I was visiting Columbus and a buddy recommended Windward. He cautioned that the wait can be lengthy. Very lengthy. On a Friday night at 6:45PM our party of two was seated immediately at a 2-top. Larger parties were waiting. My buddy ordered the prime rib, his regular, and it was served as ordered - rare. I order the 6 oz. filet, medium rare. Excellent. The big win? They serve raw horseradish! The venue is from the 1970's and very well maintained. Will I return? Certainly. read more

A Delicious Time Machine You Actually Want to Eat In Windward Passage is the kind of restaurant that makes you feel like you've stepped straight into 1978, in the best possible way. If you've ever thought, "Man, I miss the days when dishes had names and not just 'deconstructed concepts,'" this place is your new home base. Appetizer - Coquille St. James Sea scallops, sauce, mashed potatoes... basically a fancy seafood shepherd's pie that your nostalgic inner child will absolutely high-five you for ordering. Rich, creamy, comforting -- it's like a culinary hug from a decade with better music. Waldorf Salad Phenomenal. Flavorful. The kind of salad that reminds you why this dish used to be the Beyoncé of dinner parties. Fresh Catch - Haddock No picture, but you can tell this fish was fresh. Like, "probably had weekend plans before it met the kitchen" fresh. Decor Dated. Dark. And somehow awesome. Imagine the set of a 70s maritime movie, but everyone's actually having a good time. Atmosphere They open at 4 PM and there's a line -- because apparently everyone else also loves time travel. I was probably one of the youngest people there, which is a strange but empowering feeling. Like being the rookie on a team of seasoned pros. The staff? Super friendly. Pro tip: the bar fills up FAST. Olympic speed. If you want a bar seat, you need reflexes. Also heard the dining room runs warm -- so if you run hot, maybe bring a tiny fan or pretend you're on a tropical cruise. Final Verdict: Windward Passage is a retro gem with hearty food, friendly vibes, and the kind of throwback charm that makes you grin. I'm absolutely putting this into rotation with friends for bar hangs, drinks, and really good food. read more

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The food and service are always top notch Their fresh fish can't be topped and the strip steak is amazing as well. Served with a smile and a welcoming environment it is perfect read more

This is a very cool looking place that gives the ambiance of being on a ship at sea. They offer a pretty good variety of seafood in an area that doesn't have many options. I was recommended the scallops and though I enjoyed them, everything was fairly lacking in flavor. The majority of the clientele were significantly older, and I felt as though the food catered to that. Service was good but overall too pricey just for the ambiance. The food looked good, but it didn't really make me want more. read more

Windward Passage Restaurant - Scallops, Steamed Broccoli, and Baked Potato - Seafood Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

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I really enjoyed my prime rib during this visit and service was outstanding. The old school vibe is growing on me, so I had a better experience this time. read more

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Called to try and set a reservation. It was not able to therefore arrived and had about a 30 minute wait, however, as always very well worth it. After ordering our entrée our server blessed us with a huge homemade cinnamon roll. Dinner was absolutely scrumptious and we enjoyed the laid-back atmosphere. Highly recommended! read more

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Not a big fan. I've been here 3 or 4 times over the years as it's my father-in-law's favorite birthday dinner place. I've had everything from seafood to steaks. I find the food okay, almost cafeteria level. The presentation is also very pedestrian. The place has been the same since it opened in the 70s, which some find charming. It's overcrowded and uncomfortable. The demeanor of staff is brusque. It's neither bad nor good. I'm not an ageist because I'm pushing 60, but it isn't what I'm used to when paying $30-40 for a meal. If you're 70 and love to live in the past, I guess this might be for you. If you want a nice dining experience in comfort and excellence, I'd choose a different seafood restaurant. read more

Even though this special venue has changed hands, it has the same charm and , thankfully, the same menu that we have expected since 1973. My husband to be and I had our first real date here. The food was delicious, the charm , undeniable and the service beyond measure. It was not the highlight of our trip to Ohio but it was close. read more

