Crab Island Cantina

Wow. 2 hours to get food. Horrible food. We were a large party and every one commented on how bad the food was. My wife’s seafood tacos were chewy. Not going back.

The CHEVICHE is sub par to say the least. My sister ordered a shrimp basket and the shrimp was not fresh at all… I had a bite and had to spit it out, because of the strong «fishy» taste/​smell (I love seafood and sushi so it’s not just because I don’t like seafood).

Good is just ok. You have to pay extra for chips, for a village fee, and village tax. Margarita was ridiculously priced for amount and flavor. Not a good local spot.

I chose this place and did not realize it was Mexican food. We wanted seafood. I guess the «cantina» should’ve tipped me off but it is what it is. They do have some seafood options so I wouldn’t even entirely call it Mexican.
We were able to choose our own table which was nice because the fountain can splash you a little. We sat down and waited a little less than 10 minutes for someone to ask our drink orders. We ordered the Rum Punch. You can get a bigger size and split it which is a little cheaper. While waiting for the drinks the server provided complimentary chips and salsa. The chips were sturdy and not bad tasting. The salsa was plain, nothing else to describe it. I added hot sauce which did nothing, I added salt which also did nothing. I resorted to just eating the chips.
We received our drinks which were a decent size. They tasted like plastic. For a $ 10 drink you would expect they use real juice but that was not the case for these. Also they were weak, again, $ 10 and you expect a little more.
We ordered the peel and eat shrimp, 1 lb. it seems as though they use one spice for just about every meal on the me u. It was a good spice and I enjoyed it on the shrimp but it seems lazy to use one thing for just about every option on the menu. I personally enjoy melted butter and lemon with shellfish but it didn’t come with the shrimp so I had to ask for it. The special spice they use went well with the butter and lemon. The shrimp were plump and tender.
The prices are pretty high at this place. Maybe that’s because of the location but just beware. Our server was decent, no complaints. Probably wouldn’t come back here if ever in Destin again.

Service was a little slow esp. considering it was a Tuesday night in October. The amaretto grouper was pretty good, but we were put off by the slice of mozzarella cheese on my husband’s steak and the mashed potatoes were dry. After we ordered I realized the bathrooms were pretty dirty; there was mold in the toilets. Our meal with drinks came out to $ 100 and I felt like we had really overpaid for it.

Service slow. Too much lemon juice in Guacamole. Hard shell tacos were over fried. Shrimp tacos were fishy. Save yourself!!!

If I could give this place zero stars I would. Service slow and bad. Guacamole was horrible. How can you blow guacamole? We were afraid to order to much but it was late and we were starving. Tacos horrible. Please don’t eat here spend your money somewhere else.

Wonderful !!! My favorite is the Ceviche ! My son had the wings very good. And we had Fajitas fresh and delicious. A must ,
Not to mention the view is incredible.

Horrible service. Waited 15 min just to be greeted and asked three different servers for water, which we never got. Ordered the grouper which was a huge disappointed. Fish was overlooked and absolutely ruined by a heavy cream sauce. Who puts cream sauce on fish. The mashed potatoes were dry and the frozen veggies tasted like mrs. Dash threw up on them, un edible. The only thing that kept us was the chips (not the salsa, tastes like marinara sauce) and the live band.

I signed up to Unilocal specifically to review this place because of how bad our service was.
We had a group of 7 (5 of which work in the restaurant industry) who went in for Happy Hour on ⁹⁄₈. All 7 of us tip 20%+ for the most basic service… not yesterday.
Needless to say, it was not an enjoyable experience, entirely because of our server, Gerardo. There were only a handful of tables in the entire restaurant, yet it was difficult to place an order. He would disappear for long periods of times (15+ minutes) and on several occasions we had to flag down other servers to place orders.
When our checks came, our last round (ordered at 5:55 — I checked my phone to be sure) was charged full price. When we brought this to our server’s attention, he refused to make the change, offering to show us when he rang it in on the POS machine. Several of the checks had additional items we hadn’t ordered, which he begrudgingly took off their checks.
The view is beautiful, the food was ok (although slightly overpriced), and the other servers were helpful, hence the 2 stars. It’s sad how one bad server can ruin a dining experience. This place has a ton of potential, but I won’t be going back.

I really like this place and the food here. Maybe not the most authentic Mexican, I wouldn’t know. If you can handle eating hot soup in 90 degree outside weather, the tortilla soup is the best I’ve had. Great view as well. Only complaint is the service, they were rude last year and this year as well.
Ex. My girl friends first time visiting Cantina, she asked for outside seating. From the entrance it looks like a big canopy leads inside. One hostess replied, it’s all outside seating… Open for interpretation, but food is good none the less.

