Everything was delicious. Serving sizes were unexpectedly large. The waitress was friendly, offering helpful suggestions. Relaxed enjoy the sun and water atmosphere. read more

This was our fifth visit over several years to this hidden treasure at Ponce Inlet Florida! Taking a road trip with friends, we chose to spend some time at Daytona Beach allowing us to revisit an old acquaintance ... the restaurant "Down the Hatch!". Located right on the water allowing a wide range of options for diners to arrive in style. This rustic restaurant offered indoor and outdoor seating with fresh catches of the day along with "fish camp" staples of shrimp, scallops, pasta, salads with assorted chicken and steak options. A wide variety of draft and bottled beer as well as house specialties from a full bar. We arrived to enjoy a slightly late lunch so the crowd inside was small but a much larger group of diners were enjoying a really warm afternoon in the shade of an overhead tent allowing for gentle breeze cooling everyone from the waters edge to to the parking lot! Our server was very attentive and handled all of our orders very efficiently! I would encourage everyone who might be in the Daytona Beach (Ponce Inlet) area to make the effort to locate and thoroughly enjoy lunch or dinner at this local gem practically in the shadow of the nearby lighthouse! read more

Food was awesome as always. Cant beat the waterfront views (even from inside) Katie, my server, was amazing. My go to is typically the pounder flounder sandwich...a lb of delicious flounder. Had cheesecake this time too...Rich & creamy along with real whipped cream. read more

See all

Well - we were told that it would be 30 minutes to get a table so we put our name in and were told we could get drinks at the bar while we waited. Unfortunately, my rating is going to be based on the bartender & clientele. The end of the bar is where we stood in line behind another couple for close to 15 minutes without an acknowledgment from the bartender. Another couple arrived after us and asked if we were in line and I told them - yes - behind this couple in front of us. The bartender finally finished with the couple in front of us and went to take the order from the couple behind us! The guy behind us wasn't even polite enough to say - "they are first". Forget it! We left. Food may be fantastic but we didn't get to try it. :/ Only good thing - I did get a picture of the view. read more

Down the Hatch - The view - Seafood Near Me - Ponce Inlet, Florida

The Good: Decent Seafood The Bad: Long Wait Time for table and bar drinks The Ugly: Extremely long wait for food You are defiantly going to need your maps maps app on you phone to get to this place because it's not off a main road. The whole place is decorated like a typical seafood restaurant having nautical and other types of furnishings. We had to wait over 20 minutes to get a table. Since this was out second stop we decided to wait it out but many other bailed. Most of the wait dues to not having enough workers in the kitchen and bar causing everything to back up. We ordered BangBang Shrimp appetizer ($20) and a chicken sandwich ($19) that came with fries. The shrimp looked like they were chopped up into small bites and were over sauced. I would not get them again. The chicken sandwich was decent. The draft beer was the most expensive for the whole trip at $5.50 for a pint. I don't think I would come back to this place because it's out of the way, expensive, and doesn't have a lot of non-seafood options read more

The food is always great! Outdoor by the water is a must, but seating and another bar inside as well. Drinks and live music outside. Our server, sorry I forgot his name, was on top of it. Thank you. read more

Down the Hatch - Waterfront seafood and more. Indoor and outdoor seating. Multiple bars and tvs. Live music. Great view. - Seafood Near Me - Ponce Inlet, Florida

We'd come here again and again. Vibe is right, views are amazing, service exceptional, food fresh and delicious. They have both inside and outside seating, always outside on the water for us. Bonus, they offer crackers for the kids to toss over the rail to the fish (free entertainment). Live music on the weekends, outdoor tv for football. Something we appreciate is they light up the smoker on the weekends and offer smoked oysters and wings which are out of this world amazing. This is the kinda spot you can sit and hang for hours on a nice afternoon. Worth the stop and definitely added to our "return to" list. read more

