15th Street Fisheries Review

Reviewed by Jack43 from Pittsburgh on 7/14/09
Visited the 15th Street Fisheries in late June 2009. I have to tell you this was one of the best meals that I've ever had - and the service was spectacular!! We got this recommendation from our Concierge at our hotel. We had asked for a restaurant that locals preferred and one that has good seafood. The peppered shrimp and scallops dish was perfect! I've been wanting it again many times since returning home! All of the food (conch chowder, house speciality salad, breads, sea bass - was very good. The atmosphere was welcoming and very friendly. I tipped above and beyond because the staff was very attentive - without being overbearing. Went there a few days later for lunch and the same experience in a more casual outside setting. Go there - you will not regret it - and have the peppered shrimp and scallops!

Member Rating: 5.0
Ratings details: Food: 5.0 Atmosphere: 5.0 Service: 5.0 Value: 5.0

Reviewed by trisha73 from West Palm Beach on 5/10/09
I just had to open up an account here to be able to share how mortified I am. I went to the fisheries last week with my husband and 2 friends who were here from out of town. We had heard many good things about the place and wanted to show our guest a good time. So we get to the restaurant and valet park our car. We like the location and are looking forward to a good time. We get to the lobby area were we are greeted by a hostess probably in her late 30s or early 40s...well she didn't precisely greet us...we had to wait until she finished doing I don't know what before she finally noticed us and welcomed us with a little arrogance. We were showed upstairs (I remember telling my husband that I could not believe the hostess's rudeness) we were taken to an outside table. The weather was wonderful and the view was great, I told my husband that maybe she was trying to make up for ignoring us before. So our waiter came and welcomed us to the restaurant, the young man was really nice and attentive. Just when we are settling in I see some discomfort in his face ...I overheard that somebody named Leslie was basically kicking us out from the table we were sitting at because she had reserved it for somebody else. I couldn't believe that she wanted the waiter to do her dirty work and move us. The waiter came to our table, apologized and was very polite about asking us if we could move to a different table. I had already told my husband that something was going on... I felt bad for the waiter but we were very upset it wasn't his fault but we had to take it out on somebody.... he said if it was alright if we moved to the table next to us and we said that it wasn't alright. He said that he was going to try to fix the problem and to please forget the incident. .all of the sudden we see these ladies sitting at the table were to supposed to move to... the server apologized once more and told us that the problem had apparently been solved...well too late...we were already bothered by the situation. We ordered our food, a couple drinks. The service was great and the food delicious. The truth is that when we got our check we had seconds thoughts about the tip, we wanted to tip the waiters but wondered if they had to share their tips with the rest of the personnel there (the hostess). Next time I go I will definitely have a word with this Leslie person.

Member Rating: 4.6
Ratings details: Food: 5.0 Atmosphere: 4.0 Service: 5.0 Value: 4.0

Reviewed by MacHammer from Chandler, AZ on 6/5/08
The concierge at my hotel recommended this place as "the best seafood in Ft. Lauderdale". Intrigued, I programmed the GPS for the address and headed off. Found it with no problem and got to the door right at 8:00 PM. I was looking forward to the nice evening with a breeze off the waterway, a beer, and some good fish. What I got, was the desk-side closed for a private party until when? 8:00. Could I sit out there? No. I was told I could sit upstairs. I climbed the winding stairs and arrived in...a hallway...with two confusing split rooms and no staff to help me figure out what I was supposed to do. I heard a little printer start spinning, and a piece of paper spit out. A few seconds later, a staff member darted in from nowhere and ripped the paper out of the printer and said my name. I followed him to my table. My table. A bench seat, facing the water. But in order to look at the water, I had to look through a happy table of 6. I felt like an interloper, just trying to watch a boat go by through their heads. To top that off, as the sun set, the table lights became the most prominent thing in my view. A swag with an orange bulb. I felt like a mosquito under a bug zapper. I finally asked my inattentive waiter (Richie...or was it Mike? Don't remember...they are "partners"), if he could unscrew the bulb. He did, and the view at least returned to the family of 6.

It seems that the "partnership" between Ritchie and Mike was tenuous. Like most partners, one always assumed that the other must be helping me, and simply chose to ignore me. Ignore is harsh. Ritchie would look at me...and then walk off. I ordered the Carribean Conch Chowder for an appetizer. Honestly, it was good. I liked it. I asked Richie about the Mizo Glazed Chilean Sea Bass? FANTASTIC!...it was pretty good.

Oh, did I tell you they have a bread girl? This girl pops up, offers me bread. Three to choose from. I chose the Jalapeño Cheddar Bread. I expected a small hank of bread. What I got was smaller than a hockey puck and half as tall. It was a baked Jalapeño Cheddar puddle. The bread chef wouldn't recognize a jalapeño if it waved a sign and jumped up and smacked him with it, singing, "hola! I'm a Jalapeño!" And there is more cheddar cheese in a crunchy Cheeto. I wasn't overly disappointed when Ritchie told me that he'd have the bread girl come back to offer me more bread, and she never showed up. I just chalked it up to one more miscue on the service pool table under the bug light.

After my sea bass, I decided I'd have a slice of Key Lime pie. Ten minutes later, Ritchie decided he would actually offer me one. I almost told him that it would have been nice ten minutes ago, but I didn't. I said yes. Pie came, again it was good.

