The Blue Grotto

The food is overpriced and quality is low.
The outside ambiance is nice but only because it’s located in a marina. The tables are either plastic with cheap metal chairs or else heavy wooden gliders that don’t glide and look really dirty.
Avoid.

NOT UNDER NEW OWNERSHIP, and as of 10/​17/​2015 I quess they think it is funny to see how hot the inside can get as the waitress told me one A/​C was completely broken and because the they lease the property from the City Of Daytona Beach, they are «fighting» with the city (landlord) to get it fixed. I WISH THEY WOULD SELL IT TO SOMEONE WHO CARES ABOUT THE BAR BUSINESS, this owner does not. Go and see for yourself and be prepared to PAY A COVER CHARGE to sweat??? They are really special over there.

This is not the place to go. Called in an order for a steak medium well, when I got there to pick it up they couldn’t figure out who should ring me up. I got back to the hotel to find out they didn’t give my mashed potatoes I asked for and my steak was bloody and red throughout. They don’t have worry about me ever again.

The atmosphere is excellent. The harbor is beautiful and it’s nice to sit out on the dock.
Our server, Sarah (brown hair with gel spiking the front) seemed to be on the struggle bus… Our food arrived cold and dessert was melted.
My girlfriend got the scallops, overall a good dish. The real highlight were the green beans. Excellent flavoring. The biggest disappointment was the mashed potatoes (confirmed by the table next to us) they were strangely sweet. Idk
I had the Balsamic Chicken. Basically grilled chicken with balsamic sauce poured on the top, not bad… But anyone can make it at home.
Nothing special, I won’t be back to eat.
With that being said, the bar is fun after hours. Definitely check it out around 11 PM

Great service– we love Tom! Great food and an amazing setting right on the marina. We played cornhole while waiting for our apps! It was so fun! If I lived here– I would come back at night! They have lights on the docks and everything!

The reviews are very mixed. Some hate it and others love it. My wife and I decided to give it a try. We have been here when it was sloppy joes and through the many different managers and owners of the Groto. The current manager is Cameron Vintson and a new owner is taking over in June of 2015. The ambiance is always nice outside. Watch the boats and wildlife go by. Plenty of seating and pet friendly as well. Inside showes its night club side and dark look. It could use some money put in for repairs and cleaning-​maybe the new owner will do that.
My wife had a bacon cheese burger with potato salad side which she said was nice. I went with the taco combo which gives you one of each of there 4 signature tacos. It was very nice and came with different sauces that you could add to the already flavorful tacos. The service was great but we were the only ones there at 2pm on a Sunday. I would recommend this place and will be back.

I went here on a Wednesday night. I met Greg, the outside bartender, he was so attentive. I brought my dog and we had the best time. I had the Delmonico Steak and it was done perfectly and tasted superb. I will be back!

We were greeted by the manager and served like royalty :-). The waterfront and ambience made for a formal yet casual evening. Our party ordered entrées that included fish and steak all of which were cooked and served to perfection! And we couldn’t resist sharing the decadent dessert appropriately named Death by Chocolate which was heavenly, pardon the pun :-). So if you’re looking for an amazing dinner, great service, and beautiful setting look no further! The Blue Grotto is now on my «must do» list when in Daytona Beach :-)
Steve Bossy
San Jose, CA

Awesome food and service! This place is under new management and you can definitely tell!!! Good happy hour specials as well! Will definitely be going back!

The fish tacos are good but that’s about it. Whoever owns this place needs to spend some money and clean it up. The tables are old, the menus weigh more than the crappy chairs, the awnings are faded and look bad, I think the menus are supposed to be lighted but ours didn’t work so we asked for flashlights… this place must be operating on a shoestring because they clearly either don’t have any money to put into the business or don’t have a clue on how to operate a restaurant, I would hate to see the kitchen area. It’s a shame because this place could be so much more.

I really like this place! They have great food and a great happy hour! Its a little quieter than I like but has the potential to become a real hot spot. Right on the water with the docked boats! The Fish Rachels sandwich is yummmmmm!

Chef wanted to quit because he had 2 8 tops and a birthday party.
Came here for a graduation party and it was the worst food ever! Tuna was not blackened and was overcooked. They had no mashed potatoes and the veggies were under poked and everything was COLD. Wouldn’t even give them one star

Nice place, the Mahi was very good. Could only eat half of it but made sure to get the rest to go! I’m positive it will be gone tomorrow. Found this place because of a groupon & highly recommend it. We’ll be back again.