See all

Nice festive atmosphere and plenty of indoor and outdoor seating overlooking the water and boaters. The staff is very friendly and checked on us often while keeping our drinks refilled for a party of 4. The food is well prepared in general. My grilled scallops were quite salty but perfectly prepared. A few squeezes of lemon juice toned down the saltiness. Interestingly, the house made chips while crunchy and delicious was salt free. I also ordered "she" crab soup that was extra thick, but my goodness was it tasty! I took it home and enjoyed a thinned out version later. My husband completely enjoyed his Hatch Fish sandwich. The couple we were with ordered the bang bang shrimp and coconut shrimp. They seemed to enjoy their meals very much. Our desserts of lava cake and banana foster was surprising but still a decadent delight. The lava cake was a soft cookie bowl with a creamy chocolate center. Not what we were expecting but good. The banana foster was a small slice of pie but oh so yummy! In all, the food was still good and we would return again now that we know what to expect. Seriously good food, just prepared a bit differently. read more

See all

My family has been going to this restaurant for over 35 years, but never again. The prices are outrageous and no substitutions for small children is beyond comprehension. You can't sub French fries for mashed potatoes?? You lost very loyal customers!! read more

The food was absolutely incredible. We had the stuffed flounder rolls, and the shrimp Alfredo. The service was amazing and they were so kind. Outside was nice and clean and you could see all the birds and boats. I will definitely come back here again. read more

See all

Wonderful evening spent with family and gorgeous views! We were celebrating awards my daughters' received at school and our waitress, Sherry, went above and beyond to make the meal special! The food was excellent! Highly recommend the fish dip, as well as the trigger fish sandwich! Can't wait to go back! read more

Down the Hatch - Seafood Near Me - Ponce Inlet, Florida

Setting with a view of river watching boats come and go . All in our party enjoyed the table and the meal. The waitress did a fine job taking care of us. read more

Service and food is 2 stars at best, location is beautiful. Prices are not worth it, others places down the road are better!!! Beware of the tough brisket tacos read more

First, the food is excellent. The majority of the seating is outside and provides for great sunsets. Service was a bit on the slow side but still acceptable. This is one of the best dining options in the Ponce Inlet area. read more

We decided to venture out to a new place on Sunday afternoon. I have been craving fresh oysters. So glad we came here! We have had a place in Daytona Beach Shores for 9 years and have never been here before. The vibe at the outside bar was laid back with great live music. The service was friendly and the martinis and oysters were perfect. I cannot wait to come back for more of both the oysters on the half shell and the baked Parmesan oysters. YUM!!! read more

Down the Hatch - Parmesan Oysters - Seafood Near Me - Ponce Inlet, Florida

See all

Great food with a great ambiance. Now have waitress service, use to order from a walk up service. Will be returning next year! read more

Not only do you have the slowest unprofessional staff in all on Ponce, yall should really have staff hold their tongue and avoid talking shit about customers around other customers. Waited 27 minutes for a drink and then another 45 minutes for one sandwich that ARRIVED COLD. Yall want us to spend more money after this horrible service. By far the worst place I've been down here and I'll let it be known. Yall need to step it up bad food bad drinks bad service read more

Great service! Good family atmosphere and a fun place for all. The food selection is fantastic. We had one of their new menu options with blackened flounder and shrimp combined with rice pilaf and green beans and we added a great side salad. This location is placed on a pier extending into the Atlantic Ocean and the views of the ocean and the Daytona boardwalk which offer endless beautiful sights to see while you dine. You won't want to leave! Highly recommended for all! read more

Down the Hatch - Joe's Crab Shack at Daytona Beach Boardwalk - Seafood Near Me - Ponce Inlet, Florida

I visited yesterday Down the Hatch for the first time. I got welcomed with a pleasant smell from the BBQ Smoker . I chose to sit at the bar . The bartender was very friendly and knowledgeable . I ordered a pulled pork sandwich which was very tasty. It included fries and coleslaw overall a pretty big portion. The restaurant wasn't too busy for a Friday afternoon. There is a decent amount of seating available with very comfortable chairs. The restaurant is very clean and well maintained. The staff is well trained and friendly. Manager Shawn was helpful with resolving a small problem which occurred . I can recommend this establishment. read more

