Sealand Restaurant

Was going to rate a 3 but felt that was being too generous. The service was fine but the food was mediocre at best. Started with an incredibly salty corn and crab chowder that lacked in crab and was bordering inedible which they served along side warm bread and oil which was pretty good. The side salad may have been one of the more pathetic salads I’ve ever seen with some wilted iceberg lettuce, two thin slices of cucumber, one small, cold wedge of tomato and carrot matchsticks from a bag, oh and a handful. of bagged croutons. We opted for the «earlybird» special (dinner before 630) of which there were several choices. He got the prime rib au jus, which was good if you didn’t use the au jus, and I got the salmon which was dry, smelled fishy and was probably frozen prior. Sadly, I could have cooked a much better meal for much less money. Perhaps we should have tried some of the Asian dishes, but we will not be returning.

Prime rib night! Staff was fun and very personable — steak perfect! Choc Mousse pie to die for! You can tell it’s a local favorite plus there was live music!

The worst service we have ever had! My parents and I made reservations for noon on Christmas Day, ordered the roasted turkey dinner on the special holiday menu right after we were seated. A pathetic wilted iceberg lettuce salad was served after 30 minutes, with some bread… we asked the waiter at 1 pm if our meals were coming and he said he would check…14 minutes of him constantly passing out table with his back to us intentionally not ever returning to tell us what was happening we went up and told them we were leaving… no apologies whatsoever, just well Merry Christmas from the hostess… My parents have been good customers of this mediocre restaraunt because the liked the owner, Noi… all of us agree we will NEVER return!!!

There is nothing about this that is nornal. Calamari look and taste like frozen store bought package. Early bird special is cheap. Place smells rotten.

The menu has everything for seafood lovers, pasta lovers, and steak lovers. Great date place that sells half bottles of wine. Excellent service, great food, reasonable prices.
I’d recommend the prime rib and the Godiva crème brûlée for desert.

Good food, interesting décor, very friendly helpful servers. Price was a bit on the high side but we were willing to pay it for a great meal.
I had the fried seafood platter. It was good and fresh, but I hoping for great. I was hoping for unique seasonings, flavorings, and surprises. I know it was a fried platter and maybe some think that only so much can be done but I have had fantastic fried seafood before and expected it.
My wife had the prime rib and it was fantastic. Tender, flavorful, and plenty of it.
We had the onion rings as an appetizer. No sauce came with them so ketchup was the only option for dipping. They were fresh and good but not great. A horseradish dip would have been a big add for flavor.
Thumbs up for the bread and dipping oil and the fresh salad.
Unfortunately, both of our baked potatoes were so unwarm that that wouldn’t melt butter. Not sure what happened there.
All things considered, I would return.

Fantastic restaurant with delicious food and a great atmosphere! The staff was super nice and we will definitely be eating here again. If you are passing by Destin we strongly recommend a visit to Sealand! /​Sweden

Overpriced food and bad service.
When we entered the restaurant, the waiter just asked our name and number of people and then went away. She didn’t say anything about how long we will wait. We were standing there for nearly 15 minutes, watching she being busy with other desks. Then she brought us to a table that has been vacant since we arrive. We didn’t know why she couldn’t bring us to the seats but let us standing at the door.
OK, when we sit and ordered food. It took 45 minutes to bring us the appetizers and 1.5 hour to bring the entrées. Our kids were very starved. Even a bread may take half hour to bring to the table.
The food is OK, but is absolutely overpriced. The portion of some seafood entrees is very small but cost more than $ 35. Don’t go there!

Let me stress that the food here is AMAZING!!! I had the AJ special (whitefish covered in andouille sausage and crawfish), and my wife had the prime rib; both were incredible. However, the service was incredibly slow; so slow, in fact, that we thought about walking out several times. The waitress kept apologizing, but it was a tough wait with a hungry two year old; that’s the only reason I gave it a 4 instead of a 5 (or even a 6 if I could).
This place is worth a visit, but if it takes more than 30 minutes to get an appetizer on your table, you’re in for a long night.

Make the trip to find this great hidden gem along the emerald coast. The service was prompt and thorough. If you have never tried fried soft shell crab, I did here for the first time and I’m kinda upset that I waited so late in life it’s great. The menu has something for all tastes to enjoy you won’t be disappointed. Thanks Bruce and the kitchen staff for taking care of my family on or last night in the Destin area.

