Osteen's Restaurant in St. Augustine is one of those hidden gems that is somehow hiding in plain…read moresight. The kind of place you might drive past without realizing you are missing some of the best seafood in Florida. The shrimp were absolutely outstanding. Fresh, perfectly cooked, and piled high on the plate. Honestly, some of the best shrimp I have had anywhere in Florida. The portions are generous, the food is comforting, and everything feels like it comes from a place that has been doing it right for a long time. What really makes Osteen's special is the atmosphere. The restaurant has that old school, hometown feel that is becoming harder and harder to find. It feels comfortable and welcoming, almost like walking into someone's home rather than a typical restaurant. The staff was friendly, welcoming, and attentive, which only added to the experience. Great seafood, huge portions, friendly people, and an authentic old St. Augustine feel. Osteen's is absolutely worth seeking out.

I've been coming here for years, and this place consistently delivers exactly what I want: fresh…read morefried shrimp! If you don't like shrimp or seafood, or fried/Southern food, this place is not made for you. I always get the shrimp plate, squash casserole, and green beans, and sweet tea (with hush puppies). Yes, there's veggies on the plate, but they are swimming in butter and all the fiber is cooked out of them. The fried shrimp are very lightly battered--they are perfect. Service is fast and friendly. It's a family-run place and you can tell. The place is small, though it has grown, a bit, over the years. Regardless, there is very likely to be a line! You can always order to go, but it's not quite the same. There's a few picnic tables out back for to go orders as their food has to be eaten fresh for full effect! It's cash only, too. The decor leans heavily on coastal/Americana. They are very proud to be American, especially with the 250th birthday. I will say, though the American decorations are plenty, it does not feel political, simply celebratory. As for the kids, they have your expected fried kid items. There's not any coloring pages or anything. But the place is kid friendly in the fact that the food is served quickly and the servers are patient with kids. It's a tight space, so squirmy kids might have to get their energy out outside. Their newer bathrooms are more family (and wheelchair) friendly. As long as this place keeps up the consistency with their shrimp, I will keep coming back. My last visit, though, I did the unheard: I ordered chicken! (I still got some shrimp, too) The chicken was equally good and very hearty. The biscuits, though, were clearly canned. But if that's the only corner they cut, I don't really mind.

5/5 Stars - Exceptional Birthday Dinner Thanks to Jenna M & Eva!…read more We had an absolutely wonderful time celebrating my birthday at Schooners Seafood House! Even with a full house--which makes total sense since people drive for miles for their amazing food--the service was flawless and we had a great celebration! We were seated in the back area, sharing the birthday energy with another lady celebrating her special day too. Our servers, Jenna M and Eva, were fantastic. They were prompt, incredibly friendly, and gave all excellent, informative menu suggestions that made the celebration feel even more special. Everything we ordered was perfect. The main seafood courses were freshly cooked and delicious, the salads were wonderful, and they have a great selection of sides with perfectly prepared fresh vegetables. Schooners truly delivers it all: a great atmosphere, excellent food, fair prices, and top-notch service. It is easy to see why so many of our friends keep coming back here. Thank you, Jenna M and Eva, for making my birthday celebration even happier! We will definitely be back. Debra & Dennis Strickland Jacksonville, FL

We have intending to try Schooner's for a long time, and we finally did it. We should have done it…read moresooner!! We split the fried seafood platter for two and it was more than we expected. Delicious, a lot of food, and a great price!

Old and rustic restaurant. Miss the cracker chairs of yore. Open at four on a Saturday. The service…read morewas great. The waitress was so accommodating. She timed everything perfectly. The food was not as good as last time. The spareribs were dry, and the cheese bread for an appetizer was dry too.! The peeled shrimp were delicious, and the bartender made a good red Sangria. I had the Red Fish which was not moist. Will check it out again.