Down the Hatch - Pulled pork sandwich - Seafood Near Me - Ponce Inlet, Florida

My husband and I visited Down the Hatch for lunch on the way to the Ponce Inlet Lighthouse. We love finding hole-in-the-wall places to eat when we travel. So often they are way better than the tourist traps close to where your vacation rental is. This place did not disappoint! I had fish tacos. I asked our server if he liked them, and when he said he did, I asked how he recommended to have the fish cooked. You could have it blackened, broiled or fried. He recommended the blackened, so that's what I had. They were excellent! The piece of fish in both the tacos was the perfect amount. They had shredded cabbage and an awesome aioli sauce on top. The tacos were served with fresh homemade potato chips. I highly recommend it! My husband had fish and chips. The beer battered fish looked like it was a half of a fish! It was cooked perfectly and served with crisscross potato fries. He said it was really good. We aren't sure if it was local fish or not, but they served it well. The server was great and the food came out quickly. There was a live band playing, which was a bonus! If you are in the area of Ponce Inlet Lighthouse, we recommend you seek out this gem that is off the beaten path. read more

Down the Hatch - The restaurant's sign - Seafood Near Me - Ponce Inlet, Florida

I had the ribeye, I asked for it medium well and it came back still kinda bleeding and overly chewy, the fries were very mid. NOW the ambiance I love and the view I love, the service is great !!!! The bathrooms are clean :) maybe better to go here for drinks only. read more

First time here. Stopped by on the way to Ponce inlet park and they are dog friendly. Staff were nice and ambiance was good. Took 45 minutes to get food at 1pm. They stated a large party came in and apologized. When the food arrived it was cold, the fish tacos were cool all the way through. Portions were small for the price. The buffalo shrimp wasn't warm and the breading was mushier than it should have been even for being tossed in sauce. Kind of mixed if this bad experience was just this time, but they should know better not to put entire group tickets in front of individual tables if that was the cause. Will try again in the future and update if it's better. read more

Debbie was our server and she was fantastic from the start. Food was out of this world and Debbie gave the best recommendations. We got the blackened fish, smoked gouda salmon, coconut shrimp, and the green beans as a side - all are must haves! Would 10/10 recommend and we will be coming back for the great food and the even better service!! read more

This is the best restaurant I have ever been too in my life the food is great the live music is great and the staff members are really nice and it took me 10 minutes to get my food and it took 2 minutes too get my drink read more

Great food, great atmosphere great service. The smoked oysters are awesome. The smoked buffalo wings are awesome and I love their prime rib.

Down the hatch is great place to enjoy the scenery on the deck and kick back. Listened to the entertainment. Actually was pretty good and got the crowd going with the song sweet Caroline. Weather was nice to sit out on the deck. Started off with a couple of beers and just a nice snack. Candyce got the chicken tenders with the fries. I saw the smoked parmesan oysters. Omg.... those were so good. Good service. Great vibes from entertainment. Been awhile being at the hatch. read more

See all

Food was absolutely amazing. My fish was like butter. The green beans were in an Asian type sauce really good. My husband had the spine lobster tail, loved it as well. The chocolate lava, I mean of course that was delicious. The ambience was great, we sat inside. But the service was out of this world great. Liz was very sweet and always checked how we were doing. This place is a must and we will for sure be back. read more

See all

SUPERB FOOD, FRIENDLY SERVICE, AND IMMACULATE VIBES!!! Reasonably priced food that is full of flavor and fresh. For not being beachside, this place has views you can't beat. The drinks are good and strong. The service is friendly but can be slow when it's busy, understandably. It's a must-visit for dinner in Daytona! read more

See all

Service was phenomenal. Food was great! Best pice on snow crab in town. We always visit and sit outside when we come to Florida.

excellent food and service! Our server Debbie was very attentive and friendly.Great sense of humor, adding to the overall experience Many Mahalos Bryan read more

Enjoyed lunch on the outside patio today. The food is always good, but today we had exceptional service from Debbie. She was warm, friendly, knowledgeable and attentive. From the moment we sat down when she greeted us and gave us a run down of the popular menu items and fish of the day options, to continually checking on us, the experience was a 10! Thank you Debbie for a great lunch experience! read more

