A hidden gem in Belton if you are looking for a great brunch spot. Also good for group events. As soon as I stepped in the establishment I was greeted. Friendly staff and the food was on point. Couldn't ask for more. Definitely coming back if in the area read more

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The restaurant had great views and food. Will go back when in town. Sitting outside is recommended.

First time success. Great lake view, Great food and Great service. We will return next time in Belton.

Talk about ambiance! We lived in Gatesville and I never knew this place was so close. If you can, sit outside and enjoy the view. It was overcast when we were there, but we still enjoyed being outside looking at the water and having adult beverages and good food. The Cherry mojito was so refreshing. I also ordered the étouffée stuffed flounder. It was delish. It came with steamed veggies. The carrots were under done but the rest of the veggies were great. Our server was very attentive and made sure we had our drinks refilled and we didn't need anything. Loved this place. read more

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Great atmosphere, service, and food. I ordered the fish & chips same with my brother, my son ordered from the kids menu fried shrimp w/ fries, and my mom had shrimp and grits. All the food came out hot, fresh, and yummy! The view of the lake while eating was nice too. read more

Dead Fish Grill - FISH & CHIPS Beer-battered cod loins served w/ fries - American Near Me - Belton, Texas

Best shrimp and grits I've had in a long time!!! Everyone's food looked amazing, view was good and service was excellent, will definitely be back! read more

Dead Fish Grill - Shrimp n grits - American Near Me - Belton, Texas

With every restaurant, you either come for the vibes or for the food, never both, especially in this Central Texas-Austin area. But Lemme tell y'all... this place is exactly that. I was recommended this place by co-workers and there seemed to be mixed opinions about the food and ambiance. Because of this, we didn't come with high expectations at all. We came on a Wednesday around 7:30pm in August (Sunset: 8:15pm). The restaurant was kind of quiet and peaceful paired with the view of the lake. Service was a bit lack-lustered and disorganized at the beginning because we had at least three waitresses ask if our drink order was taken. But once that was settled, everything was pleasant. Our waitress was honest with us, gave us her recommendations etc. We asked about the chicken/steak options and they said "we're listed as a seafood restaurant, I would steer more towards those options." and as a man from Louisiana, I agree. I wanted seafood amidst all of the Texas BBQ and burger restaurants here. Pro-Tip: Order everything blackened if you want seasoned food. Our waitress also brought over the Louisiana Hot Sauce and their DFG Cajun Seasoning Blend to add on top. Without these additional condiments, food was a 5/10 or a 6/10. But with the additional seasoning, it was a solid 8/10. We got the blackened shrimp plate and the shrimp tacos (substituted grilled for blackened) with a side of Mac and Cheese and Brussel Sprouts. The Brussel Sprouts and Corn was alright and the Mac and Cheese was super cheesy (and the added seasoning made it even better). To the Restaurant, don't serve place white rice with your tacos. That's a waste of rice and an insult to tacos. Your pricing and portion sizes didn't make sense. I paid $6 for the mac and cheese and brussell sprouts, but I got a big bowl of mac and cheese and maybe 5 pieces of brussell sprouts. To the people who rate this place 3 stars are below, it is clear you guys don't ask questions about the menu or ask your servers about their opinion on the menu. Don't be afraid to ask for salt, hot-sauce or seasoning to make your experience better. If I hadn't shared I was a from Louisiana, I probably would have been disappointed by their Po-Boy and our server probably wouldn't have brought the cajun seasoning on their own accord. That was so sweet of her and made our food experience soo much better. read more

Came in on a Sunday late afternoon and was seated immediately. The staff were super nice. We got a window seat and it was such a great view, even with the rain and clouds. Party of four and we ordered the Cajun pasta, grilled catfish and shrimp plate, seafood gumbo, and fried catfish. Also got a side Caesar salad as well. The gumbo was extremely salty, it tasted more like a beef gravy than a gumbo. But the rice was cooked well atleast. The fried catfish was good, wish it had more of a crunch to it but it was light and not greasy. Hush puppies were good, they had a sweet flavor to them. The grilled catfish was good, had the right amount of seasoning on it, and the same with the shrimp. The brussel sprouts were a little overcooked, but had a good balsamic glaze on them. The pasta was okay, felt like it needed some more of something, whether it was seasoning or creaminess with the sauce. It was good, but not something I enjoyed or would get again. Nothing wrong with it, just not my personal liking. It also wasn't spicy but came with two small slices of sourdough garlic bread. Overall our experience was really nice, had a great view, but definitely a pricey place to eat at. We'd come here again on a sunny day rather than the rain. read more

