I lived in the area for a year before I found this place. I am so glad I did! It doesn't look like much from the outside. But is is exactly what is is supposed to be. Very relaxed, good drinks, outstanding seafood! Reasonably priced. Friendly staff. Everything i have had to eat has been excellent. I don;t have one bad thing to say about the place. Always music and it's not too loud. Plastic everything - this is not fine dining - it's fine eating. The Steampot, coconut shrimp, grouper and onion wings are my favorites! read more

A nice out of the way seafood joint. Very casual restaurant atmosphere located in a fishing village (Village of Cortez). There is a fairly decent range of seafood here, but if you don't eat seafood this is not the place for you (you'd pretty much have to have chicken fingers). I also thought it was fairly loud on the deck & it seems like there is live music on weekends after 5 or so. I had a lunch portion of grilled mahi mahi with hush puppies & cheese grits. The mahi was a decent amount of fish for me, although I'm not a super big eater. The cheese grits were pretty good, although I'm pretty sure they were Quaker brand quick-cook + cheese. My husband had the dinner portion of tilapia, hush puppies & coleslaw. The dinner portion was not that much more fish, but it did come with an extra side. We thought the hush puppies were above average (some actual texture, not just tasteless fried). I can't speak for the coleslaw except to note it had pineapples in it. I will say that the only draft beer they have is Bud Light, which made the pitcher choice easy if uninteresting. They seemed to have a decent selection of bottled beer though, judging from nearby tables. Overall, it seemed like a great out-of-the-way seafood restaurant with decent prices & good atmosphere. We'll go back if we're hungry & in the neighborhood again. read more

I love eating here when I visit AMI. The fried grouper sandwhich is my favorite. I only order it at Cortez because anywhere else does not compare! I also enjoy the live music! read more

Always come here for their grouper sandwich and atmosphere! Friendly employees and what can go wrong sitting on the deck watching the birds and fishing boats? read more

Food is great. The coconut shrimp is the best I've ever had. Service could be a little better. A place we keep going back to.

Super Florida place. On the water by the fishing boats. The locals and the fishermen eat here and it is just like old tyme Florida before the condos came! read more

One of the best kept secrets in Cortez. They have outstanding grouper dishes. I have had them all and never disappointed ,from blackened,to fried the grouper is always a good choice here. The peel and eat shrimp are also very good. Really good southern local fare like cheese grits, fried okra, and really good onion rings. This is a very casual place, outdoor seating on a deck either covered or not. They have live music in the evenings. The wait staff has always been very polite and prompt. read more

Very poorly staffed. Was told in a very scolding manner that the wait for food was very long and we just needed to accept the fact. Even hard to get drinks. read more

I came here for dinner and while the location and atmosphere are great, the food and service was very sub par. I ordered a pound of peal and eat shrimp. This was the best part of the meal. They were a little less seasoned than other places in the area, but weren't bad. Our server was nice, but efficiency was not a strong point. The mahi sandwich and hush puppies were barely warm. As for the sushi rolls, DO NOT ORDER THEM. They should be removed from the menu. The soft shell crab and grouper rolls were worse than gas station sushi. read more

The folks here know seafood! Not one negative comment, great open air (clean) fish market, island style feel, speedy personal service, fresh fish and lots of healthy sides, all very reasonably priced. The blackened grouper stole the show; highly recommend. read more

Awesome food and drink specials. If your lucky enough to be there on a night Eric Von performs HOME RUN!

