Food was not the best and service was slow, but what really bothered me was the lack of care regarding COVID. I was excited to eat here because of the all outdoor seating and the view, but none of the waitresses or cooks were wearing masks. We gave a tip reflecting our experience and our waitress essentially chased us into the parking lot asking why we didn't tip better. The moment we mentioned the lack of masks she got pissed and stormed off. read more

The food was good and the service fast and friendly, but none of the staff wore masks and came too close to us while our masks were off to eat. Yes it is open air/roofed but on this 3 week annual FL trip every other outdoor restaurant staff wore masks. Every one everywhere. We won't be back to this place even after COVID since they show so little regard for good health practices in a pandemic. We should have not stayed but we did. read more

Very nice place to relax and enjoy the day... Have the fried oysters and I really enjoyed them..

I guess I was the exception I simply wanted to find out what that soup of the day was and that turned out to be a big Fiasco. The menu makes it sound like they have soup and salad with a Meal special but it turns out that's only true for sale with not for the soup and you're supposed to refer to the menu board but they didn't have it posted. The manager was actually the waitress serving our table and if the owners think that's a capable manager they are out of their mind. The service was poor at best. It took forever for someone to approach our table to take an order. They do mix strong drinks. I had the grouper my friend had the my he neither of us was impressed we had high expectations being a restaurant that's getting fresh seafood caught just a few feet away. It was not the best grouper sandwich I've ever had by far probably not the worst but clothes I had it fried and it was like they didn't cook it long enough. They may have wonderful menu items but we didn't get to find that out. There are many other options nearby and some terrific seafood places down in the Venice area I would drive a little bit farther and skip this place. read more

Great food and atmosphere. We walked right in and the waitress was right there taking our drink order. Food came out quickly and correct.

Ordered the blackened grouper sandwich with fries and onion rings on the side. When I went to pick up the sandwich the bottom half of the bun was SATURATED with butter or grease to the point that my fingers went right thru it to the fish and then it fell apart! The servers remedy was to run to the kitchen and get me another bun....fixed the immediate problem but not the source of the issue. The grouper itself was horrible. Tasted like they dipped it in butter or grease (hence the saturated, soggy bun) and then drenched it with Old Bay. I won't be back.....definitely not worth the money. read more

My favorite local joint. Food is good, service is great! Music and atmosphere is excellent!!!

We stopped in here last night for dinner. There was a group of 5 of us. We started with the clams. They were really good. Then for dinner we all had something different but it was all good. The various items we ordered were The Cuban sandwich & hush puppies, the blackened grouper sandwich, the buffalo grouper sandwich, conch fritters and the soft shell crab. The only thing that I would say that wasn't the best were the hush puppies, They were a little overcooked. The Pina colada & strawberry daiquiri were really good too! We were getting eaten alive by no see ums so they offered us bug spray. Unfortunately that did not help. The waitress was really nice but food came out slow. I think they were short on staff. We plan on coming back in the cooler months so we can enjoy the atmosphere a bit more. read more

The service is slow.... You eat on the pier... The tabes are dirty ....You park in an industrial park... One of the freshest and best sea food meals I ever had. I spend a lot of time looking for places like this...too often I am disappointed. This place did not disappoint. The perfect place for a lazy 80 degree sunny Saturday in Florida. read more

Great dive bar! If you are looking for fancy food don't bother, if you want amazing food with awesome atmosphere then this is for you. Bands are too loud, only criticism read more

Really casual atmosphere on an outside deck near the marina. Live music, beachy attire, and good quality seafood. Prices range from $8.99 to $17.99 roughly. Good place to mingle and meet locals. The menu selection was pretty limited, and not a real good place to go if you don't eat seafood. read more

Food was great not very kid friendly for dinner. No lids for cups. Service was really slow that is why it isn't 5 stars. Food was great

Could be a 5 star dive bar/restaurant if it had a sail sunshade over the deck to help with the heat and some fans out there to keep the flies away. Once your food arrives so do the flies! Really kills the atmosphere. Easy fixes. Love when Eric Von plays! read more

The Grouper sandwich was not as good as last year. The service was unbelieveabley slow. We arrived at 6:30, the food arrived at 8. We'll go elsewhere ne t time! read more

