If you're looking for a relaxed waterfront spot with great vibes, don't let the entrance fool you! AJ's Dockside is tucked away inside the Cove Cay community. While it looks like a private condo entry, just drive right up to the gate and let them know you're heading to AJ's. They'll give you a pass, and you're good to go. The space is cozy and perfectly set up for the Florida heat. They maximized the comfort with plenty of fans and ample shade to keep things cool. There are great seating options with a bar overlooking a charming marina. A clean laid-back, "Old Florida" feel that makes you want to stay a while. The staff was super friendly and incredibly quick to greet us and say goodbye as we left. They nice selection of craft beers Everything we ordered arrived fresh and well-prepared. I had the blackened grouper with fries --perfectly seasoned and delicious. I would definitely go back. read more

AJ's Dockside Bar And Grill - Walk up - Bars Near Me - Clearwater, Florida

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We showed up around 11:30 on a Saturday, not overly busy and the waitress greeted us quickly. We ordered drinks and let them know we had a food allergy for our toddler. Chef came out and confirmed options, ordered a grilled cheese and fries right away (if you have a 2yr old, you know.) We sat and waited for that grilled cheese and our two entrees for over an hour and a half. We had to ask for updates, which never came. Many tables around us with small children were waiting this long too. We got the grilled cheese at the hour and a half, ours did not come with, and after our toddler finished half his meal we opted to cancel our order altogether. We missed nap time, we missed eating our meals, and left really frustrated with the lack of communication with a blank statement apology. read more

We came on vacation and saw this place was close by with good reviews. Food was good but more of a bar atmosphere. It took a very long time for a waiter to come and give us the menu. They could have told us that they only had one cook today. It took about an hour. Honestly we should have left but since it was close by and we were pretty tired from the drive we stayed. The waitress forgot one of the orders and my mom had to eat from all of our plates. Other customers were also complaining about the wait time. Will not come back but I gave it 3 stars since they did give us a discount and apologized. read more

The restaurant is at a Country Club Marina in a neighborhood. The marina is not private. The atmosphere was really chill and nice views of the mangrove canals. We had a long wait for a table, but Ryan saved the day and found us a nice table, still with a view! Ryan did a great job taking our order quickly and finding us some beer/alcoholic lemonaide/hard cider. They do not serve liquor. We ordered the lobster bisque which was very good. The dining experience was casual. For dinner we had the lobster grilled cheese, really delicious grouper fish and chips with a special sauce and 2 big light spicy grilled grouper tacos. All tasty. The price, for Florida, was ok. 3 entrees and 3 canned beer type beverages came to about $100 plus tip. Ryan was attentive and very upbeat (and really good looking...sorry to embarass you Ryan). We really enjoyed the whole experience. read more

AJ's Dockside Bar And Grill - A Great Blue Heron stopped by for a beer! - Bars Near Me - Clearwater, Florida

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Absolutely do not order the lobster grilled cheese and pay $9 for extra lobster only to have the thinnest sandwich with crumbs of lobster. Menu appearance and descriptions look great, food presentation horrible. Only come here to drink beer & wine. read more

A cute, casual dockside bar & restaurant! It is inside Cove Cay but security hands you a marina parking pass & it's the first left after the entrance. We went on a week night so it wasn't packed but bar was buzzing and the picnic tables were about half full! The service is more on the leisurely side, as this is not a place to come in a pinch; AJ's has a super chill-hangout vibe with beer & wine offered. A great place to come and relax for a couple hours over some really good seafood. Pro tip: bug spray! read more

Wings were great! Beer was cold. Atmosphere great. Service lackluster. Charged for things we ordered but never got. Was corrected on the tab but hey...we were still hungry so we went somewhere else. The gentleman bartender who came in when we were leaving was definitely on his game. Wish we had him. Sunday July 5th, noon. read more

AJ's Dockside Bar is hit or miss for service. Food is good, beer is cold . It is locally owned/ operated... yaa. The 2 young women behind the bar are sometimes oblivious to the customers needs. .. kinda like they're in their own world. My companion and I go frequently there.. why well it's totally outside ,close to the house and when Ryan is there service is spot on. For the most part food is good ( again hit or, miss) . Never had a bad meal but not " awesome " either. Prices are on par with other restaurants. Love the location Cove Cay Marina. On a bright note it is local. read more