My food was delicious, shrimp scampi. It wasn't the ordinary scampi because it had grape tomatoes. My friends ordered the trigger fish. They said it was flavorful but it was overcooked. Prices were good. Nice selection of entrees. The service was slow especially since we were there before the dinner crowd. Coffee wasn't good but no too many people order decaf so it might have been there a while. The waitress had the charge of the coffee removed which was good. This place has excellent rating from the Life Kitchen app. I would go there again. It's not a great idea to eat outside on a hot muggy night, too many mosquitoes. read more

Great food! Had the chef special shrimp Po'Boy. Friendly staff, quick service, and great outdoor seating. read more

Down the Hatch - Shrimp Po'Boy - Seafood Near Me - Ponce Inlet, Florida

The food was great. We ate outside to enjoy the dock vibe. Had to remove a star due to the off putting service. When we got there the outside area was closed off, but we could see people dining. We went inside to ask about outdoor seating and was told to see the outdoor hostess. She and about three other servers were just standing around chatting and never acknowledged us. When we asked about being sat she seemed annoyed and said the patio didn't open for another 5 minutes. She asked if we wanted table or bar and we told her bar, so she went ahead and let us in. Did I mention the family of 6 that were already sat and eating? The bartender was very slow to acknowledge us as she was very enthralled in whatever conversation she was having with other servers. I can say when she finally got around to acknowledging us, the service stepped up and everything took a turn for the positive. read more

The manager, Scott Hyde, refused to seat me in the main dining room with my service animal. I had to sit in the lounge or outside. Only animals assisting a blind person could be seated in the dining room per Mr. Hyde. Mr Hyde never asked me what service my dog provided. Told me he wasn't going to ask. When I took him the ADA guidelines he said I'm going back to the office myself and look up the government regulations. I asked him to bring me a copy of what he found. When he returned he had a paper in his hand. Did not show it to me. When I inquired,, he said I looked up the definition of a service animal. "That's all I have to say about it." When I asked would he like to know the service my animal performs he said I didn't ask. As I left I told him I thought he owed me an apology. He said have a nice day. I said you are not going to apologize he said I'm sorry you didn't like your salad. I asked who the owner was and he refused to tell me! I have NEVER been discriminated against because of my service animal. When I initially questioned him he told me the guidelines changed 2 or 3 years ago. This establishment has placed someone in a position of authority who has no idea of the government regulations for service animals. And yes I am angry about it. Our server Courtney was the kindest person and thanked us for coming. She apologized but she should not have to apologize for her managers actions. read more

Our server was Debbie who couldn't have been better, she recommended the triggerfish and went into great detail on how great it was and it definitely lived up to its expectations! This restaurant will forever be a must visit in ponce inlet for me and my family. If you go make sure to ask for Debbie she will get you right! read more

Ponce Inlet is a nice relaxed laid back beach town! Most places on the water have pretty much the same great vibe :) LIVE MUSIC FRIENDLY SERVERS GREAT VIEWS OF THE INTERCOSTAL. Come on bike, foot, BOAT, car, kayak, jet ski ALL OF IT lol The flounder dinner was TASTY the flavor was RICH! On the other hand, the peel and eat shrimp wasn't my favorite. I LOVE FISH DIP & trying it everyWHERE, because no place makes at the same! This fish dip was had a little bit too much mayo for my liking ! Our server was quick and attentive, Food came out quick ! will come back hopefully by boat. read more

See all

Fresh fish is delicious ‼‼‼ Don't go if it's too cold or heavy rain. Music good too 5-9pm read more

The location was perfect. You're on the water and no matter if you sit inside or outside you can watch a beautiful sunset at dinner. The food was amazing. There wasn't one thing that wasn't good and perfectly cooked. Our party had salmon, shrimp, fish and chips, calamari and hush puppies and we would go back again. The service was great and our server was very attentive. The drinks were consistent and great. Hands down a great place to eat. read more

I love their food but I have not been there in over a year last time had great service and food