Has been a five star for me for thirty years. Always been the same, aside from location. Consistent food, service and atmosphere! I heard once that it has been the same person cooking all these years. If that is true...you ROCK!!!. Collards are perfect. Fried clams are perfect every time. Hush puppies are perfect. Staff are perfect. I live a few hours from here now but still this place is my go to when I am in town. And if I already ate here I might go to la fiesta...they also changed location over the years and are still good. Thank you Cedar River. Just perfect!!! read more

We love the family dinner . Even if you have a large group it will take care of it . We love the sides and the shrimp platter is huge , well worth the money . A great value and always fresh great tasting food read more

Good fresh food but wished they have better sauce dipping. Other than that no complaints.

Great food. Nice stuff. Severely understaffed though (shame on management). Every staff member was doing side work. We had a long wait. Our server Joanna, however, was very good server and sent someone over to cover while she was in the back. We truly can't complain about the service we got from the people that were there doing "double duty"..... The shrimp cocktail was good, the hush puppies and the vegetables were delicious, but the grilled blackened mahi was phenomenal! I was able to have my entire meal under nine weight watchers points! The prices are fair and reasonable. The restaurant was clean and centrally located. We can't wait to go back again. One observation was that everything was way way too spicy. If you don't want spicy ask them to hold back on some of the spices. Otherwise everything was delicious!!!!! read more

Eh, We got the broiled "Big Mates" combo. It was fully cooked with plenty of flavor. The oysters had several pieces of shell in them. The waitress just said that "we don't shell them ourselves, they come prepared already." The sweet potato soufflé was very sweet, as if it came from a can. Overall the service was prompt and respectful thanks to Lauren. Due to the low quality of the food we most likely won't go back. Hope this helps. read more

Cedar River Seafood - Finished it anyway! - Seafood Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

By far the best meal I've had in Gainseville. I got the clam strip dinner and fried pickles. Everything was perfect.

Decadent food. Most fried and limited variety. Made for a nice dinner but nothing remarkable or too memorable

The food is good, but they are not very clean. Some of the employees that handle food do not wear masks. They crowd everyone at the door and register while they spend their time figuring out where to seat people. Not very organized and not doing well social distancing customers. We went when the restaurants were 50% capacity. Think we will be staying away from here for awhile. read more

I go because I'm invited, but over the last 3 visits I've been surprised how good this place really is. Their corn nuggets appetizer is excellent (each fried nugget is packed full of corn-- & flavor), the coleslaw is excellent, & the Low Country Boil is very good-- especially at $9.99 (special). The service has consistently been tops-- perhaps best explained by the number of wait staff who have worked here for years. Checkout near the door is usually fast & parking is easy & close. If you can forego fancy & just want a good fish/seafood meal @ a reasonable price, this is a good place to consider-- good prices on beer & wine, too! read more

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Had been going to Cedar River Seafood for over 2 years and most always ordering the fried grouper and their previously great cole slaw today, 1/31/2021, when we got our meal the "grouper" didn't look like any of the prior grouper. It was greasy and curled up instead of flat filets. It did not taste like grouper and had a strange taste. In addition the cole slaw tasted sour like it was spoiled. When we told our server she said "I will go ask the cook" however she never came back to our table. We went to pay our bill after eating only a small portion of the "fish" and only a taste to the cole slaw and I told the "manager of the issue and he said " I am not the owner but will tell him" and made no offer to make things right but matter of fact just rang up the full price of the bad meal. So my wife and I who have eating at this restaurant for over 2 years are reluctant to go back after this. Also when my supervisor is in town we always go to CRS for lunch but I will have to advise him the next time he is here that we should find another restaurant as the management at this one apparently has no concern if you get a bad meal. I rarely issue a bad review of a restaurant but the attitude and food today was so bad I felt I had no other choice. read more

The food here is awesome! The wait staff is amazingly friendly, ours today especially (young man with brown hair and short beard, can't remember the name.) you get these large portions so you know they don't skimp which is amazing. Everything is so reasonably priced, all around just a great joint :) read more

Great food! Large portions! Awesome service and busy crowd! We came for dinner and had a great time!

