In Orange Beach on vacation one week ago and discovered this jewel; we went for the early bird special served daily from 4 to 6 PM. If you do not have a huge appetite, the early bird special is for you! You have a choice of a starter, an entrée and a dessert for $29.99, including a 5 oz steak filet. The other special on the early bird is a 5 ounce filet served with your choice of house salad or soup for $19.99. I went with the first option of a house salad, the 5 oz filet, and for dessert I chose the bread pudding option. Oh, I forgot to mention the filet is served with a side of smashed then deep-fried red potatoes, which were delicious. They make their salad dressings in house as well. The steak was cooked perfectly and well seasoned. The service was top-notch! Waiter was patient with our group of 7 (including 2 teenagers & a 7 y/o), and a perfectly polite southern gentleman! On our way out, I did notice the place had completely filled up, so there may be a bit of a wait if you go during normal dinner hours ‍ It is an older building but delightfully clean with lots of seating. Seating is upstairs but an elevator is available, if needed. When back in the area, we will definitely repeat this establishment ! read more

Wasn't a bad experience nor was it a terrific experience, food was good, service was really good and the atmosphere was good. read more

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Cotton's Restaurant & Lounge has been on my radar for many years and I finally got around to dining at this establishment. They are NEVER open for lunch for they do open early and offer some good specials. I sampled some of their early bird specials and I was overall quite happy with the food and the price. The service was attentive and kept my drink filled. The ambiance here is old school but still nice enough to be in the realm of a fine dining establishment or as close to that as you tend to get in the Orange Beach area. The same people that own Cotton's also own The Cove which I have eaten at many times over many years and they do offer The Cove burger here as well which is a very good burger. They don't offer a military discount here like most of the other restaurants in the area but their early bird specials are still nicely priced for the several courses that you get. Overall I would certainly return to sample more of the items they offer here but their lack of a lunch service makes me a bit sad as I would enjoy lunch here. read more

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Well. Short story. Got the 5oz filet which was slightly under the ordered medium rare. Seasoning was good. But the disappointments are lobster bisque had zero lobster bits. It was 100% blended mush. Crab queso dip was the same blended mush with no crab bits. The stuffed shrimp was "stuffed" with blended crab and bread mush. Just not impressed with anything seafood related. Was anything fresh in the seafood dishes???? Service was good. Prices are ok but overall there are too many other dining choices. I won't be back. read more

Very dissatisfied with the whole experience and the food. The server could care less, and the vibe was nonexistent. read more

The food was great, the service was excellent and ambiance was great as well. Took my granddaughters for the youngest birthday and had a great meal. They all got filets which were cooked to perfection and my seafood platter was excellent! We will definitely be back ! read more

Cotton's Restaurant & Lounge - 3 filets and a seafood platter - Seafood Near Me - Orange Beach, Alabama

Restaurant was nice and decor was more old school with wood paneling. Dining is upstairs, but they have a lift if needed. Got bushwackers and pina coladas which were pretty tasty and a nice frozen treat after being in the heat. Wait staff was fairly attentive and friendly. Food was okay, but not overwhelming good with smaller portions for the price compared to the area. Husband didn't care for the fried oysters-felt they were overly breaded. The crab cakes were fairly tasty, but the brown roumalade sauce was a little too mustardy for me (I also prefer the pink roumalade). read more

Cotton's Restaurant & Lounge - Crab cake dinner - Seafood Near Me - Orange Beach, Alabama

Service was lacking. Waited a long time to even get drinks. The food was ok. Crab cakes were ok but sauce was overpowering. Fish tacos were ok but the fish was tiny, more like 1/2 tacos. Didn't like the added gratuity for our party of six, especially since the service was bad. Wouldn't go back. read more

Steaks are incredible! Amazing Service and a hometown feel for the ambiance. We'll be back.

Food, service, and ambiance were superb! Hadn't planned in advance, just went when hunger pain struck... Happened upon Earky Bird Specials bc we arrived at 4pm... 3-course meal (appetizer, entree, and desert) for $29.95.... For appetizer I selected fried green tomatoes.... They were so good, I will be ordering them again in the future...For my entree, I selected the snow crab legs and beef tips... I thought I can't go wrong with crab legs because I've never had bad ones....I was taking a risk ordering the beef tips... I'm really picky about steak... To my surprise, the steak was perfectly cooked and flavored very well... The crab legs and beef tips were served with smashed potatoes, as a side... Smashed potatoes are mashed potatoes, fried into little cakes... A condiment container with sour cream and chives were optional for those... All that was filling, but still had my desert to go... OMG, i made the right decision with it.... The bread pudding w Bourbon sauce was Scrumdiddlyumptious...I also can't forget to mention the Bushwhacker I had w an added Carmel floater... What a delight, to wet my whistle... My husband got one of the house specials off the early bird menu, stuffed chicken....He also had fried shrimp.... He was very pleased with both, to include his brownie for desert.- Service couldn't have been any better... One set of crab legs lacked meat, and the mngr was happy to replace it with a much bigger and meatier set... Our waitress was on point, adding to our wonderful dining experience. We had one of the best, if not the best seats in the restaurant... We were able to look out the window and have a good view, while we ate our food....Cotton's is open 4- 10, so we had plenty of daylight to enjoy the scenery. We will be back again, sooner than later... I rarely give 5 star ratings, but this place earned it! read more