This is a neighborhood hang out full of locals and fun loving people. Come for the music and stay to dance the night away. Food is just so so unless you're there for the steaks on Saturday night! Raw bar choices offer you a little extra you don't find at other places in the area. read more

Had lunch at this dockside restaurant and tried the fried oyster basket. It was very good, not breaded or heavy but with a light batter similar to a tempura. Overall, very casual and friendly. The entertainment was also good. Stopped by the market next door on my way out. Fresh local fish and friendly / helpful people. I'll be back. read more

The biggest drawback for us was that they allow smoking, and we were sandwiched in between two smoking tables. The nearby fish market didn't smell as others had mentioned (they were operating when we visited and the wind came from that direction), but flies were a problem. The red shrimp were not garlicky as advertised, and perhaps my own naïveté resulted in not realizing I had to peel them. They called it a special, but it seems to be an all the time kind of thing. I did enjoy my hush puppies. read more

Great little place! Wonderful old Florida atmosphere. Great fresh seafood. Fast friendly and attentive service. Great value for the money! Eating there last night lessened the sting of suffering expensive bad food and bad service at the neighboring Swordfish Grill a few nights ago. read more

Shawn from Surferbus recommended this place after I asked for a good seafood dive and it was a great end to our afternoon of kayaking! We sat outside on picnic tables on the deck overlooking the docks of Cortez Island. We got to watch all sorts of seafood get hauled in (and birds fighting over the scraps) which was cool. We ordered a smorgasborg of fried food - fried mushrooms, fried cheese sticks, a softshell crab sandwich and a side of fried okra. It was all delicious! We also started with a pound of the huge peel and eat shrimp and the homemade spicy cocktail sauce had quite a kick. Perfection. We devoured everything easily along with beers and salted margaritas while sitting in the sunshine. The burgers looked delicious too. You can get just about any type of seafood (fried or not) you'd want here and the list of sides was hard to pick from - mac and cheese, fries, onion rings, fried okra, hush puppies, coleslaw and a few more I have forgotten. There was only one bathroom which caused a line but it was highly entertaining to listen and watch the kitchen crew while waiting. All in all, it was exactly what we wanted and we couldn't have asked for anything more. It was a lot of fresh, greasy, yummy seafood (that I can't get at home) for the money we spent and service was friendly, funny and fast. read more

Ordered one grilled fish sandwich, one soft shell crab sandwich and one popcorn shrimp dinner. The soft crab was actually rotten. When I bit into it, it was black inside and tasted horrible. They did switch it to something else, but honestly I wished they just kept it. The fish sandwich was bland, had no char marks from a grill and was not fully cooked. The remoulade had no flavor. With so much good fish in the area, I would never go back. Trying to understand how they earned 4 stars unless people drank too much to taste the food. read more

Went here for the first time tonight, they had live music which was great . Our waitress Lindsey recommended the Royal Red Shrimps as a appetizer, if you like lobster you will love these . We also had the grilled grouper sandwich and fried oysters and little neck clams . It does not get any fresher than this place ! A must when you go to AMI read more

Went for the first time during the Cortez seafood festival. As a fish lover and 27 year resident of Florida I was not impressed. The grouper tasted "fishy" not fresh. Service was great, food not so much. With so many great seafood restaurants here I would not go back read more

Food fried to burnt in old fry oil. Awful. Service from waitress was poor and uninterested in her job.

Unfortunately the resteraunt next door was packed so our group decided Cortez kitchen would be ok. 2 stars for the band half star for food and service. Our group of 6 ordered 3 sushi rolls (bad choice unless you like rice rolls) alligator, seafood dinner, grouper sandwich. All way over seasoned took 30 min to come out. Waitress was annoyed and pissed the whole time and crowd was about 70+. I wouldn't go there again. read more

Casual, laid back outdoor dining. Fans blowing with mist and shade off the docks made for a nice lunch. Nancy made an excellent bloody mary and both servers were attentive. We had two kinds of peel and eat shrimp, the standard cold (nice and big) and the grilled Royal Red (even bigger), both were very fresh, some of the best we've had in the area. Burger was juicy and sweet potato fries were hot and crisp (try with honey mustard!). I am looking forward to visiting again and trying more options from the menu. Everything seems prepared fresh. I would assume this is the source of complaint from those saying they've had long waits. We came on a less crowded day and had no problems, but I would think it would be worth it, even on a crowded day. read more