This can be good, and it can be middling, but it's never bad outright. I haven't been there in…read moreseveral years, but we went recently as it's convenient, large, and has been around forever. It's still a great location with a varied menu for many appetites. The sweet tea is really way too sweet. I don't know if we got a bad batch or what. The fried chicken was really, really fried. Without asking, the server discounted it for us which was nice. The coconut shrimp were big, as expected, and pretty tasty. The shrimp in the shrimp n grits were good, but the grits were very soupy and seemed like they were quick cooked instead of letting them really stew. The sides that weren't fried were a bit of a disappointment. The kids enjoyed their fries and burgers-- no complaints they. They were given coloring pages but no actual crayons... when we asked, they said they didn't have any. Service was very kind but very slow. Once we finished eating, it took quite some time to get our check. Not bad for a leisurely dinner, and we didn't mind.

Cajun crab hut was a good choice for a one time splurge of $153.22 for two people, we shared a…read moreorder of hush puppies, 1 lb of the King Crab seafood boil, garlic butter sauce was delicious, the amount of food was a rip off, I recommend buying your own seafood, but a outing with someone you love is priceless. Service was friendly and restaurant clean and relaxing. Oh yeah 12% gratuity automatically added, so tip the difference if you would like. I recommend a one time visit they have a selection of items on the menu.

I visited this location on December 20th. We were seated immediately upon arriving. Our server was…read morenice and service was pretty quick. I ordered a lemon drop but was very disappointed. The drink wasn't well balanced. The fried shrimp basket was amazing. My sister ordered a create your own boil and that was also great and very flavorful. They should explain on the menu that you have to choose two options for the create your own boil. The restaurant was very relaxed and is family friendly. Parking is a bit confusing. There is parking directly in front of the restaurant but it was full when we arrived. There is also additional parking nearby but it was intertwined with what seemed to be a car sales or rental place. We took a chance and parked there anyway and the car was fine when we returned.

You can't beat the Lunch Prices on such delicious food., which is $12.95. We ordered 2 Shrimp…read moreDishes, that came with two sides. The broccoli salad is delicious, and a baked potato comes with butter and sour cream, plus 3 hush puppies. The house wine is $6.00 a glass. The ice tea is $2.95. The staff is excellent. There is a parking lot. I'm surprised that I didn't review them before.

Frog legs are awesome! Lunch portion was enough to top my tank. Sweat tea by the gallon and quick…read moreservice. Very reasonable prices!

Good place for family/walking in and grabbing some quick barbecue. Prices are great, smells are…read moreeven better, food... delicious. The brisket was so moist, pulled pork was flavorful!

UPDATE: all you need to do is look at their nasty reply that is a fabricated LIE to understand what…read moreI mean by poor management and you can add rude. Firstly, I would like to point out that when a review is posted is not the same as when the visit was. Secondly, a woman FROM YOUR BUSINESS came to MY car and personally told me that the restaurant was closed for renovations. And she did the same to at least 2 more cars of people. AND I asked here why the hours were NOT updated on google and she replied "Well we posted the hours somewhere." And no, this what not on a Sunday. We checked the hours before planning our trip and you were supposedly going to be open but your hours were not updated to reflect any renovations. You are a rude bold face liar making up things that plainly didn't happen. Here's how I can prove you're a liar: how would I know that you were closed for renovations supposedly before they started as you claim if I'm from out of town and came on a day that you're always closed as you claim before they ever started? I couldn't. I would have had to be there during the renovations as I was. And I was told by a woman on your staff! Talk to your staff maybe before you get so nasty. ORIGINAL: Tried to go to this place on vacation. It was closed for renovations and only found out after pulling into the parking lot. What vacation destination closes for renovations during vacation season anyway? They did NOT update their google hours nor did they put it on their sign at the restaurant. While I tried to find an alternative place for lunch after having my plans ruined, several other cars showed up like myself to the restaurant to be told by someone that they were closed as no one knew. My family planned a trip to this location just to try this restaurant. (Over a 3 hour drive). They should have updated their hours or at least put it on their sign. Poor management. Never even apologized for the major inconvenience. I already posted this review once and the owner or manager had it taken down because they didn't like my truthful post about their poorly ran restaurant. I consider that very disrespectful and misleading to everyone out here seeking honest reviews. If you want better reviews then be better. Don't doctor the stats!

