Dockside Cafe & Oyster Bar

The food was great at this bayside location but when compared to other restaurants nearby, it can’t really hold up to the competition. I had the crawfish gumbo and it was amazing. It was well over a 30 minute wait in a relatively empty restaurant to get served lunch which was frustrating. Also the restaurant was kind of uninspired in regard to ambiance. I might go back for the gumbo as it was amazing but the service and feel of the place could use a bit of work.

Food is decent, not worth the price. Not impressed with the wait staff or the manager. Got in there, hostess seemed lost. Got seated, there is a broken, I mean broken chair. If any of us sat on it, who knows what would’ve happened. When I returned it to the hostess, she was very nonchalant. We had to ask for a manager to express it to him, the manager should’ve came over to us. We waited for our meal for an hour, manager states they were busy. If you think your restaurant is busy, I feel bad for you. It was not busy, there was no wait. A couple who came in about 30 mins after us received their food promptly. Your restaurant is disorganized. Our waitress seemed clueless. Every time we requested something she came out with half of it. When asked about the grits, she continuously told me how she did not like them. Sounds to me, you should retrain your staff. We tried to give your restaurant a second chance; we won’t be back and we won’t be suggesting anyone to go there.

Delicious Po’ Boys! Those fried corn thingies were awesome too! Not a five star as service was a little slow where the drink refills were concerned. However, you will not regret going as your tummy will be happy!

Food has always been good, not great. The dining room could use a freshening up of the décor. Best thing I can say about this place is the employees have always been very friendly and attentive.

Great views, especially at sunset! I’ve always sat in the bar area, which is nice. Some of the best bloody mary’s around, and the food is great – fish is always really fresh. This place is one of my go to’s, and when family and friends are visiting, I always make sure to bring them here.

I ordered fried oysters and got served frozen fried shrimp .When he put the shrimp on my plate I could tell there frozen, but I didn’t even order shrimp I ordered oysters. Now the oysters where fresh and very good but why would you be on the water and serve frozen seafood? I guess what ever dish you order you should ask if it s frozen. This is the second restaurant in a week on the water that serves frozen seafood!!! Wtf!!!

I was disappointed I ordered a shrimp po boy and had to ask for mayo it was served dry yuck nothing worse than dry bread lettuce tomato and shrimp poboy. It cost way more than I would pay for a dry sandwich. Loved the atmosphere Who Dat and beautiful view of the bay. When I heard the cook was coonass I expected flavor and spice but I was disappointed. I took a friend from Lake Charles LA for what I thought would be a good meal but what we got was great atmosphere only. Would not go back again.

I am only giving this a 1 star review due to drinks and because it won’t let you give zero; however the food here is terrible. The jambalaya is awful and tastes like it might possibly be «uncle bens.» I ordered blackened mahi, it was not tender in the least bit, very dry and overcooked. I’ve been here now 3 or 4 times after living in Niceville and would not come back. The food is way overpriced.

Great food, great service, local joint.
We pulled in late on a weeknight after a long day of flight delays and cancelations. They had already closed, but they opened back up for us. Ernie came out to check on us personally and the staff was extremely helpful and accommodating.
I had the Stuffed Red Fish, which is among the best sea food meals I’ve ever had. It’s pricey at $ 26.99,but typical for this area, and it could easily feed three people. My friend s meals were also excellent.
Thanks Ernie!

Had a nice time! Has a great view of the water with awesome sunsets. Took over 10 minutes to be waited on and it was close to the end of happy hour. The waitress was very nice and took care of us after that. I don’t think it was her table. We ordered raw oysters, they came out fresh and cold. The oysters were the smallest oysters I have ever seen. For the price we paid, I would have not ordered them if I knew they would be the size of small mussels. I wouldn’t recommend them due to tge size and price. I haven’t been back but I might give it another try again!

This is one of the best seafood restaurants in Niceville. The service is great, the food is excellent and the restaurant has that «Florida» feel with a great view of the Bayou. All variations of fish dinners are good. And they have a great bar with early-​bird drink specials. Try it!

