Old Bay Steamer

The food was fresh and finger licking good weather is was raw, steamed, or boiled you are able to taste the freshness of the food you would expect from Florida with the spices to complement the seafood. They do offer non-​seafood options on the menu was well that does not disappoint either.
Servers were great! Friendly and diligent with orders.
The atmosphere was family friendly so it would not be best to go alone unless you plan on sitting at the bar alone.
Recommendations:
–If you have a group of more than 5 people call in ahead of time and do a «call– in» so servers can prepare a seating area for your group beforehand cutting your wait significantly.
My Opinion:
— Baked oysters had too much cheese to the point that I forgot that I was eating baked oysters. (But the raw oyster does not disappoint!)
Overall a good place to satisfy your seafood needs (large seafood needs) with a group of your family and friends.

Amazing food! Crab cakes, crab legs, and New York Strip are all fantastic! It is a bit pricey so be aware of that. Not the most appealing décor, but who cares when the food is great.

This used to be my favorite place to go. In my past visits the seafood was plentiful and there was always enough to bring home. I went there last night and ordered the Gulf Bucket for two. There were only 4 clams which were steamed to death and very, very tiny. One didn’t open so it was not edible. We also had 4 mussels, two of those didn’t open. The crabs consisted of 2 small king crab legs and 2 clusters of snow crabs. The majority of this bucket was royal reds. Those were plentiful but also cooked to death. We also had 4 very, very small red potatoes and 2 ears of corn.
Next time I will get just the crab bucket to make sure the royal reds are not the MAIN thing in the bucket.
The waiter was attentive (James) and really took care of our needs.
Not a 5 star on this trip but I will be back… still my favorite steamed seafood place!

I had the sesame Seared ahi as my appetizer. It was excellent! A whole lot of flavors in one appetizer. It was topped with a pineapple and mango salsa and Sriracha was artfully placed on the plate for a nice presentation. For the main course I had the king crab meal. I was disappointed in the amount of meat in the legs. When I get king crab legs from Costco, they’re huge. Stick with Costco!
Overall a nice dining experience.

Old Bay Steamer is far and away the best eating on Fort Walton Beach. I have been to all of the restaurants over the years (High Tide, Crab Trap, Fudd, etc) except for the Black Pearl and Old Bay is simply higher quality.
On our first visit my wife ordered the scallops and I have the Crab+Royal Red steamer for one (waaaay too much food for one person — good problem!) The scallops were phenomenal and the crab/​shrimp were as advertised. On our second visit — the next day — we split the Crab+Royal Red steamer for one along with an appetizer and had a perfect amount of food to share.
I would highly recommend the Old Bay Steamer despite the higher-​than-​average costs for the food on the island!

I have to say the steamed seafood was good, and the service was too. But the atmosphere was just so outdated and semi-​tacky. Im 23 and when I went I was easily the youngest there, easily! I felt like there should’ve been an age requirement. Also, the prices are so high. I won’t return unfortunately.

We came early and every one enjoyed their dinner. I had soo much greatly seasoned seafood it started to get cold cause I was taking so long lol. We ordered the king krab and shrimp steamer, it was great with just enough sides. My son liked his kids meal as well. I definitely recommend returning. The raw oysters were delicious, clean and nice size.

Food pretty good, $$$/​4 pricewise, service ok –spotty, décor is very dark and no view.
Apparently they had a view until a big monolith building was erected in front of them and now they make light of the fact that they don’t have any view.
Good solid seafood items, wide selection on the menu.
Had the gumbo-​ok-​good was sort of small cup for $ 7, daily catch grouper –delish, Ny shrimp-​fried good and light not over battered, lobster dinner– good portion of lobster tasty, Alfredo pasta-​good, key lime pie-​good.
Everything was overall good. We actually went twice since it passed the kid approved places to eat.
Would definitely recommend and will definitely be back when we’re in the area

