I am a local. I want to support local restaurants as much as possible. Nicks is a rustic spot, which I could easily call charm. Nothing upgraded or a thing spent on the interior of this place in years. That's fine. What isn't fine is whatever they are trying to pass off as grouper. I've been eating grouper for years and I buy it fresh also. This wasn't grouper. Owner tried to say grouper has a normal fishy taste, no it doesn't. This fish tasted fishy or like something freshwater, perch or catfish. Very small flakes, the filet was the same thickness throughout. This wasn't grouper. I hope this place was unaware what their purveyors are giving them instead serving. read more

I have to give Nick's 4 stars just for perseverance LOL. I used to eat here back in the late 1980's and the place has not changed one iota. Literally. I only had one-half pound of steamed shrimp with a sweet tea which were both delicious. The staff was friendly and courteous. My food order came out quickly. The view of the intercostal waterway is spectacular. So if you are crossing Hwy 20 in either direction, stop in at Nick's for a seafood treat. Be forewarned they play FOX news incessantly on the TV behind the bar. There is a Trump campaign sticker on the front door. Perseverance got them a 4 star review from me, otherwise it would have been a 2-1/2 or 3 star review. Date: 4/24/2018 Party of: 1 Seating: Inside Meal: Shrimp w/old bay seasoning Category: Waterfront American fare, seafood centric Parking: Private lot Reservations: N/A Alcohol: Liquor, Beer and Wine Price: $$ WICB: I would return, Hwy 20 is a long stretch of road without stopping LOL read more

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Better seafood restaurants in the Freeport/Niceville area. Grouper meal was disappointing.

I went into the restaurant because of the reviews and thought I would try it out. I have seen it so many times, that my curiosity drew me in. I sat at the bar and ordered the special, which was the redfish. While waiting for my food, I was visiting with the lady beside me. She ordered the tile fish tacos. She ordered coleslaw and fries as her sides and I ordered a side salad and cheesy grits as my sides. Her coleslaw came out before her meal, which seemed a little odd to me and her. My salad was fine. Her fish tacos and fries came out fairly fast. She lifted one of her fries and they were very soggy. They were not done. She said her fish tacos were ok, but not very good. She said she would not be back. While she ate, my blackened redfish came out. The fish was undercooked and slimy in areas. It was not blackened, it was so full of seasoning that the salty taste overwhelmed the entire fish. The filets were so thin and small, that you could not taste the fish over the seasoning. I had to send it back to have it cooked a little more. When it came back, there was more seasoning on it. Which, made it worse. The cheesy grits were okay, however they were very runny. Very disappointing meal. I won't be back here. They have a great location overlooking the bay and if they keep making bad meals, it will go down the drain. read more

My husband used to bring me here when we're dating. We probably haven't been here in about 6 years. We always got blue crabs and steamed shrimp and it was always SO GOOD. I even had my birthday dinner here one year, that's how much I loved this placed. My husband and I stopped in at 2:00 in the afternoon on a Thursday. There were three tables in the place. We were bummed that they did not have blue crabs and they did not have crawfish. I ordered steamed shrimp which were decent. My husband ordered the fried fish of the day, tile fish (which is white and flaky like grouper) with French fries and coleslaw. He said the fish was good, the coleslaw was nothing special, and his french fries were terrible. They were cold and way over cooked. Our waitress never came back and checked on us, never refilled our drinks, I don't even know if she looked in our direction. She was more interested in hitting her vape pen and talking trash about another employee with other employees. We got up and paid at the bar and left. Overall we were disappointed. read more

Nick's Seafood - Over cooked cold fries with fried tile fish - Seafood Near Me - Freeport, Florida

We have stopped twice now, once in the dark on the way back from the airport in FW to PCB. It's along a dark country road and was a lovely little respite, cheap white wine, happy locals and some deep fried cheese curds and alligator bits. Stopped last week for lunch and had the best oysters I have had in a while. Texas plumpers nicely chilled. Looked like there was some good grouper going round, thick delicious fish on a bun or not. Step outside and give Bacon the beach pig a scratch, he loves company. I love these places and its cheap. read more

Love love this place! Classic "Old Florida" vibe overlooking the bay. Cold beer, seafood cooked to perfection...friendly staff and decent prices. We enjoy talking with Aleah! Stop in! Have a cold one at the bar or take it out back to sit by the water! What's not to like!? read more

Cool, Relaxed, military friendly (primarily locals) hangout on the bay. A lot of regulars. Good seafood, cold beer, and great views sitting by the window. Prices are reasonable for the area, and we've always enjoyed interacting with the staff. Been there probably three times in the past 10 months. I Love the grouper and my wife enjoyed the tilefish last time we were there. for the sides my wife loves the fried okra and I I usually get the cheese grits. Going to try the gator tail next time. read more

A great local spot! The food was good & view was pretty. The inside is in need of major updates but we'll definitely be back

