clams in it. We wondered if this is the way it always is, busy, uncleared, messy carpets… If it is we really recommend this place for «Restaurant Impossible.»
I heard several waitresses say to patrons as they brought checks to the tables, «Sorry it took so long, Hope it was worth the wait!» When they said it to us, it was the third time I had heard them say it and wondered if that was their mantra.
Don’t be in a hurry, take your time, have patience and bring a can of clams to add to the chowder … shhhh…

We were steered here by a local. We were looking for good seafood (especially oysters) at reasonable prices, and ambiance was not part of the criteria. So, indeed, this was a dive-​y kind of place overlooking the humble waterfront. And a loose managerial style, to put it mildly. Had to go looking for someone since there was no hostess, only to find out… we get to seat ourselves. Verrrrrrry casual, no doubt about it.
First, a cup of clam chowdah for each of us. Thick and creamy. The only negative, it was made with some dried vegetables. Tasted pretty good even though. FYI — finely minced clams instead of big chunks.
Ordered an appetizer combo of (2 ea) clams, oysters, scallops, calamari, prawns. All battered and fried. Beautifully done, very tender, and the breading was light and flaky. My favorites, if I had to choose, were the calamari, prawns, and scallops. Enjoyed this very much, but this was a huge platter. I had also stupidly ordered a 3 piece fish dinner thinking I was over the top hungry because I had eaten vey little in the past 12 hours. Big mistake! And Mr. B had fries and fried oysters. Then, suddenly it hit me, too much fried food, and I couldn’t look at it anymore. Almost all of the fish was surrrendered to the to-​go box. Too bad, it would have been better when freshly done. My fault.
Everything was really good, far better than a highly recommended fish and chips place we had been steered to while in Victoria, Canada (same road trip). Actually, one of the best I have ever had. And the cocktail sauce and tartar sauce were out of this world. But, a lesson in self-​restraint, especially where «fried» was in the description, would have been good before hand.