The 1 star is only for the venue… outdoors on the marina. The service was SLOW, and the food tasted awful and was cold. Other than that it was great!

The chairs outside are horrible for dining. The music was nice, but again the chairs made it not as nice as it could have been. The Garlic potatoes were horrible, they seemed to be about a week old and there was no garlic flavor and they were orange in color. The fresh vegetables were way over cooked. The seared tuna was not hot and the gorgonzola cheese on it was not melted properly. When we asked for some that was hot, it was not good either. The best thing about what we had was the Add on Lobster Tail. I will give it to them on the Lobster tail, I spent a lot more money on Lobster at a fancy restaurant and this one beat it hands down! That Lobster tail was one of the best I have had in Florida.

I was deeply disappointed in this restaurant. We ate there and the food was merely OK but pricey. It has beautiful views of the intercoastal but we will not be going back!
WWe did not even receive a piece of bread with lunch!

The first thing I noticed about the Blue Grotto, besides the over-​the-​top aquarium motif, was the dirty aquarium right inside the front door. It does not speak well of a restaurant when the fish tank is so filthy you can barely see the fish in it.
The second thing I noticed was the smell. My fraternity house smelled like that after a party, a combination of beer, sweat, musk, with a hint of cheap disinfectant. It’s a smell you never forget, and does not speak well of a restaurant. There is outdoor seating, and I would recommend it to get away from the smell.
Service was prompt and attentive — of course, the restaurant was mostly empty at 1:00 p.m. on a Sunday. She answered me honestly about which fish was fresh and which frozen, which I appreciate. I hate going to a seafood restaurant in Florida and getting served frozen fish. I can cook that at home, thank you. Only the flounder is fresh, by the way, and the only menu item with it is a stuffed flounder.
I went with the capicola crab flatbreads. Really, very tasty, and a huge portion. My wife’s shrimp were overcooked and the fries were overseasoned.
Overall, it wasn’t an unpleasant experience, but it wasn’t great either. I think they need to separate the nightclub area from the restaurant seating area to give greater clarity to both.

I reviewed this place once before, quite a while back, but now it’s under new ownership, so I thought I’d give it another whirl. NOTE TO NEW OWNER: If you do the same thing the same way only worse, your place will get bad reviews and go downhill just like your predecessor.
I ordered the $ 14.00 trio basket: chicken strips, fish and shrimp with fries and slaw. It arrived 40 minutes later with all the fried foods cold and the slaw warm. I sent it back. It was returned to me (same basket) five minutes later, still cold. NOTHING had changed. I couldn’t send it back a second time, as our waitress was nowhere to be found. In the meantime, it got dark (we were seated outside by the marina), and there were no lights in our dining «car» to illuminate our table. A touch-​light hung from the roof, but it’s battery was dead. We asked for a lamp of some sort to eat by, but alas, they have none. Al fresco dining at night in the dark. .. really?
Each of the five people at our table were disappointed with their dishes, and the service was terrible.
There are much better places to eat in Daytona. Don’t waste your time.

The one time I went there, it had an older crowd but it seemed like a pretty simple, welcoming place. The interior was great and very lively with a friendly wait staff and some happening music. I’m not sure if I was on a 70’s music night or something but it was spinning some old school jams :) Prices are fair and they have a lot of specialty martinis and margaritas.

Went there last Friday night with the in-​laws for dinner. From the cheesy blue lights to the blue lighted menu the place is really a BAR. They could care less about the food. It’s about the deck and drinks on the patio.
5 in our party. We ordered the Ahi Tuna (hardly sushi grade, more like Costco) the shrimp scampi which arrived floating in butter /​oil, the prime rib which was a 2″ slab of brown boiled beef, the chicken and my grilled mahi mahi sandwich which was less offensive yet served without a sauce on a boring hamburger bun.
So if ordering Food at the Grotto, stick to the fried anything baskets, etc. And If frying everything makes you a restaurant, then I’ll just go to Capt. D’s for my fish & chips.
Another restaurant /​bar combo which thinks it can get away with below average food and a great view. I think not. Next time, if there is a next time I’ll order the Corona and the view.