A-J's Dockside Restaurant 1315 Chatham Ave, Tybee Island GA 31328 August 14, 2022 Saturday - 5:10 PM for Dinner 4 Adults Atmosphere - 4 stars Food - 3 stars Service - 4 stars Background - It is my daughter and boyfriends two year anniversary, he wanted to come here. He wanted me to suggest it to her, so it looked like it was my idea, still not sure why. Atmosphere - Tropical vibe for sure. Is it really dockside, when you sit on the dock for dinner? Humid outside, but what do you expect. Umbrellas at all the outside tables but someone will loose that battle and be in direct sunlight. Food Beer - There is no good beer list available, so it is the guessing game. I saw the sign for G13, nope don't have it. Then the bartenders suggested about of alright IPAs. I went with the Sweetwater 420, an American Pale Ale. Appetizer - Spinach and artichoke dip, I would not order again. Not a fan of the dip, and you could tell the chips sat in the humidity way too long. Dinner - I had the Mahi-Mahi, you can order it grilled or blackened. I had it grilled. It was good well but it was bland. The hush puppies, had large pieces of corn in them. Again they were bland. Service - Thought it was strange the sign says they do not open till 5, reservation at 5:10. The bar was already full while waiting for our table. Our waitress was good, nothing to complain about. Future - Distance from me will make that tough. read more

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We showed up without a reservation on Labor Day Weekend which I do not recommend. We had a back up plan but really wanted crab legs. The hostess said it's not likely but if I hang around until the rush of people in line were seated then she would see what she could do. The bar is first come first serve but it was beautiful out so we gave up that spot to another couple and opted for a table on the side patio. No views, but worth the tradeoff to be outdoors. We sit down and order our watermelon margaritas, some peel and eat shrimp, and a bunch of crab. Queue the rain clouds opening up... I guess the inside table wouldn't have been so bad at this point. Our server was a champ about it and got us an umbrella to put in the table. Most people were taking orders to go because many of the tables on the deck aren't covered but we were already wet so we were committed. The rain got worse and they brought another umbrella to try and make it better. In trying to help, I knocked over my delicious watermelon marg and shattered the glass. Needless to say, the whole thing was a mess. But since we were cool with it, the servers were too. We all had a good laugh about it and ate amazing seafood in the pouring rain while soaking wet. Plus we made new friends by feeding the dumpster cats our soggy french fries! Even with the chaos, we had an excellent meal... and one we'll probably never forget. The staff were great about the whole thing as they are probably used to getting shit on for not controlling the weather. We took it in stride and they were happy to have us. Definitely worth catching a Breezy over to the other side of the island for a great meal in the rain. read more

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We enjoyed our visit to this establishment on Tybee Island. This was our first time in Savannah and I knew I wanted to make a trip here. Their COVID protocols are on point. The require reservations and temperature checks upon arrival. Masks are also mandatory for entry. They are limiting capacity to ensure physical distance. The servers are also masked and wearing gloves. We ordered crab stew and conch fritters for appetizers which came out quickly, hot and very satisfying on the cool dockside table we dined at. Lovely view of the sunset there. I ordered the grilled mahi po boy with hush puppies and my hubs had the crab burger and fries which he devoured. My sandwich was fine. The hush puppies were small and too crispy for my liking. I enjoyed the fries I grabbed off my husband's plate more. I also had a rum punch that was yummy! We didn't order dessert. The service was very hospitable. I wouldn't mind returning. read more