Went for dinner with some friends who had been before. Oddly enough there was no wait for a table. Service was quick and efficient. Food was great. Steaks were cooked well and portions were good. Prices were right for what was ordered in relation to other establishments but it was nice being at an independent restaurant and not a chain. I'd definitely return. read more

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It's like time travel to 80's. The inside feels like a theme restaurant. Customers are mostly middle age and elderly. The vibe isn't for everyone. They have some fixtures from old time which is really cool to me. Food price and quality are great. I don't think you can find $7.75 margaritas at normal price anywhere else. They have happy hour on Monday-Wednesday with cocktail $2off. If I like to try something different, I highly recommend. Service is also great. read more

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Confused by the 4 star rating. This place is absolutely delicious. We will be returning for years to get our seafood fix in between Florida trips. Emma has been our waitress on each visit and she is great! All the staff seem very friendly and the owner walks around checking in on everyone. It feels like a spot we went to in California, The Galley, and fell in love with so, very happy this is close to home. It's like being in an old pirate ship. I'll probably only ever order the Walleye sandwich forever but we have also enjoyed the Alaskan crab legs and crab cakes. Try it... you'll love it!! read more

Windward Passage Restaurant - Walleye sandwich and French fries - Seafood Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

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The Windward Passage Restaurant came up for me when searching for new places to enjoy oysters. The search did not disappoint when it came down to enjoying the oysters; however, the rest of our experience was not so grand. See notes below! - The location of the restaurant is not the greatest...some of the lights in the signage outside were broken too. - The restaurant is small and has a rustic look/feel to it. The booths are small in size as well. I am going to quote one of the servers regarding the smell of the restaurant - "It smells a little extra oceanic tonight". I understand that you should expect a little smell when dining at a seafood restaurant; however, the smell was a little extra pungent last night. - We started at the bar since we were waiting for a friend. I asked the bartender for an espresso martini. He said that he couldn't make it and couldn't make some other drinks (Moscow Mules, Mojitos, etc.) so I asked for a drink menu. He stated that he did not have a drink menu; however, we found later that there are drink menus as they were located on our table once we were seated for dinner. (I ended up ordering a Pinot Noir). - My husband enjoyed the complimentary bread and butter while our friend and I enjoyed a dozen oysters. The oysters were large in size and super meaty! They were so good! - For my meal, I went with the shrimp scampi (for $25). While the shrimp were large in size (they kind of looked like chunks of lobster), they had no flavor whatsoever. I did not taste the garlic butter at all...some pieces of the shrimp were mushy too... - The side salad was amusing. It was a handful of a side salad mix that you can get at Wal Mart/Kroger (see pic for reference). I added bleu cheese crumbles to spruce it up a bit! - My baked potato was good - I added butter, sour cream, and bleu cheese to it - and it was nice and tasty! - My husband ordered the chicken sandwich and fries and rates it a 3 out of 5. - Our friend ordered the grouper special and stated that he enjoyed the meal; however, did not finish his meal nor opt to take it home... - Our server (Isabel) was great! Thank you, Isabel! While the meal experience didn't cut it for us, I think that I would still be open to coming back for some more oysters! They were really good! read more

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I love this place. The food is good, I come here a lot. However, I've had 2-3 bad experiences with the female servers. They're really rude, mean, and treat our table differently from others. They only try to be nice when we ask for the check. Only one lady is nice to us. read more

This place is great and should be in business forever with never changing the decor. A step back in time from every aspect. Just take those dim cool light bulbs out of the ceiling over booths, they are depressing :). I love the atmosphere and love that they have never tried to modernize it. Some items are hit n miss. They may not all be great but they are not horrible. the oysters remick are a must and the rockafeller are also good. The walleye is very good if sauteed. The fried was ok. Chowder little bland as was the orange roughy. Prime rib was good. You get quite a bit of food for the money. They give you a salad and baked potato old school style. The only reason I wouldn't want to drive people to Windward Passage is b/c they do not take reservations and I don't want it to be busy :). read more

Always delicious dinner at Windward Passage. I agree! The Service person is always so pleasant.