Just ok. Don't get an appetizer, it will show up after your meal. Service is none existent. Food is overcooked, dry. Really gone down hill. Really need more choices in this area to go eat and be entertained. . Horse power pavilion would be a great alternative if local officials would get over themselves. Conflict of interest, I think so. read more

Long black hair in shrimp sandwich. Given new sandwich and bill for sandwich after alerting staff. Not happy. Not the best service. I used to like this place. Sad. read more

After living in the area for a little over 6 months we figured we would give Nick's a try. Totally underwhelmed. Tables were dirty, did was greasy and the service was poor. Ordered our food and one order and when we realized one of the orders came out wrong the waitress was nowhere to be found. Order was corrected but again the food was greasy and tasteless. Maybe it was just a bad day but we won't be giving them a second chance. read more

They have lost us after 30 years Food portions are small and over priced Cold as the arctic and bad service They didn't seem to care And the owner really should not be loving on his waitstaff read more

Owners wife to start is a hag. We called to make a reservation of 22 and they completely lied. We called to times to make sure. They don't take reservations. If you question her your service will be awful. The food was recommend to us by two people but it is not worth your time. Go somewhere else to spend your money somewhere else. Only good thing is the pig outside. So cute. Only go for the pig outside. read more

If I was on death row and could pic the last meal I ate on this earth this would be it. The specials this day was crawfish and raw oysters- probably my two favorite foods. My only complaint was they had no sides cooked with the crawfish. I couldn't pick one. Both were great! read more

Nick's Seafood - Crawfish and raw oysters. - Seafood Near Me - Freeport, Florida

This place is nasty, filthy and down right dirty! Love how they try to pass off some type of "mystery" fish as grouper and tile fish. Seen a nice roach while in there so again, cleanliness is not one of the strong traits. To top it owners wife is so unprofessional, mean and a hag to anyone who questions their wonderful establishment. Couldn't give them zero but would if I could! Used to eat there many times before, but not anymore. read more

First time here with the family. Impressed me to be a favorite spot for locals in this area. Noise level is pretty high and A/C was set low, uncomfortably cold. Service...it took FOREVER to be waited on, get our food and finally our bill. Food was average at best and the prices a bit high. (The cole slaw was good and the club crackers was a nice combo). Check your bill, it may not be accurate. Hate to say it, but based upon our experience I cannot not recommend this place. read more

We stopped here for lunch and had the blackened fish of the day (tile fish). It was cooked and seasoned perfectly. I ordered squash and it was lightly breaded and perfectly cooked. Our friends ordered fried green tomatoes and they were cooked perfectly. The waitresses were busy but still did a great job. Overall, I was really impressed and will definitely be making this place a go to when we're in the area. read more

Family owned and operated since the 60's...this place is a total dive, top to bottom in and out but you can expect to get fresh seafood and friendly southern service. I even bring my dog which they allow if you sit at the bar and your dog can behave. Then we go out back and let him run around on the sand by the bay, makes for a great day! Can't understand why they haven't put outdoor seating or a deck out back, the location screams for it. But I hope they never touch the inside it is perfectly awful just the way it is. read more

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Nice place to eat. We had a great lunch. Quite a view! We were able to sit, eat and enjoy each others company without to many distractions.

Dead animal heads are everywhere on the walls, place is filthy. Seen roaches climbing up bar. Over priced food is frozen not fresh. The short dark curly haired women behind the bar was NOT customer friendly , actually she was just down right mean and nasty. Can't even believe the Health department allows them to stay in business. Don't waste your time or money here. read more

Trey had failed his family by his personal ego This was a great place to venture. No longer Over priced and quality from the freezer. Sadness for the Nick legacy. read more

Always our first stop on the way in from GA to the beach. Old school seafood dive with great view of Choctowachee Bay. The fried shrimp and cocktail sauce is legit and some of the best in the area. Nothing like a cold Beer and fried shrimp after a long drive. We love Nick's. read more

Nick's Seafood - Outside - Seafood Near Me - Freeport, Florida

Amazing oysters! Amazing shrimp! Got a bit smoky from the kitchen. Service was great!

This is the worst sea food restaurant I have ever been to. My wife and I waited for over 45 minutes to be waited on. Once we ordered it took 32 minutes to get our food. For the price they charged for the catch of the day you would expect to get a piece of fish bigger than 3×3 and a quarter inch thick. I'll take my business to a restaurant that gives you a good meal for a fair price. read more

I was leery about going to Nick's after being new to the area from the West coast and reading some of the reviews, but after eating here several times, I realize those people must've been snooty and pretentious, because I absolutely love Nick's. A lot of the food is fried, but my favorite is the blackened grouper sandwich and black-eyed peas. Yes, the restaurant is older and rustic, but that's what gives it its charm. Plus, the location is fantastic with awesome views of the bay. read more

So so good. Seafood was fresh, restaurant was clean, views amazing, service courteous. Iconic panhandle restaurant remains a favorite. Can't wait to come back the next time I am in this area! read more

Service was a 4 for not having items available but the food I got was more like a 4.5. They need to work on training staff. Otherwise the food was good. read more

