Very friendly waitress introduced herself to the four of us and took our drink order suggesting a bucket of beer to save money. We started off with the mussels and wings. The wings were meaty and cooked perfect, the mussels were made with sun dried tomatoes and were great. ÃŽ had the rum river chicken which I enjoyed my wife had the seafood Alfredo and had plenty of shrimp and scallops. Another person in our party had fried shrimp and got a healthy plate full. The other guest got some sort of sandwich I don't remember but he finished it. It was a little late so the place was emptying out and we were listening to the guy playing music and singing ( he was ok, better then nothing) . the waitress had a great sense of humor and we joked with her on how busy the menu was and we tested her on the difference between voodoo sauce and the spicy sauce, after questioning she admitted they were the same. We also got her to admit she has to take a test on the menu to work there. She was a great sport and we had an enjoyable night. Next time I'm in the port richy area I will make this a stop for sure. I forgot to mention outdoor seating (covered) was a big plus
(4)
Barbra M.
Catches is a beautifully positioned restaurant, on the water, with huge potential!!! The service was adequate and friendly, the food I thought delicious but something was lacking??? I personally boiled it down to the ambiance! I didn't feel like the restaurant was welcoming, comfortable or had that 'je nes sai qui'... Throw some white linen table cloths outside on the patio, dress the tables ready for dinner, add some candles and a fit pit with comfy seating and you will have a winner guys!!! P.s Catches the Cat roaming around my feet is not cute to a customer paying $30 a head... It's trailer!
(2)
Stacey Z.
The bisque was good, but for the most part it's over priced for the portion size. I had the shrimp scampi and it was on the bland side. My husband had the prime and it was very small. Probably won't be back. The music at whiskey river was good.
(2)
Scott M.
Nicely decorated, river front restaurant with reasonable prices and okay fare. It is all about Florida...Florida...Florida. Atmosphere 90 Clean, modern, interesting ocean motif. Service 85 Cordial and professional but slightly slow Food 80 It's Florida so don't expect too much Value 80 Fair to good all the way around If you are driving on #19 ( in the general area) make sure this is your stop. Best all around location on route. in perspective, a notch above Chili's, Apple bees with a view to boot.
(3)
Tony O.
I like this place. The food was good and thought they had very attentive service; from the hostess, to the bartender, to the waitstaff...the entrees took a little while to come out, but the food was what I expected. I'll be back...
(3)
Monica F.
Nice looking restaurant, but poor service. Ordered two dozen oysters and mussels as appetizers. Whoever shucked the oysters didn't do it very well since s/he didn't cut the muscle underneath. They were difficult to get out of the shell with the teeny fork they give you. Also, the oysters were full of bits of shell, making them impossible to eat. And I got a bad one. The mussels were served with several that had broken shells. Since we can't tell if the shells were cracked/ broken before or after they were cooked, we opted not to eat them rather than risk getting sick. We never did get our salads. We ordered the twin lobster tails and Alaskan king crabs for our entrees. The crab was cooked properly and were good. The lobster tails were so overcooked that they had the texture of cardboard and no flavor. Sent them back and I left hungry. At least my sister got something to eat. The waitress kept apologizing, saying it wasn't her fault and they were "understaffed." I could accept slow service if the food was excellent. Unfortunately, both were poor. Further, the manager, instead of trying to make things better, assured us that "this has never happened before" and she was "sure that it can't have been that bad." Pathetic. Now, I just got the bill and, even though we only ate half the oysters, four mussels, never got our salads, and sent everything else back, they expect us to pay for all of the food we ordered but sent back. Horrible. The cocktails were really good. Bottom line: skip this place. The food sucks, the service sucks, the management sucks, they are overpriced--and it's not with the trouble. There are better restaurants to spend your time and money at.
(1)
Jose D.
Great Food! The view off the deck was nice and the restrooms were extra clean. Highly Recommend this place.
(5)
Cat G.
I really like Catches. I've gone there many times and each time, I notice they have made some new improvement, whether its a change on the menu, different bread served with the meal, or a slight decor change. I give them an extra star for effort. Considering this is a seafood restaurant in Port Richey, FL, I think they do a great job. The food is pretty good. I always get the ahi tuna to start and its always tasty & nicely presented. I order something different each time and so far my favorites have been their Black & Blue Salad and the Island Chicken. Definitely worth a try
(4)
Dani I.
This place is horribly over priced for the worst food I've had in my life. I got food poisoning that night. Read below for my boyfriends review. Great location but yuck. You're seriously better off going to Taco Bell and drinking sewer water.
(1)
Amy S.
Our experience started out a little rough do to sitting and waiting for someone to take our drink orders to begin with. Once we let someone know we hadn't been waited on our service turned around and improved quickly. Our meals were fabulous and we finished our experience at Catches with a smile!
(3)
Vik A.
Just happened to stop by on my way home with my girlfriend and saw this restaurant. When we arrived we were very impressed with the decor and location. However when our food arrived our out looked suddenly changed. First off the bread was hard and stale tasting, I've had croutons with softer crust. Then our entrees arrived and the presentation was horrible. Very boring and it looked like it was thrown together and reheated in a microwave and to no surprised tasted as such. The manager was also rude and unpleasant. Basically if you don't want lousy service, bad food and food poising (on which my girlfriend now has) then STAY AWAY!!! WORST FOOD EVER!!!
(1)
L Y.
Multiple visits and a few times, waited several mins at the front for a hostess/waiter to seat us(even when they are not busy). Waitresses have been good tho. Best seafood bisque!!! Grilled fishes were delicious. Recently tried the endless crab legs on Mondays, which were delicious. A beverage, besides water has to be purchased(just another $2). The corn on the cob was soft and tasty. Fell right off the cob, so no corn was stuck in between my teeth. 2 pieces of red potatoes. Just simple boiled potatoes(loooove potatoes). I eat my crab legs with old bay, cocktail sauce and lemon. Seems like they made their own blended version of old bay(not too much of a fan) and cocktail sauce didnt taste as good the previous time i had it on my raw oysters. BF loved the butter and lemon on his. He didnt think the refills came as fast as he downed them, so I gave him my pieces since I'm a slow crab leg eater. Looking forward to Monday for another round of crab legs!
(4)
Candis b. N.
My husband and went to Catches a couple of times in the past. We were not happy. We heard it was under new Ownership and thought we would go back and try it. The atmosphere was very nice, the Waiters and waitress's were great. Such a huge difference from our experiences before. Angie was our waitress, she made sure our drinks were filled. She would stop by to make sure everything was ok and if we needed anything. We will go back and hopefully enjoy our meals just as much the next time as we did This time.
(4)
Ashley M.
Went to all you can eat crab legs tonight (Mondays). Waited by the hostess station for an abnormal amount of time, which should've been our first clue. Was another 5 before we saw a waitress, and even longer for us to receive our drinks. Our server unfortunately had tables outside on the back patio as well as indoors where we were seated and the only bartender, the quickest server of all, also had tables in our section (by the windows, furthest from the bar). What manager or hostess seats tables in a way that sets up their servers for failure?? All I wanted for a drink was ice water, the server informed me that my $27.99 crab dinner special could ONLY be served if I ordered a drink. So we were going to order a pitcher of Blue Moon... Wrong again. I had to order my own. A $15 pitcher of beer that serves 3/4 drinks wouldn't suffice. So I ordered a Chardonnay. I also can't stand red potatoes and corn on the cob that came with the meal, they wouldn't let me sub for just a small helping of mashed potatoes. Serving hard undercooked baby reds was clearly the smarter thing to do and would keep the customer right?? Nope. Not this one. I live a stones throw from Catches on the river and have been there many times, but this was the last. Being a boater, we have other options surrounding Catches. Whiskey River, Hooters, Gill Dawgs. Hell... even Seasides All you can eat fish for 7.99 is delicious! Crab shack has already been given too many chances by us as well and isn't a contender. ****What was even more infuriating though, was that the owner was seated just two tables behind us. Why he wants to tolerate entertaining the guests at his table with understaffed slow service and listen to (inappropriately loud) modern day pop music like Justin Bieber and Ellie Goulding is beyond me. For the beautiful nautical atmosphere they should at least play a softer volume of Jimmy Buffet or Kenny Chesney.
(1)
Sharon D.
I thought it was excellent. Went for dinner and had all can eat crab legs. It is a few bucks more than my usual place but it's also right on the river.
(4)
Timothy S.
Was in town on business, and while Port Richey is not that impressive of a town, this restaurant made the trip worthwhile. Appetizers of gator bites and lobster quesadilla were on point and delicious. Seared Snapper with grit cake and fresh green beans were perfect. The server even replaced my greens beans that were cooked in fresh garlic, which I cannot eat with fresh steamed ones.My dining guests all loved there meals and mango mojitos, So it was all good. I recommend it highly.
(5)
Cathy H.
Food is average but the location is great. They advertise that they have a margarita "bar" but it's more like pump bottles of flavored syrup that they add to a slurpee. Specialty drink buckets are good and tiki bar is cute.
(3)
Kimberly N.
Catches is a very nice seafood restaurant, and I was very happy with my meal. It's really easy to make a reservation on Open Table. My husband and I shared the crab spinach and artichoke dip, which was excellent. We then split a large seafood platter. The fried shrimp and scallops were okay, but the fried fish was fantastic. We would go back for just the fish alone, it was that good. Our server was friendly and quick. We will definitely be coming back in the future.
(4)
Logan S.
