Schooner's Seafood House

The best shall I say more) This restaurant always has great food. The specials of the day are great and the locals love it. They don't last during lunch. Fried shrimp is my favorite and the catch of the day trigger or mahi. Great vegetables seasoned and the best slaw from an old secret recipe. Usually busy opening at lunch with a line but bar is good for singles it couples. Competes with a Restaurant on the island who also has great seafood but is higher in prices and only takes cash. Schooners accepts credit cards and has two bar areas where the other does not. Located on us1 at the gates of St. Augustine on the south area by Mose State Park. Great place to take your to go order only one picnic table and lots of parking with a dock and museum.

I occasionally work in St Augustine and Schooners has been on my radar. I decided today was the day to stop in and see why their parking lot was forever full. I left scratching my head in wonder! I arrived about 3pm and since I was a party of one sat at the bar. The bartender saw me seated but continued with her cleaning duties for an extended time before greeting me. There were employees seated at the end of the bar eating and having very loud conversation. Then the party got larger as it was obviously shift change so gathering grew and their conversations became louder and louder. I ordered a an IPA from Ancient City Brewery. It was served in a mason jar. I was offered an early bird special 12 fried shrimp with 2 sides and hushpuppies. The salad was modest iceberg lettuce grated carrot and a tomato quarter. Nothing special. The meal served the shrimp were butter fly, fries were crinkle. Now let's talk shrimp. Those things were not fresh nor were they crisp. The plate came with some red creamy sauce- tasteless. Now the shrimp were not golden and kinda mushy. I honestly think they were pre cooked dipped and flash fried. So weird. I ate my meal learning things a person should never know about strangers. The conversations were intimate and loud. I never saw anyone that appeared to be in charge. Now I know and will wave the next time I pass.

For our mains, I had the fish trio while D ordered fried shrimp. Unfortunately, my plate arrived cold, so the waitress took it back to the kitchen to be warmed up. D's food was hot, so he decided to keep it. When my meal returned, it was hot and tasty! The scallops were excellent, the mahi mahi was just okay, and the shrimp were average. The French fries were nice and hot, but the macaroni salad felt unnecessary. Overall, the food was decent and our waitress was outstanding. While it may not be fine dining, we left feeling full, and the bill was reasonable for what we got!

I actually wasn't a big fan of this place. Apparently it's very popular but the service, albeit very kind, was very slow. The food was decent but nothing special. ‍

The restaurant is very popular, but I've experienced inconsistent quality during my visits. I wouldn't recommend their fried dishes.