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I came here for a late lunch / early dinner and to catch the sunset with family. A-J's is a hidden gem on the back river of Tybee Island. When we arrived, there were only about 6 parking spots, and most of them were labeled compact car parking only. There were a few golf cart spots, and I noticed signs for bicycles racks. Street parking is not available. I recommend walking or getting a ride if possible. Masks are required, and the hostess was taking temperatures at the door. We did not have a reservation and were able to walk right in, however they let us know the table we were seated at is reserved at 6 PM. Dinner hour seemed very busy. The waiter was nice enough, but not exactly friendly or warm. I ordered the lunch special which was Boom Boom Shrimp with a choice of side. I asked for the vegetable of the day, but the waiter said vegetables were not offered until 5 PM. I opted for hush puppies. The shrimp tasted awesome! There was more than enough sauce, but the tails were kept on. I thought this was strange because I wanted to eat the shrimp with a fork as they were saucy. The waiter allowed the rest of my family to order off the dinner entree section, but let us know the entrees would not be served with mashed potatoes as listed on the menu. We were ordering around 4:30, and dinner started at 5. We ordered 1 crab stew cup, the Dinner Combo, and the A-J's Alfredo for dinner, and split a Turtle Cheese Cake & Key Lime Pie for dessert. They enjoyed the Crab Stew and the Alfredo, however the blacked shrimp on the dinner combo did not have a lot of flavor. The check was expensive, but we did order a lot of food. The total was $94 before the tip. Overall, we had a good experience. The tables were socially distanced and most of the dining was outside anyway. This was definitely a great sunset dinner spot! read more

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3 1/2 stars for AJs. The atmosphere was ok however we sat inside because of the heat. The fish was good however the sides sucked. The potato salad was vinegar based and not good at all, too much vinegar. The hush puppies were slightly overcooked but edible. The service was ok, not great..Not sure I'd go back.. read more

This place seems a bit overrated. You need reservations to get in. They called earlier in the day to confirm our reservation. When we got there, they couldn't find our reservation. They had it under a different name so it was all good. My dad ordered their specialty margarita, but they gave him the regular one. I ordered the crab stew. The flavor was decent, but not anything special. The thing that got me was that I kept finding shells in the soup. It got to the point where it was almost every other bite that had a piece of shell in it. When you bite into shell, no matter how small, it's unpleasant. I couldn't finish it. The key lime pie was very good. read more

A-J's Dockside Restaurant - Cup of crab stew - Seafood Near Me - Tybee Island, Georgia

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My family came here Saturday 5/10 for Mother's Day dinner. We had appetizers & entrees. The three of us became violently ill vomiting and diarrhea all night through the next day. I called AJ's as soon as they opened Sunday at noon. The women who answered asked what I wanted them to do. I asked to speak to a manager about refunding the food portion of our bill. She took my name and number and stated "We might call you back". No one did. Never dining at AJ's again. Disgusting!!! read more

We've been here maybe 15 times in last 11 years since coming to Tybee. Sadly this maybe our last. Food was just average. My sea flounder was cooked way to hard my husbands mahi mahi was good. But out potatoes were cold and the hushpuppies were just blah. We love going and watching the sunset. I think our future here will just be for a drink and a view. Not dinner. read more

A-J's Dockside Restaurant - Sunset from AJ - Seafood Near Me - Tybee Island, Georgia

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This is a great restaurant if you're looking for a beautiful sunset and terrific views. If you're looking for really great food, not so much. Group of 6. Blackened grouper, gumbo, scallops, shrimp and french fries were ok, but not equal to the view or cost. Service was great. read more

ECOAlert. They are tossing drink contents into the water. Polution of waterways is against the EPA laws Disgusting. Started off with the rum punch being all wrong. The conch fritters were over cooked and tough. The shrimp and grits app was ok. Spicy but appropriate. Two on our part ordered the Cajun red snapper. They brought it to the table the blonde man told us it was trout. He went as far as telling us that snapper and trout is the same. Deviled crab cakes were almost no crab overcooked dry served with ice cold hush puppies. I was told hush puppies are served room temp - they were ice cold. The mashed potatoes were ok. My son who loves fish couldn't eat the scallops due to them being touch. The "trout" was fishy as the topper was not right. If they are affiliated with the one in Destin, they have failed them miserably read more