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I had the shrimp pasta and it was delicious! I ordered a spicy margarita and it was perfect. The service was great and our waitress was very friendly. read more

This place is amazing , the crab cakes and the filet mignon are perfect. Probably the best restaurant we had in Gulf Shores, staff was extremely friendly. Even the kids steak was good my kids use steak sauce for everything and didn't even use it here. read more

The Fried Green Tomatoes were pretty good. The horseradish sauce with blue cheese crumble was delicious! Husband had the "SPECIAL" Broiled Halibut with Grits . He loved it! ! We sat at the bar to eat. Our server/bartender was very nice and attentive. We went on a Tuesday on Thanksgiving week, not alot of people. The ladies bathroom was clean. There are alot of stairs to walk up, but I think they have an elevator for those that cannot take the stairs. Will definitely go back next time we visit! read more

Cotton's Restaurant & Lounge - Fried Green Tomatoes at the bar. - Seafood Near Me - Orange Beach, Alabama

Food was outstanding at Cotten's. They were a little short staffed, but it also was a Monday evening. Bartender was doing double duty tending bar and tables. Expensive, yes...good food, certainly yes. read more

Dropped in here on a whim. It was good. Service was very good and totally helpful in making decision between seafood offerings. I'm opted for a steak myself but I will offer some insight- believe the menu when ordering the desired cooking temp. I second guessed them and it was a bit overdone, but that was absolutely my fault. Very clean establishment, a little more costly than average, but menu offerings were also of better choosing as well. Good stop, worth it if in the area. read more

Enjoyed Cotton's very much! We got the stuffed mushrooms and crab queso for appetizers. Both were delicious. Everyone in our party got the Special which was Blackened grouper with creole cream sauce, rice and veggies. It was so good! Service was friendly and food came out fast. We did not have a wait on a Wednesday around 6:30pm. The only thing I would have preferred is if they let us substitute the special's sides. Other than that everything was fantastic! read more

Cotton's Restaurant & Lounge - Blackened Grouper w/creole cream sauce, rice pilaf and veggies. - Seafood Near Me - Orange Beach, Alabama

Food good but ridiculous price on drink refills. Charged $5 to get refill on Diet Coke. Be ware of costs!!!

Food was SO overpriced!! Burger tasted as if it had been covered with pepper. Fries were horrible! NEVER AGAIN!!

Appetizers were taste and there were plenty. We got the shrooms and fried crab claws. The food was good. The shrimp were large but chewy. We did get a seat immediately at prime dinner time. The wait for the food was lengthy. read more

We really enjoyed this! I got the early bird special.. such a full serving! The fried green tomatoes were so good! I got a bushwhacker too with a peanut butter topper. Looked like it was family friendly too! read more

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Service bad because, messed up order and not very friendly. Food was terrible because they have nothing on the menu for me I am a very picky eater. They don't have cheese sticks, queso, salsa, fried pickles, and no thing but seafood. read more

Food was okay. Service was lacking. Nothing special. Prices were about average for a tourist town. Our waitress was great....with the table next to ours. Drinks were slow to come out. One in our party ordered a side of cole slaw. She brought out fried okra. Then proceeded to tell us that was what was ordered bc they don't have Cole slaw. ‍ Food was just okay. Nothing special. read more

I was very reluctant to try this restaurant due to reviews. So glad I tried it. There isn't anything I can say negative. The service (Remie) was truly amazing. The food was top notch. When it came to clearing the tables, a team of two came and worked together to get it done. Everything about this establishment is a 5 star! read more

Still pretty empty, they do have an elevator to get to the second floor dining. Kids menu was ok, food was ok, wait staff this year was lacking. Just not a good time at all for us. read more

Best food we had in Orange Beach. I had the catch of the day, Flounder, Oscar and my daughter had the stuffed shrimp. Exquisite! Service and ambience were great. Would definitely eat here again! read more

I loved the steak and the service was super fast. would come here again and they have good employees