Old Bay steamer was an awesome place to eat @ the crab legs were delicious but the shrimp where totally awesome our servers name was David and he was probably one of the best servers we’ve ever had we had phenomenal time
Oh ps the baked oysters rocked & no long line or wait

Wow. Killer plates of seafood, but you need to be cautious. My meal was top notch, but others were messed up because they didn’t send directions to the kitchen. Most of all, I wanted to check out the famous local shrimp known as ‘Royal Reds’. Having experience in the South before, I asked if they used ‘Old Bay’ seasoning in their seafood. Yup, it was their standard and I vociferously requested that none of this nasty Old Bay (lotsa’ bay leaf, salt, and finely crushed red pepper) touch my delicate food. They complied, but my fellow guests did not know and suffered the consequences. My steamed whole shrimp were perfectly steamed and the portion was huge (see pic, only $ 24). Other folks ordered the steamed shrimp albeit with the Old Bay sprinkled proliferously on their shrimp and baked oysters (WTF?, these should have been served raw if they were really fresh). Folks complained about the Old Bay and heavy accompanying salt as well as the tough overcooked oysters. But I really enjoyed my meal thanks to my previous knowledge :-)

I don’t see all the hype with this place. I’m from New Orleans, so I have high expectations, but this just didn’t even come close. The tuna appetizer was small and flavorless. I had the crabcakes for dinner which were just okay — and I actually added salt to them. And there was rice with them?! What kind of pairing is that?! The service was also really slow.
I’m glad we got there early because the people waiting for a table when we left wrapped around the front and the side of the building. Definitely NOT worth that wait in my opinion.

This is the place to go when you want seafood that’s NOT fried and battered! Their seafood is freshly seasoned and steamed. Delicious.
However, I was disappointed in the size of the oysters. They oversteamed them and came out VERY TINY! They were about the size of the tip of my pinky (and I have small hands). Also, we ordered the Combo Dip for an appetizer. It was $ 10. Definitely NOT WORTH the price. It’s basically canned tuna with mayo and nacho chips from a bag. Sad. Also, the Seafood Medley pasta was bland tasting. Worst seafood pasta I’ve ever tasted. On the other hand, the Seafood Nachos (appetizer) was actually yummy.
The only other thing I like is that they provide warm water and lemon slice after you eat to get rid of the fishy smell on your hands.
Overall, great experience but food was mediocre.

Don’t understand what the hype is all about. I was very disappointed in my meal. The hubs got seafood medley … The flavored didn’t marry together. You can taste the wine… Then the marinara the cheese all separate. I got the surf and turf NY steak with shrimp. The Steak was bland, and the shrimp was OVERLY salted, there wasn’t a balance between the two. I did however enjoy the house salad it was with their special house honey vinegarette dressing. The garlic bread looked amazing but was bland… Idk what was missing.
The dips… It wasn’t what I expected but that’s because I should have read it slowly… It says it’s a cold dip, but I was thinking it was a hot cheesy dip… Nope! Would recommend this place.
How server was really nice though that’s always a bonus.

Found this place through Unilocal of course.
Didn’t wait for a table went straight to the bar and ordered. Long line for tables.
The bartender was very friendly and not over bearing. Made a potent margarita.
Ordered the king crab and red shrimp.
Large portions and well prepared.
A little pricey but the food, people, and atmosphere made up for it.
Can’t get a to go cup for drinks, damn Florida laws. Not in New Orleans any more.

I love the atmosphere. We ate up stairs at the bar for quicker service. The wait would have been 45 min if not. I don’t mind I like my cocktails .
We ordered the Lobster Super Steamer for 2. Absolutely yummy. King Crab, Snow Crab, Lobster Tail, and Royal Red Shrimp. Wow very good. Will come again next time I’m in Destin.

