Love that this place has dining outdoors upstairs. The server was awesome and so personable. Im from out of town so he explained all the good local options and what is the best to get. I settled on the shrimp and grits and it was delicious. I wanted to lick the bowl clean it was that good. All the entrees that my group ordered were good (fish and chips, catch of the day, Greek salad and kids chicken tenders). I would definitely go back when I'm in the area. read more

Owl Cafe - Shrimp and grits - Bars Near Me - Apalachicola, Florida

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Came at 8 PM on a Monday night. Not much of a selection of restaurants around this area at this time, but glad this was open. Something has to be said if a place is open for more than 100 years. And was impressed for a small town restaurant. Nice decor, good service, and impressive food. Ordered the Fresh catch of the day and Chicken marsala pasta with a side salad. Both were very flavorful. Tip for first timers - the restaurant is upstairs when you first walk in. read more

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First of all this appears to be the only high end restaurant in this town. That in itself is pretty awesome. I went 2 x's. First time just dessert , second time a meal. Fresh Catch of the day: spinach, artichoke, tomato, balsamic rice, lemon caper sauce. Fish: Red Snapper (catch of the day) (or last weeks catch but frozen) I forgot to take a picture: what they got right - the ingredients shown on the menu. They got this perfect. Fish: not so much. They have access to the freshest fish in the world, and that poor slab of fish looked pan seared on a dry pan, unseasoned, and I'm pretty sure it was frozen up like a hashbrown patty. Thank goodness for all of the other ingredients which helped me get down the rest of it. Desserts: mousse cake and pecan tartlet. Mousse cake definitely very rich and dense 3 out of 5 Pecan tartlet with icecream - 5 out of 5 Service was nice and Ambiance they had both inside and outside seating. It was ok read more

Owl Cafe - Pecan Tartlet with yummy goodness - Bars Near Me - Apalachicola, Florida

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We had a great meal here ... the best of Apalachicola in our opinion. Got a reservation same day and decided to sit outside ( upper balcony) . I had the Red Snapper special and she had the carbonara with shrimp. Both were great ... I liked the carbonara slightly more ... but I mean it's pasta comfort. Also had raw oysters to start... it's Apalach ... gotta have oysters from the oyster capital of the world ... right ? Dont miss this place if you're in town read more

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I had a delicious Red fish sandwich and french fries. The server was friendly and efficient. The food came out hot and quickly.

Owl Cafe is a whole vibe. Sitting outside by the water, watching shrimp boats roll in, cocktail in hand--honestly, it doesn't get more Apalachicola than this. Perfect afternoon stop after shopping, with great food, strong cocktails, and that laid-back coastal energy you're hoping for. Come for the view, stay longer than planned. read more

Owl Cafe - Bars Near Me - Apalachicola, Florida

I would give this zero stars if I was able. We came in party of 9 we were sat at the bar area. Our service was horrible. 4 of our plates of food came out while the others were 15 min later. The waitress continually asked us what the other food was.... like she forgot to put the order in. The waitress was rude and acted like we were bothering her. Ask for ketchup you get cocktail sauce. Finally got the manager. Who was apologetic and comped our entire meal. read more

Owl Cafe - Bar view - Bars Near Me - Apalachicola, Florida

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Very underwhelming! We had looked at the website and saw many great things to experience on the menu. Unfortunately, we arrived on a Sunday and it was a limited brunch menu. Also, we arrived at 2pm and there were very few tables occupied. We asked if we could get something up front with a view and we were told we needed reservations. We ordered the crab dip, strawberry salad, and fish tacos. The crab dip had a very faint crab flavor, yet heavy in mayonnaise. Wouldn't order it again. While the strawberry and spinach salad was good, it was very small for the extravagant price ($17). The fish tacos... well the tripletail fish was the best part. Note, I said the fish and not the taco. It was very flavorful, but very small portion. On top of that the tortillas were not homemade, but store bought. They came with French fries. These were frozen and not something better like hand cut. For the prices paid for this mediocre food, you would expect something more "scratch". Not sure how this establishment made it on any food tv shows, but it did. Remember, this is my opinion and everyone has one. Based on my experience, I would not return. read more

Owl Cafe - Strawberry and spinach salad, and half order of crab dip - Bars Near Me - Apalachicola, Florida