Ok, let me tell you about this place....great! Price points were excellent, service was excellent, ambiance felt as if I was eating at a local seafood place on an ocean, food was great! Let me start off by telling you about the hostess.... BJ.. probably lying to me, but I love her sense of humor. Smart, sassy...love it. I told her i would make her YELP famous! The Mrs got the orange roughy, I got the Grilled grouper. We had a roll with butter, salad and main course. It was good. We heard probably the quietest happy birthday to you to an adjacent table I n the state of Ohio, but it was cool. Very nice place. Will be back again! read more

Windward Passage Restaurant - Seafood Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

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What a hidden gem! But maybe not hidden, as this has been on my to-do list for awhile, and I always hear rave reviews about it, which I've also been sharing since I dined there this week. Probably have driven by this place a million times, it's in a strip mall off Henderson. Came on a Thursday evening at 8 so didn't have the long wait others have mentioned. Ambiance was amazing- felt like so many restaurants I visited with family when I was younger. My exact statement to my bf- my parents would love it it here. Drink prices are very reasonable, I had a glass of wine and my bf a beer. Service was matter-of-fact and great. Good suggestions, letting me know the scallops looked great that day- and they were, some of the best I've had in awhile. Presentation isn't fancy, but the flavor was great. I commented on my asparagus looking sad, but then realized they were cooked perfect, and flavored nicely. My bfs fish sandwich looked funny, and he said it was incredible. My meal came with salad, a potato and veggie, and rolls which I can't wait because of a gluten intolerance, which the server helped me out with for the rest of the meal. We got the snickers pie for dessert, and it was our least favorite part of the meal- not bad, just very sugary and everything else was better. We definitely will be back. read more

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I used to go here as a kid, but hadn't been in years. My husband surprised me with an anniversary dinner on Friday 04/04/25. It was his first time. The atmosphere is amazing, and just as I had remembered it as a child, and the food was delicious, but lacks seasoning. Our waitress (Lori) was absolutely TERRIBLE! She was so rude to us, never came over to see if we needed anything. I ordered a Coke and watched her try to deliver it to two other tables besides ours. Never did get it. I will go back though,because my lobster tail and filet was melt in your mouth perfection, but I will make sure I get a different waitress! My husband had the Lake perch and said it was delicious as well, but when he asked if he could substitute his salad for fries, our waitress snatched the menu from him and said, " I don't know if they will substitute it or not, I will have to ask" never returned to tell us yes or no. She was beyond RUDE!! I would give this place a 4.5 star for food, 5 if it didn't lack seasoning, but because of our terrible service from the moment she came to our table saying "since you have your phones out, you must be ready to order." mind you, we had only been sitting about 3 minutes and hadn't even looked at a menu yet. My husband was finishing up some work from his phone that couldn't wait, and I was tending to children from mine. Terrible service, wonderful atmosphere, and delicious food. read more

Windward Passage Restaurant - Crab cake appetizer. Delicious and didn't lack seasoning. - Seafood Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

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Great place. Way old school atmosphere, attitude and professionalism. Staff is friendly and proficient. Food is very good. Have been may times and will continue. read more

This place is just great. Food was delicious, and reasonably priced. 9oz Filet was cooked to perfection, oyster dishes were great. Kids had the crab leg's and they were decent sized with tons of meat. Service was great, our waitress knew what she was doing spacing out our apps and salads. Atmosphere was old school and gave holei in the wall vibes. We will be back. read more

I've always eaten my food slow, even at home or when I go out. They didn't like it when I was eating my food slow. They never have prime rib on special. I don't like seafood. read more