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Pretty location to watch the sunset and the service was great. But the food was mediocre at best at pricey. We had the crab cake burger, which tasted like a frozen patty, and gumbo, which wasn't good. read more

the service was great very attentive. Great decor it's very beachy and clean I like how the server/bartender Travis was very personable and knew what we needed without much of a wait. Although the place was full it was still spacious. However the food was good depending on what you get the breading on the seafood wasn't the best, but if you got the burger or the pasta it was great just not the fried seafood.Overall all it earns 5 stars read more

A-J's Dockside Restaurant - Seafood Near Me - Tybee Island, Georgia

Make your reservations now. Plan your visit around sunset and you will not be disappointed. The food was fantastic. We tried a little bit of everything and nothing disappointed. Drinks were delicious. Dessert was yummy. If I had to find something to gripe about it would be the service. However this place like many others is dealing with staff shortages. To their credit there was a notice on the door that said expect at least a 45 minute was for your meal. We did have a wait for dinner but the view kept us entertained and it didn't feel that long. There was live music (Friday night) that was perfect. Parking: the parking lot is very small but don't fret -- there is an overflow lot just a block away - where you see the kayak. I just can't say it enough -- do not hesitate-- just make reservations and go! read more

A-J's Dockside Restaurant - Entrance to AJs - Seafood Near Me - Tybee Island, Georgia

We had the burgers and a salad. Very good and on par price wise with the other local restaurants

Great food with the most beautiful sunset! I had the Chicken Alfredo. We also got the sweet potato waffle fries and they were incredible! With a side of cinnamon butter, the best sweet potato fries I've ever had! read more

A-J's Dockside Restaurant - Sunset views - Seafood Near Me - Tybee Island, Georgia

Cute little seafood spot on the water in Tybee Island! We came here for dinner on a Friday night, but I bet it's a great spot to grab lunch because of the beautiful view. We had a 7:45 reservation but our flight was delayed, so we called to ask to push back our reservation to 8pm. They told us there would be a small wait, so we grabbed a drink at the bar. Their indoor space isn't large, so we felt like we were in the way of the kitchen staff. Thankfully the wait was only around 15 minutes to get seated outside! Our group ordered the buffalo shrimp appetizer, which was SO good - flavorful and spicy! I ordered the grilled mahi mahi over a Caesar salad for my entree. The fish was cooked perfectly and the salad was a good size. However, next time I'd go for the crab cake sandwich instead...it looked delicious! read more

Highly recommend making a reservation on the weekend. I got right in and was seated where I requested. Service was a little slow at first - I think they are severely understaffed. However, my server was very polite and attentive once she realized she had my table. Can't beat the view at sunset! read more

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Waited over 1 1/2 hours for the most pathetic salad I've ever had. 6 overcooked scrawny shrimp on floppy gritty lettuce with cheap bottled dressing... Don't deviate from the deep fried food, it's all this place can handle. And they forgot my sister-in-law's order altogether! Third time I've eaten here in 5 years, each time worse. Nice setting on water is only positive about this place. Much better food and service on the island, don't bother with AJ's... read more

We went here only because we read how great the food was. Sorry to say, it's your basic beach restaurant. I got grilled shrimp which were good that's about it. The 2 hush puppies they put on the plate were cold and hard. I opted for the fruit bowl instead of mashed potatoes and it was a cup of grapes , 3 slices of orange still with the peel on and 1 strawberry cut in half. I paid 1.00 extra for this??? Oh and the wait for this amazing meal was 40 mins... Not sure why they get such rave reviews but we were not impressed. read more

A-J's Dockside Restaurant - My lovely fruit cup, lol!! - Seafood Near Me - Tybee Island, Georgia

Meh. I know people go here for the ambience, but we were pelted with pigeons and flies the whole time. The whole environment is very aggressively rude -- ALL CAPS SIGNS on printer paper telling you that if you don't like the deck, too bad. It's like they already know it's gross, so deal with it. I've been to many outdoor restaurants that didn't have vermin, so I know they could control it if they wanted to do so. Underneath the dock is where they dump all their oyster shells, and that area is full of cockroaches, and customers can see this. It took an hour and ten minutes to get our food. My husband's oyster po boy had shells in it. My salad with shrimp was mid -- the shrimp didn't have any type of seasoning on it. We were a large group and asked for waters in addition to our sodas and beers, so she brought 4. Dirty dishes were never cleared until we left. My child got a Cesar salad, but she said it tasted good was too small. When a child thinks she didn't get enough veggies, you know the portion size is lacking. For the price, you should really go Salt Island. It's not on the water, but the food and service are much better. read more