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I showed up this evening with myself and two dogs. I was escorted to a table and I sat there for a total of 20 minutes for I finally got up and left. No one even acknowledged I was there. No one offered any water no one no one no one no one... Again these places say they are dog friendly. They are absolutely not dog friendly. Please do not go here, especially if it's hot. You will not be waiting on and your dogs will be miserable. read more

Ambiance was laid back and old fashioned. The service was very good and the server was very nice. My fried shrimp was alright but the filet was amazing and the potatoes on the filet were top tier the asparagus needed a lot of seasoning. Owl cafe isn't what it used to be but is still a good restaurant. I'm only speaking for 3 peoples food out of 17 but it was good. The prices are a little expensive but the food is good. The shrimp carbonara is also very good (there are a lot of pees in it though). But was a good experience. Chocolate mouse cake was excellent as well read more

We had an excellent dinner here. It's an older building with charm and warmth. We sat upstairs and it was quiet and comfortable. It was the perfect place for us to enjoy a good meal and a good conversation. Our waitress was nice and attentive. The prices were reasonable, considering the portion sizes. I ordered the large crab dip and it was a hit with the table. I recommend giving them a try if you're in the area. It's a nice little local business. read more

Owl Cafe - It's a cute little place! - Bars Near Me - Apalachicola, Florida

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Beautiful venue... We had the best fried shrimp ever... the batter was seasoned well and a greaseless fry.. the cocktail sauce was delicious... French fries were delicious too... Best part was my dirty martini which was perfect! And our server Monet...a beautiful woman...was a fantastic server! All the employees here were so nice...Thanks Owl Cafe read more

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My family and I dined here twice this week. We had reservations for both nights, and honestly thought about cancelling the second reservation after our first night there, but didn't. Our initial visit to The Owl was plagued with service issues. There were seven of us in our party. When we arrived, we had three different servers waited on us. All very nice people, but not effective. We ordered drinks when we got there - but it took at least 45 minutes to get them. They arrived right when our entrees came. Within 15-20 minutes after our meals arrived the waitress came with our check. It was the most rushed meal - ridiculous when you're paying hundreds of dollars for what you hope will be a lovely evening. Most of our time was spent waiting. Our second evening there, we had made a reservation to sit in the wine room. When we got there, we were seated right next to the hostess stand and kitchen. Not the wine room. I spoke to the manager, told him about our previous experience earlier in the week. He said he had actually heard about it (he must have heard it from the servers because we did not complain). I told him that this night we had made a reservation for the wine room and they did not seat us there, and by the end of our discussion, he basically said there was nothing he could do to remedy it, but he would stop by while we were eating to see if he could do anything for us. That never happened. This manager did not follow through. It shows in the way the restaurant is run. There is a lot of apologizing that goes on at The Owl, but nothing seems to get fixed. Very disorganized and unprofessional. The only thing going for The Owl is the fact that there are so few restaurants in Apalacciacola. People will still eat there. Food is fine - but the menu never changes. It's been the same for years. For the prices they charge, they should do better. read more

Arrived at a relatively empty restaurant at 5:05 PM on a Wednesday. The two of us were seated near a large group and all other tables were empty. Server greeted us and was very nice! We ordered cocktails and an appetizer. The table near us became very loud with uncontrollable screaming. We asked the hostess to seat us elsewhere. She came back to the table and said there was nowhere else to seat us because they had reservations coming. We asked what time? She looked at us as if we were crazy. We asked for a manager. No one ever came over. Another hostess came up and said you want to be seated somewhere else. We said yes. She moved us to a different side of the restaurant, which was also relatively empty, two tables seated.... We kept our same server who was very nice and attentive! The food was okay, nothing out of the ordinary! Our First and Last time going! I'd highly recommend you spend your time and money anywhere other than Owl Cafe! Oh, we never had a manager stop by!!! read more

It can get super busy - make sure one makes a reservation in advance - it's easy on opentable. They do have outdoor seating if one wishes to bring their puppies along. The service was a bit spotty with drinks taking a really long time. Thank goodness their martini was strong. It also took a long time for the food to come out and I almost ate all the bread and butter. The fried seafood platter was lukewarm and I do like my food really hot in temperature. It had a nice variety of seafood including shrimp, oysters, crab cakes (a bit fishy) and the fish was fresh and tender. The mushroom sauce on the steak was rich and flavorful - probably the highlight of the dish. Overall, it's a comfortable place to enjoy dinner in town. read more