Went in expecting to get some Florida lobster, but to our disappointment the menu changed sometime this year and was completely overhauled and was no longer available. We stopped by while visiting friends and family in the area. Still ate in despite the lack of lobster. Food was decent, and good portions. There were a few creative looking items on the menu, and one that actually surprised me was the Cuban egg rolls. They were good, not mind blowing, but good. Sauce they came with left a little to be desired. My girlfriend tried the grouper sandwich which was also pretty decent. Can't say that this is a place we'd go out of our way to go back to, just due to the prices and the menu. Also, as a note to those with shellfish allergies (personally have them), a majority of the seafood dishes have some form of crustacean in them or mixed in. So sans requesting for a substitution or removal (risky in my opinion) your choices will be more limited to a smaller amount of seafood or non-seafood courses.
(3)
Chantell M.
We were very skeptical about coming because of all the bad reviews. Let me tell you that we had an AWESOME dinner. Service was speedy, drinks were refilled often, food was delicious and hot. Price was typical for a seafood restaurant. Truly glad we didn't let the reviews stop us from coming. The atmosphere was what you would expect from a waterfront restaurant. The dinning room was clean as was the restroom. Maybe they've hired new staff and made serious changes since some reviews were posted but I can tel you it sure is nice to find a good place to eat that is not your typical chain restaurant. We will be coming back!
Not what it used to be. When it's empty on a Sunday afternoon, it says it all. Had bacon wrapped scallops which were the high point of the meal. The veggies were typical bagged frozen carrots and broccoli. The rice was from a boil in bag. My wife had a steak fajita wrap which was inedible. Sent it back, and they were nice enough to remove from the check. Will not return again
(1)
Sara B.
The food wasn't too bad. The atmosphere isn't very kid friendly and the service is VERY slow.
(2)
Kim S.
Love Catches. Had dinner with family who was visiting from out of town last night there. Excellent service. Comfortable seating indoors and out. Awesome food. Priced well. View of the water. Clean comfortable atmosphere. Have been there multiple times. Always my favorite place to go or take family. Large menu to accommodate adults and children.
(5)
Susan S.
I have been to this place several times in the last year and the food was consistently good. I was surprised to find an empty parking lot when we pulled up but now I think I know why. This last week we had a disappointing experience. My brother ordered a drink and it came to the table half full. When we sent it back we were charged for a second drink. My sister's drink was full of brown flecks we were surprised to learn was cinnamon. (She ordered a cosmo). We are not sure how this communication mishap occurred. Our server seemed apathetic or distracted and clearly didn't know that cinnamon is not an ingredient in a cosmo and never thought to double check when the bartender questioned her about the order. The food was ok but nothing special. I had the shrimp. Don't know if we will return for a while.
(2)
Tom S.
Some Yelpers did not give this place a fair chance. If you go on an all-you-can-eat night, you need to expect slow service and a wait. We were a party of 4 on a Tuesday evening around 7 pm. (There was an all-you-can-eat Shrimp special.) Busy but not overly busy. We were immediately seated in a nice, quiet part of the nearly full restaurant. The server was prompt and friendly and gave us ample time to peruse the menu. We were served our drinks and food fast and to all our expectations. My brother and I shared the Florida Gator Bites. My first time eating gator. It was delicious. My girlfriend, my sister-in-law and I also shared the Lobster Quesadilla (a special). Also, excellent. My brother and I had the Gulf Snapper, mine blackened with an Asian sauce, his baked, not sure what was on it. The ladies had Shrimp pasta and Shrimp salad dishes. The meals were flawless. My brother is a chef and has been in the restaurant industry for over 30 years. The only possible flaw he saw was that Grouper was on the menu as well as Swai. Not saying that Catches substitutes Swai for Grouper, but some restaurants have been known to do that because the texture and taste are VERY similar. Fair to mention: My brother's meal came with a side of green beans with garlic, which he could not have garlic. The server accommodated him by bringing a serving of green beans without garlic. No charge. We drank Mojitos (Mango) and beer. The tab came to around $30/person. Very reasonable for a seafood restaurant. You may get a better price at Red Lobster, but not as fresh a fish as you would at Catches.
I went in for all-you-can-eat crab legs on Monday. When we were seated by the hostess, not one server greeted us for longer than ten minutes. We finally had to get up to ask for someone to come serve us. Mind you, it was dead in the restaurant but there were more than five servers and none of them came up to us even when we made eye contact with them. The food didn't taste fresh at all, and the crab was very inconsistent. They say the crab clusters come out every fifteen minutes which was aggravating because no one has that much time to sit at a restaurant all night. Our server kept forgetting all of our requests and we had to ask for the same things repeatedly. This would have been understandable if it was busy, but it was so dead in the restaurant that we could not believe it. We also talked to the manager with our concerns and afterwards, he kept staring at our table in a creepy way, almost like he thought we would dine and dash. I even went to the restroom before we left and it seemed like he sent two of his employees to make sure I didn't leave. That's not me being paranoid. They really did follow me, one guy employee was waiting for me outside the restroom benches, and a girl employee even followed me into the restroom without even using the restroom. Overall this place was just a terrible dining experience and I think most of it is due to poor management. The manager was not apologetic at all. This was one place in Florida that we will not be going back to.
(1)
Jeff M.
Excellent food and service. Here twice in 2 days and will be back again. Grouper tonight. Perfect Mahi tuna appetizer was the best.
(5)
Evonne W.
What a disappointment. We made reservations to celebrate our 39th wedding anniversary dinner here. When making the reservations, my hubby made sure to let them know that this was a special evening. He even asked that we get a nice table overlooking the river. What we got was a table that, if I bent to the right and looked around the overgrown Banana bush, I got a glimpse of an RV parked next store, and a smaller glimpse of the river. Our waiter was there almost immediately, got our drinks, mine was a Kahlua and Milk that was so much more milk than Kulula. We ordered our appetizer, deep fried alligator nuggets. Not bad, but nothing to write home about, and way overpriced for what we got. (Worked out to about $2.50 per 1x1 nugget). Hubby ordered the Cioppino, I ordered the bacon wrapped scallops. I ordered French Onion Soup, he ordered the Seafood Bisque. At this point, we asked if the bread we saw on other tables was an ordered item, or complementary. Our waiter said he would bring it out with our appetizer. Our alligator arrived, the waiter had to make a special trip to get the ranch dressing that I requested when we placed the order. (another server ended up getting us the dressing). We were told the bread is on its way. The soup arrived. I must say the Seafood bisque was very good, overly rich, but not unpleasant. The French Onion LOOKED beautiful, and the only flavor that came out was salt. We were able to get the attention of another server who took it away. About the time hubby was getting to the bottom of his soup, my soup was delivered. Again, we asked about the bread. Yea, something as simple as bread. This time we were told that the bread was up and he was on his way to get it. About the time I finished my drink and soup, the bread and plate of very garlicky olive oil arrived. Good thing, hunger was really setting in. FInally dinner arrived, (my soup finished about 10 minutes earlier). Hubbies Cipinno looked good. My plate on the other hand????? Ok, so the 1st impression was not the best, being brave, I opened my baked potato to add the butter and sour cream, more than a little underdone, but my thought was that I really didn't need a whole potato, just eat what was cooked enough to eat. On this plate were 6 bacon wrapped scallops, the largest no bigger than a quarter. OK, so it didn't look like a lot, but if the flavor was there, 6 was all I needed. The flavor of an over cooked, dried out, rubbery thing was all that came thru, no scallop juiciness, no bacon flavor. Nothing but an unpleasant rubber taste. So, when we were able to get our waiters attention, these got sent back. Hubby shared his cipionno, the scallop was huge in size, the shrimp nice an moist. Eventually, my dinner appeared. This time at least the plate looked good. This new potato was still undercooked. The green beans looked and tasted good. The 6 new scallops looked better, not great, but better than the 1st 6 I was served. This time, 2 of the 6 scallops were edible. (Of the 12 scallops that I had been served, 2 were edible). This dinner also went back. Please DO NOT bring me another try. My husband pointed out that one of the mussels in his cipionno had not opened, and his thought was that the chefs shouldn't be serving mussels that hadn't opened. The response was that everything comes in cooked and frozen and that its just reheated. WTF????? The positive is that both of the scallop dinners (yes 2 showed on the bill) were 'comped'. No dessert was offered, not even sure they had a dessert menu. At this point, the waiter asked if we would like to sign up for a rewards card. He pointed out that if you come in on birthdays or anniversaries, the appetizer was free. We looked at each other with the REALLY?? look. Just let us get out of here.We paid the bill and thought we would stop at the hostess station to let someone besides our waiter know how disappointed we were. There was noone at the check in????? The bottom line to all of this is that this COULD be a killer restaurant. Get rid of ALL of the frozen items, take advantage of the bounty that literally is just outside their building. Bring in a chef that has a passion for the food that is created in the kitchen. Train the wait staff how to wait on tables. The truth is that this area has restaurants that care, restaurants that serve killer food, and restaurants that are thriving. Catches is none of these things.
(1)
Jason B.
This place used to be packed and was the seafood standard when we went out. The seafood used to be so good, the staff was amazing, and it was the place to go for special occasions or when you were craving excellent seafood. Now, the hostess is no where to be found, the place is empty, and my scallops on my seafood feast platter were basically raw. I bragged about this place as I have for over a decade and was embarrassed when I took my fiance whom had never been and was asked "THIS was the best seafood place you had ever been to"? Now it's Rusty Bellies. Closer to home and seafood is on point. Sad, because even though Catches was a bit pricey, it was well worth every penny... back in the day.