I stayed in Niceville on a recent vacation and found my way to Dockside the first night upon arrival. I really enjoyed the laid back atmosphere/​sports bar inside. It was just too darn hot to be sitting on the deck although that was my game plan to see the sunset.
I ordered a big old Bloody Mary, really good mixers and a plate of fried shrimp with some salad. The waiter was super friendly and the singer/​guitarist was enjoyable. All in all a fun local spot when you’re in town.

Excellent selection and a nice sports bar and restaurant section! Fresh caught gulf seafood and large selection of plates or sandwiches. Great view and has indoor and outdoor seating.

Worse place ever, poor service…
Just to name a few things…
Never a good sign when the top three things you wanted to order, aren’t available! Shame on you!
My husband didn’t get his meal until our entire party of 8 were done eating. I asked before ordering if the fries were breaded, to which she said ‘No’. Then they delivered them to me breaded!
Never refilled my drink, my steak was burnt! My son ordered an open hoagie and was told by our waitress that finally reappeared that it comes with a side of Mayo, I asked her, ‘where that mayo was’ (sure wasn’t on his plate, not on the table, and never offered) had she checked on us, she would of known that! He took his sandwich home to apply mayo to the dry bread and ate it at home.
Mind you, that wasn’t all of it.
TIPS = To Insure prompt service
Normally I tip 20%, not two nights ago… Sorry!

Very solid. Had the smoked tuna app, blackened redfish, garlic mash, and green beans. Waiter took good care of us as well.

Great location…2 miles from our place… good eats & good drinks… we sat outside & enjoyed the beautiful sunset. They received an A on What The Health… we’ll be back

Dined here with coworkers after receiving recommendations from the hotel clerk and Unilocal.We arrived — pretty cool ambiance, nice view, and a decent amount of TVs on the wall. The waiter was decent — new guy, seemed competent and friendly. Sadly, those are the only positive points and were not enough to bring my review to above one star.
The food earns it a one star. Maybe we arrived on an off-​night and all the cooks had called in so janitors were cooking. I had a shrimp n’ grits meal. It was so incredibly bland — the shrimp tasted frozen, the grits were a tasteless mass, and the andouille sausage tasted like it had been sliced off of a hot dog — no spice at all!
Another friend had steamed oysters. I have literally never seen a dish appear so dry. They looked like they had been left out in the desert for a year, instead of being steamed (usually steamed oysters appear very wet and succulent). The taste lived up to the appearance — horrible and dry. He complained, and the waiter said «oh yeah, those have been frozen for over a year. A year!!! Why the hell is it on the menu! His meal was replaced with tasteless jambalaya.
A third friend had a mahi mahi sandwich, which I honestly mistook for chicken. it was incredibly dry, and consisted of a small filet on a huge piece of bread. I have made far superior fish filet from frozen bags at the supermarket, so I tremble to think of where they get their fish supply from.
I have no idea how this place got such good Unilocal reviews. The only thing I can think of is either a vast conspiracy, or the palate of my fellow Unilocalers is extremely easy to please.

A wonderful local seafood joint!
Food ⁴⁄₅
Service ⁴⁄₅
Atmosphere ³⁄₅
The food is great! I highly recommend the grouper. My husband always gets the crab. We’ve been here 5 or 6 times and have had a great experience all but once (the one time it wasn’t great is really due to a not so great server, so I didn’t let it affect my review much). The food is flavorful and made with quality ingredients and always tastes fresh. It’s located on the water and makes for a good place to take the family out for some gulf seafood. Most times the service is wonderful, prompt, attentive and friendly!

The staff is great. It’s not too crowded. It’s off the beaten path, right on the water. The prices are good and the grouper was the freshest I’ve had, ever. It was a sunny, beautiful day, but still a little warm, so I had to sit outside and the staff brought me an umbrella to keep the sun off. The beer is cold and the view is great. I found a gem in the sleepy Florida panhandle village I visit for work twice monthly. I was dutifully attended to and all my annoying special requests were taken care of with smiles. Great job.

Phenomenal, fresh, unpretentious food. Friendly staff.
If you into places where locals eat this should be on your bucket list.
It’s off the beaten path. But not too far away.
Much better then Louisiana lagniappe.
Definitely will eat here again