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I had the Chicken Marsala. It was excellent. For desert we shared the chocolate mousse cake...the best dessert we have had ever. Rich dark chocolate. Service was great. read more

Owl Cafe - View from the wine room - Bars Near Me - Apalachicola, Florida

We've been to the Owl previously, and it was quite good. We were looking forward to sharing our previously, positive experience with out-of-area friends. The problem this time was that our reservtion wasn't honored. The host admitted that the restaurant had received the reservation. The experience reminds me of the Seinfeld episode: "You can make the reservation, but that doesn't mean that we'll honor the reservation." read more

Great chips with the crab dip; all the seafood was well prepared, outstandingly fresh and beautifully presented. New ownership is a bit schizophrenic; can't decide if the OWL is 'fine dining'' or just a good beach restaurant. And the clientele suffers from the same syndrome. I do not drag my young grandchildren in at 8 after a day on the beach; we come at 5 and are gone by 6... read more

We have been visiting the Forgotten Coast for over 30 years and most of those always included a dinner at The Owl Cafe. Last night we visited this year and here are several things our group would like to share: *one of our group has food restrictions and when ordering she was told that they did not make substitutions from what was listed on the menu so she was served a $40 seafood platter with foods she couldn't eat *foods that were requested grilled/roasted were served fried when questioned the server said they only serve them fried, even though she informed the diner that it would be grilled/roasted when she ordered *the food arrived lukewarm, and some entrees were very overcooked yet still cold, a simple pasta and butter dish for one of the kids was cold *sauces and some sides (slaw) were served in plastic containers like we were at a food truck we paid high end restaurant prices for food and plating of a fast food restaurant *they had no local beer even though they are right across the street from two breweries *we visit great restaurants regularly and last night was very disappointing *our expectations were very high based on past experience but no one in our group enjoyed our food or experience Dropping over $450 for a meal this disappointing isn't just bad value--it's insulting. We expected a memorable meal, we got one but not for any reason the chef would be proud of. This is the last time we will be going to The Owl Cafe which is very disappointing because it is such a tradition for our family. read more

The place is beautiful, but the fish was over coocked, ordered where wrong, mánager was not experienced and they still charged tip. Lots of Potential but did not meet expectations. Dont order the catch of the day. read more

Nice little place.. we got right in (but it was 2pm on Sunday.. so if you are going at a busier time make a reservation) My husband enjoyed his cheeseburger and while there was a snafu with my meal it was handled with grace a decorum (and was mine and the menus fault.. fyi the chicken salad has walnuts... I totally forgot to ask! But a Benadryl later and I'm right as rain... and they happily fixed me a different sandwich) read more

We went to The Owl for the first time this Thanksgiving. We were looking forward to an upscale Thanksgiving dinner, but were somewhat disappointed. The service was good and the waitress was friendly, but $60 a plate for pre-sliced restaurant supply turkey, dry ham, StoveTop stuffing, a teaspoonful of gravy, sweet tea in a plastic cup, and no bread seemed a bit off. Plus, the dessert cake was still frozen and hard (on the way out, we saw the kitchen staff taking them out of a big freezer box, pulling the paper off, and plating them). We should have taken our $375 and given it to the local church that was having free dinner and eaten with them instead. I'll bet the food there was better. read more

I really wanted to like this place! There are so few brunch places on Sundays. It's a cool old building and very nice inside. The brunch menu is very small. I ordered shrimp and grits (on the regular menu) and it was pretty good. The country ham was different. I prefer andouille. My husband's order is where things went downhill. He ordered the biscuits and gator gravy- something we can't get at home! It was cold when it arrived. The sides were frozen potatoes and a bowl of cantaloupe (aka fresh fruit). He sent it back and they clearly heated it back up and sent it back out. The result was dry biscuits without a lot of gravy. This is just not acceptable at a restaurant of this caliber/price point. Also, he was served cold coffee! So.... We might try it again next time we are in town, but we'd be cautious about what we order. Again, cool building and good bloody Mary's! read more

