O'Steen's Restaurant

Visiting the oldest city to view Night of Lights we stopped in for an early dinner. You give your name at the window and wait outdoors for a table to open up. Luckily we had a good sunny afternoon on a chilly day, but we didn't wait very long for our name to be called. The fried shrimp is the best in St. Augustine - very light batter on perfectly cooked shrimp. You can choose two sides - I had coleslaw with the potato salad (just like I make at home). Hubby chose fries and coleslaw. It was terrific - and we finished the meal with a piece of key lime pie that was excellent!You must remember that the restaurant is CASH only - so be prepared when you visit. There's convenient parking next to and behind the restaurant. Don't miss it - it is the BEST shrimp in the county!

Went last week when it was super cold and the wait wasn't fun, but it was worth it!The Minorcan soup helped warm me up. It was terrific, stuck to your ribs and spicy. We had the fried shrimp since it was our first time there. At first glance it looked underdone, but they were perfectly cooked and adding some datil sauce to.the pink sauce made a delicious blend. Hubby forgot all about cocktail sauce after tastng it. The fries were practically greaseless. I had the peaches as a side and they made a refresing end to my meal.Hubby had the French silk pie and he was in heaven. He thought the crust was homemade, it was so good. We didn't ask, dont want to know. Just a yummy dessert.Will definitely go back. Staff was very patient with us newbies.

After reading rave reviews and hearing from locals, I was excited to try O'Steen's. After a quick 30 minute wait, I ordered the dozen shrimp meal and boy was I sorely disappointed. The shrimp are coated in some weird gloppy four cornmeal breading that is pasty and not a smidge crunchy. The breading had zero flavor and was too sticky to even pick off. The shrimp are served with a pink sauce that is bland, liquidy and slightly too sweet. The requested cocktail sauce was almost pure ketchup with just a whiff of horseradish to it. The offered house hot sauce was like ketchup watered down and mixed with a bottle of crystal sauce. Totally uninspired and not a bit spicy. The shrimp did have a nice snap to them but the breading was very off putting. The fries were under crisped and the butter peas were ok but needed some zip and some pepper vinegar and the cucumber slices were sweet pickled and crisp but against the other sweet sauces and such, I wish they had been pickled in a savory style instead. The coleslaw was the highlight of the meal and that's not saying much. I adore fried shrimp. I order them regularly. I was really excited to try O'Steen's but man, this was a flop. Ohh, cash only with a very pro Jesus, pro Trump cashier who made both known unsolicited at checkout.

What's all the hubbub about? Easy. They have the best fried shrimp on earth. Don't mess with the fish though it was subpar but the shrimp more than makes up for it. The hush puppies are incredible and are the perfect compliment. The prices are great and the staff works hard. The clam chowder is tomato base so stay away from that and order as much shrimp you can possibly eat. You'll regret it if you don't . It's plain inside and small so get there early or you'll be waiting a while! This is a must go to destination!

What can I say but O'Steen's still remains on top of their game. We came mid afternoon of a weekday and were seated pretty quickly. Of course, I ordered the Fried Shrimp. Of course, it was delicious.Of course, I finished the whole platter and maybe didn't have dinner that night because I was still full.

Amazing old school diner with the best shrimp ever! Seriously could not wait to go back. Was here 5 years ago and it was amazing to go again and have the same great service, food, and prices. Love the clam chowder, sides, shrimp and the sauce, oh and did someone say pie???? We all were so impressed we had to tell the owner. What a nice guy! Really one of my favorite seafood restaurants ever!!!We lucked out this visit with a very short wait at 2:30 on a Friday. I would still wait in line for this restaurant! Beware it can be hours to get in!!

Still going strong with fresh and amazing dishes along with super friendly staff that keeps a good check on your table! Definitely check this place out!

On a trip to St. Augustine, the place that kept popping up during my research was O'steen's no matter where I looked, and I knew that I had to give it a shot. We ended up parking in downtown and then walked across the bridge, but if you have a car, there is a small parking lot that you can park out so you do not need to walk 30 minutes like us. We got there around 1230PM and only had to wait 20-30 minutes to be seated. If you go during the summer like we did, there is an antique store right next door with connected speakers so you can walk around with AC so you are not suffering in the heat outside. Between the two of us, we ended up ordering the double sized shrimp platter, which comes with 24 shrimps, two sides of our choice, two hush puppies, and your choice of sauces. I did see a few people eat this platter by themselves, but believe me that this was enough for two, and even then some. The shrimp are butterflied so they all look even bigger than they already are when you eat them (and of course allow for more sauce dippage which for me is a big plus). The fried outside is a bit more on the thick, dougher side (which I prefer as I love myself some good batter), but if you are looking for a thinner, crispy fried outside it may not be up your alley. Otherwise, the sides we got (squash casserole and fries) and the hushpuppies were well made and could not complain. Definitely a treat of a meal and would go again.

Great family restaurant that has served St Augustine for decades just over the Lion Bridge. Noted for fried shrimp, variety of sides and friendly service in a jam packed location. We waited 45 min in the rain till our name was called while we chilled mostly in my SUV. Well worth the wait and will be back! Cash only so leave the Amex at home. We live off 210 but 95 N was a mess and took 3.5 hours to reach World Golf exit and wiggle around Silverleaf to get home. Next time we will not hit the freeway!

Really good food. Service was fast and friendly even though they were busy. Ambiance is that of a diner with tables and chairs.