It was an interesting visit. The restaurant is located at the end of a strip mall. I already knew in advance they didn't take reservations so we arrived and put our name in, they don't have beepers or call or text you, they just yell your name out and I was told it would be 45-1 hour. So we went walking around and came back 45 minutes later, apparently they grossly overestimated the time and we had been called long before that. The woman working the host stand seemed frazzled and not particularly friendly. We finally were able to get sat and the decor inside is very reminiscent of the Krusty Krab from SpongeBob. It was a Saturday but most of the other crowd was quite older. A weird vibe. The server was very nice and apparently on the weekend they randomly give you cinnamon rolls with your meal while supplies last. They also give you bread, but they are room temperature and definitely tasted store bought. Everyone else ordered fish or scallops, I ordered a steak and it was overcooked and bland, so definitely stick with their seafood if you can. read more

I've been here two times and the food was really good both times. Service is great. There are no reservations so I recommend you go early. And the waiting area is quite small. It's a very popular restaurant. read more

Wow! Talk about transporting back in time. Windward passage is the perfect combo of great tasting food, decent portions, decent prices and ambiance. The seafood is excellent -- but surprisingly so are the steaks! I love the liver and onions!! There is typically a wait if you get here in the early dining hours (5-7pm). So either get here early or come a little later! They do not take reservations. read more

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I have wanted to try this local place for some time. So that you know up front you can't make reservations or call ahead seating. So the bar area open at 4pm, and dining area at 4:30. Then the lines start to from, upon arriving was told it would be 45 minutes. However it was more like 20 and we were seated. Started with Angels on horseback which is oyster wrapped in bacon and fired. Ahh yes please, I went with the mild so that's why Angel on horseback. Hot are called Devil on horseback. Also had 6 raw oysters which were so good. For dinner I went with smaller portion of Prime rib which came with choice of rice, baked potato, or fires and vegetable of the day. We also had the special of the day which was Halibut. This was cooked perfectly and just flacked apart. I didn't save room for dessert, but they had several great choices, maybe next time. read more

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Food was tasty salad was excellent in taste. Service was excellent even though the place was packed.

We go to Windward frequently and have always liked our appetizers and meals. Bartenders and service folks are friendly and many have worked there for years. We love the fish, loaded potatoes, onion rings, and zucchini for appetizers. The fish dishes are wonderful. read more

Delicious menu items with great service, consistency and always very friendly. Love the prime rib