(2)
John D.
I have eaten here a couple of times. The service was very good. Delightful servers who were quick with the greeting, order taking and meal service. My latest meal of scallops wrapped in Apple Smoked bacon was excellent. My wife has enjoyed grouper sandwiches and oysters. The prices were fair for all the items we have had. The first time we visited the place our server was in training and was no ready for "prime time" yet. Thus not a full 5 stars. Lori was our server the last visit and she was excellent. We will be coming back soon.
(4)
Sam H.
Holy crap my dinner was awesome. We ordered the clams casino to start. Very good! Our meals came with salads and they bring sour dough bread and oil with a tiny bit of seasoning for dipping. It was still good because the bread was awesome but the oil was not the best. I got the caesar and it was good, made in house. Now there homemade honey mustard had my husband raving. Meals: he got the bacon wrapped scallop with mashed potatoes. He said it was awesome! I got the captains platter blackened. It was all so so so good! So much food! Took home a lot of it. Veggies were my side and it was ok but lots of butter. The only thing that made the visit annoying was the service. Our server was friendly and had great recommendations BUT very slow. The wait between our app and meal was long and there was not many people in the place. Waited more than 20 mins after we finished eating our meal to get our check. I had to actually go find her. She was apologetic but again at that point a sorry was going to be enough since the wait was an issue the entire visit. They could have gave us a little discount or a next visit coupon or free dessert but nope. I will say it's probably not a one time thing here. My husband has been once before for lunch and it took two hours! Then our friend said he took his mother and the exact same thing...awful wait! That's 3 visits all complaining about the same thing. Hopefully they see this and try to find a solution. Like I said the food, atmosphere, and staffs recommendation were great BUT having to wait 20 mins between an app and meal then more than 20 mins to get a check can ruin a meal:( I'll definitely give it another try!!
(4)
Sheila W.
Wow this place was great all around. Our server Brianna was quick, efficient and very polite. The atmosphere was perfect! If you come you must try the oysters rockerfella and gator bites. We will be back again with more people!
(5)
Bobbie S.
We had the gripper sandwich & chips. Tasty Food, Super Service, Sweet Atmosphere! A bit priceeeee! $38.00 including a beer & tea.
(3)
Lenny N.
I admit after reading some of these reviews I was a little hesitant about eating there. However I was meeting old friends and decided not to create waves so I went thinking I should just prepare for the worst but hope for the best. To my surprise It was better then the reviews. I guess you cant please everybody all of the time and it seems the people who are the unhappiest usually are the ones that express their feeling "Let it be known" kind of attitude. Now for the review - The waitress Kristin S. was just as bubbly, friendly and knowable as they come - She was awesome taking care of our needs. Five Star ***** The meal - I ordered the Shrimp Deal - 10 Gulf shrimp with 2 sides rice and a salad The presentation on the plate better than average Four Stars **** The taste was also better than average Four Stars **** What I thought was disappointing but maybe that's because I am a big eater the size of the side I ordered (the rice) wasn't enough to fill you especially since there was nothing to fill you up at the table - hot bread etc. Three Stars *** My bride also split an appetizer The Crab cakes which was cooked and seasoned perfectly but again - the two crab cakes were very small. Pricing - was a little high for the size of the servings but I am sure it co-insides with their expenses - Overall I give it 3 and 1/2 stars which is not an option - I would recommend to a friend and probably will go back again but will order a couple of appetizers for the table
(4)
Richard A.
The atmosphere is very nice. The restaurant is bright and the noise level was good. We had a window table so the view was very nice. The service needed improvement. The server apparently was new. Although there was only one Pinot Grigio on the menu by the glass when we ordered she asked which Pinot Grigio we wanted. When I asked if the Seafood Bisque was tomato or cream based she said she didn't know but thought it was both because it was pink. The food tasted good and the portions were very nice.
(3)
Stefan H.
Real, really tired. Everything suffered from lack of taste and interest. Great location but needs a new chef.
(1)
Erica K.
I've been to Port Richey several times and have yet to have stopped by Catches. It's right there, a great location overlooking the water with back deck seating. Now I understand why I should have just left the mystery at that and just not eaten here. There are a few things in life I feel should never be ruined when dining out, classic cocktails and a perfectly cooked fish ordered from a restaurant. But let me start from the beginning. My boyfriend and I arrived at 8:30pm to an empty host stand and nearly empty restaurant, I honestly wanted to jump ship at this point and just have cocktails at the tiki bar next door and dine on cocktail garnishes. But we wanted badly to give Catches a try. We sat outside at an empty wet unset table. As our server arrived she asked about drinks to which we discovered, we had no drink menu. Normally I've been asked to just start with water - skipping the weird moment between getting the menu and the awkward server hover as your deciding what you want. The drink menu didn't have prices, offered a variety of flavored classic drinks and I decided to stick with a personal favorite - traditional mojito. Deciding on food was difficult. The fish on the menu didn't have prices, we had to ask our sever about the catch of the day and prices. Again. I decided on the grouper, and my boyfriend ordered the Shrimp feast. I going to stop here now and give you the straight up truth. My fish was terrible and overlooked sitting in a pool of oil. Almost gummy in texture. My mojito was terrible, and I wouldn't be surprised if there wasn't any alcohol in it. It was just flavored soda water. My boyfriends Shrimp feast was hardly a feast. It was mainly a feast of sauce cups that arrived decorating the edges of each plate. Who needs that many sauces? Perhaps to mask terrible tasting food. When we couldn't eat more we asked for a box, which arrived with the check. We were never asked about dessert. Service was terrible. Perhaps Whiskey River would have been a better choice since we had the pleasure of listening to their music from across the river.
(1)
Robert M.
Fine dining in New Port Richey/Port Richey...almost an oxymoron. However, that is more than less what you will find at Catches Waterfront Grill. Capturing and capitalizing on a waterfront ambiance woefully missing in this area of Tampa Bay, Catches is a welcome anomaly amongst a sea nearby juke-joint like waterside dining options. Located conveniently just off of US-19, the large architecturally appealing Catches looms brightly and compellingly as you cross the channel separating New Port Richey from Port Richey. Meandering your way back to the somewhat hidden parking area you are greeted by a large and bright building that without being kitschy belies itself as a seafood eatery, it's large entryway welcomes you in and once inside you are greeted by a pleasant hostess who will offer you ample inside dining options or outside dining on their channel-side patio. On both occasions I've enjoyed a meal here, the weather has been pleasant and I've opted to sit outside. The outdoor space is open and somewhat expansive offering a terrific view of the channel and out to the Gulf beyond. Impressively, road noise from the nearby US-19 bridge is not a problem and in fact the only notable sounds that may impinge on your waterside dining is the raucous din of elderly gambling ship patrons embarking or disembarking just down or across the channel; though this is arguably more entertaining than not and makes for good people watching. The wait staff is friendly, professional and knowledgeable. As this area has a large senior population I've made note of the staff politely catering to the needs of many senior patrons which I find as impressive as it is admirable. On my first occasion eating here I enjoyed a work lunch with a rather culinarily cantankerous co-worker, whom in fact had actually brought me to Catches and introduced me to the eatery as a shining beacon of sophistication within relative close proximity to our nearby office. Both myself and my co-worker enjoyed our meals, well prepared, presented and even plated. I should also mention that we had cloth napkins, a nice touch that truly does serve to elevate Catches above other local eateries. On this occasion I opted to try the fried grouper sandwich with house-made tartar sauce; and it was quite good. The fish was well prepared and cooked, flakey and lacking a "fishy" taste sometimes found in lesser seafood restaurants. Perhaps more impressively the tartar sauce was excellent, reminding me of the type I have had in England served with Fish and Chips; a terrific treat when so many places seemingly put little effort or innovations towards their condiments and dressings. On my second visit to Catches, I enjoyed a work-week lunch with my wife who had come up to visit me. Our meal this time around was equally enjoyable and while my wife enjoyed her fried shrimp I also enjoyed my fettuccine alfredo and chicken pasta. Served with a salad, I was again impressed by the freshness of everything and the attention to detail in making their own house Italian dressing for the salad; quite delectable. Again the service was friendly and accommodating and the ambiance of the restaurant a welcome break from the clamoring businesses along the US-19 corridor. While some online reviews may indicate otherwise I have to compliment Catches on being rather exemplary and a welcome waterside dining option for the Port Richey area. The food here is prepared fresh, well presented and served pleasantly by a staff that makes you feel welcome and inclined to return for another meal. The ambiance is complimentary and reminds me of what I expect from eateries in arguably more affluent areas of Tampa Bay, a true culinary gem for both seafood enthusiast and land-lubber alike. Well reviewed and well recommended for a dining visit.
(3)
Amy Z.
Went for Christmas brunch. Service was good, food was decent, but overpriced. Not sure if I experienced their usual crowd, but it was very eclectic. I thought their bar stools were wicked cute though :) Not worth the drive for me, but give it a shot if you live in the neighborhood and you tell me!
(2)
Beth W.
Went on a Wednesday night and were pleasantly surprised with a $9.99 all you can eat fish fry with salad, cole slaw, and choice of potato or rice. Also surprising was a $2.50 Long Island Iced Tea as well as happy hour prices. Fish was nice and crunchy in a Yuengling beer batter. I had the pistachio chicken with potato, vegetable, and salad for $9.00. Way too much food. Lori was our bartender/server and she was friendly, efficient, and knowledgeable. If you eat on the patio you get to enjoy the music coming across the channel from Whiskey River. Great atmosphere, food , and service.
