A local, but very special "hole in the wall" seafood restaurant in strip center in Mount Dora. Nicely busy with locals as well as take out orders. Service was great. The food was marvelously well-executed - my dining partner's Maryland crab cake was mostly lump crab meat with only enough binder to hold it together and the whole-belly clams were simply off the chain. The 4-Star rating is for the sparse appearance of the presentation and they charge for hushpuppies as a side - which is a Southern cardinal sin. read more

Moved into Mount Dora 9 months ago and we're trying all the local restaurants. We just made our way to WT on a quiet rainy Saturday night. I've tried fried catfish an 6 locations now and this was tied for top 2. Not drown in batter-just a light cover and not too much oil. Wife had excellent butterfly shrimp. She failed to get excited about the crab cake. Light on flavor though creatively done. BTW Cole slaw is a fish house test & it was excellent. Sweet tea yummy & price good. read more

Whale's Tale - Famous Shrimp - Seafood Near Me - Mount Dora, Florida

Very nice first visit to Whale's Tale - a seafood restaurant that sits in (the most) non-descript strip mall here in Mount Dora. To get in and out of any restaurant in less than 30 minutes is a feat and I pride myself on being efficient - but SHOUT OUT to the team here because my food arrived almost as fast as my order was placed! The Seafood Basket (shrimp, lightly-breaded) was a safe bet, with homemade slaw (not bad, but nothing to write home about). For an up charge, you can get the popular onion rings which I did enjoy. This simple, unassuming restaurant is a staple in the area and I can see why. The food is just fine, nothing too salty or over-seasoned. My server was great and the tunes they play here are SOLID (Jackie Wilson, Sam Cooke, etc.). I would absolutely return and bring my parents. Daily specials are available as is my recommendation to come here and have a Whale of a good time. read more

Whale's Tale - Shrimp Seafood Basket...perfect for lunch or dinner... - Seafood Near Me - Mount Dora, Florida

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We came here Nov 2024. Small place. On a Friday afternoon we were the only ones here. Food was good. Served hot and crispy. I got the New England chowder with cream sauce, potatoes and clams. So good. I also got the lightly fried shrimp and catfish with coleslaw and grits Came with 2 hush puppies and 2 onion rings. Yum! $13.99. For the price, the food was very good I would come here again. However the decor in this place is very dated. The bathroom still has old plastic greenery with a inch of dust on them. Need to be tossed. This is located in a plaza with plenty of parking. read more

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We stopped into Whales Tale for dinner after shopping at the Treasure Marts next door. We wanted to get dinner before heading to Eustis for the annual lighting of the Christmas tree; however, after seeing pictures of the food, I didn't want to eat here because everything was fried and was just brown, where is the color?? Well we decided to eat here because of convenience and I have to say the food was pretty good, but as anticipated, fried and mostly brown. The three of us chose the seafood duo with the a variety of catfish, shrimp, and fried clams coming to $13.99 each. The plate comes with two sides, we selected grits, beans, coleslaw, and steamed carrots. Since we ordered catfish as one of the options we also received several fried onion rings and two hush puppies each. Instead of going with a piece of fried catfish I decided on broiled. Nancy and I ordered a bowl of the New England clam chowda to share for $5.99 and my mom ordered the cup $4.99. All of the food was fresh, hot, and delicious. My only complaints are that the cat fish fillets are tiny and the hush puppies were very dry inside, almost like raw flour. Our server, Paula, was very friendly and our food was out in less than 15 minutes. I ordered two Amberbock beers ($3.50),they were ice cold and Paula brought out a frosted glass for me, that was a big plus, thanks Paula. The restaurant is a bit dated and is in need of a renovation. It's in a strip mall so maybe they don't want to put money into a building they don't own?? Regardless, owner/staff could do a better job cleaning and dusting areas in the dining room and restroom. All and all, this was a good experience and if I was in the mood for this type of meal again I would come back if in the area but because I'm not a huge fried food fan and the fish portions are very small I might try another restaurant in the area or go to a tried-n-true like BTW in Tavares. read more

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Great food and service as always. They have the best clam strips and onion rings and very good fried shrimp, fries, red potatoes and cheese grits. And the prices are less than Mount Dora's average restaurant prices. I highly recommend this restaurant! read more

Whale's Tale - Seafood Near Me - Mount Dora, Florida

I have been here a few times and typically have gotten the scallops which are always excellent. This time I got the broiled crabcake with the 5 shrimp. The crabcake was legitimate. I grew up on Kent Island on the Chesapeake bay and this stacks up to true Maryland style. Very little filler with lump blue crab meat and a hint of old bay. Would highly recommend to anyone who is looking for an authentic crab cake Service was great as always! read more