I'll try to do this as brief as possible: Don't go. It took 15 minutes to seat two people because the hostess had to bus tables. There was plenty of seats that were just not cleaned. It took another waiter to get our waitress just to introduce herself and order drinks. We ordered: Fried shrimp Fried "flounder" Fried green tomatoes Broiled stuffed mushrooms The shrimp was great. The flounder wasn't flounder... It was some kind of freshwater fish that had no seasoning or flavor. The fried green tomatoes were most likely old or thawed and the breeding had no flavor. They were gelatinous on the inside and the breading didn't stick. The mushrooms were okay but they were sloppy looking and the mushrooms themselves weren't cleaned properly before stuffing. The sides were good but they served them covered in tinfoil you have to remove yourself. It took our waitress another 15minutes to get our to go boxes (I took home the shrimp and the sweet potatoes) The hostess rang our bill up incorrectly and almost double charged out entire meal because she was "there all day" and eating frozen yogurt from the next store down. Just don't waste your time. It needs to be shut down. read more

"Pretty good, will probably be back." It was cold out, and an oddball time for lunch, but my associate and I were in the mood for seafood. And not Red Lobster seafood, mind you, but the kind of straightforward, no-frills seafood of our Southern youth. It was an oddball time, as I said. 3PM on a Saturday. But there was still a decent crowd. Always a promising sight. The entryway was a bit crowded too. A party of five held the waiting area, and the checkout counter was right in front of the door. Tank (my associate) and I cut a low profile and it wasn't long before we were seated. Our server gave us her name, and I promptly forgot it. My mind was elsewhere. But she had a frank but affable efficiency about her that I could respect. No "sweetheart" this or "sugar" that, no small talk, but no cold shoulder either. It was clear that she had worked a table before, and there would be no nonsense this day. She wrote down our orders -- and I like that. (The trend of servers committing my order to memory doesn't impress me. It feels like I'm leaving my order up to a game of 'telephone.' When I give my order and I see someone taking notes, I feel like I'm giving a high-profile interview. Real Frost and Nixon stuff.) Anyway, I got the tilapia lunch, blackened. Lima beans and a side salad upgrade. As for the tilapia, I'll be honest, I can hardly tell blackened fish from a blackened eye, so I can't vouch for the authenticity of the seasoning. But it was juicy, tender and flavored in a way that I was in the mood for. I thought the lima beans were the best I'd had in a restaurant in a good while, but I don't know if anybody clamors for lima beans around here. At any rate, the whole meal took me where I needed to go. Tank got the lunch special of the day, fried flounder and shrimp. I asked him how it was and he said it was "alright," which from Tank is ringing praise. We were in and out pretty quick-like, and our server wished us a blessed day. As she rang us up, she said that she was going home soon, with an added hallelujah. It was like being served by the Pope. Tough to beat that. read more

This place is my favorite seafood place it's definitely delicious !! Their lunch specials are so cheap. Family friendly atmosphere

Cedar key is now located on 43St NW and 53 Ave, behind the corner gas station. I was suckered into dining at "Cedar Key Seafood" on a Thursday night... Oh, was I suckered! I figured any restaurant that has the term "seafood" in its name specializes in seafood... Oh, was I suckered! My wife ordered the Grouper with two sides and hush-puppies. It was the most elastic grouper I have ever tasted. On top of that, it was insipid, tasteless, and border-line cold. The hush-puppies tasted old and were soaked in oil. I took a bite out of one and that was enough not to touch them again. My kids ordered flounder with mac-n-cheese. Now, when you run a restaurant and can't fix mac-n-cheese, you are simply in the wrong business. My two year old daughter, who loves mac-n-cheese kept going "Nahhh, nahhh, daddy". It was kind of funny, but sad. The kids flounder was 90% breading, 5% oil, 5% flounder with the black section still left on it... C'om on man, that is supposed to be for kids. They were kind of disappointed and still hungry when we left so I had to take them to ice-cream and apologize. I ordered the Grilled Mahi-Mahi, one of their most expensive dishes. I have to be honest, the Mahi-Mahi tasted fresh but again, had zero flavor. I think it had been boiled, and then rubbed with some red colorant before being thrown on a the grill to add the grill marks. My sides were cole-slaw and collard greens; they were both acceptable and if forced to go back, it would be the only two items I would order. In conclusion, I will likely not be returning. I will most certainly not be taking my wife and kids back to Cedar-River Seafood; I know of families that have broken up for less. read more