I decided I was done and would head back to my hotel. I waited. And waited. Meanwhile watching Ritchie drive by my table three times, hugging diners who had somehow managed to get good service out of him in the past. Sorry Ritchie, I don't think I'll give you any hugs. Remember Mike? He finally came and asked me if I was ready for my check. Absolutely! Ritchie drove by one more time and literally, tossed my check at me. No "thanks for coming in..." No nothing. Just tossed the freakin' check on the table and walked off to hug another diner.

I never do this, but I actually decided that if the management asked me how my dinner was, I was going to tell them the truth. I had it all formulated in my mind and was ready to give it to them straight. However, as I walked by, the management was too busy talking to the chef to even acknowledge my existence. To hell with it. I walked back to my rental car, punched the buttons to find my hotel back into the Garmin, and drove away.

The measure of a restaurant is NOT how they treat the table of six. The truest measure of a restaurant is how they treat the table of one. I'm going to be back in town next week with a table of 6. Guess where we won't be dining...

Member Rating: 2.8
Ratings details: Food: 4.0 Atmosphere: 2.0 Service: 2.0 Value: 2.0

Reviewed by boxergal from Boston, MA on 5/7/08
I'm shocked at the comments regarding the 15th Street Fisheries. We went to dinner there last night and both of us have been raving about the food ever since! The Chilean Sea Bass was yummy & cooked perfectly, the break was fabulous (especially the rum raisin bread). And the service was perfect. In fact when I mentioned how much I liked the rum raisin bread, the waitress brought me some to take home for breakfast! I would recommend this restaurant to anyone who wants a great meal, seafood or otherwise.

Member Rating: 4.6
Ratings details: Food: 5.0 Atmosphere: 4.0 Service: 5.0 Value: 4.0

Reviewed by gallocherjr from Fort Lauderdale on 4/13/08
I don't think I can even muster the energy to tell you what I think of this restaurant, it really doesn't deserve my time. Disgusting food, outdated and filthy decor, rude, arrogant, non-english speaking wait staff. A seafood appetizer that cost $205.00 ( would have been nice to get a heads up on that one) Over cooked, over spiced and over priced food, and to top it all off, flat beer................ Would I go back.... I'd rather watch paint dry.

Member Rating: 1.0
Ratings details: Food: 1.0 Atmosphere: 1.0 Service: 1.0 Value: 1.0

Reviewed by hiho322 from New York City on 3/11/08
I have run several big restaurants in NYC and I am absolutely appalled at the shoddy service, terrible management and mediocre food during our unfortunate visit to the upstairs dining room at this restaurant last weekend. The server misordered my girlfriend's fish (ok, mistakes happen), and it took them 35 minutes to bring her a new dish. Meanwhile, I'd asked to have my fish kept hot while she was waiting, never imagining that it would take so long to remake hers. Instead of bringing me a fresh piece of fish, they served me the same one I'd started, which, of course, was disgusting after 35 minutes under the lights. I'd started with crab legs, which were delicious, and were on the menu as an entree for $40.00 with a notation that they were also available as an appetizer. I never thought to ask about app. price; since the average appetizers cost about $10 - $15, I figure this one should be somewhere in the ballpark, certainly not more than $20.00. And, my girlfriend had asked them to substitute a vegetable for the rice, which the server said he'd try to do. Not only were we charged for the additional side, but were charged $33.00 for the appetizer. This was the last straw, after the wrong order, long wait, etc. Even our wine was NEVER poured for us after the first glass, even the few times the server did approach the table and our glasses were empty. We spoke with the arrogant, glorified host-manager (David?) and he condescendingly explained that the "appetizer" was the same size as the entree only without the side dish (which we ended up paying for anyway), and that yes, the server probably should have mentioned that this appetizer was three times the price of the others, but there was nothing he could do for us. No apology for ANY of the mistakes, just a BAD attitude. We are New Yorkers, we are restaurant people, we never complain about prices and try not to judge service too harshly, but this place is a travesty. Avoid at all costs!

Member Rating: 1.6
Ratings details: Food: 2.0 Atmosphere: 2.0 Service: 1.0 Value: 1.0

Reviewed by dustis from NYC and Ft. Lauderdale on 11/23/07
Thanksgiving prix fixe dinner 2007 was the worst Thanksgiving dinner I have ever had. The food was way below average, portions were small, taste was awful, dessert was terrible, the four of us did not enjoy any of it....Never, ever again shall I consider dining in your establishment. Good luck and I hope you go out of business soon...!!!

Member Rating: 1.0
Ratings details: Food: 1.0 Atmosphere: 1.0 Service: 1.0 Value: 1.0

Reviewed by daisy1225 from Sunrise, Florida on 5/14/07
My family a booked a reservation of 14 people. The night of the dinner I was reading the reviews and almost fell out of my chair. With all the bad comments I was very nervous to bring 14 of my family members. I was very impressed on how wrong they were. I food tasted great. We pretty much all had different things and no one complained. We all left happy and full. Only a few minor details was the dinner could of come out 10 min sooner and be prepared to spend some money. I will be back

Member Rating: 4.4
Ratings details: Food: 5.0 Atmosphere: 4.0 Service: 4.0 Value: 4.0