CJ’s on the Bay

Three of us dined here last night. It was probably my 5^th dinner visit. I have never been impressed with the food. Had the Snapper special last night. It was dry and tasteless. It was supposed to be fresh, but did not taste fresh. Waitress seemed rushed, which did not make us feel comfortable and relaxed. The ambience is always the best part of our dining experience there. I’m not sure if I will give it many more chances for dinner. Lunch, however, is always a better experience here. We have stopped while boating. CJ’s needs to step it up — with all the great restaurant choices on Marco!

Unfortunately this was a big disappointment. We should have known when I first called to make reservations, they said they only had a 4:30 available and I said fine, then they said ok but you need to be out by 6:00…say what?! I’ve never been told that before but whatever I let it slide. We ordered the scallops and mahi mahi, hoping to have some fresh Florida fish. Boy was I wrong! The scallops were gummy and over cooked, and the mahi mahi tasted like it has been frozen for months! Seriously disgusting! The only reason for the one extra star was the pretty location. But that’s it! Snooks Inn is a thousand times better!

Went here today while on vacation and was super impressed. Our waitress was amazingly great and nice, view of the bay was great, and the food was basically perfected. I got the seafood linguine which has scallops, baby shrimp, and calamari and it was unbelievable. My family also loved their salmon, filet, and scallops which came with a wild rice that I loved. The wait for the food was kinda long but they bring out the soup/​salad that comes with your appetizer and complementary bread beforehand which was nice!

A nice spot for Lunch, by the dock and in the sun.
Very good service from Alex.
We had the Portabella Burger and the Mediterranean Turkey Burger and both were excellent.
I will be back…

I had the coconut shrimp and it was delicious. I also had the sangria and it was great-​the best part is the cherry that they put in there. After being in the sangria for so long it sucked up the flavor and was so tasty. Everyone had a great meal. My uncle loves their prime rib sandwich. He said he gets it every time. The waiter was really nice and super friendly too.

Had a great first experience at Cj’s and will most definitely be going back ! I ordered the special of the day which was a white fish with red sauce and cheese. Kind of like a chicken parm but with fish instead. It was excellent. Our meals came with salad and bread along with vegetables and a potato. They have a large bar outside of the restaurant that looks over the water that gets crowded and fun at night !

Where to begin? The restaurant is nestled back in a plaza behind some shops. There are two options for seating either inside or outside. We were promptly greatest by the staff who was very talkative and engaging. We were seated at a table by the window and our server was a very friendly. All the materials used for cooking looked and smelled fresh. We knew our food was on the way long before it came. It was portioned correctly and because it was fresh/​house made it was neither heavy and greasy. For anyone who’s looking for a great dining experience come here.

I am an easy to please patron but CJs was unable to reach even my low expectations. Looking for undercooked shrimp, overcooked pasta, microwaved fish and watered down cocktails? CJs is the place for you! They are so lucky they have a nice location because the food was lean cuisine quality. God bless the owners they have a long road ahead.

Word of caution– I used the Unilocal app to make my reservation. When I got there they didn’t have my party written down. I had to show them the conformation email from Unilocal.Better to call in a reservation which you will absolutely need for dinner. NOW– Really fun restaurant with excellent seafood. I’ve been here a number of times. The catch of the day literally tastes like it was breathing minutes before its served. It’s is consistently delicious. My son loves the coconut shrimp app. I’m not sure if it’s made there or frozen but it tastes good enough for an app. The views are beautiful especially at sunset. They also have an outside bar with seating available if you don’t have a reservation. This place is a solid 5 stars every time I go there. The food is always on point and the wait staff take pride in their jobs. The fresh catch and specials switch up each day and the menu never gets tired or boring.

View was nice outside but this was a huge disappointment. Beer selection was pa the tic. We waited quite a while to get any service but that wasn’t a big deal. Food was just adequate. Overpriced!
Get out now. Walk to Lee be’s.

Sliders, fish and chips, chili, chowder and chicken pasta were Delish!!! And the margarita specials were excellent!!! Not watered down! And I’m not driving so yes I has two!

Good food and great views! A must if you are on Marco. Even if there is a long wait, it’s fun to tour the shops and look at the boats in the marina while you wait.

Have been to Marco several times, and always go to CJ’s.
The view is fantastic, and the service is great.
This time my wife and I were joined by two other couples.
As usual the food was good, actually quite good, but not great.
This is a comfortable place to eat and I will keep coming back.

I really struggled between giving this either 3 stars or 4 stars but decided on 4 because the view/​atmosphere is deserving of 5 stars and the food was fairly good with 1 exception.
We chose this restaurant simply because of its name. My husband’s name is CJ so it’s a no brainer that we would come here. We met my dad & stepmom here for a late dinner, about 830pm. We sat outside, overlooking the marina. My husband loved ogling at the yachts.
We ordered drinks & my Mojito was pretty damn good. So good, I ordered a 2^nd one. I chose the Limon flavor, both times. Super delish. I didn’t want anything heavy so I ordered the spinach salad but asked for a crab cake on the side. The salad had spinach, red grapes, grape tomatoes, crumbled blue cheese, & spiced walnuts with orange poppy seed dressing. Salad was good but that crab cake was AWFUL. And I had to pay $ 8 for it. Uck. It was all filler, dense as hell, and the flavor was off. I managed 2 bites of it then gave up. $ 8 down the toilet, which is where that crab cakes belonged. No Bueno. My husband liked his chicken fettuccine & my parents liked what they ordered as well. So it was just my grody crabby patty that was the so called «star of the show». Oh, and we had dessert too. Mine was a key lime tart, that was good but odd. I was expecting a mini key lime pie… A crust, a layer of lime custardy filling then topped with whipped cream. It was a tiny tart shell that was filled with a very thick/​stiff lime flavored cream. It was almost too lime-​y. My husband didn’t care for it but was happy with his crème brule of the day, espresso flavored crème brule. My stepmom enjoyed her little pineapple upside down cake.
The place is worth checking out, just avoid the crab cakes. Seriously.

I had the scallops and they were good. The upside down nachos were the best! Make sure you sit outside. Watch out for the cougars on Thursday night near the bar/​DJ area — the Hall & Oats song «Maneater» was bouncing around in my head…

If you want a gorgeous view of the bay and million dollar yachts then this is the place to be! Absolutely beautiful view from the outside patio. Service was good, our server Carla was great especially dealing with my incredibly picky grandmother.
I got fish and chips and shock top beer and wasn’t disappointed!

We love this place. Food is always good, atmosphere is great. Right on the bay with a beautiful view and live music on the weekends. This is on the must do list every time we return to Marco.

Lunch was boring and the up charge for a Piece of Grouper added to a salad was rediculiosly priced at $ 14. I had a Philly steak and cheese that cooked to death and small.
Would not recommend this place beyond the view.
Skip it

Great location. Went here for lunch: service was quick and nice. Food was really good. The views from the patio/​outdoor seating area are magnificent! And overall, great value for the money. If you’re in the area, this place is a must try!

Beautiful location and decent food, but service left something to be desired (in other words — it sucked).
We sat outside and were about 6 feet from the server station. Nevertheless, the only way we were able to get our server’s attention was to physically stand up and tap him on the shoulder. No amount of hand waving or «Excuse me!» could prevail on him to acknowledge our presence.
I’ve had more attentive service at McDonald’s.