This was our first time here and the food and the service were amazing. Nikki, our server, was great and very knowledgeable about the menu. The steak was also delicious! I definitely recommend Cotton's! read more

We've gone four years in a row and this year was horrible. Tacos completely fell apart before too could even take one bite. Burger was dry and almost inedible. Fries were good and so was the homemade ranch. Sadly we will not be back another year. read more

Only complaint I had was we waited a while to place a drink order. After that everything was great. Food was quick. Nothing earth shattering great but good food. Didn't have to wait and after a full day of OWA that meant a ton. read more

Good and service were excellent! Price was amazing! No complaints-we had buttery crab legs, creamy seafood linguini, and perfectly cooked filet! read more

Had a wonderful dinner with fried green tomatoes to start off then the crab legs were fantastic, crab legs, great ribeye steak was charred perfectly and had a wonderful flavor cooked to perfection. Had a salad and the ranch dressing was homemade l, the baked potato was full of flavor with a gigantic, heaping mound of butter. That was so delicious. Lemon drop spicy martini was perfect with this meal and we finish the night off with their key lime pie and it was so good and authentic. read more

Cotton's Restaurant & Lounge - River with asparagus and crab legs, a pound and a half - Seafood Near Me - Orange Beach, Alabama

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We had a pretty good experience here. They were crowed on a Saturday night, and we had about a 40 minute wait, but that wasn't unexpected. We waited in our cars. Mask wearing was pretty minimal at this place between the staff and customers. So this is probably not a good option if you're observing covid protocols. Food was pretty good. We the crab queso to start, and that was pretty good. It came with homemade pita chips. For my entree I had the stuffed chicken bread. It was well seasoned, and the stuffing was really good. I got a baked potato on the side. Fresh catch of the day was salmon with a maple Dijon sauce which someone else in my group got, and it was good as well. Overall we were happy with the food. Service was good especially considering how busy they were. But, like most other places at the beach, not great for following covid restrictions. read more

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My husband and I had dinner here last night. It was not very good. You must first climb two different sets of stairs to gain access to the dining room. I had the pasta dish which had NO flavor very benign. My husband had the fried oysters, was too much batter, more batter than oyster. The service was great. Our waitress was excellent. This not so great meal was $100. It is not likely that we will return to this establishment for future meals. We are locals and go out at least once a week. T read more

We came here on a last minute decision. I've passed this place so many times and I've never decided to eat here. We had sushi previously before coming here tonight. We sat at the bar and had AMAZING service. They didn't rush us. We stayed past closing and they were in no way rushing us. I had the crab claws sautéed and Blake had a loaded baked potato and we both loved what we got. We will literally go back tomorrow and eat dinner here plus the staff was above and beyond. read more

Cotton's Restaurant & Lounge - Sautéed crab claws - Seafood Near Me - Orange Beach, Alabama

Service was good, but food was not at all. Cold and bland. Crab claws was definitely pre-frozen they were mushy snow, crab legs as well lobster was rubbery. Was not a really good experience with food. read more

Great restaurant that we have enjoyed for decades. The service and food are excellent. Highly recommend it.

My son loved the crab legs. I had the grilled chicken and it was very good. Service was good. Wait time was about 20 minutes which wasn't bad. read more

We haven't eaten at Cotton's in years but were happy to see them still open and not too busy on a Thursday night. We ordered the crab queso as an appetizer along with shrimp stuffed avocados with an add-on baked potato side, broiled shrimp tacos ( build your own) with a sweet potato side, and fried shrimp with a sweet potato side. Everything was delicious and we had enough for one to go box. Our server Morgan was attentive and knowledgeable! Definitely consider stopping in to this Gulf Shores OG staple! read more

September 2020; Masks worn by all. We like to go to cottons for a "nicer" meal. Steak and seafood. We love the $30 filet mignon with shrimp or crab cake on top and $22 stuffed chicken was fantastic. Service was good but very busy. We made sure to look at the menu while waiting for table so we could order right away. Loud but fun environment. I suggest looking at menu ahead of time and planning for a long experience at the restaurant but the food is great! Go early for dinner for a seat! read more

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I rate this 6 stars!!! I've never had a bad meal or service at Cottons. This is the 3rd time this year I've visited Gulf Shores & Cottons never disappoints me! Not only are the meals fantastic, the drinks are unmeasurably awesome! You must try the Bushwackers!! The very best on the coast....and I've tried them all! Not only is the food great, the price point is an excellent value! I can't tell you what to order because everyone in my group ate something different & it was all VERY GOOD. The quality of service is consistently excellent!! Check it out! You will love it as much as I do! read more