AJ's Dockside Bar And Grill - Marina Cove Cay - Bars Near Me - Clearwater, Florida

We were seated at a good table by the bar and music - the servicer did her job well but my only complaint was that the entree portions were small - we both added an appetizer to fill us up - being waterfront was nice because nothing else came in the way of a perfect view read more

It's a By the water bar and grill establishment. Kid friendly which is a plus. You can see people docking their boats and jet ski, and there are some games. The bartender is the one that takes your order. I was disappointed with the fried calamari. They didn't have any chicken or steak as the bartender stated they ran out the night before... read more

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Stopped in for lunch. The buffalo wings were very good. Cooked perfect and great sauce. Sadly no plates with the app but honestly they would have blew away. The food was ok I had pirate booty tacos which were good but presentation wise not like the pic. Hubby had buffalo chicken wrap and my son tried teriyaki chicken bowl. Our waitress was good giving us time to order and refreshing drinks. read more

I find it really hard for a restaurant to disappoint me and today was a first. My wife and I were looking for a simple bite to eat and made our way to AJ's. It was clean and appeared to be relaxing and friendly. I was very disappointed. Three separate individuals walked by us for more than :15 without making eye contact. Very weird as they were not busy. Our solution was simple. We walked out and drove 12 mins to Giggle Waters in Safety Harbor. They never disappoint. read more

Great little hole in the wall. Awesome setting right on the water. The waitress was very nice. Food was good we had the burger and grouper. Burger was good but the grouper was a bit overcooked. Won't deter me from going again. read more

We did a Valentine's Day package, 2 hour boat rental with food and dessert. It was amazing. Great food, great staff and neat experience. Highly recommend. read more

I would not recommend, unless you are a local. Staff couldn't be bothered to do their job. Our waitress pass our check through our patrons. My husband took the bill to the bar and the other bartender said she couldn't process it because it wasn't hers.... read more

I would not come here if you aren't planning on sitting at the bar, or you aren't already a regular. The tables, including ours, was neglected for bar service. It's right on the water which is nice, and once we finally got the food it was good, but it felt like we were invisible to the wait staff the whole time. No refills, no silverware, no napkins, no condiments even after we asked. read more

Max, Delaney, Dante and Emma rocked it tonight! they were all over it, keeping up with all the orders, people and needs.

Our server Emma was wonderful! Came in on Wednesday and shut the place down with the staff, and they were so kind! Food was great, drinks were cold, ambiance was relaxed! Make sure you follow the path all the way to the boats, it's worth it!! read more

Really neat little waterside bar. The food and atmosphere was a 5. Have to knock this down a bit because there were only about a dozen people there when we got there and our food for four took over 45 minutes. The bartender was good with us and did comp some drinks. We enjoyed some extra time in the sun but was pressed to make an airport dropoff time. The boom boom shrimp wrap was fantastic. Would definitely go back repeatedly for that (along with the tots)! read more

If you're not a local service is pretty bad and it feels intentional. Maybe it isn't, but won't be back to find out. Food was decent! Views are cool. read more

I came here with my wife and we celebrating my birthday here. We had chicken wings, lobster cheese & chicken Ceasar wrap and Beach Blond beer. They turned out great and our bartender Xan is attentive & nice to us. We had a good time and we will be back next time soon. Thanks u and see ya. read more

AJ's Dockside Bar And Grill - Lobster grill cheese & chicken wrap with fries - Bars Near Me - Clearwater, Florida

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Loved this place great service kind of out of the way and a surprise!! The lobster grilled cheese was amazing!!! And yes get the key lime pie!! read more

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It's a cool little bar and grill on the water, at a marina that is open air, and really user friendly. Their menu is not huge but they have some pretty unique selections for starters, light meals, hand held, entrees, and decent pricing for their seafood tower (serves 4). With the added free pitcher of beer, who could declined? Keep up the great work and enjoy your meal or beverages at this cute and rustic (yes I said cute AND rustic), bar and grill!!! read more

What a great atmosphere!! D the bartender was amazing and we had a great time! I highly suggest stopping for a drink and a good time!