Very laid back. With the seafood coming from the fish market only next door. The grouper was FRESH and the Mac and cheese is homemade. It was amazing! read more

I'd go back. I can't say what we ordered was anything special but it was well prepared, nicely and timely presented. What is outstanding is their outside dining, it is like eating on a dock; which I love. A few tiki umbrellas, boats going by nothing like eating while sitting on the water and watching the pelicans. Our server "Thomas" was absolutely outstanding, enthusiastic and attentive. We were seated promptly in the spot right at the rail but I think when Thomas caught us melting a bit in the sun he quickly offered us a seat with a touch of shade. read more

Searching out this local spot is part of what makes Cortez Kitchen such a "find" -- unless you prefer "format" restaurants lining the beaten path. Good seafood fare in a harborside setting... served alfresco by friendly staff... makes for a most pleasant and relaxing dinner. Or some cool brews, listening to local musicians. Don't pass up the Grouper Rubin Sandwich... a specialty. Watch for the large, bold white egret stalking crew members next door for handouts when the fishing boats come in. read more

I live maybe 5 mins from this cafe and for years I've always come here for good breakfast food at a low price. If your looking for an island beach quaint little place to enjoy mimosas and 5 star food this isn't your cup of tea. But if ur hungry have a hangover and ten bucks in your pocket you'll fit right in read more

This is a cute outdoor dining dive. No frills at all but the fried grouper sandwich was delish and the cole slaw that came with it was good too. Hubby got the seafood platter. To start he is not a fan of batter O rings but I am and they were GREAT. The platter came with a nice sized pc of grouper, 4 shrimp (kinda small) 2 lg scallops and one suffer crab body. Everything was fried perfectly! The stuff crab was ok, a lot of filler and big pcs I celery and green pepper. If you are looking for casual and laid back this is the place. Probably a great spot to stop on your way back from the beach for some good munchies and ice cold beer. BTW because it's outdoor only dining there are people smoking so if you don't like smoking this isn't the place for you. read more

I had a yen for Fish & Chips. Our friends told us this was the place to go for F&Cs. Indeed it was. This was the best I've had in a long while. As an additional treat, the oysters were excellent! read more

This place has severely gone down hill and I'm sure one of the main reasons is service. We will never return after we were very rudely treated last night. And who treated us so rudely? The owner himself. We were not allowed to bring our dog in which was fine. But when we asked to place an order to go a waitress said they don't usually do that on weekends because they are too busy. I looked into the seating area and noticed they were very, very slow for a Friday. I politely asked if I could ask a manager, and was pointed to the owner who was at a table drinking a beer. He actually tried to make it look like I was being rude, which I honestly was not. Flat out told me no, I could not order. Unbelievable...... read more

Great food, amazing casual ambiance, and we really enjoyed the live music. Service was a little slow, but they were really busy so that's understandable! read more

Absolutely delicious food last night, great service and a fantastic band playing some awesome music. Only people smoking everywhere and typical selection of way too many lite beers and lack of Pabst loses the 1-star. Place has a spotless kitchen and super-clean rest rooms too! Best and by far the freshest conch fritters appetizer we've ever had! read more

Super cute place that came recommended. The food was good but I found it a little lacking in the seasoning. We sat on the patio and it was super hot. We moved one table a foot over to get some shade and was told by the waitress that the owner won't have that and we had to move it back. So we had to sit in the scorching heat as no other seats were open. Had we not ordered already we would have left. Sad to have such a nice place with such a horrible attitude and lack of customer service. Our waitress was however very nice and did a great job. Feel bad that she has to work for such unprofessional people. read more

Food and beer at the bar. Great place. Nice environment. Had the grilled grouper with onion rings and Amberbock. Will bring the wife the next time I am in town. Very cool!!!! read more

Great atmosphere great happy hr! Love the peel and eat shrimp! Great place to sit and listen to live music. Don't miss Doug Demming and the jewel tones band! A must stop on a Sunday afternoon! read more

A fun hangout with fresh fresh fresh seafood, live music and a local crowd.