I love seafood. I love snow crabs and crawfish the most.
Coming here, I knew I wasn’t going to get the Cajun seafood I was used to, so my expectations weren’t that high.
My boyfriend and I were visiting Fort Walton for a mini getaway and were craving seafood. Old Bay sure had three dollar signs and four stars. We decided to give it a shot since we were on vacation.
We got the garlic butter bread and the crab claws for the appetizer. The garlic butter bread was a load of bread with minced garlic on top — I hated it. I was expecting garlic butter knots or garlic butter Texas toast style or something other than what I got. As much as I love carbs, I hated it. The crab claws was his choice — I honestly didn’t care for it. Lots of crab claws swimming in a sauce I can only describe as Italian dressing. Weird, right?
Finally, on to the seafood. We both got the Snow and Shrimp platter. It came with snow crab, boiled shrimp, a corn, and two small potatoes. I loved the crab and shrimp. It tasted very fresh and wasn’t rubbery or low quality. I wish the corn and potatoes were boiled in seasoning but that’s okay. I was very full once I was finished. For those saying two people can share a platter — I don’t suggest two people from Louisiana could. Those who live and breathe for eating seafood, get your own platter!

First timers here. Our hotel concierge recommended it and we opted a short walk to the restaurant. It was a Saturday and they were obviously busy. We were told 45 minute wait. They had two bars up and downstairs. Hubs had a very tasty Bahama Mama and I had the lemondroptini. I thought they shorted me on my drink but it was good and strong! We were seated and ordered crab dip. I am used to a little more spice in my crab dip but this one was a little sweeter but still good. Son had kids Alfredo and it was gone quickly. Daughter has chicken Alfredo also rated hastily. Hubs and I shared King crab and shrimp steamer with corn and potatoes (wow just wow) and shrimp Alfredo which we couldn’t finish. Oh the salad was amazingly good. The dressing stood out. Can’t wait to come back! Restrooms could have been a little cleaner and they ran out of paper towels. Lauren our server was a sweetie.

When you go to the beach, you can’t expect to leave without eating some fresh seafood. $$$ doesn’t mean you need to get dressy. But be prepared for the $$$ that will hit you on the menu. Parking is complimentary valet only. Have a couple dollars ready to tip.
We made a «call-​in» reservation. They don’t accept reservations but they do consider the fact that a group of 15 people is about to come eat. They had two tables ready for us by the time we got there.
My friend and I decided to split a whole bunch of appetizers instead of getting a steamer. I ordered a Strong Island, which was described on the cocktail menu as «Premium liqueurs (too many to name), sour, and a splash of Coke. (LIMIT ONE PER VISIT).» Whoa. It came in what was almost an entire boot, and was extremely heavy. The drink was sweet and light and didn’t taste strong, but I’m sure if I had drank this on an empty stomach I would have been a goner. Good thing I was too busy downing the salad, which was SO good. Either that or I was starving.
We ordered:
Stuffed mushrooms — this was ok. Seemed a little dense, which made it hard to finish.
Blue Crab Claw — the sauce reminded me of Italian salad dressing. But the crab itself was tasty.
Royal Red Shrimp — best dish. Tasty and fresh and plump. And having someone peel the shrimp for you would make the meal even better.
Gumbo — I’m not a huge fan of gumbo. But the smoky stew was delightful.
Overall a good meal. Pricey, but the freshness of the ingredients makes it worth it.

Everything was prepared to perfection. Absolutely delicious!
I had the catch of the day which was Red Snapper. It was excellent
My fiancé had the seared tuna– also excellent! We will definitely be back.

The crab was cooked perfectly. Very easy to crack open, they provided scissors instead of crackers which was an excellent thing. It was so much easier to get the meat out. I also really liked the finger bowls they give you for clean up instead of wet naps. Portion size is smaller than other restaurants in the area. I think we got slighted though because the other people in our party seemed to have more on their plate. The sides were just fillers, nothing special. Staff was friendly, décor is awesome. They charge extra to take the heads off the shrimp. Seems kind wrong with the price you are paying already. I enjoy authentic, but that was a little too real.
Crab cakes were the best I’ve ever had.