Fabulous hidden gem. I'm staying nearby for work and took a quick look at Yelp for great places to eat in the vicinity. I'm so happy to have discovered this place and will definitely be back when I return. I wanted badly to try one of their desserts but couldn't manage eating another bite, since I ate every single morsel from the burrata starter and the entire pork chop plate. Truly delicious. The pork chop was incredibly moist. The service was spot and the host and server were both very attentive. The setting is nice, the front room (where I sat) is a little dark But only because I didn't have my glasses and struggle to read without them. Highly recommend The Oar and will be back. Thank you for a lovely dinner! read more

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First time at the Oar. How many restaurants in Vero Beach at 7 PM has every table seated. The food was outstanding. The staff never stopped hustling. read more

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Creativity, ambiance and excellent service equals the epitome of fine dining and relaxation!

Everything! Quiet, excellent service and food convenient parking. Lovely charming atmosphere.

I went there for dinner with my parents as they had been there in the past and highly recommended it. We stared off with the bread appetizer that came with a honey truffle butter. The bread was amazing! I wish I could say the same for the appetizer and entree. I ordered the oyster pie appetizer special that came in a ramekin. It was surprisingly very soupy and not congealed like you would expect something described as a "pie" to be. It was like they forgot to put any thickening agent into the recipe. All three of us ordered the fish of the day entree which was flounder Cacciatore-style with pasta. We all agreed it was incredibly bland and could have used some garlic and herbs (thyme, oregano) in the sauce. My parents mentioned that they must have hired a new chef as the quality was nothing close to what they experienced in the past. read more

We had been meaning to go to the Oar for a while. Well it was just amazing. The restaurant is cozy. The staff friendly and attentive. As far as the food , everything was so delicious. I was full but when the dessert menu came. I saw home made ice cream. Expresso chocolate chip! Out of this world. We will be going back. Enjoyed my dinner and dessert with a good friend. read more

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It would take me quite some time & cause people to read way too much , if I wrote all about our evening at The Oak. It was truly a wonderful dining experience. Our server, Jeremy, was friendly, professional & informative. Not hovering, or a ghost . He knew just when to approach us. Most other places wait until my mouth is full! LOL. The food was super! From the appetizers of perfectly grilled octopus with pearled couscous & lemon aioli to the fried green tomatoes with goat cheese & a fabulous balsamic glaze. Which sometimes tends to be a bit to tart. Entrees were great. The waygu bolognese was very good. I'm use to a bit more Italian seasonings & a sweeter sauce, but this was very good. My husband loved the tuna. Seared rare. The rice was interesting, Cashews, a mixture of fresh veggies & I believe a soy sauce reduction? Dessert is my favorite part of the meal in restaurants of this class. It was the first time you could actually taste ricotta in a ricotta cheesecake ! I had choc chip bread pudding with peppermint candy ice cream. The pudding was warm & luscious. The ice cream was a perfect accompaniment. Not to peppermint -y. I highly recommend The Oar. Oh & the atmosphere was so inviting. Soft lighting, easy music, just perfect! So once again, I wrote to much read more

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What a find! From start to finish our night was lovely. Our server Kevin was attentive and informative of menu choices. I was torn between the pork chop dinner and halibut meal and Kevin asked if he could surprise me. I thought this fun so I said sure. But first I had a kale soup which was so savory and my husband had the field greens salad which he enjoyed. We also ordered the homemade ciabatta bread with yummy butter( I forgot the name) My husband had the lamb shank done to perfection, and Kevin brought me the halibut. It was amazing! We ended dinner with lemon poppyseed bread pudding with their homemade blueberry ice cream. Delicious! We'll be back, I need to try the pork chops! read more

Years ago we use to go to the restaurant that was in this location while vacationing in the area. We were disappointed when they closed so we were excited to try this place. They have a parking lot which we didn't know. It was easy to get to and there are a lot of spots. The restaurant is located in a little courtyard area. It is very romantic but also a little out dated. You can eat outside in the courtyard. We made a reservation via phone a week before. The restaurant wasn't that busy which we were surprised about since it was a Friday night. When we walked in there was a terrible smell. Kind of like a sewer or bad pipe. We wouldn't have been able to eat in the front room. We were sitting in the back room which was nice. The waitress was friendly and attentive. We ordered a bottle of wine which we enjoyed. For appetizers we ordered the fried green tomatoes and the grilled octopus. It is hard to decide which one we liked better. The octopus was very tender and came with a delicious warm aïoli sauce. The fried green tomatoes were unique with balsamic and goat cheese. For entrees we ordered the duck, the steak and the pork chop. We enjoyed all of them so much. They were large and delicious. Since we enjoyed the entrees so much we ordered dessert. I had the bread pudding with basil and pepper ice cream. The flavors were so different and delicious. It wasn't too sweet and so delicious. We will definitely be back next time we are visiting vero beach. Highly recommend! read more