We have eaten here several times since moving to the area 3 months ago and we love it. The laid back bay front dining is just our style. All outdoor seating (some covered, some not). They even have live music sometimes which is even better! The seafood is great and always fresh, staff is friendly, and they even have a market to buy seafood to take home which is a plus. My favorite is the coconut shrimp...best I've ever had. And their hush puppies are pretty great too! Between the two of us and our family we took with us we have tried the Gator Bites, Buffalo Grouper, Jalapeno Poppers, Fried Mushrooms, Seafood Sampler dinner, Fried Grouper, Grilled Scallops, Fish & Chips, etc...it has all been good! read more

Got here at 5. Not busy. Ordered rare tuna and fried oysters. Took over 1 hour. Uneatable when arrived Please open swordfish soon. read more

Four stars for the food. Atmosphere brings the rating down a star. Very casual, which is ok, but fluorescent lights take away from the "beachy" feel. And the BIG drawback is smoking. It is allowed throughout, and with the ocean breezes coming through the open dining area, it is hard to get away from it. We changed tables, which helped a little. And if it is cool, bring a jacket, as it is open air, with some plastic sides, and it can get cool in the evening. The service was ok. A little slow, as I think they only had two servers on a Monday night. But not terrible, and the server was friendly. After saying that, we will come back for the food, My husband had the seafood platter, which was very good. Hushpuppies were especially good. Scallops were big, and well prepared, and the crab cake was good, too. Fried fish was not overly breaded or greasy. I had the grouper rueben, on the recommendation of another. Yelp-er. Wow, was it good!! Servied with a big piece of fresh, grilled Grouper with all the rueben fixing....I never would have thought of that combo, and it was delicious, I will go back just for that! And the cheese grits were oh-so good! Ate every bite! So, if you ate looking for a super casual place, dockside, with good food, definitely give Cortez Kitchen a try! read more

Ended up here because there was an hour wait at Star Cafe. Let me say what a pleasant surprise it was. The place is out of the way a little but well worth the exploration to get there. The well shaded and airy dinning area is right off the retail fish market and you can smell and see the fresh fish. The staff was busy but kind. Spent time with you and recommendations were right on. The Grouper was meaty and taste great. The fried shrimp fantastic. I had some grilled red shrimp and as our waitress said taste more like lobster than Shrimp. I was a little disappointed with the Clam Chowder but the place was great. If you can't get in at the Star Cafe this place has got the same food with happier staff and better parking. Go east 3 blocks from Star and enjoy. read more

Great outdoor restaurant. Fresh seafood and nice servers. True Florida-style dining. Yummy grouper sandwiches!

Best Gator tail & Calamari! Ive been coming here for years & will continue to visit the Cortez Kitchen. Great atmosphere.

Nice place with fresh seafood plus good customer service, can't wait to come back. Grilled grouper was perfect

It has often been quoted that Cortez is a drinking village with a fishing problem! Cortez Kitchen embodies that cliche. The seafood is average, but should be much better given the commercial fleet that operates just steps away. While the waitress claimed that the fried oysters are from Apalachicola, they must have taken the scenic route to Cortez! The bar is somewhat inept in that none of the bar tenders had ever heard of a "rusty nail"! I guess loud music, chain smoking clientele, and average food qualifies it as a "seafood dive". I've tried Cortez Kitchen a few times (lunch times and dinner), but simply will not return ... The old three strike rule! Oddly enough, Swordfish Grill (shares the parking lot) the next dock over is what Cortez is trying to be. read more

The atmosphere is fun, but service was horrible. Maureen dropped off the food and ran. Never came back. I had to go to the bar to get my own drink. Unacceptable. Grouper sandwich was fine, nothing to rave about. Fun music and plenty of parking. read more

Grilled grouper was obviously fresh but there was zero seasoning applied. Only beer on tap was bud light but had a decent selection of bottles. Was shocked that even though it was open air smoking was allowed. read more

Conch Fritters! Nice spot. Highly recommend the fritters, hush puppies and sweet tea.

Food is excellent, but service is lackluster. Kitchen only does one ticket at a time.

Famous landmark eating establishment .....setting at a the bar with an acceptable two guitar/singers...we shall see.... I was recommended the shrimp on a skewer her with coleslaw. The shrimp came from Bell fishmarket next door so it was super local and super fresh and outside I'll be back it was amazing. There were a lot of fan so it cool the food down pretty quicklyand that was a little difficult but beyond that I give it 4 1/2 stars. read more