Ate at AJ's with friends while on Tybee this week. Food great - what I found exceptional was the service - restaurant appears to be staffed by mostly young women. Restaurant was very busy, many tables had 4 or more dinners. Place was loud & hard to hear - our server Abby was exceptional. I have no idea who the owner is but I hope he or she recognizes the value of their staff. read more

For some reason the restaurant did not open until 7 ..even the parking lot was closed. But, once they opened the staff, service and food was awesome! read more

Fish was overcooked and rubbery. My daughter had the ribeye and it was fantastic. Service was ok. read more

Make a reservation! They will up fast and when the bar is booked, you won't get to eat in. It's worth the trouble! The staff is local and great to spend time with. They are attentive and happy to se you. I always order the seafood because I don't get it at home fresh like this. read more

A-J's Dockside Restaurant - Tybee Cosmo - Seafood Near Me - Tybee Island, Georgia

Reservations and a rude manager Made a reservation and asked to be under the canopy outside. So we got a table all the way out on the deck with one table umbrella for 12 people. I'll never recommend it to anyone read more

I ordered a house salad with blue cheese dressing, topped with fried oysters. The oysters were good, slightly salty though but if eaten with the salad it was perfect. We also had Buffalo Shrimp, fried flounder and they were both great! The shrimp bufffalo sauce was delicious and the shrimp remained crispy. Only one blunder, they brought out scallops that were extremely cold, had to send it back. I will definitely visit again. read more

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Blackened shrimp had zero seasoning and was completely burnt. Hush puppies were cold. Would not recommend. Blackened shrimp does not mean burnt! read more

A stressful and unexpected trip to Tybee had slipped into a sultry summer evening. Our ragtag group yearned for an oasis to fill our bellies and lift our spirits. The well recommended A-J's could have provided that respite, but sadly this was not to be. Upon arriving we were led into a warm and claustrophobic dining area, flanked on one side by rowdy bar patrons and the other by the door leading to the outer deck. The constant traffic through which prevented any air conditioning from being effective. Our drinks left much to be desired. The primary desire being alcohol, of which there was little. And taste, of which there was less. Irony given that most of the bar patrons seemed well oiled while shouting at the Braves game on the TV. The food could best be described as hopeless. My fried shrimp po' boy arrived lukewarm and covered in cold french fries. Upon rearranging the fries did I discover the constituent parts of a sandwich that I then had to construct myself. My nieces grilled cheese looked as though it had been dropped from a space station and been charred by the ever thickening atmosphere as it hurtled towards her plate. The rest of the food at the table looked as though it had been overcooked and plated in haste, only to be left to go tepid as we waited. It seems this place cannot decide whether it wants to be restaurant with a beautiful view and quirky ambiance, or a watering hole for the locals. And as it was the only meal I was able to have during my trip to Tybee, I was left immeasurably disappointed. read more

Good views at sunset, food was above average, live acoustic guitar added to the experience. Great place to enjoy an evening with the family. read more

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AJ's was delicious and was able to seat 12 of us! Food was delicious and service was amazing! Drinks were great! Next Tybee trip we are definitely going back! All the foods:: Buffalo Shrimp-good Caesar Salad- delicious Chicken Fingers-kiddos Fried Scallops-dad enjoyed them Chicken Alfredo-so so good! Etc..we all got something different read more

A-J's Dockside Restaurant - My daughter enjoying the views - Seafood Near Me - Tybee Island, Georgia

The food was fantastic! We had burgers and fries and a caprese salad. Everything was fantastic and fresh. We sat at the bar and the bartender was very friendly and quick to refill drinks and take our order! There was a live guitar show going on and it added to the ambiance. I would recommend this place to anyone in the area. read more

Great atmosphere! We were a group of 9 and were all found something we liked. And the margaritas were excellent!!

