MadFish - St Petersburg

Wow! The Mad Fish really made for an incredible experience. This spot is a hidden gem right out in the open! No reservation was needed tonight but with the quality of food, atmosphere, staff, and value... I can see this place being packed. I could see a nay sayer having an issue that there isn't a view of the water, but do not for one moment let that stop you. The fancy place two doors down on the rooftop might have the view, but hands down the food and staff make the Mad Fish incomparable.Ok, let's start with the staff and atmosphere. There is a sign street side but that is it. Free parking with plenty of spaces. An intriguing exterior giving the vibe of a diner from days of yore, you enter from a delightful porch with great lighting. Upon entering the building, you are instantly transported to a classy speakeasy look and your nose is overjoyed with the flavorful aroma of what was being prepared in the kitchen. The smell alone took the form an amuse-bouche, instantly making your mouth water without control.The host was the proprietor and happily greeted us promptly. We were seated in Josh's section and he was the absolute and most perfect match for us. He was incredibly knowledgeable, communicative, always had an eye on what we needed, yet was never intrusive. His personal recommendations were superb and he went above and beyond to answer any questions we had. If he wasn't t sure about something, he offered to bring someone with the expertise. He even shared a few local must do activities! Everyone was so helpful and the teamwork really shows!Ok, let's talk food!We started with the fresh oysters. They were outstanding without any of the fishy smell or taste. They were brought in from Louisiana, which was my first time ever having Louisiana oysters. I am generally a fan of Prince Edward Island Oysters, but these were excellent! They served them with sides of various sauces that were delectable and complimented the dish.Drunken Island Shrimp: This was absolutely outstanding, the broth that these delightful shrimp were bathing in could be enjoyed as a meal itself. Be sure to use your dinner rolls to sop up that broth, it leaves you with a cozy comfortable feeling with a large smile.Baked Goat Cheese: I think this is a must! The fig balsamic that the goat cheese was baked in was sooo good! There were sliced grape tomatoes, baby arugula, and what I believe was an apricot jelly. Oh wow! I think having some crostini would be nice, but it really was great as is.American Red Snapper: this fish was absolutely perfectly cooked and seasoned to bring out the flavor of the red snapper. The risotto was enhanced by the butternut squash. I think that many places are overdoing risotto, however this complimented the red snapper and held its own flavor. Positively melted in your mouth!!!!!Swordfish Special for the night: I'm a lover of swordfish and this hit the spot. The Mad Fish cooks food the way it is supposed to be done, so this swordfish was outstanding. The slices of lemon, capers, and cream sauce paired so well! They also had broccolini and sliced baked tomatoes that were flavorful and not mushy at all. And then they had a couple of baked mushrooms stuffed with lump crab!We finished with a slice of key lime pie and their chocolate mousse cake. Both were outstanding!Some people might balk at the cost, but I felt that the portions were perfect for the price point, in fact, I think there was more than I expected for the price point.This is a must try and if I lived here, it would be a regular spot for me to enjoy. It really is that good!!!Enjoy!

Please bring back seafood paella! They have indoor and outdoor seating, can't tell you much about the indoor but outdoor seating area is pretty. I enjoyed it.Before I go to any restaurants, I always look at the menu and pick out what I will order, for here it was Mediterranean seafood paella, but they didn't have it as of yesterday . so I ordered seafood coconut curry, which was very good but the clams were so tiny really you don't need to bother to eat it. (Please do better)We both ordered wedge salad and for entrée the BF ordered Shrimp and scallops, he liked it.Service was good I can say was a bit slow.Overall, food was delicious!

First time visitor. The restaurant has a dedicated parking lot. They offer indoor and outdoor seating. Upon walking in, we noticed it was a little smokey but smelled good. We were immediately seated without a wait on Saturday evening around 5:50pm. We had kids with us and found that they do NOT have a kids menu. They however did tell us what they could offer to make the kids to eat. Our server was very attentive and did a good job. They brought the kids food out first with made them happy. I was disappointed that a restaurant with this type menu and prices just had very basic store bought rolls. We started with the Baked Goat Cheese $16. It was very good as cooked well. I had the Lancaster Prime Pork Chop that was cooked perfectly and delicious. It was served with yummy brussel sprouts and kind of cold mashed potatoes. I'm not really one to send stuff back so I just ate the part that was warmer. Another person in our group also said her potatoes were not very warm. My husband had the Cabernet Braised Chicken. The pasta and the sliced breast were decent but the braised chicken did not taste good at all. I would not recommend that menu item. This is a small dining cart, so if you are sensitive to smoke, you may want to sit outside.

Great food service was on point. Food was served fresh hot. Not a long wait we ordered appetizers and our main dish was well spaced with perfect time in between food. Have been to this restaurant on numerous occasions and the food staff are always super

The staff were wonderful, cozy seating and the food was outstanding. Thanks Bobbi Lee for wonderful service on Valentine's Day!

The highlight of the meal was the mussels that were layered in a flavorful cream sauce. This appetizer was large and very filling! Madfish offers outdoor seating and the Resturant resembles a small train car. Our server was nice, but seemed to be working multiple tables and forgot our salad. The grouper and Shrimp entree required a little seasoning, but was very good.

We dined on Saturday, 7/27/24. The owner, Mark, greeted us. We didn't have a reservation, so grabbed drinks at the bar while waiting for our table. We are so glad we waited! This restaurant is family-owned, and their attention to detail is excellent. We had Klein as our server. He was friendly and professional and gave great recommendations. We dined at other nearby restaurants, and this was each of our favorites. We started with the burrata and loved it. Each of us loved our meals: paella, frutti Di mare, coconut curry, and a filet mignon. They all had great flavors and quality. After our meal, the owner checked in with us to ask about our meal. You can tell they care about your experience. This is your spot if you want a nice meal at the beach. Thank you, Klein, Mark, and all of your staff.

A very nice restaurant that I would not call very fancy but comfortable. The bar is limited and they don't know how to make an old fashioned cocktail without the maraschino cherries and lots of ice! Wine choices limited but good. The prices were outrageous for the area. It is not considered a steakhouse but their 8 oz. filet was listed at $45!!! The remaining entrees were all in the mid thirties. No salad included other than a few rolls. The swordfish special with lobster risotto was wonderful. The scallop and shrimp with parmesan risotto was a disaster because it was soaked in butter sauce. The butter overwhelmed the taste of the seafood. Desert choices minimal.So... a little disappointing!

Great food and great service! It was my first time there but not the last! I love the cute diner look on the outside and the beautiful bar on the inside.

The food here was delicious but the service was awful! We had a reservation at 8:15 and 3 parties were waiting with us. We asked to sit outside then 30 minutes later a man tried to sit us inside, my friend said she thought she was something outside and he was like "oh yeah." We could have been sitting down the whole time! We didn't get the bread for another half hour. The staff was nice but kept forgetting prices/questions. I really wish they would work on fixing the system of this place because it could be incredible if they work on the service,Would overall recommend if you don't have anywhere to be and are ready to wait!