Came here for lunch at the sandwich shop. Alexander was great. He told us we were welcome to sit anywhere and bring our sandwiches. We were told by a female server we weren’t supposed to sit at the tables. It wasn’t even busy– got a SiSiSi from the bar which was amazing! So amazing went back that night. It was a bust though. Watch the red head ponytail dude make your drink. Ordered the jumbo SiSiSi which states patron sliver and grand marnier but he used cuervo 1800. I called him out on it and he said their the same tequila– it doesn’t take a genius to know thats a $ 20 vs $ 40 lie. Then said their out of patron anyway. So why did he sell a $ 40 patron drink with no patron?

My husband and I went here yesterday. I had never been to this restaurant before and wanted to try it. We were taken to a table with wet seats from the fountain. We switched the wet seats for dryer seats ourselves and sat in the mist. We waited for 10 – 15 minutes, we had our drinks and meals picked out by this time and not one person waited on us, no water. nothing.
We decided we would leave, and as we walked out we passed a server chatting with the hostess with not a care in the world. We went next door to Harry T’s and had a table by the water and had a drink ordered within the first 5 minutes. I suggest you just go there.

Good food, decent service. Had a minor mix up with our order but it was handled quickly and without further incident.
I would recommend the chicken nachos. Delicious and a huge serving. My wife and I were full and took a to go box.

Located overlooking the bridge coming into Destin and the harbor.
A little pricey, but it was a tourist spot during 4^th of July weekend.
The waiter was great and have lots of pointers and things to do around, including his secret parking lot the locals use.
Ordered the taco salad and Nacho app.
You definitely don’t leave hungry, could not finish all of it.
Drinks are not weak.

When you go on vacation, you expect the touristy areas to have mediocre food at ridiculous prices. This place was a pleasant surprise.
We ordered a cheese quesadilla, a chicken quesadilla, a beef taco salad, and green chicken enchiladas. Each plate was quite large, and full of food. We all left with To-​Go containers. The enchiladas had plenty of chicken and the plate had plenty of flavor. The black beans came mashed up as you would see pinto beans, which I don’t usually see at other restaurants. It had a nice consistency. The taco salad was beautifully plated, set more on its side, with the vegetables cascading out of it (picture attached). The quesadillas were also full and filling. I wish I would have tried one of the seafood items, but it just seemed a little too pricey for the items I considered.
The service was fine. The atmosphere was nice since we sat outside on the patio. All of the ships, boats, and skiers were passing by and made for interesting people watching. The price was to be expected as this is one of the larger tourist areas of the town, but we didn’t leave hungry or unhappy. That aspect is the only reasoning for the 4 stars. This place is still worth a try.

We went here our first night in Destin it was «Ladies Night» lol dolls drinks at the bar … Bonus! Nutty the food was pretty darn good they keeps the chips and dips coming. Our waitress was great she gave great recommendations that Peppers and shrimp pasta was soo good well seasoned…
My husband had the steamed seafood with lobster claws, mussels and shrimp he enjoyed. My son had the shrimp basket and daughter had the cheeseburger as always. Good place for the 1^st night in town… :)

Awesome food, amazing food I should say friendly and speedy staff. Drinks are pricey but good. They have corona light on draft which is different but my mom loved it and it was very refreshing. Awesome view of the harbor. Our server was super cool and chill, carried on funny conversations with us. Don’t remember his name. Buff Hispanic guy with dermal piercings. He’s cool.
Filet tacos are bomb. Mojitos are bomb. I am obsessed with this place.

3 stars.
The food was on the salty side.
I tasted my shrimp and crab quesadilla and my friends carnita and it was way too salty.
My machelada was decently good though.
The service was pretty good considering we had a large group.
I was sad that I couldn’t see the view because of the season and they put the drape around the restaurant.
You really pay for the atmosphere and not for the food.
I wouldn’t go back just to eat.
Maybe for happy hour or to dance cause they do have a small dance floor and and someone playing music.
Expect to pay 15 – 30 ish for dinner entrees.
Pretty steep for the quality of the food.

Well, this was our second go at Crab Island Cantina. The husband likes it — I’m not a fan, at all. But, I wanted to give it another chance. As you can tell by the rating, Crab Island Cantina didn’t make up for it.
The only thing this restaurant has going for it is the view. Parking is horrible because it’s in Harborwalk. The service is spotty. And, the food is just horrible.
2 in my party got the crab legs (which is what my husband likes but can you really mess up crab legs?). I got the fish tacos. Horrible. A whole head of cabbage on each one. No flavor. The wrong ingredients on them. And, the beans and rice weren’t even worth taking more than 1 bite.
I’m all finished with Crab Island Cantina. If you want good Mexican, while in Destin, go to La Paz.