Windward Passage Resort: Ardent Sunsets Fifty-five years ago, as young educators, my wife and I selected Ft. Meyers beach as a holiday destination during the Christmas break. We enjoyed the Christmas holidays with our parents and relatives and drove south to Ft. Meyers Beach Holiday Inn for a week of sun, and the salty beaches and the Gulf of Mexico. I recall that we made this excursion in our new 1968 Camaro that did not have power steering, power anything, airbags, or a GPS system. And we endured/enjoyed the drive. What were we thinking? Holiday Inn and a road-trip to Florida? This was to be the last holiday taken in this fashion. We soon realized that our lifestyle provided plenty of holiday time, and we have the resources to fly to U.S. and world-wide destination. Holidays Inns are a vague and very distance memory. I tend to be a linear thinker concerning attendance at national conferences and in terms of planning holidays. We seem to have a queue of airline tickets and timeshare reservations. The vital holiday planning is for spring break. Within weeks of the last spring break, we are trading for next year's spring break, and we are finding airline tickets as soon as the airlines post the routes. There are too many reasons to purchase a two-bedroom condo, and our stable is filled with ten two-bedroom timeshares. However, we traded years ago into Windward Passage Resort (418 Estero Boulevard Fort Myers Beach, FL 33931 239-463-1194) on the quiet north section of Ft. Meyers Beach. Ft. Meyers Beach is not Sanibel and Captiva, but for a small fraction of the price, we purchased two weeks of one-bedroom units. There are very few two-bedroom units at this property, and very few two-bedroom units appear on the secondary market. I believe that location is vital; that timeshare ownership should be in geographic areas that one will re-visit; and that timeshare ownership is not an economic investment, but rather a lifestyle investment. Windward Passage Resort also turned out to be an economic investment. We sold the two properties at a profit. Windward Passage Resort is a resort that we greatly enjoyed for several years; all 52 weeks are flex ownership, and we always scheduled the very same unit for two consecutive weeks. Timeshare owners know the advantage of making these arrangements: no refrigerator transfer of food, no kitchen transfer, no bathroom transfers, and no clothing or luggage transfer. Windward Passage Resort has a great swimming pool on the south side; we always arranged to reserve our units on the north side with a beach view rather than a view of children playing about the pool. Some years, we found profit in renting the unit, and these ocean and beach front one-bedroom units traded into five star and two-bedroom units with a degree of ease. All 53 week are red weeks at Windward Passage Resort. My wife and I are avid tennis fans, and Windward Passage Resort, and the tennis courts are one story high on the roof of the parking lot. This is a unique and clever arrangement, and one which discourages ball retrieval. The photographs (while limited) on the Interval international Website do not provide justice to this gem of a property. Ft. Meyers is the archetypical Florida "snowbird city." The hordes come in November and depart in April. This means that often the bridge from Ft. Meyers to Ft. Meyers Beach is in gridlock. This is not the case in the summer months. We fly to the Ft. Meyers airport, pick up a Hertz number 1 automobile and drive the 18-22 miles to Windward Passage Resort in about 30 minutes. During the "snowbird months" allow at least an hour for the same trip. I posted this review on the Web several years ago: "Outstanding small resort located between city pier and city park. Although small rooms, the veranda provides an outstanding Gulf view. Summers are hot and humid, and good vacation times. Winters can generate fierce traffic problems. Hurricanes have done their worst to this property, and it has always bounced back. Ideal for small families. Great staff." The following post is representative as a summary of Many Web posts: "A unique, intimate Resort in a great beach location. Socials include Ice Cream Day, Pancake Day, Hot Dog, Burger Day & free coffee any day. A user-friendly quiet Resort with heated pool and complimentary beach chairs. Bring your own beach towels as they are not supplied and minimum toilet tissue or you can purchase additional rolls. Not far near the end of N. Ft. Myers Beach is the fabulous Pine Shell Resort for a tropical drink or meal and several quality island restaurants." The absolute best part of the day is at sunset. People flock to the beach in an almost religious manner to silently observe the ardent red ball of sun "descend into the ocean" or into a thin layer of clouds that provide a hue of red and pink for a 30-minute afterglow following sunset. read more

A million times yes! Everything about this place is charming as can be! I can't wait to go back and try some seafood next time. Started off with very nicely poured Tanqueray and tonic and fried zucchini (with horsey sauce and mustard as dippers!) All meals come with a salad so I chose mine accompanied by their house-made ranch. I ordered the prime rib and it came with a baked potato with sour cream and green beans. It was cooked to my requested perfection--medium rare--and all for $30. What a steal. It's dark and nautical themed and so reminds me of restaurants of my youth living in New England. I loved it! read more

Windward Passage Restaurant - Prime Rib - Seafood Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

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The FOOD omg! You have to know what to order and I most certainly do! The staff and service is PERFECTION! The Ambiance is SO COOL! I love to look around at everything! The best part for me is the COMPANY! The people who go there are MY PEOPLE! its top secret tho! I hope to goodness that you get so much foot traffic that you must open another location somewhere closer to me! Love you all SO VERY MUCH! Hard working crew no doubt! Please don't forget to generously tip the servers! They DESERVE IT! Bless u all! read more