Sliced Turkey is the best ever! Mix the house sauce & white sauce together on top, ( they make all…read morehomemade sauces) wow, flavor explosion!! Outdoor seating, or just bring back to office for lunch!

So I am adjusting my review of this fast food joint, due to the "owners" snooty, uncalled for and…read moreviolently unhinged response to my review on Google. Wow, I must have really struck a nerve! It's ALWAYS the lackluster places, that don't take constructive criticism very well. You have no idea how much I can smoke, and I will smoke circles around you. How many competitions have you been in again? No need to act all snooty, because your food sucks and you don't know how to carve a tri-tip, nor do you know how to smoke a brisket. And your "professional pitmaster" Can't even smoke a pork butt for pulled pork, but in such a hurry to crank out an inferior product, can only make sliced. What is that, 6 hours on a smoker? Hahaha!!! In my no holds barred review, I actually complimented you on MULTIPLE facets. And since you want to act the way that you're acting and throw a fit because you're serving an inferior product and bragging about speed over quality, I'm going to knock you down to one star! How do you like that? REAL pitmasters smoke brisket (AND PULLED pork) And the last I checked, it's not on YOUR menu. ::shrug:: Your food actually sucks, and I was trying to be positive and give you guys a higher rating, by someone who actually KNOWS BBQ, but since you went and did what you did, I'll just come out & say it! "One" rack of ribs XD. My ribs are Johnny Trigg style, and take 6 hours from beginning to end with another 12 going into prep, and I can smoke WAY more than one rack at a time, dummy. Do you even know what kind of smoker I have? Did you bother to look? Ditch the attitude. Because the only thing you're really got going on for you right now, is that you don't use a pellet oven. How about this, I'll come back through, and take over your operation for a week, free of charge, and show you how it's REALLY done, and get your ratings up a little bit higher, and make sure that not just the locals are leaving your reviews? We'll see who the amateur is then. You have no idea what I've smoked in my life, or the smokers that I've used. You also have zero idea about my culinary past. Rage emotion much? Yeah, that's a telltale sign of insecurity. How about this, I'll bring an offset reverse flow trailer smoker, park it in Circle k, and take all of your business while you're in a scurry "wrapping" your "87 pounds of beef" or whatever it is to a demographic that doesn't know true barbecue, But are just happy to have something other than Mexican and Cuban food. You probably serve "Award winning 'fall of the bone' ribs", which in a competition, you would be disqualified for. Because all you got to do is steam those puppies and then throw them in your traeger (sp?) and slap on your pungent, lame, whack sauce that you emphatically offer, to cover up the inferiority of your barbecue. You should have kept your mouth shut. I compliment you, and you take a dump on me? Y'all better hope a REAL smokehouse doesn't open up in your demographic, because you'll go belly up. As a matter of fact, I've actually been looking for a new location for a new restaurant. Hmmmm.... Yeah... Smokin "D's" is RIGHT HAHAHAHA! Smokin D's, and takin L's! ***DISCLAIMER*** This pure, uncut, honest review is federally protected under Federal Law by way of Bill #EO14149. Removal or alteration of this review by Yelp and/or their affiliates without Expressed consent by it's author is strictly prohibited by FEDERAL law. VIolators will be prosecuted, and litigation imminent.

Breakfast is so good omg, must go here if you love sleazy beach diners (in a good way). I had mnm…read morepancakes which were soft and fluffy, and my husband had the corn beef hash which had really good flavor. The homemade gravy is amazing with big sausage chunks in it.

I headed to St. Augustine Beach today. My plan was to try another diner but the free parking lot…read morewas almost full so I had to grab a spot and walk to this place instead. It ended up being a good thing. They were serving breakfast only until 11. They had Baja breakfast tacos and they had gotten some good reviews so I gave them a try. They were the best breakfast tacos I have had. The fried potatoes with them could have used some spices or maybe some fried onions. Service was quick.