Our server "JJ was awesome she told use what was her favorite thing and now it's mine too The food was so delicious Almost everything is homemade! The he Slaw, soup, Onion Rings, sweet potato fries, Haddock and Shrimp tasted So deliciousEven the Sweet Tea was Yummy The atmosphere is good and we will definitely return to this wonderful restaurant‼ read more

Whale's Tale - onion rings,Sweet potatoefries, tarter and Cocktail sauses, Haddock and Shrimp - Seafood Near Me - Mount Dora, Florida

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Decent,inexpensive seafood restaurant in a nondescript strip plaza. I had clam strips and a bowl of new England chowda. My date had fried oysters and scallops and a bowl of manhattan chowda. It all came to @ $60 + tip. Lots of parking and good service. read more

Service excellent! Food came hot! I had the fried oysters, onion rings, and sweet potato fries. All delish. Will be back.

Parking was ample. Restaurant was tastefully and appropriately appointed. It was clean and presentable. The menu was well filled with all kinds of delicious choices. The food was well prepared and yummy. Loved the carrots cooked in apple juice. The service was friendly and helpful. We need to go back to sample the rest of their delectable foods. read more

When I visit Mount Dora, I always stop to eat at Whale's Tail!!! They offer the BEST fries clams I have ever had. They seem fresh and full of flavor. The staff is friendly and service is good!! read more

They have the best fried clams in Lake County. The staff is friendly and attentive. And the restaurant offers freshly brewed tea (both sweet and unsweet). I honestly haven't purchased any other entrees because I love the clams so much! read more

Second time to whales tale and it proved the first time wasn't a fluke. The food and service where better than the first and we thought that couldn't be beat It was read more

Whale's Tale - Fried clam basket - Seafood Near Me - Mount Dora, Florida

Fabulous food! My mother had coconut shrimp and I had blackened haddock. Both were well seasoned and cooked properly. The sides were all good as well! Clean dining area and service with a smile. read more

Whale's Tale - Coconut shrimp with Cole slaw and hush puppies. - Seafood Near Me - Mount Dora, Florida

Food and value great been going there for years it's like being with family as they know my name and I know theirs

Pretty good food. I was going to order at Tony's chowder house. I've ordered there in the past and the food was good. I tried ordering this time and they just completely upset me so I just asked for my money back and tried this spot out and everything was really good. Their salad was fresh and clean, the chowder was actually creamy. I'm over all satisfied with what I ordered and will go back. I also enjoyed the grits, I wish they gave a bigger to go portion of them and more cheese on the salad but that's about it. read more

The atmosphere was horrible. It wasn't clean and service could improve. There wasn't any other restaurants in the area so we ate there.

Great food. Great service. Out of the way gem. Fast service and large portions. Onion rings and hush puppies are awesome.

We had the fried clam basket and it was so good. The breading was light and they were fried perfectly. We ordered sweet potato fries and they were delicious. Food came quickly and service was very friendly. Although there were 4 or 5 other tables of diners, it was relatively quiet and pleasant. Prices are reasonable. Will go back to try their shrimp and fish entrees. read more

Wow - the food here was delicious! We both had the seafood basket with fried haddock and hush puppies and coleslaw. Lightly breaded, not greasy fish and hush puppies, homemade coleslaw. The ice tea was freshly brewed. The young lady who served us was friendly and efficient. We will definitely be back! Note the attached picture- you can see how much my husband enjoyed his food. read more

Whale's Tale - a plate of food and a fork - Seafood Near Me - Mount Dora, Florida

A nice local seafood restaurant. We enjoy eating there once or so a month. I enjoy the fried scallops and onion rings the most. Their batter is light and crisp. You can get seafood fried, broiled and blackened. read more

How can a Fish place be out of Clam Chowder?? Onion Rings were Great!! Clean place, nice server, fast service. A dinner place, but closes at 7:30 weekdays, NOT 8:00 as advertised on Yelp. French Onion Soup was bland. Hush Puppies & Cheese Grits were good. They turned off the neon signs at 7:10....plan to eat dinner early. read more

Whale's Tale - Fried Haddock was very good. - Seafood Near Me - Mount Dora, Florida