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Great food and friendly staff. We all enjoyed our meals and they were able to accommodate us last minute. We will definitely be back. read more

The venue is relatively small, quiet with subdued music and interesting but not overpowering decor. I started with cornmeal-fried green tomatoes which were outstanding and followed with pan-seared Wagyu sirloin, my wife started with mushroom soup and followed with wild boar Wellington. Both were excellent and very enjoyable. This was our first time there and were quite surprised at how reasonable the price was for the quality. read more

Food is outstanding! Service is great, the wine list has some nice selections. I have hosted large parties and intimate dinners and Chris and his team have been great to deal with and I'm always impressed with the specials. read more

The Oar Restaurant - Bouillabaisse dinner! - New American Near Me - Vero Beach, Florida

Delicious. Unique dishes. Low key! Good service. My husband loves this place! We look forward to going back.

We finally made it after several attempts (long story) and we are so very glad we did. It's lovely inside, just off the courtyard on 14th Ave downtown, and the food is simply outstanding. It's beautifully plated and perfectly executed, and very reasonable prices for the high quality. We each had a starter, a main dish and then split the dessert (because we had simply gorged on the preceding dishes). Our waiter Kevin was holding down the service on his own because they were short-handed this evening, and he still managed to be friendly and efficient. Kudos to the entire staff. We'll be back! read more

Walked in on a Wednesday night, almost no searing. I sat at the bar. Menu is varied, unique Frenchish items that are absolutely deelish. We had the mussels - to die for. Ask for the specials, you will not be disappointed. read more

Nice place. Great menu and wine list. But the food doesn't quite live up the the menu, and several dishes missed the mark. Here's what we had, and our quick impressions: 1 - Fried green tomatoes - too hard and dense and so smothered with jelly-based topping, that you couldn't taste the tomato. Sauce overpowered the dish. Tomatoes were undercooked. 2 - Grilled romaine salad - several wilted leaves and too bitter. Dressing was pretty, but tasteless. Too much dressing. 3 - Butternut squash and Italian sausage soup - very nice. Velvety and delicious. Nice balance of flavors. 4 - PEI steamed mussels - good broth with nice addition of fennel. But the mussels were overcooked and quite skimpy. Mussels were not from PEI. 5 - Steak tartare - steak too lumpy, needed to be chopped finer. Needed more Dijon and Worcestershire. 6 - Grilled bread was good. Service was excellent. Outside court dining very nice, back room is more intimate, front room has terrible acoustics. Far too noisy. So what do I make of it all? Nice place, but just misses the mark for me. read more

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This experience was worse then memorable. The soup was a disaster it had kale in it and was served in less then a six ounce size cup. No way of eating this without spilling it on you. The main course was flank steak with roasted potatoes and fried onions. Lets start with the steak it was cut in the wrong direction so impossible to chew. The potatoes were spilled out of precooked plastic bag. The meal was the worst. My suggestion go back to the CIA. You must of been a mediocre student. Even the mascarpone cheesecake had a strange taste. No fine dining here. read more

We celebrated our 10th anniversary here, and enjoyed everything we tried! The food was delicious, the presentation was beautiful and the service was perfect. We strongly recommend it, and we'll certainly be back! read more

We heard about this little gem and decided to give it a try, what a great idea! Four of us went after a matinee at the theater. Delightful service, excellent food and a lovely ambiance. We're so happy to have found it. read more

Had a wonderful meal April 30th, from appetizers, salads and entrees all hit out of the park. Our server Mike went above and beyond all in all a great dining experience. Very nice ambience nice music not too loud! Highly recommended. read more

The best in the area. Everything is fresh. The owner went to the Culinary Institute in Hyde park NY. It's our favorite place. read more

Lovely Bruch with 2 of my closest friends I have not seen in months. The waitress was great and after eating gave us time to talk and catch up. Thankfully there were still open spaces to seat other customers , the food was outstanding. read more

This place is simply amazing. The locations was sweet right on the inner coastal. The food was slightly pricey but the amount of seafood in the dishes and the overall size of the meals made up for that fact. Our server and the other staff were exceptionally professional and enjoyable. This will be a spot i visits every time I visit Long Island. read more

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Wow, Chris and staff out did themselves; last nights wine and food pairing was outstanding!I'm a fresh fish snob because my husband has spoiled me with Florida's best! The swordfish was as good as i've ever had, it was fresh! Thank You, Chris, Owner and Chef of The Oar Restaurant in Vero Beach, FL Thank You, Meredith and Enriquez Wines read more

The atmosphere is very relaxing and yet elegant, The staff is very attentive and warm. The food was absolutely DELICIOUS! Pricing is very fair. I thought it was a nice touch that the chef came out to meet the guests. Very high end and great for a date night or special occasion. read more

