Sea Critters Cafe

We stayed right across the street from this place in Pass a grille beach. It looks like a dive but the food was better than expected. The conch fritters were good, the crab cake was big and full of meat. I ordered the grouper platter and it was simply good. Nothing fancy but everything was fresh including the cole slaw. To my surprise we ordered the key lime pie and it was homemade… rich, creamy and delicious! If you are close by this place if better than most of the restaurants in that area.

Very friendly staff. The house salad is amazing! Super flavorful. Lots of fish and shellfish choices. Reasonable prices.

For Father’s Day, my dad just wanted to watch golf and have local fish (he’s from the Midwest, and here on vacation.). Since our motel only had burgers, I called Sea Critters for carry out blackened grouper sandwiches. The hostess was courteous, the bartender who took my payment and gave me the food was friendly and efficient, and the sandwiches were AMAZING! 10 min later when I got them back to out motel, they were still warm, with succulent fish and perfectly buttered buns. My sweet potato fries were tasty, but a little soggy, as any fried food will be after 10 min in a closed styrofoam container. The broccoli Was perfectly cooked and seasoned. We are looking forward to visiting Sea Critters in person later this week to try out the other dishes!

It’s a local dive with lots of flavor and ambience! The house salad with the feta cheese is delicious, so is the tomato basil crab bisque-​full of crab and excellent taste. The crab cakes are really good too. My husband had the shrimp pesto penne-​he really liked it. We sat outside overlooking the marina. Definitely recommend it. My grilled grouper was ok, lacked taste.

We have eaten several times at sea critters and had an excellent experience every time. The menu options are varied and all we have tried have been well prepared and tasty. Service is overall good and the atmosphere is very casual. Great location for a walk to see a beach sunset.

Super happy we changed our minds to try this place out! Happy hour drink prices were very decent. The food was beyond yummy! I ordered the seafood boil (not on the menu) it was everything I wanted! I ate it super slow to enjoy and savior each and every bite. The Key Lime Pie was super creamy and fresh, especially on this hot day. Our server was amazing and helpful!

First let me say that our server, Rachel was great! If we were just rating servers, she would get 5 stars
Now, parking is not easy, small lot and one lane to enter and exit. The hostesses need to relax. They were in a hurry, you need rollerblades to catch up with them. By the time you caught up they were halfway back to the host stand and pointing out your table. Slow down, you’re on island time. That’s what the bench outside says. The Lobster Roll was not the best my husband’s ever had. The chicken salad was okay. The sweet potato waffle fries looked like fried oysters and were fried too long.
We won’t be back.

It is what you expect — a waterfront restaurant with beachy look, kinda cheesy but the food was good. Not the best but good. We had crab cakes, grouper, a kids fish meal and key lime pie.
Our server was struggling to keep up with his tables but he was nice and tried. It is Memorial Day weekend after all.

Go here, go here for your Pass a Grille choice! –that’s the facts
MEAL: lunch about 1:30 on Thursday
SERVICE: great, a server that’s been there a long time
ATMOPHERE & DECOR: seafood shack w/​indoor seating, a dock w/​seating, & a small covered deck with picnic tables but comfortable
FOOD: here we go—
Incredible clam chowder, best I’ve ever had & I make a mean one! It wasn’t thick w/​a floury tasteless roux. It was thinner. They started with an excellent broth because the flavor was great. As a good home cook, I tasted the sherry & butter. –excellent, I scarfed it down! OK enough, but I want more! (it was a special, but maybe they always have it)
I ordered char grilled grouper w/​a side salad that was very good! The lettuce was green & fresh, go figure! -& it was big. The grouper was fresh & cooked just right. It also was a decent portion.
Hubster had the tomato basil crab bisque which I had a taste of. It had a good crab flavor & he being a tomato soup fan, loved it. He had the fried oysters. We always share a bite & the oysters were also fresh, creamy on the inside & crisp on the out.
If we were staying in Pass a Grille, I definitely go back. –maybe today. –but we’ll have to wait til next time down.

Food: ⁶⁄₁₀
Service: ⁷⁄₁₀
Value: ⁷⁄₁₀
Ambience: ⁸⁄₁₀
Stopped here for lunch. Had lobster roll and crab cakes. Lobster was fresh but the bread ruined it. Crabcake was salty and oily. Everything else was okay. Definitely a bit overpriced, in my opinion.
The place felt like mom and pop diner. We sat outside and saw some dolphins and people struggling to park their boats.
Service was okay. Toward the end, an old dishwasher dressed in business casual and his grandson round the tables. Had some interesting convo and we were on our way.

Sea Critters café is the first place I’ve ever had a grouper sandwich from since moving to St. Pete. I usually get it blackened which is their most popular and understandable, because it’s just that good. My sister in law tried the almond-​crusted grouper sandwich and it was extra extra crispy, hot, and stayed crispy! She loved it. Drinks are pretty cheap too. Sit outside for nice views and fresh air while enjoying your fish sandwich and sipping on a cold margarita is my recommendation! Servers are always very pleasant here as well.

Excellent seafood good prices great service.
We have been to this restaurant several times, always with a reservation so getting seated has been no problem. We are usually seated within 5 minutes. The seafood is always very good and the service is friendly and attentive.
Last time I ate there I had Scallops and they were large and tender and well prepared. Others in our party have had the 1 lb of crab legs and say they were delicious and not overly cooked. They have outdoor seating right on the water so the ambiance id typical water views.
The only difficult part is parking as it is very limited, but they did have an employee to assist in finding parking or being able to enter and leave the parking area.
Overall this is a great place near the beach to have a good seafood meal and enjoy a drink, My Martini was very good. Also the prices are reasonable so the value is very good. They also support the new app called Pay Half which also includes drinks. This makes the place all the better a good value.