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We have been coming to the owl many many years, this experience was absolutely awful. A person in my party has fish allergies but can eat shellfish. Most restaurants are accommodating and the owl has been throughout previous years, most just use a different fryer or pan. However this time we were told he was unable to have anything fried and at first was also told he could not even have chicken because it was cooked on the same cook top. They then came back and said they could use a different pan to sear his shrimp in for the pasta. He could not even have the tortilla chips with the crab dip because they were fried in the same fryer. He then asked for a salad to eat as his appetizer, however it did not even come out until the food did. Absolutely insane. We waited for around 15 min or longer to even get our drink orders taken. We had two toddlers in our party, we even ordered their plates when we ordered appetizers and asked them to bring them out early if possible and the plates were brought out not even 10min before our food came out. Another person in our party ordered their filet Oscar medium rare, however this steak was extremely rare, and the amount of crab was extremely scarce. Unfortunately we will not be returning, we absolutely loved the owl but the new ownership had ruined it. read more

Owl Cafe - Filet Oscar - Bars Near Me - Apalachicola, Florida

Amazing find! Fabulous ambiance. Odd situation with the kitchen downstairs and restaurant upstairs. Elevator available. Not really a problem but different. Monet was a fabulous server. Attentive, upbeat, efficient, friendly. Food was spot on. Fried oyster app shared was awesome. Generous portion. Easily shared. Perfectly cooked. Hot. Good sauce. Also shared the fish tacos. Don't be afraid of the fish you never heard of before cause it was delicious. read more

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We spent an hour waiting in the bar for our reservation while everyone else in town closed down only to be told by the hostess she was told be her manager not to seat anyone. I would skip the Owl. Better options in town. read more

The best food we had all week. So so delicious. My husband got the shrimp and grits and loved it. The hostess was very friendly. Our waitress was also great. 20% gratuity added for our party of 6 adults and 1 baby. Mentioning this in case it matters to anyone. We almost missed it until someone double checked their bill. We had the whole back room to ourselves for a bit and it was great. We went on a Wednesday evening. I will visit this place again! read more

Came into town after a six hour drive wanted something delicious to eat. Lucked up and ran into Austin the upstairs bartender.... Gave us an invitation to sit at the bar...... was not disappointed. The drinks were delicious, Austin was very entertaining and a pleasure to talk to. The food as usual was delicious! Side note- the jalapeño cream is spicy read more

Absolutely unbelievable experience for brunch. I typically prefer brunch with serving stations, but as far as a restaurant this place has it all. For appetizers we had the duck confit fries and. crab stuffed shrimp. Both were lick the plate good. For my entrée, I ordered fried oysters, which were excellent. Two of our guests had the oyster Poboy, which quite frankly for eight dollars less was a better deal as they actually had more oysters than the oyster platter. two of our guests had the beef fillet Benedict, and all I saw was smiles at that end of the table. One of my guests had the fish tacos which he shared with me and they were exceptionable, beware they are on the spicy side. And finally, my beautiful wife had the crabcakes, no complaints from her. Overall, a tremendous dining experience, food service, and ambience were all wonderful.. If in Apalachicola is worth a visit. read more

The aura of the Owl Cafe projects old time-y southern dining, but our immersion was quickly broken when the 16 year old hostess begrudgingly showed us to our table with not so much of a smile or a "Right this way." It's one thing to not enjoy your job, it's another to show outright distain towards the customers making you do it. Our server was then another 16 year old, who was a talented server for his age but once again begged the question: Why is a "nice" restaurant hiring folks who should be spending their night studying for AP English? The bread then came out and was superb, but when the real entrees came out it seemed that there was another 16 year old in the building-- the chef. My food was so uninspiring I honestly can't remember what I ordered. I recall a salad, and perhaps a grouper. Could it have been a grouper reuben? Is that offered here? Regardless, everything was okay, hence the 3-star, but nothing was exceptional given the steep price. read more

Owl Cafe - Owl Cafe Bar - Bars Near Me - Apalachicola, Florida

It wasn't bad but it didn't stand out. Drinks were good with lunch, I got red sangria, wife got a pineapple something that was pretty tart and too strong for her. Daughter got a spritzer that she loved. App was a crab dip and the chops with it were very good. Would buy that again. Special was blackened snapper with crawfish etouffee over rice. Snapper was way over done and over seasoned. Etouffee wasn't bad but it was more of a creole (tomato based) and I like a more creamy etouffee. Probably would order fried shrimp next time to be safe. Service was good and staff was friendly. read more

Owl Cafe - Crab dip - Bars Near Me - Apalachicola, Florida

Really great tasting quality food. Large portions with great flavor. Our service was great. We sat outside with a great view of town. Highly recommend. read more

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The food is excellent especially the shrimp and grits! It was our first time here and we will definitely be back!