Great service. I had the Fried Seafood Dinner. Everything was tasty with the exception of the fried oyster. Very good otherwise.
My partner had the linguini with clams. He said it was very good although the sauce could have been thicker.
I would recommend to a friend.

I love this but place, I have been coming here for about a decade. Noi is a great hostess!
Tonight for dinner I had Noi’s favorite, which is grouper, soft shell crab, grilled shrimp, butter sauce. bit was great.
We always get the spicy sausage, and a few apps, Susie is the best, she always remembers your name and what salad dressing we want.
Service is great
Food is great, a little bit of everything for everyone and always consistent!
This is a great place… Sunday’s are my favorite

Great wine list, food and service.
Definitely a gem we discovered.
Thank you Derick for great service!

***Changing my review from 2 stars to 1. Please see my update below.**
We arrived at the restaurant at about 6:20. When we walked in the door the hostess looked at us and started re-​arranging a stack of menus. She then asked us to wait. By the time we were finally seated and the waiter came over it was a minute or two after 6:30. We asked for the early bird menu (which ended at 6:30) and the waiter said he would ask the manager. He came back and said that the manager said no. We insisted that we had arrived before 6:30. He went to ask again. This time the manager came to the table. She was not very nice. We explained that we at the restaurant before 6:30 but that the hostess made us wait. She basically just kept repeating that the specials ended at 6:30. So much for customer service. The waiter later informed us that the hostess is the owner’s daughter!!! Now it is starting to make more sense.
We opted to stay and order from the regular dinner menu. The food was okay. I could have had the same pasta at Olive Garden and would not have taken as long. Myother had the prime rib. She usually had the prime rib from the early bird menu. She said it was thinner and not worth the price. This, added with the attitude of the manager, I will not be returning. The waiters were nice and seemed sympathetic. Unfortunately it did not make it worth the price of the meal.
If you are in the area you should opt for The Original Waterfront Crab Shack. The food is good and the view is spectacular.
***UPDATED*** Let me first start by stating that I lived in the area for most of my life and return to visit my mother who has lived in the area since 1975. Secondly, my mother has been a customer of Sealand since it opened and dined there at least once a week. That all changed because of my Unilocal review.
Last weekend she arrived with a client from her business. (She was sure to arrive well before 6:30 this time!) At that time she was approached by the owner/​manager who demanded to know who «Renee» was. She was unprofessional in her approach of my mother. At first my mother stated that she did not know as to not make a scene in front of her client. Later my mother confessed that I was her daughter and had been upset with my last visit. When asked where I lived my mother explained that I was visiting and lived in Fort Lauderdale. At that time the owner/​manager said she did not have to care about my review but that I was no longer welcome there. She also stated I made her angry with my review. As I said, my mother was with a business client and, although the owner/​manager was unprofessional, my mother wanted to maintain her professionalism. The client even mentioned to my mother that the owner/​manager was rude and aggressive when approaching my mother about the Unilocal review.
Throughout that evening the chef, who is the husband of the manager/​owner, came out and both were pointing over at my mother making her feel uncomfortable.
This chef actually worked at another restaurant, Pandora’s on Okaloosa Island. He is using similar recipes. Why go to a business that frequently berates the customers and bans them for writing an honest review. Pandora’s has a better atmosphere and the SAME food.
The only redeeming quality I can say about this place is that the wait staff are sympathetic and attentive. At least someone there has some sort of respect for the customer… even if the owner/​manager does not.
And on a side note to the owner/manager…since I hope you are reading my update… I have a lot of friends that still live in the area. I will be sure to forward them all a link to my review.
Anyone else reading this review keep in mind you can get a better meal with a more welcoming atmosphere at Pandora’s. The have the same specials as Sealand on Sunday and Wednesday.

So we were searching for a nice restaurant and we found this. We looked at the reviews and it sounded good. We went here knowing it did not look good but please before you judge GO IN. It looks really good. The food was delicious but this is not a restaurant for babies or toddlers. Also the food might be more expensive than other restaurants. But besides that it is perfect for a nice dinner at.

This was the tastiest food ever ! Job well done staff ! The hostess was a hoot made us feel very welcome. Feed a family of 4 without drinks for around 100 dollars.
I thought it was well worth it

Our server was so friendly and hard working. Honestly, I would come back here simply for the bread and the oil– it’s the best I’ve ever had.
We enjoyed the early special ($ 14.95) for your choice of meat, salad, bread and side. I had a strip steak that melted in my mouth.
This is a place to return to on every trip to this area!