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Aware that this was a holiday weekend, however, it was not that busy. Fried shrimp was awesome. Corn on the cob not so much. Tablespoon of cole slaw. Asked three times for tartar sauce, never received. Service from start to finish was very slow. read more

Dead fish grill is a stunning location and beautiful place to sit and enjoy a meal. I eat only small plates therefore I was a bit disappointed with how few my options were. However, the shrimp I ended up ordering were very tasty and prepared well (maybe just a little over cooked). Twice while I was there I had to stand up and go looking for my waiter to get service. That was a little disappointing for the price point should include excellent service. I ordered a cheesecake dessert to take home and will admit that I was shocked that it tasted like a frozen cheesecake I would buy from Sam's. Again I expect quality food at this price point. I may be wrong that it was frozen but nothing about it stood out. The stunning environment makes it worth returning. However, the food needs to live up to the location if I were to make it my home to place. read more

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My wife and I went here awhile ago, unfortunately it was raining, but the service and atmosphere were great, we'll have to go back on a clear day. The restaurant is actually on the lake! read more

First time in my life I have been served "Burned Oysters"... I had the Oyster Dinner so I had a whole plate of them!!!! You could smell they were burnt yet they still served them to me..... kinda unbelievable to be honest that they got past the kitchen staff & our waitress !!!!!!! I took my wife and oldest sister out there to celibate and they were having a good time , so I did not say anything .... I will just never go back or recommend Dead Fish to anyone in the future as the entire restaurant was a pig pen!!!! read more

I travel here for biz once a year. This is my go to place. My partner and I ate 4 meals here in two days. Chicken Ceasar Salad amazing, salmon salad amazing . Seafood platter amazing , shrimp bucket my favorite. Super busy on a Sat nite, we had left 1/2 thru our meal at Commonwealth (bad service and worse food), and went back to Dead Fish for the fried shrimp bucket. Even though packed, we were immediately seated lakeside . Drinks came fast and often. Lacy was our server and we wanted for nothing. She was kind, funny, attentive, and thorough . Thank you Lacy. You and Dead Fish turned our night around. Live music was a bonus. I can't wait til next year . read more

Absolutely gross. We're done thinking things will improve. Over the years we've enjoyed coming to visit with our family for various birthday and or celebrations. The ONLY thing they have going for it is the outdoor view. Service was extremely slow. Our apps came out with the food. Food was gross, some of our table had cold food, others didn't get their correct order. The ladies restroom was disgusting, there was had one working toilet out of 3, all clogged and overflowing with paper all on the floor. If the restrooms are that gross, it makes me concerned for the kitchen cleanliness. And yes we did ask for the manger and they never came by. I went and found him and advised the restrooms were awful, unsure if they did anything about it. Proceed with caution... read more

Had Easter morning breakfast at the Dead Fish Grill. Opening for breakfast on the weekends is a new thing for them, previously opened for brunch. If you are open at 0800 and place a bar menu on the table, you need to be able to serve from the bar. Not allowed by TABC until 1000. Hubby had the steak omelet, was good and had a biscuit with a choice of jelly. The "salad" on the plate was odd as they offered no dressing and it was just leafy greens. I had the French toast, seemed to be made from something other than regular white bread, was good if a bit dry, no option for sugarfree syrup. Had fruit on it that was fresh and tasty. No orange juice, if you are serving breakfast OJ should be an option. Service was great, she checked on us multiple times and suggested other dishes to go with our order! She said the doughnut holes are great, would like to try them, they come with a sauce for dipping. Next time!! Nice view to watch the birds and boats on the lake! read more

Place was clean and not busy. We sat on the patio with ab amazing view during sunset. The waiter was very helpful and came over often. One of the kids was unhappy with the kids' chicken meal and he was kind enough to swap it for cheeseburger. Over all the good was delicious, the live music was very welcoming. And the kids have fun playing toss it which set up in the middle part. Have nice large TVs with sports playing. I recommend this place. read more

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Outside seating is wonderful with a sunset view glimmering in the lake. Note that hot days aren't going to be as pleasant. Add short staffed, poor judgement, slow resolution to little things, long wait, and misinformation - then you'll have a horrible experience for a small birthday gathering. Little things - for example: the missing salad dressing... M.I.A for over half an hour along with our server. Ask a tiny favor from someone on the team - simple as that. We appreciate the apologies, but we don't appreciate feeling less important as customers, than the other party. They should've given our table to the other waitresses who were available. Downgrading the rating for customer service. 3*** is nice because of our waitresses personality. Bless her. read more