We decided to try the Whale's Tale restaurant for one reason: we learned they offer full belly fried clams. Along with family and friends, red hot dogs and mild summers, full belly fried clams are what we miss most from our long time home state, Maine. We found a restaurant in the Villages with whole belly clams and they were good, but not as good as our favorite back in Maine was, and it is kind of a drive for us. Anyway, we ordered a basket with the clams as well as a fish and chip basket. I had baked beans and sweet potato fries for my sides and my wife had sweet potato fries and hush puppies. We shared so we could both try everything. The fried clams were wonderful, every bit as good as the best place we used to go there back home! The clam basket was $18.99, so we won't be going very often, but we will enjoy it as a major treat once in a while. The sweet potato fries were good, and the homemade baked beans were great. A small serving, but delicious. Even the hush puppies seemed better than average. The fried fish was tender and juicy, but unless we go often, future visits will see us both getting those luscious clams. We need to try out the onion rings there also. My wife asked, and the owners and style of cooking are from Maryland rather than upper New England, so I guess if we are ever in Maryland we will have to check around! read more

Small hidden gem in a strip mall. Tasty food and reasonable prices. I had shrimp and scallops, hush puppies and red potatoes. Sweet tea was good and server was attentive. read more

Whale's Tale - Seafood Duo - Seafood Near Me - Mount Dora, Florida

Excellent Shrimp Basket dinner. Great service at a cozy, small diner. A real gem of a place.

Consistent, fried seafood, small portions, not cheap, unpretentious menu, haddock, shrimp, crab cakes, chowder. Good food.

Stopped for lunch, based on the yelp reviews. Again, reviewers were on target! Great chowda, crab cake, shower quick service! Highly recommended!! read more

Great dining choice I must say. I was craving seafood as usual and searched Yelp for locations close to my new home. Whale's Tale came up as a promising place with high marks from other reviewers here and on TripAdvisor. They were all correct. I ordered fried catfish with onion rings as my side. My hubby ordered blackened catfish with baked beans and red potatos for his sides. For drinks I had sweet tea and he had Amstel Lager. Both plates came with hush puppies and everything we ordered was absolutely delicious. Not overly seasoned. Not greasy. Not salty. Just perfect. Hubby even liked his beer which surprised me as he is a Yuengling fanatic but this place doesn't serve it. Servers are super friendly and the place is very clean and tidy including the restrooms. It's small inside but still plenty of seats without being cramped. Love it! read more

Whale's Tale - Blackened catfish with baked beans and red potatoes - Seafood Near Me - Mount Dora, Florida

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Casual, good service, great sweet potato fries. Onion hush puppies were very nice. Fried haddock fair. Fake scallops.......horrible. Possibly punched out of skate. Dense, rubbery and all the same size. The texture ,color and taste was a give away. Considering that seafood allergies are very specific, I do not think this is a good practice. read more

I was looking for a new seafood restaurant to go to that wouldn't break the bank. The Whale's Tale is in a strip mall (not a stand alone store) so the parking is plenty. I was able to seat myself, which I really like. My server was friendly and knowledgeable of the menu. I really was in the mood for soup and salad. So I ordered the clam chowder (which seemed to be a special recipe to this establishment) and a salad. Oh man - did I make the right choice. The clam chowder is unique (not far off the traditional) and delicious. It came out piping hot too. The salad was great, but extremely cold and crunchy. Just like salads should be. That soup was so good and hit the spot that I had a second bowl. There was plenty of seating and it appeared you could dress however you wanted. While there I noticed a number of people getting carry-out so that is an option as well. Try it! Go to the Whales Tale. You won't be disappointed. read more

We are from the Jersey Shore so we know a thing or two about seafood. My wife LOVES whole belly clams and wasn't feeling good so since its only z mile away wanted to try it. Pleasant young lady took the order right away with onions rings ( xtra) and a bowl of clam chowder. Was ready in ten minutes. She was again pleasant and knew it was me. I had warned her if good you would see me again. She assured me the owner was from Maryland. When got it home was incredibly disappointed . The clams literally had tiny bellies which made for a hard fried. The Onion Rings were thin almost shoestring. The side of cheese grits wasn't bad in about a 2 oz cup. The chowder was very thick but wasn't seasoned enough and more of a cup size than a bowl size. It was one VERY EXPENSIVE takeout everything was $33. Don't mind paying but would like to get my moneys worth. If not for the pleasant young lady would be one star. Will not be back! read more

My snowbird parents frequented this place before my father's passing. Now my mother and I go. It's cozy with friendly service. We've never had a bad meal. Mom usually gets the fried clams. I have tried a variety of fish dishes, fried and blackened. All have been good. We will be back. read more