This is one of the more touristy places- I wish we had gone to the little raw bar down the street where the oysters were half the price. Here they were small and disappointing. The waitress said the town didn't pass their water inspection so they were not serving iced tea or anything requiring water. The duck fat fries are really good- recommend getting the cheese sauce on the side as we did or it would make the fries soggy. The shrimp and grits were pretty good also. Nice outdoor seating in the upstairs area. It's ok but didn't really wow us. read more

Owl Cafe - Sautéed Shrimp and Grits - Bars Near Me - Apalachicola, Florida

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Great find! Love the staircase to the setting upstairs. Make sure to get the crab dip and cocktail to begin, then choose the carbonara and add shrimp! Staff was attentive and very friendly. read more

My husband and I have been going to the Owl Cafe for years. However, this past Saturday is our last visit. Just about everything on the menu is fried and only french fries, cole slaw and a side salad for additional $3 are the side choices. While our waitress was not the worst we gave had, she certainly was not the best. We waited s bit for her to come to the table snd take our order. She never refilled our water and took forever to bring check. There were maybe 5 tables with customers so we couldn't figure out what the problem was. This experience was definitely a disappointment and we will be searching elsewhere for a better venue. Owl, what happened to you??!!! read more

Blackened fish sandwich was good as it did the job. The burger was well done as requested and the fries were excellent. The wait staff was amazing, attentive to our needs and requests which was super great. Good quick lunch stop; will return when back in apalach. read more

Owl Cafe - Half Pound Cheeseburger - Bars Near Me - Apalachicola, Florida

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My son and I have been to the Owl Café Tavern several times. We always sit at the bar and are served wonderful drinks and absolutely terrific food. One of the reasons we enjoy the bar so much is because they have one of the most amazingly talented bartenders we have ever seen. Graham effortlessly and fluidly roams about not only the bar but the serving room as well. Graham is gracious, well mannered, and we can't wait to get back to one of our favorite spots in the US. Their fish is amazing!! read more

Bland food. No thought into seasoning. Blah atmosphere. Dirty surroundings. Terrible attempt at "catch of the day" fish. Sad dinner. I want, badly, for this place to be wonderful. However it is NOT EVEN CLOSE TO AVERAGE. I have heard good things from long ago but oh how things have changed. Reservations easy to get now..... Memorial Day weekend 2024. Reservations on the deck upstairs. Party of 4 seated at corner table in the nook tucked in area. Walls are covered in bugs. The light tan floor has not been cleaned in quite some time. The floors are black as if dirt and grease has accumulated and stuck. A sweet girl asked if we wanted bread, we did. A bit later a plate of cold bread with cold butter was brought to our table. I had a basic Greek salad added grilled shrimp. The salad was segmented into the different ingredients. Lettuce cut into large pieces. Kalamata olives. Feta. Tomatoes. Plain artichoke hearts. Large chunks of purple onions. A tiny cup of what should have been "lemon feta dressing" I would describe it as Italian dressing out of a bottle. It was very basic, unflavored, difficult to toss and sad. My husband had fish tacos. Mahi mahi was the fish of the day. What he received looked more like fish sticks in a plain tortilla shell. With a few pieces of cilantro. He picked out a few pieces of fish and left the rest. My mother in law had chicken Marsala with a nice big bone left in her chicken. The potatoes with my father in laws ribeye were tanish gray in color. When asked about his steak his polite reply was "it wasn't the worst I've had" I won't ramble but will leave this with this thought. I hope the owners read this review and not brush it off. You have a great location with a friendly staff. Step it up and provide what people are paying for. There were 4 of us. Toya was around $250. This was a HUGE WASTE OF MONEY. Please please do something about this. You have the opportunity to be great! read more

Owl Cafe - Outside the owl - Bars Near Me - Apalachicola, Florida

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Prices and slow service combined with so-so quality. We will not be back and tell our friends not to bother.