Very thankful for reservations only to keep numbers down during Covid-19, mandatory masks unless eating or drinking, temperature checks, .... Polite waitress host at outside check-in, great food and drinks. Beautiful views of water read more

Gumbo was amazing. Sitting outside is always the move. Barely saw the waiter they were obviously not ready for memorial day. Hostesses and waiters acted like they did not want to be there which was a vibe/mood killer. Food - 5 Service - 2 Vibe - 3 read more

FOOD: Amazing across the board. Everything from the fritters to the simply cooked trio meal. The crab stew was a highlight but everything was good. If you want simple seafood, this is the place for you. Also, I hate buffalo sauce but the buffalo shrimp was sooooo good. LOCATION: The location is great even if the building is starting to show it's age. Looking around some stuff could be replaced or repainted but overall it's a nice beach vibe kinda place. I like being here and could have chilled and drank for hours. SERVICE: Good enough, but nothing to note. The service didn't blow my mind but everyone was nice and deserved a good tip. 9/10. While they need to refresh the location, the food was on point. If you're visiting Tybee Island, this is a top choice for eating and drinking. read more

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Perhaps it was an off day but we had a most disappointing meal... all of our food arrived cold from fries to fried oysters to shrimp. Shrimp and grits was ice cold inside. Mahi was dry and tough. The server was very apologetic, kind, and did her best to remedy the situation. It would be one thing if one dish was a bust but shocking that the whole table's food was basically inedible. It was a bummer of an experience on our last day in town. read more

First trip to Tybee Beach and our first night we went to AJ's party of seven and everyone enjoyed their dinner and their drinks and our waitress was fantastic read more

Bad night at the dockside. Our party of three arrived on time and we were seated promptly. That's about the only thing that went ok. Our waitress then completely ignored us for 20 minutes before she took our drink orders. Another 30 minutes later and she continued to ignore us and we still had no drinks. (2 Margaritas). I had to stand up and wave to get her attention and then she admitted that she had forgotten to place our drink order. We finally got to place our food order (burger, chicken strips and crab burger) and then had to wait almost an hour for our food to be served. It was not even hot. Must have been sitting under a heat lamp. When I complained to our waitress she copped an attitude and blamed it on under staffing in the kitchen. (Would have been nice to know up front) Manager needs to do some serious training to fix it Only good thing was the location and the sunset read more

WARNING.. on a visit here my check was altered after signing! I called later and was told the manger was busy.. never returned my call. This place will take your signed receipt and re tip themselves a larger percent.. avoid at all costs. Further than that, the service was terrible, food was below drive through quality and the drinks were watered down and gross. Many other places on Tybee far more deserving of your money!! read more

A plus for location, décor and vibe. B- for service and food. This place is cool. Like a couple of places on the island, it has this lets get all the signs, some plywood and make a bar and grill! The deck is a great place to eat and watch the sun set. You definitely feel like you are on vacation. The watermelon margarita is sweet. It tasted like watermelon. Two us got grilled chicken and veggies. It was cold. Not even remotely warm. One of us got steak and they said it was great and another got the alfredo, also great. Service was slow. It was busy. I get it. I am not a monster. We were served our food by a runner and we asked for things like ranch, drink refills, and there was hustle to make that happen but cold food is such a drag. Thankfully grilled chicken isn't the worst thing to eat cold but sending it back just wasn't an option. I would have had to flag someone down... can't be bothered with that. I would bet that this place would be the place to be when things aren't insane. Mid afternoon on a nice day for cocktails and appetizers. It is really a cool vibe and I want it to be amazing. After eating we headed outside and the girls played with the cats living outside. The restaurant does what they can to care for them which is very kind. It is all about the heart and that evident at A-J's. read more