(5)
Robert F.
Food and service was very good tonight
(4)
Elle G.
First, let me say that buffets scare me. Like Dickens wrote, you have to know that or nothing that follows will seem magical. I come by my fear honestly- having worked in restaurants and with caterers. Honestly anyone whose been at a buffet and been victim to the over-sauced mystery fillet, the squishy pasta, or the picked through iceberg salad can relate. Now that I've set you up, let me get to the magic... This was a wonderfully done Mother's Day surprise! Whoever chose the spread knew what food does well hanging out over a burner and what doesn't. I can't attest to later in the day, but it looked as though the buffet was being sufficiently worked to maintain the quality and availability of each dish. Segue to food! Best dessert was the limoncello cake. Yes, eat dessert first! The cocktail shrimp was cooked well and plentiful, and the prime rib was available in a range of doneness. (Spoiler alert!) Restaurants use au jus to make a less well piece a more well piece. Someone was commenting negatively about that while I was ladling some very tasty horseradish sauce on my plate. Buttermilk garlic potatoes gave me both a new idea and restored my faith in buffets- mashed anything is a tough buffet food. The turnip greens were amazing. A tiny bit salty for me (the salt sensitive), but was that a tiny ring of jalapeño I saw? Yum! The francais fish was very good if a bit spongy on the coating- anything fried would get that way with sauce or steam. Bit of forgiveness granted. Less for the roasted eggplant in the antipasto salad that turned out to be beef! Looked like eggplant! Should have been eggplant! And mozzarella instead of loads of feta! There has to be a bit of the real world creeping in so that the magic stands out! As I write this, I realize that the magic is really not in the perfectly good food but in the attention to detail that made the buffet work as a method of service. I love tasting everything and then going back to fill up the corners- yes, I'm a hobbit! Thank you for the bit of magic it took to make me question a long-held fear of the buffet! The
(4)
Robby M.
Went here for Christmas Day brunch to try somewhere new should have stayed away. The server we had was really good otherwise I would have gave this 1 star. The food was underseasoned for the most part. The only two items I liked was the fresh pasta station and the bread pudding for dessert. The fish was over cooked and dry the piece I had.
(2)
JC F.
Food was good but service was unforgivably slow. Waited almost an hour for our entrees, drinks sat empty while the server never stopped to check on us. Place was half full. Disappointed because we're local and the food was tasty. We will give them a second chance because of taste and location, hope I can revise this review next time
(3)
Bethanie S.
Horrible service! I am sure you can get a good server but my opinion is you are only as good as your weakest link. Tonight 5 of us came in for dinner and drinks. The place was empty, we never saw our server, she was unfriendly, half the requests were never answered, and apparently a half-assed sorry when she forgot would cover her mistakes. The food was mediocre, and we didn't get everything the menu said our meals included, but we could never find our waitress to correct the issues. We left less than ten percent tip after it took us over a half an hour to get the bill. At which point our waitress, Amy sarcastically and snippily yelled out "thank you" across the parking lot. It was a final touch on a terrible meal!! It would be a black mark on any restaurant to have a worker lash out at a customer that was saying monetarily what a servers performance displayed.
(1)
Tom W.
Great food and great service. The parking can become an issue but within the last year and a half they've added additional parking, there is also a valet service. My wife and I continue to go here over Red Lobster because the service is so much better and their food is better too. I love the seafood alfredo and their calamari is great. I've not been to the tiki bar but it looks awesome.
(4)
Tania H.
The chairs were wicker and slightly uncomfortable., but the main dinning area was very clean and pleasant. They had a candle on the table, but not lite. It took awhile to get our drinks and the waitress was nice enough to notice that my Mom did not get a full glass of wine and brought her more out. After getting our order we did get a piping hot basket of herb and garlic bread. Then we waited, and waited. Finally the chowder came out and it had lots of clams and overall good flavor. Then we waited and waited again. Then we god our salads, the dressing was homemade and good flavor. Before we were even a 1/4 into our salads, the main meals came out. The blacked fish was cooked perfect and just a little heat, rice was a little overlooked and sticky, and the zucchini was ok. The other couple had the shrimp feast, the fried and coconut shrimp were good size and cooked well, but the shrimp scampi was horrible. It came out in a soup cup swimming in butter cream. Extremely overlooked. Overall most of the food was good, and the waitress was very friendly. But the super slow service and few bad dishes I would not go back again.
(2)
Terry H.
I visit this place once a year when vacationing in NPR. We always find it enjoyable and my kids love it. I really liked the Reef Platter- fried shrimp, fish, and scallops. My kids got the fish and fries kid's meal. I love the seafood bisque. One of my favorite places for bisque. The side house salad was boring and the zucchini and squash wasn't great either. Overall, I love the entrees and soups and the kids always finish their plates.
(4)
Kenny H.
I went into Catches in the Late Afternoon and they were not very busy at all. I asked to be seated outdoors on the back deck where there was a nice breaze I ordered the Snow Crab Legs which is one of my favorite dishes and was very happy with the crab legs, anyone who eats crab legs very often should know that if crab legs are over cooked the meet will stick to the shell and will be hard to get at. That was not the case at Catches the meat came out of the legs very easily and was very tasty. The Cesar salad and baked potato were good as they should be. Service was excellent. I love sitting outside and seeing boats on the water so the atmosphere was great. I wanted to give it 5 stars but it seems that 5 stars would be for someplace that goes way above and beyond should be 4.5 stars maybe. :)
(4)
Steave S.
not too bad
(3)
Ron O.
Great experience tonight. We left another restaurant with a water view six miles away because the service was terrible. Richard our waiter was great. We came in on a holiday weekend 30 minutes before closing and we never felt rushed. The service was very good, the food very good and the recommendations were excellent. We will be back
(5)
Susan M.
I really wanted to give this restaurant 2.5 stars because half of everything was good. We came for the Christmas Day buffet. First, our service was outstanding. I believe our servers name was Josh and he was very attentive. The Christmas buffet was a little smaller than I expected but they did have a hot pasta station which was a plus. Our reservations were at 1:30 and it wasn't busy when we got started. But by the time I went back for my second plate the line was very long, the staff was trying to change out trays of food and it seemed hectic and mismanaged. The food was mixed, for me. Some of it I loved and some of it I didn't like at all. Tops on my did not like list were the banana rum sweet potato mash. I loved the sound of it but it sounded better than it tasted. The antipasto salad was amazing and delicious, as was the tropical fruit salad. I discovered a new favorite fruit, there was a white fruit with black seeds that tasted like a combination of fig and watermelon to me. I asked a server and he went back to the chef to find out what it was. It was dragonfruit. The roasted root vegetables were not to my liking either. There were mixed reviews on the clam chowder at our table, it was a sweet chowder. I liked it but others prefer their chowder spicier instead of sweet. The ham was good and the chollah rolls too. Overall it was an interesting meal. We had plenty to talk about discussing the food while we were eating, and since we are foodies that adds to our enjoyment. I would not drive back from Tampa to Port Richey to eat here again but if I was in the neighborhood I would give it another try.
(3)
Kathie K.
The grouper sandwich at the Tiki Bar is ok. The oil tasted a little off so is probably not changed often enough. Dinner at the more formal Catches was not so great. Our waiter was attentive but couldn't make up for the meal. The clam chowder was delicious and it went down hill from there. The salad is out of a bag, which I don't need to go to a restaurant to get. My medium rare steak was cooked perfectly but was 2/3 fat and inedible. Best thing on the plate was the loaded baked potato. The vegetable was zuccini and yellow squash with 2 tiny red pepper pieces. My friend's seafood with pasta dish was so spicy, she coudn't eat it and she likes spicy food. When we complained, the manager was called over and instead of taking the dish off the bill, he pro-rated the price for the 3 mussels she had managed to taste. We will not be returning.
(2)
Todd K.
I've been a food critic for many years and was told to blog about Catches, so I figured what the heck. The place looks great on the outside, wasn't bad on the inside. The food however.....not so great. The staff was great. This place has the potential to be a great family restaurant. Needs some improvements but not impressed. Sorry catches. I'm giving you a thumbs down. Fresh seafood is not hard to get. Utilize the resources and you'll bring in the ratings. Would I go again? Possibly.
(2)
Natalie A.
Like the early bird specials! Coco shrimp was good!
(4)
Karen R.
My husband and I stopped in for the first time tonight.. We had the calamari app which was tasty and cooked perfectly. I had the captains platter and he had the reef platter which we both enjoyed very much. Our server from Mass. (Cheryl) spelled the same way as mine, was very attentive and personable. I would highly recommend her seeing it was only her 2nd serving shift at this establishment and she was fantastic:))
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Dinner Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : No Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : Yes Wi-Fi : No Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : No Caters : Yes
Patrick y.
Very friendly waitress introduced herself to the four of us and took our drink order suggesting a bucket of beer to save money. We started off with the mussels and wings. The wings were meaty and cooked perfect, the mussels were made with sun dried tomatoes and were great. ÃŽ had the rum river chicken which I enjoyed my wife had the seafood Alfredo and had plenty of shrimp and scallops. Another person in our party had fried shrimp and got a healthy plate full. The other guest got some sort of sandwich I don't remember but he finished it. It was a little late so the place was emptying out and we were listening to the guy playing music and singing ( he was ok, better then nothing) . the waitress had a great sense of humor and we joked with her on how busy the menu was and we tested her on the difference between voodoo sauce and the spicy sauce, after questioning she admitted they were the same. We also got her to admit she has to take a test on the menu to work there. She was a great sport and we had an enjoyable night. Next time I'm in the port richy area I will make this a stop for sure. I forgot to mention outdoor seating (covered) was a big plus
(4)Barbra M.
