The Ugly Grouper

The Ugly Grouper is a wonderful place for music and dancing. The food is pretty good too. Our only complaint is the rest rooms. With such big crowds, there should be more than one ladies room and that one ladies room needs some work.

The look of the place caught our attention as we drove by so we decided to drop in for a quick drink. This place has so much potential. Its kinda sad that its been under new ownership since last august and so little has been done. No music playing nor do they serve serve liquor.
Our soup was served in a styrofoam foam drinking cup. and thr lobster was lacking in the bisque. The grouper bites were ok
uou could tell the grouper was fresh but the batter was lacking any flavor.
On the plus side, our service was great. it was actually the best part of the experience.

Phenomenal wings! Great service, awesome outdoor tiki bar vibe. We will be coming back not to mention happy hour with free wine samples can’t go wrong here! Highly recommended can’t wait to try the ribs and the pulled pork all smoked and cooked right in back. I don’t eat fish but the idea of fresh cut grouper every morning does sound good.

Cool, laid back, open air bar with half of the tables on the sand. The menu is limited, but the beer is cold, and the fish is good.
Get the fish tacos!
PB and I got an order of the mahi tacos and the grouper tacos, and traded so we each had one of each. I’ll be honest, neither one of us could tell which was which, but they were both delicious! Well seasoned, topped with cabbage and salsa. They do this thing where they crisp up some cheese around the edges of the flour tortillas that I am definitely trying at home.
They haven’t been open for too long so I can forgive the fact that they ran out of grouper and burgers by the time we left. Also because I did get to try the grouper. It was New Year’s day — maybe plan for larger crowds next year, Ugly Grouper.

Great food at good prices. Came in for a late lunch. Mahi tacos rocked and my husband had a great burger. Recommended for anyone wanting a quality meal with friendly service in an open air setting. Love it!

Really laid back and friendly spot, enjoyed talking with our server as well as other patrons. Planned on just having a drink or two but decided on an order of Smoked Wings, glad we tried them! The wings were smoked well, had a sweet and spicy sauce and did not last long!!! The Ribs and Grouper Nuggets looked very good as others seated around us had ordered them and were very pleased with them as well!

Pros: great relaxed environment, nice drink selection, lot of TVs for watching sports, very friendly and attentive service. The salsa was delicious!
Cons: very limited menu selection, no salads or vegetarian options to choose from, heavy on the fried foods on the menu.
BUT Food that they do have on the menu is pretty good… my husband loved the ribs, and my brother in law enjoyed the grouper nuggets. I had the grilled chicken sandwich and it was seasoned well and very juicy.

This was our first time back to this restaurant since it changed management. We went on a Wednesday evening and it was karaōke night. The singers weren’t nearly as talented as they thought they were at singing country music and some literally screeched out their songs. With the volume turned way up it was ear piercing and we could barely stay long enough to finish our meal. The service was ok. We went to the bar to order our food but the waitress insisted we go to a table and she’d take our order there. It took longer because we had to wait for her to eventually get around to coming to our table. She was nice and friendly, but they should let the customer order at the bar if they want to. Our food was ok, but slightly over priced. The honey mustard dressing wasn’t what normal honey mustard tastes like. I’m reading the reviews that say the fish tacos are good, maybe we’ll try that next time if they are still in business. My advice to management would be to stop the karaōke night, or at least turn down the volume so customers can talk to one another during their meal without screaming. Not sure we’ll be back, but we may give it one more try. At one point at the end of our meal my wife and I turned to each other and said,“I don’t think this place is going to make it”. I hope we’re wrong.

Great atmosphere. Staff is very friendly with recommendation on things to do on the island. Chicken fingers and fish toco are very good. Great place for an afternoon drink.

Great ribs!
No music on Sunday’s because of football
Service was great, atmosphere laid back Florida style!

This is my first time on Anna Maria Island, and the Ugly Grouper has been my go-​to place all week. I don’t usually like fish tacos, but I’ve had the Mahi Mahi Tacos, and the Grouper Tacos and both were amazing! Hands down, the best fish taco I’ve ever had. The Grouper bites were meaty, with a great batter, and very delicious. The burgers and wings were surprisingly good and you get a lot of food for the price. Coldest beer and the friendliest service I’ve had on the island. I highly recommend the UG to anyone coming to Anna Maria!