Pretty fun joint, service can be slow food wise when it's packed. But great food selection for…read moresouthern/American, slightly fancy. Gumbo and nachos were sold out when we were there so must be good. Shrimp and grits was amazing, portion was a bit small though.

It was outstanding. We had the shrimp and grits and the Mac n cheese and it was so good. Beautiful…read morerestaurant, friendly staff and high quality food. I'm impressed.

If you love seafood boils then this is the place to go! The butter flavors are to die for (Highly…read morerecommend the bussin' sauce)! The place might be a little cramped but the food more than makes up for it. Everything came on a nifty silver tray which was fine with me! Will definitely love to go back!

Not a lot of seating but I didn't have to wait more than 10 minutes. Excellent music selection…read more Fairly clean bathrooms. Great waitstaff. PHENOMENAL FOOD AND PORTIONS!!!!

I work in Decatur somewhat seasonally and so whenever I'm up here I enjoy opportunities to try…read moretheir local restaurants. On my most recent visit about three weeks ago, Marlin's wound up being my choice for a quick lunch. This is a rather oddball restaurant. Located in a standalone building on the edge of a large parking lot, the vibe inside I'd say is closest to an American-Mexican restaurant (a la Rosie's, Buena Vista, etc - think vibrant murals, comfy booth seating, large, open spaces). It was a little dimly lit but clean. A friendly hostess got me a seat quickly. The menu continues the oddball vibe. There's literally something for everyone here, with American-Mexican favorites like fajitas and arroz con pollo, along with standard American fare like chicken tenders and pasta dishes, as well as slightly more upscale items like fish and steak. I saw on their website they claim, "We're not just one thing - and that's the point." Well, they've certainly nailed that mantra. My waiter was a pleasant fellow who worked diligently to ensure my meal and check arrived in a timely way. He got me a refill without me having to ask but didn't hover or make me feel like I was unwelcome or a chore. My meal came out quickly and I was in and out in ~30 minutes, which is a pretty good turn-around for a sitdown restaurant. Every table seems to get a complimentary basket of hush puppies as a welcome/starter item. Again, I'd say the vibe overall is closer on the Mexican side of restaurants, so one might expect chips and salsa...but despite this seeming oddity, I'll admit I enjoyed them. They were golden brown, slightly sweet and slightly savory, and came with a tasty dipping sauce. I ate several. They have a lunch menu with reasonable pricing following a typical pattern of entree + one side (dinner portions come with two sides). I was feeling unadventurous and wound up getting chicken tenders and fries, as I thought the tenders looked pretty good in a picture I'd seen on Yelp. I asked for some ranch to dip in. My food was fresh at least in terms of temperature - almost scaldingly so. I got a strong frozen-fried vibe from both fries and tenders, though. Less a crime with the fries, and these were salted nicely and not too greasy. The chicken was rather dry and stringy and the breading didn't really "crunch." They were ultimately unobjectionable, but reminiscent of maybe a McDonalds crispy chicken strip, which seems a little underwhelming from a full restaurant. The ranch was also not very good - not buttermilk, so not super creamy, kind of bottled salad dressing vibes. Ketchup or the residual sauce from the hush puppies was a better choice. Overall, not super wowed but not super let down either. Service was solid and the environment was comfortable. Since the menu is so large, I'd imagine there's something for everyone - and maybe a sleeper hit dish on there, too.

Food was good and people were friendly. Not very busy during peak Saturday evening hours. They did…read moreforget the queso and the salad with my wife's Pollo Loco plate. Had to remind server on each one. Small nuisance but no issue. My dinner fajita rice was kind of weak compared to previous lunch plate. No biggie, just no leftovers. We'll come back!

food was outstanding, service was 1st rate and ambience was perfect. did not have to shout over…read morebackground noise and atmosphere was relaxed. best restaurant in decatu

Cute little restaurant, not much for the vegetarian. The food was good, though. Our server was fast…read moreand polite. I had the mushroom ravioli and it was pretty good. The crawfish etouffee was a little interesting looking. Bathroom was decently clean. A nice little upscale spot!

Talk about an authentic 'picey seafood space in AL; Ard's hit it…read moreDidn't think Decatur AL could reach this height of flavour & spice. The many fried & steamed shrimp plates r nice standouts; I visit repeatedly on my jaunts to Decatur Staff, ownership v kind & helpful Made a new friend in Alabami If feeling brave, go to their top tier 'Slap Yo Mama' spice level Note, u will need some recovery time :) :)

Today was the first and last time I will ever go back to Ard's. When I went in, I made the comment…read moreto the woman behind the counter. She starred at saying nothing. I told her I was impressed with their beautiful wine selection. Her response to me was said in a condescending manner as she said "when you figure out what you want let me know. She was unfriendly from the time I walked in. She knew I was a first time shopper but nevertheless offered no help. Great products alone do not make a retail seafood establishment worth going in if you are treated poorly.