Catches is a beautifully positioned restaurant, on the water, with huge potential!!! The service was adequate and friendly, the food I thought delicious but something was lacking??? I personally boiled it down to the ambiance! I didn't feel like the restaurant was welcoming, comfortable or had that 'je nes sai qui'... Throw some white linen table cloths outside on the patio, dress the tables ready for dinner, add some candles and a fit pit with comfy seating and you will have a winner guys!!! P.s Catches the Cat roaming around my feet is not cute to a customer paying $30 a head... It's trailer!
(2)Stacey Z.
The bisque was good, but for the most part it's over priced for the portion size. I had the shrimp scampi and it was on the bland side. My husband had the prime and it was very small. Probably won't be back. The music at whiskey river was good.
(2)Scott M.
Nicely decorated, river front restaurant with reasonable prices and okay fare. It is all about Florida...Florida...Florida. Atmosphere 90 Clean, modern, interesting ocean motif. Service 85 Cordial and professional but slightly slow Food 80 It's Florida so don't expect too much Value 80 Fair to good all the way around If you are driving on #19 ( in the general area) make sure this is your stop. Best all around location on route. in perspective, a notch above Chili's, Apple bees with a view to boot.
(3)Tony O.
I like this place. The food was good and thought they had very attentive service; from the hostess, to the bartender, to the waitstaff...the entrees took a little while to come out, but the food was what I expected. I'll be back...
(3)Monica F.
Nice looking restaurant, but poor service. Ordered two dozen oysters and mussels as appetizers. Whoever shucked the oysters didn't do it very well since s/he didn't cut the muscle underneath. They were difficult to get out of the shell with the teeny fork they give you. Also, the oysters were full of bits of shell, making them impossible to eat. And I got a bad one. The mussels were served with several that had broken shells. Since we can't tell if the shells were cracked/ broken before or after they were cooked, we opted not to eat them rather than risk getting sick. We never did get our salads. We ordered the twin lobster tails and Alaskan king crabs for our entrees. The crab was cooked properly and were good. The lobster tails were so overcooked that they had the texture of cardboard and no flavor. Sent them back and I left hungry. At least my sister got something to eat. The waitress kept apologizing, saying it wasn't her fault and they were "understaffed." I could accept slow service if the food was excellent. Unfortunately, both were poor. Further, the manager, instead of trying to make things better, assured us that "this has never happened before" and she was "sure that it can't have been that bad." Pathetic. Now, I just got the bill and, even though we only ate half the oysters, four mussels, never got our salads, and sent everything else back, they expect us to pay for all of the food we ordered but sent back. Horrible. The cocktails were really good. Bottom line: skip this place. The food sucks, the service sucks, the management sucks, they are overpriced--and it's not with the trouble. There are better restaurants to spend your time and money at.
(1)Jose D.
Great Food! The view off the deck was nice and the restrooms were extra clean. Highly Recommend this place.
(5)Cat G.
I really like Catches. I've gone there many times and each time, I notice they have made some new improvement, whether its a change on the menu, different bread served with the meal, or a slight decor change. I give them an extra star for effort. Considering this is a seafood restaurant in Port Richey, FL, I think they do a great job. The food is pretty good. I always get the ahi tuna to start and its always tasty & nicely presented. I order something different each time and so far my favorites have been their Black & Blue Salad and the Island Chicken. Definitely worth a try
(4)Dani I.
This place is horribly over priced for the worst food I've had in my life. I got food poisoning that night. Read below for my boyfriends review. Great location but yuck. You're seriously better off going to Taco Bell and drinking sewer water.
(1)Amy S.
Our experience started out a little rough do to sitting and waiting for someone to take our drink orders to begin with. Once we let someone know we hadn't been waited on our service turned around and improved quickly. Our meals were fabulous and we finished our experience at Catches with a smile!
(3)Vik A.
Just happened to stop by on my way home with my girlfriend and saw this restaurant. When we arrived we were very impressed with the decor and location. However when our food arrived our out looked suddenly changed. First off the bread was hard and stale tasting, I've had croutons with softer crust. Then our entrees arrived and the presentation was horrible. Very boring and it looked like it was thrown together and reheated in a microwave and to no surprised tasted as such. The manager was also rude and unpleasant. Basically if you don't want lousy service, bad food and food poising (on which my girlfriend now has) then STAY AWAY!!! WORST FOOD EVER!!!
(1)L Y.
Multiple visits and a few times, waited several mins at the front for a hostess/waiter to seat us(even when they are not busy). Waitresses have been good tho. Best seafood bisque!!! Grilled fishes were delicious. Recently tried the endless crab legs on Mondays, which were delicious. A beverage, besides water has to be purchased(just another $2). The corn on the cob was soft and tasty. Fell right off the cob, so no corn was stuck in between my teeth. 2 pieces of red potatoes. Just simple boiled potatoes(loooove potatoes). I eat my crab legs with old bay, cocktail sauce and lemon. Seems like they made their own blended version of old bay(not too much of a fan) and cocktail sauce didnt taste as good the previous time i had it on my raw oysters. BF loved the butter and lemon on his. He didnt think the refills came as fast as he downed them, so I gave him my pieces since I'm a slow crab leg eater. Looking forward to Monday for another round of crab legs!
(4)Candis b. N.
My husband and went to Catches a couple of times in the past. We were not happy. We heard it was under new Ownership and thought we would go back and try it. The atmosphere was very nice, the Waiters and waitress's were great. Such a huge difference from our experiences before. Angie was our waitress, she made sure our drinks were filled. She would stop by to make sure everything was ok and if we needed anything. We will go back and hopefully enjoy our meals just as much the next time as we did This time.
(4)Ashley M.
Went to all you can eat crab legs tonight (Mondays). Waited by the hostess station for an abnormal amount of time, which should've been our first clue. Was another 5 before we saw a waitress, and even longer for us to receive our drinks. Our server unfortunately had tables outside on the back patio as well as indoors where we were seated and the only bartender, the quickest server of all, also had tables in our section (by the windows, furthest from the bar). What manager or hostess seats tables in a way that sets up their servers for failure?? All I wanted for a drink was ice water, the server informed me that my $27.99 crab dinner special could ONLY be served if I ordered a drink. So we were going to order a pitcher of Blue Moon... Wrong again. I had to order my own. A $15 pitcher of beer that serves 3/4 drinks wouldn't suffice. So I ordered a Chardonnay. I also can't stand red potatoes and corn on the cob that came with the meal, they wouldn't let me sub for just a small helping of mashed potatoes. Serving hard undercooked baby reds was clearly the smarter thing to do and would keep the customer right?? Nope. Not this one. I live a stones throw from Catches on the river and have been there many times, but this was the last. Being a boater, we have other options surrounding Catches. Whiskey River, Hooters, Gill Dawgs. Hell... even Seasides All you can eat fish for 7.99 is delicious! Crab shack has already been given too many chances by us as well and isn't a contender. ****What was even more infuriating though, was that the owner was seated just two tables behind us. Why he wants to tolerate entertaining the guests at his table with understaffed slow service and listen to (inappropriately loud) modern day pop music like Justin Bieber and Ellie Goulding is beyond me. For the beautiful nautical atmosphere they should at least play a softer volume of Jimmy Buffet or Kenny Chesney.
(1)Sharon D.
I thought it was excellent. Went for dinner and had all can eat crab legs. It is a few bucks more than my usual place but it's also right on the river.
(4)Timothy S.
Was in town on business, and while Port Richey is not that impressive of a town, this restaurant made the trip worthwhile. Appetizers of gator bites and lobster quesadilla were on point and delicious. Seared Snapper with grit cake and fresh green beans were perfect. The server even replaced my greens beans that were cooked in fresh garlic, which I cannot eat with fresh steamed ones.My dining guests all loved there meals and mango mojitos, So it was all good. I recommend it highly.
(5)Cathy H.
Food is average but the location is great. They advertise that they have a margarita "bar" but it's more like pump bottles of flavored syrup that they add to a slurpee. Specialty drink buckets are good and tiki bar is cute.
(3)Kimberly N.
Catches is a very nice seafood restaurant, and I was very happy with my meal. It's really easy to make a reservation on Open Table. My husband and I shared the crab spinach and artichoke dip, which was excellent. We then split a large seafood platter. The fried shrimp and scallops were okay, but the fried fish was fantastic. We would go back for just the fish alone, it was that good. Our server was friendly and quick. We will definitely be coming back in the future.
(4)Logan S.
Went in expecting to get some Florida lobster, but to our disappointment the menu changed sometime this year and was completely overhauled and was no longer available. We stopped by while visiting friends and family in the area. Still ate in despite the lack of lobster. Food was decent, and good portions. There were a few creative looking items on the menu, and one that actually surprised me was the Cuban egg rolls. They were good, not mind blowing, but good. Sauce they came with left a little to be desired. My girlfriend tried the grouper sandwich which was also pretty decent. Can't say that this is a place we'd go out of our way to go back to, just due to the prices and the menu. Also, as a note to those with shellfish allergies (personally have them), a majority of the seafood dishes have some form of crustacean in them or mixed in. So sans requesting for a substitution or removal (risky in my opinion) your choices will be more limited to a smaller amount of seafood or non-seafood courses.