Good food but sub-​par experience. We went with our children one evening, and had to wait for 30+min. I don’t typically take issue with a wait in a popular restaurant, but don’t agree with creating a line when there were multiple empty tables available within view of the cramped waiting area.
Drinks, appetizers, the food and the check were all spaced out through almost three hours with almost no appearance of the wait staff. Rather than asking about desert, our waitress popped in to ask if we wanted a box, before disappearing for almost a half an hour. The check took another 10min. Once again — a wait is understandable but stretching dinner out into almost three hours with two children under three makes for a stressful and uncomfortable meal.
The layout of the restaurant makes it tough to get around. There was a group of pharmaceutical reps meeting in the «meeting room» which was a section of the restaurant cut off by hanging drapes. This cut off access to the bathrooms, forcing you to utilize the same hallway as the wait staff. The waiting area is minimal at best, surrounded by racks of wine bottles. Not great with a destructive 2.5 year old :-)
All in all, this would have been a one-​star rating if it hadn’t been for the excellent food. If sub-​par service isn’t an issue, the meals make it worth the trip. As far as our little family — we have no plans to return unless it’s without the kids and we have a reservation!

We live in the area and my mother was visiting from PA. On our way home from a trip to Panama City one evening, we randomly stopped by Sealand for a late dinner. Upon entry, I found the atmosphere to be cozy with a warm kind of family feel. The décor isn’t anything special, so if you go, don’t expect to find yourself in a «posh» environment.
We were immediately greeted with a smile and a warm welcome.
The menu is extensive and I had an incredibly hard time deciding what to order, which was jokingly noticed by the server and led to a fun conversation with her. Our service was the absolute best we’ve had since moving to FL, maybe the best we’ve ever had, but more about that later.
We started with some crab and corn bisque, golden fried crab claws as well as the clams and mussels in garlic wine sauce, all were fantastic but I must say, the bisque was simply amazing. On to the main courses… seafood pasta with alfredo, steak, amberjack and the fried seafood platter. WOW! Simply put, our palates were delighted. Our beverages were never empty and multiple interactions and conversations with our server made us feel like we were enjoying dinner with extended family.
By this time, as you can imagine our stomach’s were more than satisfied with little to no room for dessert, but we found ourselves wondering if it was possible for them to be as good as good as the rest of our meals had been. We opted to share a couple… key lime pie and crème brulee. About the crème brulee, again more choices, of which led me to ask the server to surprise me with the flavor as I couldn’t decide. To my delight, she opted to bring me a sampler assortment of each flavor! Really? Again, her customer service is the best! Our desserts did not disappoint. My mother and I also concluded our amazing experience with a couple cappuccinos that were to die for!
Back to our «server». We found out, a couple employees had called off for one reason or another, leaving the restaurant a bit short handed, so our server was actually one of the owners!
Over the course of the next 2 weeks, we returned twice to our new favorite restaurant, which by the way is 40 minutes from our home. We are now regulars, recognized by name.
I’ve read many of the other reviews and am perplexed by the negative ones. Was the service as good on our return visits? Maybe not, but the food definitely was! While I’m sure it’s possible for someone to have a not so great experience at any restaurant, I would believe they are few and far between at Sealand.
As we frequently have guests visiting us from other states, Sealand will be our first choice when the inevitable, «where do you suggest we go for dinner» question comes up. Whether you’re lucky enough to live in the area, or visit the gulf coast on vacation, I encourage you to add Sealand to your list of places to go for a great meal.

Visited this place while I was on vacay and thanks to help, we visited this place while they were doing their early bird specials. For the price of 14.95 you get to pick from ribeyes to fish of the day (which is always seem to be trigger fish). 3 out of 4 people at our table picked rib eyes while I picked the fish of the day. The rib eyes also comes with either a baked potatoes or fresh veggies. For my fish I picked the baked potatoes.
Oh and for appetizers we picked the scallops and shrimp dish. It was shrimp and scallops on top of a curry sauce. It was little but really good. No complaints. Lol
Okay so for entrees, everyone was happy with their rib eyes. I was disappointed with my fish. It didn’t have much flavor and was little. I’ll get something else next time I’m in town. So for the entrees, nothing spectacular. The only dishes that stood out was the appetizers and desserts. For desserts we got the tiramisu and crème brûlée. The tiramisu was really good! And the creame brulee was also good and I really liked the fruits on the sides.
Overall i would come back again to try other dishes and get the tiramisu again! Yum! :)