Cedar River is now in a spiffy new location. The odor of Depends and despair no longer haunt the place. This isn't a high-end seafood place, nor does it claim to be. Its goal is to serve old-fashioned, Southern style seafood and fixings. It does a pretty good job of that. I suggest you go for lunch. The prices are good and portions ample, before 4:00 pm. After that time the prices increase. Not much. Enough to send old people into heart palpitations. Pretty much every thing is fried. The batter is light and perfectly seasoned. I almost always order the shrimp. They are fried to perfection. My partner switches up a lot, but he usually has some sort of fish. He says it is good, but no matter what type of fish he orders, it looks the same. When I have tasted the various fishes, they taste the same to me. I will admit that I am not a huge fan of fish, so maybe I am just being paranoid. The side dishes are okay. I always get steak fries (love them!) and green beans. I get the green beans for my daughter. They have an older crowd. Most of the waitstaff are older and many of them have been working at Cedar River for years. They are usually competent and friendly. If you don't go in there expecting yellow-fin tuna, braised in the tears of baby pixies, you will probably enjoy your meal. Overall this is a decent restaurant, with good portions and reasonable prices. read more

We were just passing through Gainesville and wanted a seafood dinner. This had good ratings, so we headed there. It didn't look like much from the outside, so we were skeptical. However, the food was great! The servings were more than generous. The employees were very friendly. And the prices were very reasonable! read more

Went here as my niece wanted to go and treat me to a nice dinner. Should have read the reviews first, very very disappointed. The service was terrible my niece was seated first as I showed a couple minutes later she told the waiter there was to be another person but he only put one set of silverware when I got there I told him I needed silverware he never brought it I had to ask twice for it and he brought it after my food arrived. I ordered blackened flounder and shrimp it was baked not blackened. The baked potato was old and I couldn't eat it. I didn't want to complain as my niece was treating me. I will defiantly never eat here again and advise my friends not to go. read more

Real Florida Food! Bountiful portions--every one carries a go box when they leave. Fresh made to order. Waitstaff quick and attentive. Red snapper with seafood stuffing for husband, combo of fried grouper & shrimp for me. Starter was an awesome order of coconut shrimp. Not too many places know how to make greens or cheesy grits--this place does! read more

Really good seafood and awesome lunch and dinner specials flounder and shrimp with two sides 9.99$

Traditional southern style fried seafood and yes...hushpuppies! The food is good and plenty and the service was good. I will be going back when that craving for a huge plate of popcorn shrimp hits me! read more

I'm not much of a seafood person, but since my mom is (being a pescatarian) I tend to like places that offer more than just seafood, like chicken. Therefore I always order the chicken strips whenever I come, plus it's not as pricey as the other items on the menu. I will say that the food is awesome and perhaps it's worth the price. This place is kind of far out from me so I wouldn't come often unless it's for a special occasion or my mom visits. She likes this place being that it's one of the few seafood restaurants in Gainesville. read more

Four of us had dinner at Cedar River and everyone's meal was delicious. Fresh fish, shrimp, scallops and great sides, collards, sweet potato souffle, hush puppies, fried okra. I would highly recommend this restaurant! I had the Low Country Boil. The shrimp was done perfectly. read more

Only giving three stars because the staff can be super friendly or super not. The seafood has always been good every time and you can't beat their prices. read more

Cedar River is always the place to come for fried fish. Portions are good, never too greasy. Wait Staff friendly.