We came on a Sunday afternoon after 5:00 P.M. The relaxed outdoor bar atmosphere is real. The clams in wine sauce was so good! Best ever! The grouper in my grouper sandwich was lightly blackened just like I ordered. If you're looking for outdoor eating out on the deck with great food and a fun bar, this is it! read more

Rude waiter named Shane yelled at all customers who didn't order enough from him. "I need to make money!" Even ruder manager name Chris. Ended up sharing a table with a nice couple. Ordered crab legs and margaritas and they were about average. Drinks were all sour mix and tasted horrible. Ended up going somewhere else for desert because the waiter was so rude to everyone. Will never return to this place again. read more

Super fun little dive bar and restaurant overlooking the marina. Great spot for a cold beer, fresh shellfish, and live tunes. Don't come if you're looking for a nice glass of wine or China to accompany your stone crabs. My girl was jamming out to the classic rock cover band and everyone was wildly accommodating of her five year old dance move antics, so it's not gruff as the look may suggest. read more

We went for dinner upon finding the Starfish Company closed for vacation. I ordered the scallop dinner and my husband the grouper sandwich. The food was bland and unappealing. My husband remarked that he wanted to stop eating his after only a couple of bites. This is highly unusual. We are not hard to please when it comes to seafood. On top of this the waitress did not check in with us and practically threw the check on the table with no thanks at all. I'm not sure what prompted her rudeness but it was very surprising. They don't have to worry, we will never go back. read more

Never got to try the food because the owner (or manager, not sure which) was so rude to us. We just left. We are in the area often and would have loved to try it. I am always amazed when someone thinks their attitude has no consequence. (Server tried to be nice) I can see be some other reviews that we are not the first to encounter this. read more

Love Cortez Kitchen and I guess as much as we have been here it was just our time to get a bad meal...4 of them actually. Grouper for everyone and not one filet was completely cooked. Two dinners were actually raw on both ends. May be time for a break. read more

The service was slow, and the food just wasn't worth the money

Nice little spot to eat on the water. This place has some creative grouper sandwiches. I got the royal red shrimp and although seasonal if it's there when you go it's a must! It's the butteriest tastiest shrimp I've ever had! Plus afterwards stop at the fish market and pick up fresh fish for dinner tomorrow! Yum :-) read more

Totally laid back atmosphere. Old wooden pier. You can walk , boat or drive there. Extremely fresh fish. Very friendly staff. Ice cold beer. I had the alligator bites, conch fritters and soft shell crab. All were great. Others had chowder and raved. If you want laid back atmosphere with friendly service at reasonable prices- this is a good option read more

One of our favorite places to go, a hidden treasure. I highly recommend the blackened grouper sandwich, and the cheese grits. Great live music too. read more

Not bad prices for sea food and great live entertainment, they had a band when we were there. Service was a bit slow, but it was also very busy that night. read more

Stopped in after a day at the beach. Hadn't been in for a few years so was pleased to see the place changed. Grouper was great, grilled, blackened and a sandwich for our family. The conch fritters were way too heavy and greasy, lacked conch meat and were just as big disappointment. Service was very poor and they were not busy. Be sure to review your bill. We did not have a large group, but a 15% tip was added without our consent or approval. We are big tippers, even when service is not so great, as we have all worked in the service industry. The girl stiffed herself out of a few more dollars by adding her own tip to the bill. read more

We had dinner last evening at the Cortez Kitchen, and enjoyed the food immensely. My husband had the seafood platter, and the amount of food was not disappointing like other AMI restaurants' seafood platters. The amount of food, quality and seasoning satisfied my husband, who is a big eater. If you are going to order a seafood platter while in Anna Maria Island, this is the ONLY place to do that! I ordered one of their specials, i.e., the prime rib sandwich. Yum! Cindy provided fast and accommodating service, and John, the bartender, knows how to pour a great rum drink! We will definitely be back!! read more

Nice place on the water. Good seafood and a nice menu with fair pricing. The royal red shrimp special was amazing, tasted like lobster. Service was very good. Not quite a 5, but a very solid 4. read more