Manager sat us at bar while waiting for table. Bartender seemed annoyed at that, but was very nice to us. Waited 45+ minutes for a table, which isn't their fault as groups weren't leaving. However, after being seated, we were never seen by a server, left after another 1/2 hour or so never getting any food. read more

Staff seemed annoyed that we were there. We spent $70 dollars a at the bar. We waited 45 minutes for a table which was fine. However we waited another 45 minutes for menus and a server that never came. We decided to leave and the manager finally decided to address us but did not apologize for the bad service. read more

Great food and service. Outdoor bar area right in the water. Cute atmosphere. The food was the star of the show though. Got the lobster grilled cheese with the lobster bisque for dipping. Soooo good. Like highly recommend. Also got the boneless wings in garlic lemon pepper, also great. Boyfriend got fish tacos, they were prepared very well and tasty too. Got the drunkin muscles as well, they were really good, although about a quarter of them weren't open. Felt like they should have removed them from my tab, but it is what it is. Overall recommend this place. Super glad I found it and came. Left feeling full and satisfied. read more

Nice hidden spot near the water, an outside bar area that also serves food. Dogs are welcome! Trumen and I enjoyed our time there. Jets skis and boats can be rented here and taken out. It's located in an odd location behind a boat yard. Service was good, had two bartenders that were kind and fast! read more

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This is a great spot to relax outside right by the water. Our waitress was extra busy, but still took good care of us. The food is not too pricey. It was very tasty. Everyone was happy with what they ordered. They have good options for most diets. We sat next to an area with cornhole boards set up. Our group enjoyed playing a few rounds while we waited for our food. I would definitely recommend this place for a relaxed group dinner. read more

Love this place!! Nikki and Ryan are the best servers! Great food, atmosphere and pricing. Highly recommend!

Poor service,food wasn't tasteful and over cooked.i ordered grouper nuggets and boneless chicken and it took 1hr to get our food and seen others that came after us get their meal..if you're not a local,not worth going read more

Landed in St Pete's and had about an hour and a half to kill so we took an Uber and went to AJ's. Great hidden away little spot on the water. There's a little marina which lets you boat watch while you enjoy smooth drinks, delicious food and even a game of cornhole. Everything is outside so you can walk around, explore and just have a good laid back time. read more

My friend and I did a quick search to find this hidden gem. The food was amazing! We each had the grilled grouper meal. I subbed my coconut rice for tots with no problem. The bar is simple- some beer on tap and mixed drinks were only the canned ones. Our only issue- from the beginning, the bartender/server seemed annoyed with my friend and me. We tipped her well in spite of her demeanor. read more

Love the open air breezy atmosphere. Food is delicious and affordable. We have now become regulars. read more

Amazing fresh food, can tell everything is made in house and just overall great experience on the dock with good music and great food! Great service as well! Should be way more reviewed and popular! Great hidden gem! read more

AJ's Dockside Bar And Grill - Bars Near Me - Clearwater, Florida

The food took forever to arrive and it was cold and hard. I ordered fish tacos and it arrived as a petit slab of overcooked fish on top of each taco. I needed a knife to cut the fish to fit within the tacos. The service was all but nonexistent. Too busy hanging out with the boaters on their boats as they pulled into the far slips. It was a poor and disappointing experience on top of the warm, flat draft beer. read more

Love this little hidden bar! Definitely will be back again, it was a bit tricky to find but now that I have found it it's quite simple. You do enter a condo / golf complex and must stop at the gate for a parking pass for marina! Then take the first left and into the marina go left and you see the brightly colored buildings! read more

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I'd say 60% of the reason I come is for the French fries, and 40% is because of Dee!! She is always so great, remembers our group and has an amazing personality. read more

Terrible service! Tried to order ahead was hung up on 4 times Grouper was terrible. Tots were soft read more

Sorry folks but this place was awful. We were excited becuz the reviews were good but it was expensive for bad food