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Our friend group of ten (5 couples), decided to celebrate Christmas together at Dead Fish Grill. Cody, our server did a bang up job keeping the drinks coming, but also he gave us the time and space needed to exchange gifts and talk. We shared two orders of the queso appetizer and ordered a variety of dishes including; shrimp tacos, fish tacos, fried fish, shrimp and grits, and lobster ravioli for our mains. We appreciated the full bar and the varied adult beverage options. The ambience was pleasant and even though we didn't sit outside, the view of the lake was beautiful. As an added bonus my friend was chosen to 'fire the cannon' which is a nightly ritual. We had fun with that. Great company + good food + tasty alcoholic drinks = an amazing evening! read more

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Recently came here for an event and was not impressed, which is sad, because I remember how good this place was when it first opened. I will say the location on the lake is beautiful and there is a ton of available parking, but the food and the service left a lot to be desired. I was here with a groups of 32 people in a privately reserved room and there were two employees serving everyone. Which wouldn't have been a problem, but the person who served our table kept coming back to confirm what we ordered and completely forgot about our drinks even after we asked about them more than three times. I finally asked the other employee for our drinks and she promptly brought them out, which I appreciated. Come to find out that the employee we had at our table didn't even put in the drink orders for one of the women at the table. And I'm pretty sure she got a free drink out of it! As far as gluten free items, they have one option - the Gluten-Free Tilt Burger, which even has "gluten free" in the name, but I had the worst reaction I've had in a long time and even though I'm a Celiac, I'm usually not as sensitive to cross contamination so this one had to be BAD. Unfortunately, it also wasn't tasty enough to make it worth it, so I likely won't be coming back. Not a fan of this experience at all and I would not recommend this location. The food was decent, but not really anything to write home about. Presentation of the food was good, but the flavor just wasn't there. I think this would be a 3/10. read more

Server was so sweet. Great view. Food was mid at best, calamari was super rubbery and over cooked. We found a plastic stick in our burger(it was comped but still) oysters were funky in not a good way. Shrimp was cooked well and the jalapeño poppers were tasty. Just found out there is a recall on oysters so let's cross our fingers. Bathrooms definitely need to be attended to more, one of the toilets was covered in sticky stuff. read more

OK, so the atmosphere gets 10 out of five stars. During the day you have the best view in the area of Lake Belton, and even during the evening it's a great ambience. I took a picture of the fireplace because I would say this is one of the best seats when it's the evening and this fireplace kicks off some real heat. Cody was our waiter and he was super enthusiastic and knowledgeable about the restaurant, the menu, and was able to take care of us and make us feel right at home. Had the onion rings for an appetizer and then fried catfish and blackened shrimp with hush puppies and fries. It was good! Great combo with the blackened shrimp for sure. Overall highly recommend Dead Fish Grill. The food may not live up to the ambience, but it's overall a great restaurant! read more

Dead Fish Grill - American Near Me - Belton, Texas

Food was great! Service was horrible. We will sit outside next time as it was way too loud to even carry on a conversation inside. read more

Two stars for a great view with clean windows, service was okay, restaurant reasonably quiet, great beer, but I legitimately cannot say a nice thing about any of the food. read more

Dead Fish Grill - Flounder Etouffee blue plate special - American Near Me - Belton, Texas

Very best place for eat in Temple or Belton ! Food and service!!!!! Plus the view on the lake ! read more

First time coming here. Ambiance was quite nice, sat outside with a lake view. Food however was okay. Service was okay too. Got the chicken and waffles. This is what mine looked like. Very little berries, not even a whole strawberry's worth, literally half a strawberry. They brought the whipped cream out on the side after hearing I was wondering where it was. Chicken was good, nothing out of the ordinary. Waffles were very dry though! Would not recommend these. My mom got this same thing but with pancakes instead, still very little berries but the pancakes were definitely better than the waffles. - not pictured. My sister got the fried catfish plate, it was very tasty. The coleslaw was NOT good, tasted old with lots of vinegar. - not pictured. read more

Dead Fish Grill - Chicken & Waffles - American Near Me - Belton, Texas

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Hmmm, I guess I'm perplexed but not surprised. Is it a requisite that restaurants with great views have mediocre food? Seems to happen alot in this state; here's looking at you Oasis on Lake Travis. Unfortunately, Dead Fish Grill proved said stereotype on a recent visit. I'll first give props to our server who waited on our group; kid was really on his game from start to finish. Maybe I should knock the star count up to four but I just can't justify doing it hearing complaints from our diners. Everyone was pointing out something. One diner swore the waffle from the chick/waffle was made the day before. Cold, tough, barely a bite taken after the first. That wasn't the only bread issue either. Give me a hockey stick and my biscuit would have became a lethal weapon. The blackened fish lacked seasoning and was slightly overcooked. Had to actually use a knife to cut it! Catfish people...it's not that hard to cook. Cheesy grits were so dense it was an unappealing lump of sadness. First time I've eaten tarter sauce just to get calories. read more