(3)Chantell M.
We were very skeptical about coming because of all the bad reviews. Let me tell you that we had an AWESOME dinner. Service was speedy, drinks were refilled often, food was delicious and hot. Price was typical for a seafood restaurant. Truly glad we didn't let the reviews stop us from coming. The atmosphere was what you would expect from a waterfront restaurant. The dinning room was clean as was the restroom. Maybe they've hired new staff and made serious changes since some reviews were posted but I can tel you it sure is nice to find a good place to eat that is not your typical chain restaurant. We will be coming back!
(5)Sahn S.
Very surprising ... Not in a good way. Went with a large party. Servers were very accommodating. Nice looking restaurant, pretty view off the back deck. Shrimp creole was way below average. Sauce was meh and rice had a soggy almost puréed consistency. Seafood Cioppini (seafood stew of clams, mussels, shrimp, etc. over linguine) looked wonderful, tasted not so great. It was sweet. Yes. Sweet. Other dishes were run of the mill. Black mussels were the highlight. Nicely done, great broth. This restaurant was a disappointment.
(2)Pat K.
Not what it used to be. When it's empty on a Sunday afternoon, it says it all. Had bacon wrapped scallops which were the high point of the meal. The veggies were typical bagged frozen carrots and broccoli. The rice was from a boil in bag. My wife had a steak fajita wrap which was inedible. Sent it back, and they were nice enough to remove from the check. Will not return again
(1)Sara B.
The food wasn't too bad. The atmosphere isn't very kid friendly and the service is VERY slow.
(2)Kim S.
Love Catches. Had dinner with family who was visiting from out of town last night there. Excellent service. Comfortable seating indoors and out. Awesome food. Priced well. View of the water. Clean comfortable atmosphere. Have been there multiple times. Always my favorite place to go or take family. Large menu to accommodate adults and children.
(5)Susan S.
I have been to this place several times in the last year and the food was consistently good. I was surprised to find an empty parking lot when we pulled up but now I think I know why. This last week we had a disappointing experience. My brother ordered a drink and it came to the table half full. When we sent it back we were charged for a second drink. My sister's drink was full of brown flecks we were surprised to learn was cinnamon. (She ordered a cosmo). We are not sure how this communication mishap occurred. Our server seemed apathetic or distracted and clearly didn't know that cinnamon is not an ingredient in a cosmo and never thought to double check when the bartender questioned her about the order. The food was ok but nothing special. I had the shrimp. Don't know if we will return for a while.
(2)Tom S.
Some Yelpers did not give this place a fair chance. If you go on an all-you-can-eat night, you need to expect slow service and a wait. We were a party of 4 on a Tuesday evening around 7 pm. (There was an all-you-can-eat Shrimp special.) Busy but not overly busy. We were immediately seated in a nice, quiet part of the nearly full restaurant. The server was prompt and friendly and gave us ample time to peruse the menu. We were served our drinks and food fast and to all our expectations. My brother and I shared the Florida Gator Bites. My first time eating gator. It was delicious. My girlfriend, my sister-in-law and I also shared the Lobster Quesadilla (a special). Also, excellent. My brother and I had the Gulf Snapper, mine blackened with an Asian sauce, his baked, not sure what was on it. The ladies had Shrimp pasta and Shrimp salad dishes. The meals were flawless. My brother is a chef and has been in the restaurant industry for over 30 years. The only possible flaw he saw was that Grouper was on the menu as well as Swai. Not saying that Catches substitutes Swai for Grouper, but some restaurants have been known to do that because the texture and taste are VERY similar. Fair to mention: My brother's meal came with a side of green beans with garlic, which he could not have garlic. The server accommodated him by bringing a serving of green beans without garlic. No charge. We drank Mojitos (Mango) and beer. The tab came to around $30/person. Very reasonable for a seafood restaurant. You may get a better price at Red Lobster, but not as fresh a fish as you would at Catches.
(5)nicole s.
alls I can say is WOW! we had such an amazing meal at this place...I was really skeptical because of the other reviews and because we are on vacation here so it's not like we have a full fridge to go home to if the meal stunk.... our waitress chantel was GREAT! she told us she had only been there for about a week but if we didn't have small talk with her about it we would have never even known. she was so sweet and personable. she made sure everything was to our standards and she made me laugh because she kept a saying oh biscuits! haha I got crab legs and they were honestly the freshest best crab I've ever had and that's a real compliment because I am a crab leg junkie, the fiancé got ribs and they literally fell off the bone. we loved it here, we will definitely be returning the next time we are in the area. definitely stop by this place if you are looking to get a good meal.
(5)Melody L.
I went in for all-you-can-eat crab legs on Monday. When we were seated by the hostess, not one server greeted us for longer than ten minutes. We finally had to get up to ask for someone to come serve us. Mind you, it was dead in the restaurant but there were more than five servers and none of them came up to us even when we made eye contact with them. The food didn't taste fresh at all, and the crab was very inconsistent. They say the crab clusters come out every fifteen minutes which was aggravating because no one has that much time to sit at a restaurant all night. Our server kept forgetting all of our requests and we had to ask for the same things repeatedly. This would have been understandable if it was busy, but it was so dead in the restaurant that we could not believe it. We also talked to the manager with our concerns and afterwards, he kept staring at our table in a creepy way, almost like he thought we would dine and dash. I even went to the restroom before we left and it seemed like he sent two of his employees to make sure I didn't leave. That's not me being paranoid. They really did follow me, one guy employee was waiting for me outside the restroom benches, and a girl employee even followed me into the restroom without even using the restroom. Overall this place was just a terrible dining experience and I think most of it is due to poor management. The manager was not apologetic at all. This was one place in Florida that we will not be going back to.
(1)Jeff M.
Excellent food and service. Here twice in 2 days and will be back again. Grouper tonight. Perfect Mahi tuna appetizer was the best.
(5)Evonne W.
What a disappointment. We made reservations to celebrate our 39th wedding anniversary dinner here. When making the reservations, my hubby made sure to let them know that this was a special evening. He even asked that we get a nice table overlooking the river. What we got was a table that, if I bent to the right and looked around the overgrown Banana bush, I got a glimpse of an RV parked next store, and a smaller glimpse of the river. Our waiter was there almost immediately, got our drinks, mine was a Kahlua and Milk that was so much more milk than Kulula. We ordered our appetizer, deep fried alligator nuggets. Not bad, but nothing to write home about, and way overpriced for what we got. (Worked out to about $2.50 per 1x1 nugget). Hubby ordered the Cioppino, I ordered the bacon wrapped scallops. I ordered French Onion Soup, he ordered the Seafood Bisque. At this point, we asked if the bread we saw on other tables was an ordered item, or complementary. Our waiter said he would bring it out with our appetizer. Our alligator arrived, the waiter had to make a special trip to get the ranch dressing that I requested when we placed the order. (another server ended up getting us the dressing). We were told the bread is on its way. The soup arrived. I must say the Seafood bisque was very good, overly rich, but not unpleasant. The French Onion LOOKED beautiful, and the only flavor that came out was salt. We were able to get the attention of another server who took it away. About the time hubby was getting to the bottom of his soup, my soup was delivered. Again, we asked about the bread. Yea, something as simple as bread. This time we were told that the bread was up and he was on his way to get it. About the time I finished my drink and soup, the bread and plate of very garlicky olive oil arrived. Good thing, hunger was really setting in. FInally dinner arrived, (my soup finished about 10 minutes earlier). Hubbies Cipinno looked good. My plate on the other hand????? Ok, so the 1st impression was not the best, being brave, I opened my baked potato to add the butter and sour cream, more than a little underdone, but my thought was that I really didn't need a whole potato, just eat what was cooked enough to eat. On this plate were 6 bacon wrapped scallops, the largest no bigger than a quarter. OK, so it didn't look like a lot, but if the flavor was there, 6 was all I needed. The flavor of an over cooked, dried out, rubbery thing was all that came thru, no scallop juiciness, no bacon flavor. Nothing but an unpleasant rubber taste. So, when we were able to get our waiters attention, these got sent back. Hubby shared his cipionno, the scallop was huge in size, the shrimp nice an moist. Eventually, my dinner appeared. This time at least the plate looked good. This new potato was still undercooked. The green beans looked and tasted good. The 6 new scallops looked better, not great, but better than the 1st 6 I was served. This time, 2 of the 6 scallops were edible. (Of the 12 scallops that I had been served, 2 were edible). This dinner also went back. Please DO NOT bring me another try. My husband pointed out that one of the mussels in his cipionno had not opened, and his thought was that the chefs shouldn't be serving mussels that hadn't opened. The response was that everything comes in cooked and frozen and that its just reheated. WTF????? The positive is that both of the scallop dinners (yes 2 showed on the bill) were 'comped'. No dessert was offered, not even sure they had a dessert menu. At this point, the waiter asked if we would like to sign up for a rewards card. He pointed out that if you come in on birthdays or anniversaries, the appetizer was free. We looked at each other with the REALLY?? look. Just let us get out of here.We paid the bill and thought we would stop at the hostess station to let someone besides our waiter know how disappointed we were. There was noone at the check in????? The bottom line to all of this is that this COULD be a killer restaurant. Get rid of ALL of the frozen items, take advantage of the bounty that literally is just outside their building. Bring in a chef that has a passion for the food that is created in the kitchen. Train the wait staff how to wait on tables. The truth is that this area has restaurants that care, restaurants that serve killer food, and restaurants that are thriving. Catches is none of these things.