I don't know what took us so long to try The Oar, but it was excellent! Might be our new fine dining spot in Vero! We started with the oysters, which were amazing. I had the scallops (best I've had in a long time) and my husband ordered steak (also great). Service was fast and friendly, atmosphere was nice and quiet (we went very early). Nice wine list as well. We didn't try dessert as we were going out for dessert after, but we will definitely be back soon! This chef knows what he's doing!! read more

Really good food and solid service - one of the better restaurants we've been to in Vero Beach. My date loved her pork chop and my scallops were very good... perhaps a hotter skillet might have charred them a little more. Good wine list with some reasonable values if you're a smart shopper. We'll go back. read more

Nice small setting Comfortable Food was great Prepared perfectly , the scallops were seasoned nicely My date had the wagyu pasta, flavorful and tasty Creme brûlée for dessert and price point was reasonable as well Happy to go back soon read more

Visited The Oar last night and it was pretty good. Nice atmosphere, relaxed, great for a date night. Lots of specials, and the menu looked like it had something to suit most people. The server was excellent, attentive and informative. This is subjective of course, but it feels like an upscale environment/vibe, but I've been to many and the food although great, wasn't on par with the upscale restaurants I've been to -- purely just my opinion. Compare this to anything else and it's a five star rating all day. I would go back (will go back) for sure. read more

Last year we discovered this place in Vero in a spot one would never suspect held a culinary delight. The Nantucket chef knows his stuff. The meals were excellent and the dessert supreme. We felt transported from a parking lot to a Mediterranean bistro. We are returning tonight and anticipate another bravura performance. read more

Food is excellent. So flavourful. Delicious The staff was attentive and service was excellent. The restaurant has a nice atmosphere. The food is excellent!!! read more

We had a wonderful dinner at the Oar. Great atmosphere and service. 5 stars for everything. I had the halibut over risotto and key lime mouse for dessert. The bread is amazing! We also had the beef tenderloin tips, bread berry pudding & cheese cake. Amazing! read more

The Oar Restaurant - Yum! - New American Near Me - Vero Beach, Florida

Wow, we had a wonderful meal served by a kind and efficient waiter. Lively atmosphere and delighted to see so many enjoying the wonderful food! read more

The Oar Restaurant - Mussels - New American Near Me - Vero Beach, Florida

My husband and I have had dinner here a few times this season and it keeps getting better and better. This evening I had the sword fish, prepared with orzo, fresh veg and a delicate sauce so fresh it will reach up and slap you.. But the very best was the lamb shank, enjoyed by my husband. He said it was the very best he has ever had. High praise from an admitted picky eater. He also enjoyed the best escargot outside of Burgundy. Really. The servers are well versed on the menu and are schooled guides for your gastronomic pleasure. Please come here. You will enjoy a lovely atmosphere and I promise that anything you order will outstrip your expectations! read more

The Oar Restaurant - Escargot, the very best outside of Burgundy! - New American Near Me - Vero Beach, Florida

Valentine's Day dinner. From the outside, the Oar doesn't look like much but once you walk through the door you get to see how lovely this venue is. We sat in the corner in a nicely appointed tablebwith a nice bottle of pinot noir. For apps we ordered the fish chowder and the baked oysters. For dinner my wife had the rock shrimp special. I had the pasta with bison bolognese. For desert we shared the creme brulee'. The quality, freshness and taste of all we had was amazing. We appreciated the lightness of the dishes of which we tasted all the ingredients. One of the most overall satisfying meals we've had. BG the waiter was outstanding. We've found our new favorite restaurant and cannot wait to return. read more

My husband and I have found our new favorite restaurant in Vero! We have been 3x the past few months and keep bringing all our families or out of state guests. Everything on the menu is absolutely delicious- the fish and lamb are always so tender, the steak tartare on bruschetta toast is just WoW we order it every time, We love all their sides and their desserts are just as yummy especially the creme brûlée - Oh and how can I forget that truffle butter with fresh warm ciabatta bread - be careful you will get full with the bread alone We have never had trouble getting a table without a wait, even on the weekend, service is wonderful- Highly , highly recommended! read more

The oar restaurant is a hidden gem in Vero Beach. We were in Vero for the weekend and found the Oar on a fine dining web site. We had a romantic dinner on their patio. I had the best scallops and my husband had a delicious pork chop. We both had desert from their very unusual desert menu. The outside of the restaurant is very plain but don't let that deter you. It was the best dining we had all weekend. read more

Creative cuisine and attentive waitstaff. Casual setting inside and in the courtyard. read more

Our first visit, and we found the decor to be very pleasant and the staff to be attentive and well trained. We liked all of our food especially the fried green tomatoes as an appetizer. We will order them again! The braised lamb shank was also very good, but the Tagliatelle pasta was not as I envisioned although it was a tasty dish. We will be visiting again to scope out the rest of the menu. read more

Excellent food, quiet, romantic atmosphere. Chef Chris out did himself once again. The menu is always changing so there is always something new to enjoy. Had the pork chop with sweet potatoes, pear chutney and asparagus - delish! read more