Let’s start with the bad news: Parking. Sea Critters only has a place for maybe 20 vehicles in their lot and the adjacent overflow lot. Fortunately they have an attendant who is right on top of it but our friends had to park on the beach which only has one hour parking. He was so nice offering to hold a spot if we texted them, even offering to back our car out of the tight parking spot. Also Pass-​A-​Grille, like the Keys, has one way in and out so getting there can be a slow go.
We got there early and had no problems, requested an outside table and before we could finish our drink at the bar our table was ready. We asked to switch to another out of the sun and they were very accommodating. Our waitress was understanding that we were waiting for friends and made sure we had drinks. The draft beer choices were limited but more opportunities for wines. The food, though, was great. My friend had the ribs, she said they were good but the place is really known for its seafood and not its ribs. Good french fries, disappointing potato salad but really good butter for the «Caribbean» bread. Heck, I’m in Florida I have to have seafood. The crab tomato bisque was very good but the topper were the conk fritters. They were some of the best I’ve ever had, especially with the accompanying raspberry sauce. Service was good, made it out in time to catch the sunset across the way.

My wife and I stopped here for lunch. The restaurant is very clean, has a nice outside area and has very fresh gulf grouper! The grouper sandwich is a must! Get it blackened and you won’t regret it! My wife plowed down the cheese burger. The bloody-​mary is excellent! Go here instead of the Hurricane. The service is excellent and our wait staff made us laugh. Thank you and see you again soon.

Sea Critters Café is a nice spot in Pass-​a-​Grille. We got to sit on the back deck right on the water which was nice. You can also pull your boat right up and park it while eating.
My golden margarita was ok but nothing special. Several IPA’s are on draft which pleased my hops-​loving fiancé. When it’s not happy hour, the drinks tend to be a bit pricy.
My fish and chips was a-​ok but certainly not the best I’ve ever had. The fish was fresh and the batter was nice, but the fries seemed like they were the frozen kind. My fiancé enjoyed his grouper sandwich but again, not the best he’s ever had.
Our server herself was friendly and attentive, but it was a bit awkward when we walked in and several employees were just sitting at the tables and looking at each other, as if ugh, who has to get up and help these people?

Came here for my first date. Returned with the kids. No fish tacos, but when I think of dining at the beach, I absolutely want to be ON the water… Which can prove to be calm and serene or fighting seagulls for your food… I didn’t have to fight for my food, so we’re good!
The service is friendly and quick, although they have their busy times/​seasons which can cause a slow down, they are always attentive and friendly! On my third trip we were too early and ran into one of the owners, Tom G who insisted we come back for lunch and we did. We ordered 2 of the daily catch, Wahoo & Amber Jack… With Mediterranean and Jerked seasoning respectively. And both were delish… The veggie was Swiss Chard and I appreciated something other than a standard veggie medley. The wait for dining on the dock was an estimated 20 minutes, so we sidled up to the bar and had a margarita (which they are rightfully known for). Before we had two sips our table was ready and we enjoyed the sounds and sights of dining on the dock, including people parking their boats and stepping up for lunch. The prompt, friendly service, cleanliness and dinability (that’s a word…) and great food make this a place I will continue to return too and bring a friend.
*Gluten Free Options are available and clearly marked on the menu.

Stopped in for a light lunch.
Blackened grouper with steak fries and beans and rice. And alligator bites. (Shared with my partner).
Service and atmosphere was what we were hoping for. Fish fresh and cooked perfectly. Highly recommended.

Superb lunch! It was so good that I ate here two days in a row!
The fish was super fresh and cooked perfectly. Beautifully grilled and not overcooked. Someone in the kitchen knows what he/​she is doing.
I might go back tomorrow too! Today’s key lime pie was the weak link but I’m not a key lime pie aficionado like many people claim to be. Yesterday’s brownie sundae was amazing.

I’ve been here several times, both by boat and by car. It’s not a fancy place, but the food is good. The grouper nuggets were on the smallish side. They serve bread with butter as an appetizer. Nice touch. I’ve had their fish mostly. Haven’t tried their land lover plates.
Service is friendly and competent. Prices are fair. If you want an alternative to the Hurricane Restaurant, give this place a shot.

This is one of those casual Old Florida places that specializes in seafood. They had several different types of fresh fish the night we were there. The fresh fish can be part of a platter or a sandwich or a Reuben sandwich.
The ciabatta bread with the mango butter was delicious. I had the half pound of shrimp and the smoked fish dip and my husband had the fresh catch Reuben sandwich and both were good. A friend had the fish and chips which he said was good. Prices were reasonable.
We went at prime dinner time during spring break so they were very busy and, not surprisingly, service was slow. Our waitress was friendly and hard working and she apologized for the slowness but we did have to wait a long time at every step. I think they wanted our table because she didn’t even ask us if we wanted any of the key lime pie.

We had dinner there tonight. And it tasted delicious. I had grilled grouper with a side salad. Both was very good. My wife had pasta with king prawns. That was even better taste with a garlic pesto and oil sauce.
What is disapointing is the interior, the terrace and the general look. Casual would be too much on the positive side.
But the food is excellent and that shifts it to a 4 star rating for me.