I went last Friday. Service was horrible all night long. We wound up spending $148. Had to ask for straws and refills and kept asking over and over for things. Waitress was not friendly never smiled then after 2nd time of us asking for straws, she came over and plopped an opened straw in my friends drink.( she cannot drink without one as she is special needs) They had brought 3 rolls and 2 cinnamon rolls to the table. I asked if I could take 2 home. We had to wait another 20 min for that and had to ask for dessert as well. I had already talked to manager who was apologetic, but clueless and did nothing about it. Then charged us $2 for each cinnamon roll!!!! I didn't realize there was a cost. Luckily, the autistic, special needs, deaf girl I had w me was a very patient girl. I will not be going back. It also needs a good cleaning and need updated. Not kid friendly or good for wheelchairs to cramped. read more

Cozy, old-school seafood restaurant, inconspicuously tucked in a strip mall area on the west side. Wonderfully kitschy inside, you will feel as though you are in the bowels of a large sea craft. Service is lovely & attentive. Prices are reasonable. Great hidden gem for date-night for fun couples. read more

Very nice atmosphere, the food is excellent and the service is outstanding. Be prepared to wait at dinner time as this is a local favorite, but it is worth the wait! Prices are very reasonable. read more

Windward Passage Restaurant - Surf and Turf - Seafood Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

Oysters, mussels,scallops and grouper all delicious! Our waitress was perfect. Such a memorable anniversary dinner! read more

Windward Passage Restaurant - Oysters On The Half Shell - Seafood Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

We were passing through Columbus on a road trip. Our son wanted steak and we struggled to find a steak place that wasn't either a chain or $$$-$$$$. Windward shows 4 stars on Yelp, so we tried it. The interior is quite dated, but the place was busy so we went ahead. We ordered halibut, the special, which was nicely cooked and tasty, but our son's steak (ordered medium rare), was burned on both sides. Even after cutting off the burned edges, the burned flavor was still evident in the meat. For a $29 strip steak, it was disappointing to say the least. Unfortunately, I can't agree with a 4-star rating when the food is not above average. To end on a positive note, the service was good and the food came out fast in spite of a full dining room. read more

Don't go here unless you want to pay $40 for a small prime rib and a dinky baked potato that was over-baked, and be bullied by the waitress and manager/bartender! When I said we would not be back, the waitress said Good! My prime rib was tough and full of fat and grizzle, most places would have said we're sorry and do whatever they could to make it right! It was like they were offended! The manager said So you are not going to eat this and grabbed my plate! She had said before that she was going to give us some snicker's pie to make up for no cinnamon rolls! Well, the waitress came up and said she was going to give us our bill. I hardly touched anything but my salad and some rolls! When we got the bill. the manager said she was going to take mine off well, it came up almost 89 dollars. Yes they charged for my husband's then charged me for my salad, the crappy potato, and the 3 asparagus! I was so mad the waitress told me to wait I went to the bar and asked why was I charged for all these things I did not eat! And she you did! I said I did not, I said you were going to give us the snickers pies, And She said in a loud mean voice I took off the prime rib you can't have both! We back to our table I had a banner and crown for our 40th anniversary A sweet lady from another table said wow and grabbed my hand, and said you have been married for forty years what an accomplishment! She said why are you crying, I said this whole night has been a nightmare and they are treating, us awful! She said don't let anyone take your joy the manager came out very mad yanked the check out of my hand and tore it up! The nice lady said there now you can try to have a nice night The manger was screaming at us to get Out! I never do not tip the waitress, but she was so rude to us, I hope the tables she was so nice to give her a big tip! Needless to say, this was our Last time! read more

What a gem! Quaint quiet atmosphere coupled with delicious food. I had the scallops cooked to perfection and my friend had the prime rib. Well priced and adequate potions. Definitely will keep it on the rotation of places to dine. read more

get the prime-rib!! . get the oysters remick!!! get here early!! ok but seriously what a amazing place. read more

Windward Passage Restaurant - Surf and turf lobster and filet - Seafood Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

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Food is excellent and it's spectacular ambience brings back memories of the great times we had together as friends and neighbors. Service is always great too. read more