(1)Jason B.
This place used to be packed and was the seafood standard when we went out. The seafood used to be so good, the staff was amazing, and it was the place to go for special occasions or when you were craving excellent seafood. Now, the hostess is no where to be found, the place is empty, and my scallops on my seafood feast platter were basically raw. I bragged about this place as I have for over a decade and was embarrassed when I took my fiance whom had never been and was asked "THIS was the best seafood place you had ever been to"? Now it's Rusty Bellies. Closer to home and seafood is on point. Sad, because even though Catches was a bit pricey, it was well worth every penny... back in the day.
(2)John D.
I have eaten here a couple of times. The service was very good. Delightful servers who were quick with the greeting, order taking and meal service. My latest meal of scallops wrapped in Apple Smoked bacon was excellent. My wife has enjoyed grouper sandwiches and oysters. The prices were fair for all the items we have had. The first time we visited the place our server was in training and was no ready for "prime time" yet. Thus not a full 5 stars. Lori was our server the last visit and she was excellent. We will be coming back soon.
(4)Sam H.
Holy crap my dinner was awesome. We ordered the clams casino to start. Very good! Our meals came with salads and they bring sour dough bread and oil with a tiny bit of seasoning for dipping. It was still good because the bread was awesome but the oil was not the best. I got the caesar and it was good, made in house. Now there homemade honey mustard had my husband raving. Meals: he got the bacon wrapped scallop with mashed potatoes. He said it was awesome! I got the captains platter blackened. It was all so so so good! So much food! Took home a lot of it. Veggies were my side and it was ok but lots of butter. The only thing that made the visit annoying was the service. Our server was friendly and had great recommendations BUT very slow. The wait between our app and meal was long and there was not many people in the place. Waited more than 20 mins after we finished eating our meal to get our check. I had to actually go find her. She was apologetic but again at that point a sorry was going to be enough since the wait was an issue the entire visit. They could have gave us a little discount or a next visit coupon or free dessert but nope. I will say it's probably not a one time thing here. My husband has been once before for lunch and it took two hours! Then our friend said he took his mother and the exact same thing...awful wait! That's 3 visits all complaining about the same thing. Hopefully they see this and try to find a solution. Like I said the food, atmosphere, and staffs recommendation were great BUT having to wait 20 mins between an app and meal then more than 20 mins to get a check can ruin a meal:( I'll definitely give it another try!!
(4)Sheila W.
Wow this place was great all around. Our server Brianna was quick, efficient and very polite. The atmosphere was perfect! If you come you must try the oysters rockerfella and gator bites. We will be back again with more people!
(5)Bobbie S.
We had the gripper sandwich & chips. Tasty Food, Super Service, Sweet Atmosphere! A bit priceeeee! $38.00 including a beer & tea.
(3)Lenny N.
I admit after reading some of these reviews I was a little hesitant about eating there. However I was meeting old friends and decided not to create waves so I went thinking I should just prepare for the worst but hope for the best. To my surprise It was better then the reviews. I guess you cant please everybody all of the time and it seems the people who are the unhappiest usually are the ones that express their feeling "Let it be known" kind of attitude. Now for the review - The waitress Kristin S. was just as bubbly, friendly and knowable as they come - She was awesome taking care of our needs. Five Star ***** The meal - I ordered the Shrimp Deal - 10 Gulf shrimp with 2 sides rice and a salad The presentation on the plate better than average Four Stars **** The taste was also better than average Four Stars **** What I thought was disappointing but maybe that's because I am a big eater the size of the side I ordered (the rice) wasn't enough to fill you especially since there was nothing to fill you up at the table - hot bread etc. Three Stars *** My bride also split an appetizer The Crab cakes which was cooked and seasoned perfectly but again - the two crab cakes were very small. Pricing - was a little high for the size of the servings but I am sure it co-insides with their expenses - Overall I give it 3 and 1/2 stars which is not an option - I would recommend to a friend and probably will go back again but will order a couple of appetizers for the table
(4)Richard A.
The atmosphere is very nice. The restaurant is bright and the noise level was good. We had a window table so the view was very nice. The service needed improvement. The server apparently was new. Although there was only one Pinot Grigio on the menu by the glass when we ordered she asked which Pinot Grigio we wanted. When I asked if the Seafood Bisque was tomato or cream based she said she didn't know but thought it was both because it was pink. The food tasted good and the portions were very nice.
(3)Stefan H.
Real, really tired. Everything suffered from lack of taste and interest. Great location but needs a new chef.
(1)Erica K.
I've been to Port Richey several times and have yet to have stopped by Catches. It's right there, a great location overlooking the water with back deck seating. Now I understand why I should have just left the mystery at that and just not eaten here. There are a few things in life I feel should never be ruined when dining out, classic cocktails and a perfectly cooked fish ordered from a restaurant. But let me start from the beginning. My boyfriend and I arrived at 8:30pm to an empty host stand and nearly empty restaurant, I honestly wanted to jump ship at this point and just have cocktails at the tiki bar next door and dine on cocktail garnishes. But we wanted badly to give Catches a try. We sat outside at an empty wet unset table. As our server arrived she asked about drinks to which we discovered, we had no drink menu. Normally I've been asked to just start with water - skipping the weird moment between getting the menu and the awkward server hover as your deciding what you want. The drink menu didn't have prices, offered a variety of flavored classic drinks and I decided to stick with a personal favorite - traditional mojito. Deciding on food was difficult. The fish on the menu didn't have prices, we had to ask our sever about the catch of the day and prices. Again. I decided on the grouper, and my boyfriend ordered the Shrimp feast. I going to stop here now and give you the straight up truth. My fish was terrible and overlooked sitting in a pool of oil. Almost gummy in texture. My mojito was terrible, and I wouldn't be surprised if there wasn't any alcohol in it. It was just flavored soda water. My boyfriends Shrimp feast was hardly a feast. It was mainly a feast of sauce cups that arrived decorating the edges of each plate. Who needs that many sauces? Perhaps to mask terrible tasting food. When we couldn't eat more we asked for a box, which arrived with the check. We were never asked about dessert. Service was terrible. Perhaps Whiskey River would have been a better choice since we had the pleasure of listening to their music from across the river.
(1)Robert M.
Fine dining in New Port Richey/Port Richey...almost an oxymoron. However, that is more than less what you will find at Catches Waterfront Grill. Capturing and capitalizing on a waterfront ambiance woefully missing in this area of Tampa Bay, Catches is a welcome anomaly amongst a sea nearby juke-joint like waterside dining options. Located conveniently just off of US-19, the large architecturally appealing Catches looms brightly and compellingly as you cross the channel separating New Port Richey from Port Richey. Meandering your way back to the somewhat hidden parking area you are greeted by a large and bright building that without being kitschy belies itself as a seafood eatery, it's large entryway welcomes you in and once inside you are greeted by a pleasant hostess who will offer you ample inside dining options or outside dining on their channel-side patio. On both occasions I've enjoyed a meal here, the weather has been pleasant and I've opted to sit outside. The outdoor space is open and somewhat expansive offering a terrific view of the channel and out to the Gulf beyond. Impressively, road noise from the nearby US-19 bridge is not a problem and in fact the only notable sounds that may impinge on your waterside dining is the raucous din of elderly gambling ship patrons embarking or disembarking just down or across the channel; though this is arguably more entertaining than not and makes for good people watching. The wait staff is friendly, professional and knowledgeable. As this area has a large senior population I've made note of the staff politely catering to the needs of many senior patrons which I find as impressive as it is admirable. On my first occasion eating here I enjoyed a work lunch with a rather culinarily cantankerous co-worker, whom in fact had actually brought me to Catches and introduced me to the eatery as a shining beacon of sophistication within relative close proximity to our nearby office. Both myself and my co-worker enjoyed our meals, well prepared, presented and even plated. I should also mention that we had cloth napkins, a nice touch that truly does serve to elevate Catches above other local eateries. On this occasion I opted to try the fried grouper sandwich with house-made tartar sauce; and it was quite good. The fish was well prepared and cooked, flakey and lacking a "fishy" taste sometimes found in lesser seafood restaurants. Perhaps more impressively the tartar sauce was excellent, reminding me of the type I have had in England served with Fish and Chips; a terrific treat when so many places seemingly put little effort or innovations towards their condiments and dressings. On my second visit to Catches, I enjoyed a work-week lunch with my wife who had come up to visit me. Our meal this time around was equally enjoyable and while my wife enjoyed her fried shrimp I also enjoyed my fettuccine alfredo and chicken pasta. Served with a salad, I was again impressed by the freshness of everything and the attention to detail in making their own house Italian dressing for the salad; quite delectable. Again the service was friendly and accommodating and the ambiance of the restaurant a welcome break from the clamoring businesses along the US-19 corridor. While some online reviews may indicate otherwise I have to compliment Catches on being rather exemplary and a welcome waterside dining option for the Port Richey area. The food here is prepared fresh, well presented and served pleasantly by a staff that makes you feel welcome and inclined to return for another meal. The ambiance is complimentary and reminds me of what I expect from eateries in arguably more affluent areas of Tampa Bay, a true culinary gem for both seafood enthusiast and land-lubber alike. Well reviewed and well recommended for a dining visit.