Dead Fish Grill - Blackened Catfish, Grits, Fries, and Brunch Biscuits - American Near Me - Belton, Texas

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Came here on Father's Day, I booked my reservation a week an advanced. If you plan on coming here I recommend planning ahead because walking in for a table won't happen and same day reservations are all booked up. The west patio was where we sat, and it was a gorgeous view of the water (try to get a table right next to the window for a better view). The grilled ship appetizer was yummy, we got the 1/2lb which was enough for 2 people. Then for entrees I got the fried catfish which was really tasty. The hush puppies that it came with were yummy too! I wasn't a fan of the fries, they were cooked unevenly. And the coleslaw I wish it was an actual side and not a "garnish" because it was really good. The corn was OK, it had seasoning slapped on one part of the corn so the bite was a little much. My husband had the fried red snapper and it was HUGE. So if you're wondering the size of that dish, you get what you paid for. It had brussel sprouts which I thought were delicious, they had a sweet taste to them. It also came with corn and rice. The pesto sauce it came with was okay, idk how I felt about it on the fish, ended up being left out. He ordered the black cherry mojito which was very sweet, you couldn't even taste the alcohol though... and for desert we got the banana pudding which was again, just OK. Wouldn't order desert here again. Overall really nice experience, would come back here again for dinner! read more

Dead Fish Grill - Sunset on back patio - American Near Me - Belton, Texas

I would come here for the view and ambiance, not the food. Food is mediocre. 4 Stars for location read more

Dead Fish Grill, well our second time there. We sat outside and ordered cerviche and to say it as best as I can. It was horrible, too much pico and mango, virtually no Mahi Mahi or shrimp. The taste was nothing like any cerviche that I have had. We sat ithe "cerviche " aside as a fly attraction. The flys, there had to be 50 flying around our table My wife ordered fried shrimp and they were great. So if you go, sit inside and pass on the cerviche and order shrimp. read more

A little specialized review, with the disclaimer that the last time we came here as regular diners was before the pandemic. My boss had my retirement dinner put on out here in the Regatta Room. The three meal(s) available for the large group were a fish, a shrimp, and a chicken fried steak choice, with a variety of sides. Non alcoholic drinks were set up as a serve yourself bar, and all regular bar drinks, wine and beer were available to be ordered through the servers. Our lead server (Whitney) said the sides could be mixed and matched regardless of how they showed up on the menu. Our lead server did an outstanding job of taking care of everybody, aided by Rebecca. They were on top of their game, it is always a pleasure to see people that are good at what they do. Everybody in the group commented on the service in a positive way. The room was well set up, and private - no odd people wandering through during the farewells. It even had it's own restrooms by the side. This would be a nice venue for any private party event. The Grill has a tradition of firing off a signal cannon at sunset - Whitney let the manager know it was my retirement dinner, so the manager came and got me, let me fire it off since I was the guest of honor. I would've never thought of that, it was a nice thoughtful touch from the place. My boss did it up right working with Jasmine here as the coordinator, and made my dinner truly memorable! read more

Dead Fish Grill - Impressive smoke and flame! - American Near Me - Belton, Texas

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the drinks TERRIBLE taste like it WAS out of the sea. I WILL NOT be coming back here. Guys PLEASE if you come here do not get the drinks The service is slow they take wayyy to long to come back and get your order. read more

We decided to try Dead Fish Grill after a recommendation from a friend. The interior is pretty neat and it is a good size place. The views are beautiful with the water whether out on the patio or inside against the glass. The service was OK. The food was pretty good. We had the boudin balls (which our waitress was unsure of what that consisted of) Cajun pasta, and bbq burger. We also had Df Old fashioned and DF margarita. The drinks were decent but the old fashioned was not as advertised on the menu. I was a bit surprised to see there is a surcharge for using your card to pay (which most use at restaurants) and that wasn't mentioned at all. It's not a huge amount but still odd to me as most places don't charge that. That's a big turn off. Happy we tried this place but we won't be in any rush to come back in the next few years. read more

Dead Fish Grill - American Near Me - Belton, Texas

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Stop by Sunday afternoon with the wife and the mother in law. I had The Catfish Platter Blackened. Very delicious. My mother in-law had the fillet. She said it was excellent. My wife as usual cheese burger and fries. She doesn't venture too far out of her food zone. Waitress was training new person. They had their A game going. Great table by the window watching everyone on the lake. read more

Dead Fish Grill - Dead Fish Grill - American Near Me - Belton, Texas

Love the food! Friendly staff! Weren't with my husband and daughter, had a very enjoyable meal.