A few days prior to our visit to the restaurant, my girlfriend brought me home a cup of their clam chowda. It was one of the best I have tasted. So during our visit today, we ordered a variety of food. For starters, we had their onion rings and clam strips. For the entrees we each ordered their crab cakes. She ordered hush puppies and fries and I ordered their homemade coleslaw and fries. Let me tell you, amazing! The onion rings were not overly breaded and the dipping sauce had just enough flavor for it to give you a kick, but still had a sweet taste to it. The clam strips were perfectly breaded and seasoned. As for the crab cakes, well, it was pure heaven. The crab cakes were not greasy or oily at all. It was perfectly seasoned and every bite had large chunks of fresh crab meat! This is a place we highly recommend. You don't want to miss out on this local seafood joint. In addition to the great food, the service was just as good. Our waitress Heather was friendly, polite, and was on top of everything. We will definitely be coming back. read more

Whale's Tale - Crab cake, French fries, and hush puppies. - Seafood Near Me - Mount Dora, Florida

How is it that you go to a seafood place and they don't even have clam chowder? We went at lunchtime but were given dinner menus. We did not even know they had a lunch menu until a regular came in and asked for one. That kind of set the tone for the rest of the visit The cook staff could be viewed from the dining room. As soon as they would go into the kitchen the masks would get pulled down beneath their chins. People just don't get it when it comes to Covid restrictions. So, in short, overpriced for what you get. read more

Oh, this is so good... wifey's dish is perfectly broiled and she is gonna eat the whole thing (not normal). My clam strips are not the frozen ones you see so often, but rather freshly made. And - the hush puppies have to be the best we've ever had. Please support this locally-owned restaurant! read more

When looking for a place to have lunch in an unfamiliar area like most I turn to yelp to offer up some suggestions, naturally we always look for that four or five star experience and this was no exception. Whales Tales Fish House is located in a unsuspecting strip mall with little advertisement visible from the highway apparently it relies on its local popularity amongst its clientele to fill the tables and for good reason. This cozy little restaurant is putting out some of the best New England Seafood I've eaten in this part of Florida. The menu is simply and the quality of the seafood is outstanding prepared in a way that only this method of cooking can provide so don't confuse it with the normal offerings served up by most seafood restaurants famous throughout most of Florida. The open seating arrangement is simply and allows you to chose a booth or table to suit your parties needs. On this particular day Danielle was the acting hostess as well as the server for the entire restaurant not only was she extremely friendly and accommodating she was very efficient and offered up great tips during the ordering process you can pretty much mix and match anything on the menu and not have to worry about all the extra charges you often see at other places. I had the fried shrimp and fried oyster combination basket with coleslaw and homemade onion rings. Everything is cooked to order and served hot with a choice of seafood sauces but honestly the freshness and lightly seasoned batter doesn't require much of anything so if you've never had fresh New England Seafood and looking for a fast and delicious option for lunch or dinner look no further you won't be disappointed. read more

Whale's Tale - Oysters, Shrimp and Homemade Onion Rings - Seafood Near Me - Mount Dora, Florida

Found this place on Yelp while driving through the area looking for a place to eat. So glad we stopped! It is located a couple doors to the right of the dollar store in an old shopping strip. Don't let your first impression from the parking lot sway you from entering. The food was very good and you will not regret it. As others mentioned, the décor is a simple nautical scene. There are several booths and some tables. The place was full but we were greeted and seated as soon as we walked in the door. Service was prompt and friendly. My husband grew up in Cape Cod and the Ipswich whole bellied clams drew us to this place, along with the great reviews we read. We were not disappointed. Prices were reasonable and he enjoyed his tender and tasty clams. I ordered the haddock which was also very good. They both had a light batter and were fried perfectly. We will definitely be back! read more

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I must start off with that this is what you would call a hole in the wall restaurant located in a old strip mall. We have really enjoyed this restaurant it's clean and friendly. Most of the clientele seems to be well, older even older than me.. First off the onion rings are fresh made and delicious. So much that we went back a few days later and enjoyed them again. I had the trio twice, once broiled in lemon butter (true lemon butter not pre-made) and fried. Both were done perfectly and good flavor. There menu is not huge but what they do have you can tell is cooked with love. One of the better seafood restaurants we have been to and I go to quite a few. Oh didn't mention that it was not loud in side with 50's music in the background. read more

Very clean. Great staff. Wonderful food. Best shrimp, onion rings, French onion soup in the area!