Chet’s Catering & Seafood Restaurant

A buddy of mine recommended this establishment (having friends in the area) and told me this was the place to go for seafood and I was not disappointed. We received a smörgåsbord of different fish and shrimp, stuffed crab, coleslaw, beans, fries, and hush puppies. Amazing local food and amazing service. It may get crowded during dinner so get there soon!
I give this the ‘Homer Simpson’ critic review of seven thumbs up.

So good & coming back very soon. Nothing was over cooked. The devil crab was just like every place else, to much filling not enough crab. Next time I will get a half order of shrimp. We got the crab claws for the app, very tasty little rascals. Also, the iced tea tasted like tea, not watered down. The only seafood I wanted that isn’t on the menu is clams nor on the seafood platter. They cashier stated that they are thinking of adding another day. Hope so! Looking forward to my next visit. I will bring the wine!

We were looking for a seafood restaurant on Unilocal and found this one. We like the reviews that the locals and older folks liked it here. Sure enough we walked in to find some families and older couples eating. I got the marinated grouper broiled and broiled shrimp… they were delicious. Along with them the fried were light and crispy and the chesse grits good. Overall a very satisfying meal. My family thought so too. The service was very nice and friendly… we will definitely eat here again.

When you walk in and everyone looks over the age of 60, you know you’ve arrived at a great spot.
Super fresh, inexpensive and generous portions. I had the combination of fried grouper and shrimp with a side of cheese grits and slaw. I gobbled up every last bit of it and didn’t feel like a disgusting ball of grease after. My husband ordered a larger plate with stuffed crab, fried mullet, fried oysters and fried shrimp. He isn’t a seafood person at all and LOVED the mullet aka bait fish. I’ve never had mullet, but it is pretty meaty and not very fishy tasting. The sides were ok, not spectacular.
Make the drive away from the beach and the more popular places. Chet’s has been around forever and there is a reason why. If you want to dine like a local, come here and prepare to be wow’d!

Just moved to Pensacola and I wanted to try out some local seafood! Chet’s was great, got a full order of popcorn shrimp that came with two sides for only 9.99! That’s a great price for the amount of food I got. I wish there were was a more extensive menu because I did really want some crab cakes that night and was a little disappointed they didn’t have them but looking at what they did have and the homey vibe of the place I feel that it was a good find!
Multiple people have told me that the one is Pace is better, it’s ran by the parents and they just add a special something to their cookin. It does cost more though.

Yum. Fried mullet. Mullet used to be considered only a bait fish, and uppity folks wouldn’t eat it. But locals in the Panhandle always have. Note: I have spent much of my life in LA (Lower Alabama) and know my seafood. This is the place in Pensacola to get your mullet on. (while I’m sure there are plenty of barbers left in the area who will help you get your other mullet on, this is fish, not hair). Fried seafood is hard for some to execute, and the fry master here knows what she/​he is doing. Corn meal batter (as God intended), hot oil, and not greasy.
Pros: Fried mullet, especially the backbones (get yourself an app order at least), which one eats like corn on the cob. I had both fillets and backbone last time. Cannot speak to the other dishes (oysters, crab claws, flounder), but they looked awesome (and get some great reviews). Note: I almost always order oysters, but having been home for a week, was actually on fried oyster overload. Hush puppies non-​traditional with onion cooked in, but yummy nonetheless. Another Note: Cheese grits perfect, but if they had f**ed up cheese grits, I would have demoted them to two stars.
Cons: Only open Th, F, S. Be warned. Cash only. And will get crowded.
Middling: sides (baked beans, slaw). But you don’t come here for that. I’d say slaw and cheese grits the best side options.
It hasn’t been polluted by «Diners, Drive-​Ins, & Dives» yet! lol And sorry for my horrid, uploaded pic; someone needs to inform Apple AGAIN that the iPhone camera lens SUCKS. REALLY SUCKS.

Hands down the best little seafood place in Pensacola. Marinated grouper, cheese grits and warm banana pudding has been my favorite for 30 years. Only open three days a week so the owners can catch the seafood and them cook it for you fresh! Not at all overpriced. Prices seem to have remained the same for years. Catering business is great also

This is one of Pensacola’s hidden gems. If you want fresh fried seafood, this is the place to go. Their marinated mullet is outstanding! You also have to save room for the warm banana pudding. Get there early or enjoy the bench out front.

A small and comfortable restaurant with patrons that appear to have been coming here for years because of the excellent seafood. I had the fried grouper and shrimp platter which includes 2 sides and delicious hushpuppies, and may be the best in Pensacola. In addition to the standard seafood fare, local favorites include roe, fried backbones, and cheeks.

This is a place for people who like fried seafood. I went, I ate, I might go back — but only under duress. ..

We went back to Chet’s again tonight after going to the circus. Mullet backbones (a must), marinated and regular Mullet and marinated grouper. Sides we tried were the cheese grits which my wife likes but I’m not fond of, cole slaw which we both like, baked beans that are pretty good and fries that are fairly standard. The hush puppies are very good here. My wife hates hush puppies because, «they’re just fried batter.» But she enjoyed the hush puppies here.
The greatest thing about this pace is that the food doesn’t have that standard greasy deep fried taste. I don’t know how they do it but you really get the flavor of the food rather than just grease.
I prefer the marinated Mullet over the marinated flounder and tonight I decided the marinated grouper is better than the marinated Mullet. I would rank the regular Mullet just below the marinated but it is very good too.
I just wish we lived closer to this place so it could be a regular for us. Chet’s is much better than Dewey Destin’s although they are two very different places.

Food tasted good but nothing different from any other seafood places. They only have fried food and don’t take credit cards. Also look for hidden fees on your ticket. They only allow one free refill.

If you are new to Pensacola, or just visiting this a great place to go. It’s not much to luck at and not fancy. It’s a good place for fried shrimp, oysters, flounder, mullett, and fried crab claws.
They were featured on the Travel Channel, which is kind of cool. They are only open on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. The seafood is always local and always fresh.
FYI — They don’t take credit cards. I learned the hard way.