Buy a restaurant with fantastic views, hire a guy that loves to fry fish, and half the local high school dance team. Let customers track down servers for necessaries and Never work another day of your life! This is the business plan at Dead Fish, so don't expect anyone to bring you a menu or take your order, or bring you plates, or ask if your order is ok. Hint: sit at the bar, where they cannot hide. Otherwise walk to the kitchen entry where you'll find them lounging. read more

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Brand new menu, new chef I hear so we were ready to try it out again after a long time. The new menu has a good variety without being overwhelming at all. A decent appetizer selection, we decided to try the "Surf and Turf Empanadas" since this seemed very unique. It definitely had pros and cons: good flaky pastry, not too greasy at all, came out piping hot, good texture for the filling, came with 5; NOW I definitely would not call this "surf" claiming there is lobster in it, I thoroughly looked inside every single one while eating it and we didn't see a single bit of lobster nor did we taste it at all. The flavor is where I had trouble, it was quite smoky tasting most likely from chipotles or smoked paprika. The flavor was so strong that if there would have been any lobster it surely covered up the delicate sweetness. I wouldn't order these again based on flavor alone. Main: We ordered the Lobster and Shrimp Fra Diavola, Wedge Salad, and bowl of gumbo. 2 out of 3 were good. The "gumbo" was just about the worst I've ever had, it was thick like gravy, overly salty, and came out room temp. I highly suggest they work on their "gumbo" recipe, cause THAT was NOT gumbo, not even edible. As bad as that was, the Fra Diavola was truly very good, perfectly cooked linguine and seafood and a wonderfully spiced and flavored rich tomato sauce. $29 is pretty pricy but this dish hit the mark. The wedge salad sounded amazing from the menu and it really was excellent. It was a little over dressed, a slightly lighter hand would taste better and save some cost there. It had wonderful pickled red onion, thin sliced watermelon radish adorned the top, rich balsamic and chunky creamy blue cheese and bits of bacon, and fantastic blistered small tomatoes! Truly well thought out salad and I would recommend. Their saving grace...the KEY LIME PIE! Absolutely divine. So happy to have ended on such a sweet note. This pie was worth the trip. It ranked up there with the best I've had in Florida. It was cold, creamy, with the perfect amount of puckering tartness from fresh limes and tons of whipped cream on top! Truly, crave-able. There were a few other menu items that peaked my interest, combine that with the good service, great ambience by the fireplace on this cold winter night, I'd be tempted to go back someday. read more

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We called early about an anniversary dinner we have done here before. We were very disappointed this year. There was NOTHING done as in previous years even though it was properly reserved. An even though it was sad for my wife and the management was notified, we didn't even get the manager over to apologize for the mishap. The waitress was super apologetic and super sweet. If I had not brought flowers to the restaurant earlier in the day I it would have been a total disaster. We enjoyed the food, enjoyed the drinks, disappointed at what we asked for and have received in past years. read more

Best view in Bell County! Pet friendly! I suggest shrimp and grits. Catfish and fried shrimp is quite delicious! read more

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I was in town visiting my dear friend and she mentioned how she read about Dead Fish Grill in the paper and wanted to try. Easy parking and a beautiful view of the lake. Restaurant was clean and staff was attentive. That is where the best part of this experience ends...we got the Crab and corn beignets to start...almost inedible with too much salt and. The insides were a mushy almost liquid mess - nothing beignet about them. My friend got the Cajun pasta which contained seafood that didn't taste great and old. I got a wedge salad that was ok. Not worth a stop if you're looking for good food. Incredible views but that won't keep us coming back. read more

Food wasn't impressive. Mimosa: Refreshing Calamari for appetizer: over cooked but flavor was decent Crab Cake Benedict: BLAND! Egg wasn't prepared right. Chicken & Waffles: waffles were good, don't expect a bone in chicken thigh bc you'll get these strips that supposedly are cut from thighs. Shrimp & Grits: taste better than it looks. A little salty but definitely not $17 worth! Overall our waitress was pleasant but idk if I'd come back. Spent $111 including tip for brunch & it's not worth it to me. Not for an establishment like this. I expect the food to be impressive like the view. read more

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