Familiar, waterfront fixture with classic Cajun seafood bites, plus outdoor seating & Sunday brunch. Based on 337 reviews, the restaurant has received a rating of 4.0 stars. Price $$
Address:
821 Bayshore Dr, Niceville, FL 32578
Phone: (850) 678-1241
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Reviews
D Gresham
Second visit in the past couple months and still didn’t enjoy the meal. In fact, 1x meal was sent back and removed from check. Used to enjoy Ernie’s but sadly it has taken a slide. Additionally, it’s difficult to enjoy sitting on the deck and watch the sunset when half of the other diners are smoking cigarettes. I don’t think I’ll be going back.
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Sheila Ross
The Dockside Cafe is first of all seaside positioned looking out onto a beautiful harbor adorned with sleeping massive ships awaiting their turn to sail. The inside is warm and rustic and I felt well taken care of once my waiter arrived. The hostess seating was overly delayed and then somewhat nonchalant when she finally invited me in. She told me to sit anywhere but some of the tables just sat there dirty. I had to seat mysrlf. The facility was practically empty preparing for a large evening party. Once my waiter came he treated me like a gentleman should. The food was good and my waiter took the time to explain the items selections on the menu for me. I will go back again. Bayshore road is indeed right on the bay overlooking the ocean.
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Randy Brown
The service was awesome. And the food was so tasteful. And the outside seating area has a fantastic view of the bayou.
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Fred Clause
Great location and and very good friendly service. The food is OK; good, but nothing to write home about. View from the deck:
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Kelly Dawson
Our first time at this place was wonderful! Steve, our waiter gave us excellent service and was very kind! He made sure we tried their gumbo, which was amazing by the way. We also received dessert on the house. It was the best bread pudding topped with ice cream that i have ever eaten. We will definitely be back!
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Gregg Mansfield
It was a mother’s day disaster for lots of folks. Something was obviously wrong in the kitchen. People were abandoning their waits for tables and food after more than two hours. Even people with reservations were being told they could be seated but to not count on getting food for 40 minutes or longer. There were lots of empty tables, with the restaurant only about half full, but not much coming out of the kitchen. There was no sign of a manager or chef Ernie. The staff was obviously frustrated and tired of apologizing. We arrived later in the day at 2:30, hoping to avoid the crowds, and hung in there and finally got a table after an hour. We got our food (two catfish platters) in about 30 minutes. It was very good. Mom always said that the difference between a good meal and a great meal is about 30 minutes.
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jill caddell
We had a party of five that dined there last night. The restaurant was not crowded but it took one hour and five minutes to get our food which was barely warm. My husband ordered the chicken and sausage jambalaya and it was not fit for comsumption. The rice was mush and the meat very dry. I ordered a cosmopolitan martini that tasted like cough syrup. The server had to end up making a new one because the bartender did not know what he was doing, he was new. It was a comedy of errors absolutely unacceptable. It’s unfortunate because it has a killer view of the bay. May I suggest a glass of wine on the deck and nothing more. If they had good food they would have to turn people away. I don’t think this is going to happen. Find another place with a good view AND good food!
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Joe Schmidt
My wife and I recently ate here for the first time, the setting is ideal and the employees were friendly and helpful.
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Tiffany McCarty
I have followed Ernie’s Dockside since the Marina location. I always loved the authenticity of his recipes. The muffeletta never disappointed nor anything else I had on the menu. Sometimes it took a bit of time, but good food is always worth the wait.
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Michael Ray
Horrible food, had a chance to work here and was fired for asking a day off because my family came to town. After being fired I was also shorted on my check by 150 dollars, it’s well known the owner is on crack and no one washes their hands!!! Be extremely careful with your food and if you don’t like it, do not understand any circumstances get a reorder!!! They spit in the food and wipe their genitals before touching your food! Take it from someone who sees this first hand!!! 7 years in restaurant experience and this is by far the worst! And no cameras in the kitchen to record this disgusting behavior! Also was told because my previous review I would have three free dishes. He has people do this to make his business look better on Google, yelp, and trip advisor. This business is nasty, sick, and not child friendly, don’t bring your kids here… I’ve seen him personally stroke a young female improperly.
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