(3)Amy Z.
Went for Christmas brunch. Service was good, food was decent, but overpriced. Not sure if I experienced their usual crowd, but it was very eclectic. I thought their bar stools were wicked cute though :) Not worth the drive for me, but give it a shot if you live in the neighborhood and you tell me!
(2)Beth W.
Went on a Wednesday night and were pleasantly surprised with a $9.99 all you can eat fish fry with salad, cole slaw, and choice of potato or rice. Also surprising was a $2.50 Long Island Iced Tea as well as happy hour prices. Fish was nice and crunchy in a Yuengling beer batter. I had the pistachio chicken with potato, vegetable, and salad for $9.00. Way too much food. Lori was our bartender/server and she was friendly, efficient, and knowledgeable. If you eat on the patio you get to enjoy the music coming across the channel from Whiskey River. Great atmosphere, food , and service.
(5)Robert F.
Food and service was very good tonight
(4)Elle G.
First, let me say that buffets scare me. Like Dickens wrote, you have to know that or nothing that follows will seem magical. I come by my fear honestly- having worked in restaurants and with caterers. Honestly anyone whose been at a buffet and been victim to the over-sauced mystery fillet, the squishy pasta, or the picked through iceberg salad can relate. Now that I've set you up, let me get to the magic... This was a wonderfully done Mother's Day surprise! Whoever chose the spread knew what food does well hanging out over a burner and what doesn't. I can't attest to later in the day, but it looked as though the buffet was being sufficiently worked to maintain the quality and availability of each dish. Segue to food! Best dessert was the limoncello cake. Yes, eat dessert first! The cocktail shrimp was cooked well and plentiful, and the prime rib was available in a range of doneness. (Spoiler alert!) Restaurants use au jus to make a less well piece a more well piece. Someone was commenting negatively about that while I was ladling some very tasty horseradish sauce on my plate. Buttermilk garlic potatoes gave me both a new idea and restored my faith in buffets- mashed anything is a tough buffet food. The turnip greens were amazing. A tiny bit salty for me (the salt sensitive), but was that a tiny ring of jalapeño I saw? Yum! The francais fish was very good if a bit spongy on the coating- anything fried would get that way with sauce or steam. Bit of forgiveness granted. Less for the roasted eggplant in the antipasto salad that turned out to be beef! Looked like eggplant! Should have been eggplant! And mozzarella instead of loads of feta! There has to be a bit of the real world creeping in so that the magic stands out! As I write this, I realize that the magic is really not in the perfectly good food but in the attention to detail that made the buffet work as a method of service. I love tasting everything and then going back to fill up the corners- yes, I'm a hobbit! Thank you for the bit of magic it took to make me question a long-held fear of the buffet! The
(4)Robby M.
Went here for Christmas Day brunch to try somewhere new should have stayed away. The server we had was really good otherwise I would have gave this 1 star. The food was underseasoned for the most part. The only two items I liked was the fresh pasta station and the bread pudding for dessert. The fish was over cooked and dry the piece I had.
(2)JC F.
Food was good but service was unforgivably slow. Waited almost an hour for our entrees, drinks sat empty while the server never stopped to check on us. Place was half full. Disappointed because we're local and the food was tasty. We will give them a second chance because of taste and location, hope I can revise this review next time
(3)Bethanie S.
Horrible service! I am sure you can get a good server but my opinion is you are only as good as your weakest link. Tonight 5 of us came in for dinner and drinks. The place was empty, we never saw our server, she was unfriendly, half the requests were never answered, and apparently a half-assed sorry when she forgot would cover her mistakes. The food was mediocre, and we didn't get everything the menu said our meals included, but we could never find our waitress to correct the issues. We left less than ten percent tip after it took us over a half an hour to get the bill. At which point our waitress, Amy sarcastically and snippily yelled out "thank you" across the parking lot. It was a final touch on a terrible meal!! It would be a black mark on any restaurant to have a worker lash out at a customer that was saying monetarily what a servers performance displayed.
(1)Tom W.
Great food and great service. The parking can become an issue but within the last year and a half they've added additional parking, there is also a valet service. My wife and I continue to go here over Red Lobster because the service is so much better and their food is better too. I love the seafood alfredo and their calamari is great. I've not been to the tiki bar but it looks awesome.
(4)Tania H.
The chairs were wicker and slightly uncomfortable., but the main dinning area was very clean and pleasant. They had a candle on the table, but not lite. It took awhile to get our drinks and the waitress was nice enough to notice that my Mom did not get a full glass of wine and brought her more out. After getting our order we did get a piping hot basket of herb and garlic bread. Then we waited, and waited. Finally the chowder came out and it had lots of clams and overall good flavor. Then we waited and waited again. Then we god our salads, the dressing was homemade and good flavor. Before we were even a 1/4 into our salads, the main meals came out. The blacked fish was cooked perfect and just a little heat, rice was a little overlooked and sticky, and the zucchini was ok. The other couple had the shrimp feast, the fried and coconut shrimp were good size and cooked well, but the shrimp scampi was horrible. It came out in a soup cup swimming in butter cream. Extremely overlooked. Overall most of the food was good, and the waitress was very friendly. But the super slow service and few bad dishes I would not go back again.
(2)Terry H.
I visit this place once a year when vacationing in NPR. We always find it enjoyable and my kids love it. I really liked the Reef Platter- fried shrimp, fish, and scallops. My kids got the fish and fries kid's meal. I love the seafood bisque. One of my favorite places for bisque. The side house salad was boring and the zucchini and squash wasn't great either. Overall, I love the entrees and soups and the kids always finish their plates.
(4)Kenny H.
I went into Catches in the Late Afternoon and they were not very busy at all. I asked to be seated outdoors on the back deck where there was a nice breaze I ordered the Snow Crab Legs which is one of my favorite dishes and was very happy with the crab legs, anyone who eats crab legs very often should know that if crab legs are over cooked the meet will stick to the shell and will be hard to get at. That was not the case at Catches the meat came out of the legs very easily and was very tasty. The Cesar salad and baked potato were good as they should be. Service was excellent. I love sitting outside and seeing boats on the water so the atmosphere was great. I wanted to give it 5 stars but it seems that 5 stars would be for someplace that goes way above and beyond should be 4.5 stars maybe. :)
(4)Steave S.
not too bad
(3)Ron O.
Great experience tonight. We left another restaurant with a water view six miles away because the service was terrible. Richard our waiter was great. We came in on a holiday weekend 30 minutes before closing and we never felt rushed. The service was very good, the food very good and the recommendations were excellent. We will be back
(5)Susan M.
I really wanted to give this restaurant 2.5 stars because half of everything was good. We came for the Christmas Day buffet. First, our service was outstanding. I believe our servers name was Josh and he was very attentive. The Christmas buffet was a little smaller than I expected but they did have a hot pasta station which was a plus. Our reservations were at 1:30 and it wasn't busy when we got started. But by the time I went back for my second plate the line was very long, the staff was trying to change out trays of food and it seemed hectic and mismanaged. The food was mixed, for me. Some of it I loved and some of it I didn't like at all. Tops on my did not like list were the banana rum sweet potato mash. I loved the sound of it but it sounded better than it tasted. The antipasto salad was amazing and delicious, as was the tropical fruit salad. I discovered a new favorite fruit, there was a white fruit with black seeds that tasted like a combination of fig and watermelon to me. I asked a server and he went back to the chef to find out what it was. It was dragonfruit. The roasted root vegetables were not to my liking either. There were mixed reviews on the clam chowder at our table, it was a sweet chowder. I liked it but others prefer their chowder spicier instead of sweet. The ham was good and the chollah rolls too. Overall it was an interesting meal. We had plenty to talk about discussing the food while we were eating, and since we are foodies that adds to our enjoyment. I would not drive back from Tampa to Port Richey to eat here again but if I was in the neighborhood I would give it another try.
(3)Kathie K.
The grouper sandwich at the Tiki Bar is ok. The oil tasted a little off so is probably not changed often enough. Dinner at the more formal Catches was not so great. Our waiter was attentive but couldn't make up for the meal. The clam chowder was delicious and it went down hill from there. The salad is out of a bag, which I don't need to go to a restaurant to get. My medium rare steak was cooked perfectly but was 2/3 fat and inedible. Best thing on the plate was the loaded baked potato. The vegetable was zuccini and yellow squash with 2 tiny red pepper pieces. My friend's seafood with pasta dish was so spicy, she coudn't eat it and she likes spicy food. When we complained, the manager was called over and instead of taking the dish off the bill, he pro-rated the price for the 3 mussels she had managed to taste. We will not be returning.
(2)Todd K.
I've been a food critic for many years and was told to blog about Catches, so I figured what the heck. The place looks great on the outside, wasn't bad on the inside. The food however.....not so great. The staff was great. This place has the potential to be a great family restaurant. Needs some improvements but not impressed. Sorry catches. I'm giving you a thumbs down. Fresh seafood is not hard to get. Utilize the resources and you'll bring in the ratings. Would I go again? Possibly.
(2)Natalie A.
Like the early bird specials! Coco shrimp was good!
(4)Karen R.
My husband and I stopped in for the first time tonight.. We had the calamari app which was tasty and cooked perfectly. I had the captains platter and he had the reef platter which we both enjoyed very much. Our server from Mass. (Cheryl) spelled the same way as mine, was very attentive and personable. I would highly recommend her seeing it was only her 2nd serving shift at this establishment and she was fantastic:))
(5)