Crowded, loud and a very rude hostess that refers to you by your skin color and will chase you down in the parking lot. I am NEVER going to this place again. read more

Had the Country Boil; it was a nightly special for $9.99; very good. The fish spread was also very tasty. Not much on the kids menu; service was excellent. read more

I will NEVER come to this establishment again. My boyfriend and I used to love cedar river. But last night we came and all night we had food poisoning. (That is all we ate ALL DAY.) Our waitress was amazing, very consistent. But the food was bland and was hard like it was cold and they heated it up in the microwave. So never again will I eat here since they want to serve us bad stuff. read more

Food was decent but the service wasn't very good. Our waitress was nice but she wasn't very helpful when we asked questions about the food or suggestions on the menu and she rushed through talking with us so she could go hangout with the other waiters in the back and when she did walk by she always smelled of cigarettes. But I don't consider those factors to account for why I gave this resturant 3 stars. CON: The bisque that I ordered came out cold, it was a good soup but not hot by any means. CON: The reason why I got the soup was because it was one of the few things on the menu that wasn't deep fried or breaded. (Pretty much everything is fried) I wish I would've known that before I came there :( PRO: My boyfriend got the pick 3 platter with fried everything. I tried some of his and the freshness of the food was decent, better then your average Red Lobster with much lower prices. CON: The dining area wasn't very clean and the atmosphere was below average at best. PRO: I ordered the Mac'n Cheese as a side and it came out good and hot! They wrapped all their sides in aluminum foil wich I thought was very odd but it came out good nonetheless. PRO: This place is locally owned and operated! All together my visit was decent but I probably won't make it a point to go back. We left feeling unimpressed but we got a lot of food for a cheap price. read more

mf good as a mf booooooooooooy one of the best seafood experiences ive ever had!!!!!!

A true southern seafood restaurant here in Gainesvilles! The lunch special menu is the BEST so many options...get there before 4pm and the Senior dinner meals are a great value deal. The drinks (come w/refills) are HUGE, complimentary seafood spread and crackers while you wait to order. LARGE serving portions, will need a box to bring home what you can't finish! A good selection of southern side dishes (Lima beans, collard greens, fried okra, hush puppies, mac&cheese) definitely order the fried green tomatoes for an appetizer. Be prepared to wait they do get BUSY, they do not take reservations and will only seat you until your whole party is there. read more

Everything was good. Not a five star restaurant but very close. Very friendly and inviting staff. Just could use some sprucing up.

Food is good, service OK. But OMG! A long line to check out!? Only one register and the servers can't check you out!

This place is always packed at the noon hour but worth the wait. The servers are knowledgable about the menu and daily special but not necessarily friendly. It's the food that counts most anyway, right? The seafood is fresh not frozen. It is cooked to perfection and the serving size is just right. read more

I should have listened to my coworker and stayed away. Went after an early morning church service to beat the crowd. Opened at 11 am and called my order in around 11:10. When I got home to enjoy my food, the macaroni and cheese was cold and the collard greens were crunchy. How is this possible when they just opened? Luckily my flounder and shrimp were cooked good, but is it possible to mess up fried food? If there's a next time, I'll pass on the sides. read more

Outstanding value, especially for lunch. We had the flounder lunch for $7.99 and it was 5 pieces of fish and two sides + hush puppies and everything was delicious. It is very crowded at lunch time, so go outside normal hours. read more

I wouldn't even give cedar river seafood one star but it made me do it to write a review of what they call seafood. My girlfriend and I ordered the captains platter for 2. It came with a fish dip and crackers that was nothing but a little cup of cream cheese. Our dinner plater came out in an incredible short period of time. Like 8 minutes. That seemed odd for such a large platter of food. You couldn't tell the difference between the shrimp and the clamp strips. There were about a quart of what looked like the the stuff came from off of the floor that they called clamp strips with pieces of shrimp tails in it as well. The fish was supposed to be grouper was not even close to fresh. It was yellow and nasty too. It was like they saved the scraps from the frier all day and microwaved it and gave it to us. We contacted the manager. He offered to recook our meal. We declined his offer. I don't want anything from a place that even thought that it was OK to Send something like that out to a customer. I had other issues as well with our visit but I'm tired of writing. There was another table of customers next to us that had similar complaints. Cedar River Seafood SUCKS.... AND SHOULD BE SHUT DOWN. capttomburg@gmail.com read more

I have always been a fan of cedar river. However, lately this location seem to be slipping in quality. Food doesn't seem as fresh. Had to pay upcharge for oysters today and ended up throwing them out because they were not good. This is sad because we visit quite often but I think we have to give them a break until food improves. If you lost your cook go find him/her! Service is Great!! read more

Can seafood get any better? Not in Gainesville! I just love the food here. Give it a try. You will like it.