The food was amazing. I'd never seen Calamari at hibachi and it was wonderful. The chef was great…read moreand service was really good. We had a manager as our server and everything seemed to run very smooth. The only reason I am not giving 5 stars is due to their hostess. When we walked in, she demanded we sit in the dining room due to my Service Dog. I explained she could not force us to sit where we didn't want to sit and she was breaking the law. She tried to state that it was due to kids. If a kid was at our table, it would ruin the experience. I again stated she could not discriminate due to my medical equipment. A manager approached and she tried to claim it was only a suggestion, when it wasn't. I was not happy with that at all. Laws are there to protect all. But I shrugged it off and enjoyed the meal. I was in town for business so I am not sure I'll ever return. But the food was worth it.

02-21-25 Pros: their…read moretables can accommodate 10 guests. Everyone has a view of the cook. Today we celebrated a birthday with a party of five and was seated right away without a reservation. The interior was nicely decorated, the walkway was clear for ADA persons. The staff were friendly. This place can be loud and seems kid friendly. Plenty of parking. Birthday song and ice cream was nice. Cons: This place is pricey I had a Long Island deluxe ice tea $ 11.99, A hibachi steak/shrimp combo $25.99. The ice tea was good but overpriced. The combo was ok, I had to tell the cook not to season everything with soy sauce because they all started tasting the same. The rice, noodles and vegetables all started tasting the same. When it came to my steak I only asked for salt and pepper with garlic butter. The salad had a reddish miso dressing and I didn't care for it. Would have like more of a ginger. The soup was like watered down onion / tofu. I really didn't care it. The steak and shrimp was cooked fine. The rice, veggies, and noodles were over seasoned with soy sauce. I all the dishes I saw prepared was seasoned with soy sauce.

12/12/25 @ 5:35 PM - Gyro was tasty however only had 3 small pieces of meat and 1 slice of lettuce…read more Cashier was on her cell phone when I walked in the door, while taking my order and still on her phone when i returned 10 minutes later to pick up. before leaving i asked her 'is there a good amount of sauce on it? her reply 'I dont make the food' and returned to her call. I opened the box and sure enough barely a slap of sauce. I said 'excuse me' and asked for a little more sauce. She grunted at me and said 'its .50 more'. I proceeded to give her the money, receive the sauce and leave, all while her phone remained in her had (on speaker i could see it was MOM on the screen). I will never return which is a shame because i heard the wings were good and I love wings. This cashier should not be serving customers if this company cares anything about customer service. COMPLETE SHAME

I would rate this a 0. There's a bigger black lady who is very rude and her service was awful. She…read morewas so unprofessional in taking my order and she went to the bathroom while telling me she was going to take a while before getting my order. I would not recommend because the service is awful.

The service was fantastic!! The food was a 10 star rating... Black and Bleu salad with fried…read morechicken and bleu cheese dressing was an explosion of flavor in EVERY bite! Swiss mushroom burger was the best EVER! Delicious!!! It was our first visit from California but it definitely won't be the last. We're already looking forward to our next visit/meals!

Good place for dinner and drinks, only note would be anything we ordered that was fried came out a…read morelittle soggy like the okra and green tomatoes. But they've got unique and fun menu options and drinks are great, indoor and outdoor seating available too.

This is by far one of the best places to eat in Decatur. The owners are gracious, and the food is…read moregreat!! We have now dined there several times, making he 30 min dive to eat there just because of the experience and food! Keep up the great work!!! Hard to own a restaurant, and a restaurant that has great food and atmosphere.

The place wasn't good. Not at all. Service sucked! Food Sucked! I'm not even sure they care either!…read moreFirst time I haven't tipped in a very long time. Not even sure it was worth the free water and food for $16.

Food was exceptional. As well as the Mandarin Orange Pretzel Salad. The waitresses were amiable…read more You should visit this humble restaurant.

My wife and I ate here for the first time this weekend. The staff were all very friendly. Our…read morewaitress (Lexi) was just the best! We started with the house made pimento cheese and pita chips. The pepper jelly they use added a lot to the dish. My wife had a cheese burger and I ordered a ribeye. Both entrees were exactly as expected and the sides were wonderful. The house made chips with the burger came with a sauce that was out of this world. The restaurant itself is a sight to behold. The floors and building are fascinating. We are extremely happy to have another wonderful place to add to our rotation!