Overall: We had a good experience at Bonefish Grill while having dinner with close friends /…read moreanother couple.
The food was generally good, the atmosphere was very pleasant, and the restaurant was clean, comfortable, and inviting. There were definitely some things that could have been better, but overall we left satisfied.
The Good
Easy reservations: Making a reservation was simple and convenient.
Great online menu: I really liked being able to look at the menu ahead of time on a phone or tablet, including photos of many of the dishes. It makes deciding what you want much easier before you arrive.
Quick seating: We were seated almost immediately, even though our entire party had not arrived yet.
Friendly, attentive staff: Everyone we encountered was very polite, helpful, and professional. Our server was particularly responsive and maintained a good attitude throughout the meal.
Good menu selection: There was a nice variety of seafood, meats, sides, appetizers, and other choices, so everyone in our group was able to find something appealing.
Accessibility: I noticed that the staff was especially polite and attentive toward guests with disabilities, and the restaurant appeared to have good accessibility. That's something worth mentioning and appreciating.
Good teamwork: The staff seemed to work well together rather than everything falling on one particular server.
Prompt service: Our food came out promptly, and we never felt like we were waiting excessively.
Fresh, quality ingredients: The seafood, pasta and vegetables we had were good quality and tasted fresh.
Drinks/bar: The beverage selection was very good, including a nice selection of beers on tap. Our drinks were good overall, and we never had an empty glass sitting in front of us for long.
The Not-So-Good
There were a few things that kept this from being a five-star experience for us.
Host area was a bit cramped- not enough room for people waiting so they were in front of the host stand (which you must report to)
Food temperature: This was probably the biggest disappointment. Most of our food arrived around room temperature, with some of it only slightly above that. The food itself was generally good quality, but seafood in particular is much more enjoyable when it's served properly hot. This is something I would definitely like to see improved.
Undercooked jasmine rice: My wife ordered jasmine rice as a side and found it to be noticeably undercooked. She didn't mention it until we were near the end of the meal and getting ready to order dessert. At that point she was already full, and since we don't go out looking for compensation, I initially felt there wasn't much point in bringing it up.
One of our guests politely disagreed and mentioned it to the server. To the restaurant's credit, the server immediately offered to replace it with something else, but my wife declined. So although the rice was disappointing, I thought the server handled the complaint appropriately.
Overall
The dessert was delicious, and we ultimately left feeling satisfied with the meal and our experience.
There was also a drink special going on: I had three IPAs from the tap for only $6 each, which I thought was an exceptional deal. I'm not sure whether that was the advertised special or whether there was some other discount applied, because if it was something other than the regular special, we weren't specifically informed.
With a full/average tip, the total for my wife and me came to approximately $110, which I felt was reasonable for the meal and drinks.
Bottom line: We had a good time, and I wouldn't hesitate to come back. However, the food temperature issue and the undercooked rice kept the experience from standing out enough to make Bonefish Grill one of our favorite restaurants. Still, it's a clean, comfortable restaurant with a pleasant atmosphere, good service, a solid menu, and quality ingredients--and we left satisfied.
Would I return? Yes.
Would I put it on my favorites list? Probably not... at least not yet.
