Real Seafood Company Grand Rapids - Grand Rapids (MI)

5 /5 Phoenix Swope: Restaurant week, day 1! Amazing food. My wife and I had the prix frixe, of course, and loved every bite. Spicy salmon bites, Seoul flounder, and a strawberry mousse (second strawberry dish today, coincidentally). I think my favorite was actually the salmon bites, but everything was good. The staff were excellent!

3 /5 Renata Annese: I chose Real Seafood Company in downtown Grand Rapids to celebrate my husband’s birthday, expecting a memorable evening with great food. While the space itself was nice, especially the outdoor patio seating, the food and service left us disappointed. Food: • The Adobo Rubbed Fish Tacos were the highlight of the meal: creamy, flavorful, and well-balanced. • The Point Judith Calamari was greasy and consisted only of rings, no variety, no octopus, which felt underwhelming for a restaurant of this scale. • The New England Clam Chowder arrived looking bland, with no garnish or presentation. It was broth-based and thin, not the creamy, hearty chowder one expects. • The Fish and Chips tasted greasy and flavorless. Everything, including the fries, seemed to have come out of the fryer without much care. • The Seafood Alfredo Fettuccine was misnamed, the sauce did not resemble an Alfredo and lacked richness. It should be called seafood fettuccine at best. • Even the soft drinks tasted watered down, more like fountain syrup gone wrong than a Pepsi or Coke product. Service was equally disappointing. Our server had little personality and offered no small talk, even though we were celebrating a special occasion. We were given bread and butter but no utensils. I had to wait for a spoon after my soup was served. Waters were never refilled, and to top it off, we weren’t even offered dessert. The patio was pleasant with red umbrellas and plenty of shade, and the interior of the restaurant was attractive and well-designed. Unfortunately, the food and service didn’t match the setting. Bottom line: This restaurant has the potential to be a great dining spot, but either the chef or the recipes are seriously missing the mark. The dishes lacked flavor and presentation; not what you’d expect from a restaurant with these prices and reputation. For us, the evening was more of a letdown than the celebration we hoped for.

4 /5 Ethan VanderVoord: Made a last minute reservation to have a date night with my girlfriend. We were sat in Bretts section and was quickly greeted with a smile. He made sure to tell us about the history of the restaurant and gave us a few drinks recommendations right off the bat. Immediately good vibes. I ordered a smoked old fashion, which was amazing. The pacing of the restaurant was a little slow but made for a great way to relax and enjoy everything that was going on and really have fun with my girlfriend! Brett did a great job at suggesting things to order, as a seasoned server you can definitely trust their opinions! Food was more expensive than I expected but worth it for a special night out or to treat yourself!!!! Brett rounded out our evening with the delicious caramel apple bread pudding with a special message just for us! I highly recommend asking for Brett the next time you stop in. He is your most valuable player. Love you Brett!!!!

3 /5 Jeff Gallagher: Well upstairs needs an update or closed definitely feels like being sat at the kids table. The server Garrett was great. The bread was flat err squashed. The steak had zero seasoning. The jambalaya was definitely authentic on the spice. Great flavor maybe a little much for some. So the special was definitely not to the standard of their other restaurant the chop house. Based on this experience I dont have to go back. I bet if I was downstairs my opinion would be different however this was not an experience I want to have again or even chance.

4 /5 Tasha Novak: We have dined here 3 times in the last year and a half. The first time the majority of the table ordered the surf & turf and another had the sea bass and said it was great. My husband and I came back last December and again the surf & turf was amazing. My husband loved the oysters but wasn’t a fan of the paella because half the meats were overcooked, the rice was dry, and the dish itself just tasted so salty. But the bread pudding was fantastic. We dined again on 8/23 and chose to eat on the patio. Which was very windy, but we’ll opt for a patio over inside most days. Drinks: smoked old fashion and riesling were great. Husband didn’t love the whiskey sour. Apps: calamari is a must, it’s so good, not chewy, lightly breaded. Bread: delicious per usual Entrees: filet special Oscar style was good! I’d asked for medium to medium rare, and it was more medium center to medium well edges, but still good, especially with the Oscar and mashed potatoes. Husband chose the swordfish but requested it over the mushroom risotto and he was very pleased with it. Dessert: get the caramel apple bread pudding. I’m not a big bread pudding fan but it’s so good. Service: Daniel was our server and he was fantastic.