Maybe this place is just not my taste...but I found it bland and plain Jane. And frankly, was expecting more for the price. Waitress was kind of rude and sat down to eat so she forgot to bring our check. My partner ordered a grouper sandwich but got tile fish? ...waitress never said anything about them being out of grouper, she just dropped it off at the table and said "tile fish sandwich." ??? Just not a good experience read more

I'll start off with a positive note. The food was tasty and the view was amazing.... I've been working in restaurants for 17 years now, and I understand the overwhelming stress that comes with this business. I completely understand the that sometimes people have bad nights, or staff calls out, and patience is appropriate. That being said, this place was a complete joke. Jon Taffer needs to pull off a miracle for these people. I feel so bad for the one server they had on. She's completely overwhelmed and out of her element. I waited 17 min at the front just to be greeted, with my wife and three children. The bar tender informed me it would be just a min when I first came in... I finally asked another staff member if I could be helped and she snapped on me... come to find out, her name is Jennifer Nick, the dang owner.... I mean they had a server, a busser, a food runner, and a bar tender (they only have wine and beer) but they don't bother to have a host? Holy crap.... And nobody came in during those 17 min I stood there.... It wasn't busy for what you'd expect on a Friday night... the poor server is being abused by this place, she could be killing it.... Management doesn't seem to give a crap about customer service... I almost feel bad leaving a bad review.... But what was supposed to be a nice seafood dinner for me and my family on our road trip, turned into a two and half hour debacle.... Do yourself a favor and go on down the road to a different restaurant.... read more

The food was good but there was NO social distancing and NONE of the servers wore masks or gloves. We were there last week when they were only supposed to be open at 50% capacity. The place was PACKED. Plus the service was horrible. The server delivered the food to the table next to us and never stopped to ask us if we needed anything (which we did) or how the food tasted. The bus boy only took one plate when we asked if he could clear some of the table. read more

After traveling by this place several times we decided to stop in even though the mix reviews. Food was delicious. Wait staff was great. Atmosphere was good. I highly recommend this place if you want some good seafood. read more

Very disappointed in our dinner 03/26/21. We ordered the Fisherman's Platter at $30+ because it had my wife's favorite King Crab listed as well as variety of all their seafood. However, we received NO King Crab and were told they were substituted other items. It appears they gave us fried okra instead, because we received a whole plate of that. Everything was over fried and brown. No option for grilled or broiled either. Could not tell scallops, from shrimp or the oysters. Scallops were the size of a pinkie nail. Should not be serving those if they are just baby scallops. No telling what the two small pieces of fish were? For over $30 - you gotta be kidding. Won't be back here for sure. read more

Wasn't bad. Kind of a hole in the wall. Not much there. The view is ok. Sewage dumps into the lake tho so it kind of smells like a Porta potty there. read more

This was the first time me and my husband are at Nick's. The food was terrible. We got the shrimp dinner. Mine was grilled and my husbands was blackened. The shrimp was tough and rubbery. My husbands French fries were cold and there was no taste to the gumbo. He hardly had any cheese in his grits and the hush puppies were greasy. We will never go back and I will not recommend it to anyone in fact I will talk against it. Rate a 0. Jeff and Teena Birge. 334-764-5772. read more

This was one of our favorite restaurants when we lived in Niceville 20 years ago. We were back for a visit and just had to stop by. It was still as good as it was 20 years ago. read more

Nick's is a great hole-in-the-wall place in Freemont that is good for fresh, local seafood. From their raw oysters to their grilled shrimp, crab claws to fish of the day, this place isn't messing around. They will grill, batter and fry, or blacken most things on their menu. It's all seafood, all the time. Just make sure you check their schedule - call ahead even. This is a family-run place and that means sometimes family comes before the restaurant. read more

We drove 300 miles to eat here after being away from the area several years. Not sure what has happened to this place but it is not what it used to be. The Gumbo was NOT Gumbo - more like fish stew. They were out of crabs and fish, but did have shrimp, which was so-so! The service was below par. We will not be back. read more

Had lunch here recently with three other people. I had calamari and a fried shrimp sandwich with a side salad. Very good. Calamari was crisp without overlooking. The calamari itself was tender, not chewy. The shrimp sandwich was excellent. Lots of shrimp cooked perfectly. Old style location with mostly locals inside. Beautiful view of the bay with Destin and Fort Walton across the bay on a clear day. I voted it a five star, the other three voted a five star and two fours so average a a good 4.5 star. A nice little old style Florida seafood eatery. Sorry no pictures. We were all starving. read more

The food is just not very good ... And the service is awful. One plate was missing the fried shrimp; a cook came from the kitchen with 2 on a plate and picked them up with his hand and plopped them on our friend's plate! He could not fathom why this was disturbing .... We had fried oysters, fish, shrimp and calamari. All but the calamari was edible. The fried shrimp was pretty good. If you want fried oysters, go to acme (in Sandestin) - Fried calamari? Go to pompano joes- fried fish or crab claws? Go to busters read more