Down the Hatch Seafood Restaurant

The worst seafood ever! Everything was overlooked… The blacked tuna with blue cheese sauce wasn’t blacked but had the texture of a pork chop. The Spanish snapper was also over cooked and drenched in some kind of canned sweet and sour sauce. My daughter had a hot dog from the kids menu and that was burnt! The cook must have fallen asleep or had the heat too high on the stove. Not worth the 30 minute drive from our hotel especially since the prices were so high. Nice view from the restaurant but the service is slow. House salad was horrible… iceberg lettuce with sunflower seeds cranberries and a cheap strawberry dressing.

Places like this make me sad. It takes up valuable real estate (beautiful right-​on-​the-​water location– responsible for the second star), but with subpar food.
The décor inside the restaurant is reminiscent of what I understand to be the last time this place was good (sometime in the early ’90’s). We did get a booth with a view that made us feel like we were floating on the water, which was nice.
The food was pretty terrible. We had conch fritters that were more like corn muffins (no conch to speak of), and we each had fish that was fresh (as it should be), but seasoned as if it came from McDonald’s. Perhaps the most serious offense was the fruit that came with my daughter’s kid’s meal — a $ 1.50 upcharge– and so very, very clearly one of those fruit cups from the grocery store (the uniform, unnatural cube shapes of the fruit, paired with the thick syrup in which they were presented, gave it away).
The service was adequate but unsophisticated and unimpressive. Save your money…

Today was boat drinks and beer, with peel n eat shrimp. Wendy, our server, was über nice as always. Can’t seem to get out of there for under $ 45 no matter how hard we try. But we go back cause it’s less touristy than Inlet Harbor. Boondocks doesn’t quite make it with the too close seating in the bar area.

They say you can never go back, and it’s true. We used to eat here years ago, and it was of higher quality. The smoked fish dip didn’t taste smoked. The scallops were just ok. The spicy snapper was swimming in an industrialized sweet sauce. We were a party of ten. They literally forgot my order. No comp. No apology. My friends had just about finished eating before I was served. I’m not angry about it. This is a tourist place, so they don’t care. Service was very poor on a slow off season night. Find a fresh fish market and grill your own for a better meal. The view remains spectacular. This is the best part about it.

Food was a 4. Service was a 5. Joe was our server. He was super knowlegable and attentive. I left my credit card at the table by mistake and he ran all the way to the street to catch me and return it. Made my day!
Got a seat by the water. Waiters took care. Good live music. My wife loved the catch of the day. Had a very nice time.

Before my husband & I came down from Ga. we decided we wanted to eat here for our 25^th. anniversary. The food was great the service was too. It’s been 8 yrs since we ate here last Hope it’s not that long before we come back again., just before we moved to Ga., after 16 yrs of living in Fl. (We missed the mountains, but we also miss the ocean & our friends)!
We love the rusticness of Down the Hatch.

Great food and exceptional atmosphere. We ate outside by the docks. The mosquitoes wereout in mass that evening but our waitress provided repellent and scented candles which made The meal much better. I had the fish and chips and sampled my wife’s triggerfish. The experience was good and I certainly would go back again.

Great location by the docks. Lots of tables outside, so plenty of space. Nice small stage with live music, even in the afternoon. But not too loud, so you can still talk at your table.
House salad comes with super sweet strawberry dressing, possibly yogurt. Sadly they won’t substitute for soup, even with an up charge. The salad itself has Granny Smith Apple, dried cranberries and sunflower seeds.
The mahi mahi sandwich came with a huge, thick piece of fish, nicely moist. The fish and chip lunch was also good– not too much batter, and crisp. The waffle fries were also crisp.
Burger was good as well.
Speedy, friendly service. Would definitely come again.

Ordered a steak medium well, it was very rare. figured it happens. went back to give it another shot and same thing.

We ate at Down the Hatch many years ago so of course stopped while in Daytona this year. Still the same wonderful seafood restaurant on the water. Good service and good food

Food poisoning :(
I used to like this place. Food quality just isn’t as good as it once was.

FISH AND CHIPS. I love the Beer Battered Haddock w/​waffle fries!
My son ate the Bacon Cheeseburger and it was awesome… so good! Better than a burger joint.
But the menu is very pricey: o (

I am torn as I write this. We come to the beach yearly and this was our go to spot. It’s been 2 years since we have been to this part of the coast and this was our first dinner in town. Very disappointed.
The food was below par. The mussels were watery, the shrimp was over cooked, rubbery and the Mahi Mahi was tough.
I felt horrible for the server. The one and only server. When we came in, (we ate inside, the band playing outside at the bar was not very good.) there were 5 tables, when we left she had 10+. The hostess told a couple that she seated behind us, «Only one server tonight, I hope the service is okay.» If you know you are short staffed call in help, if that doesn’t work call the owner to come it or at least step up and help her.
Unfortunately, a long time fan will not be back.

We had a fantastic time at down the hatch. We went after visiting the lighthouse (highly recommend! What a beautiful place!) and needed a good beer, good food, and a great view. Down the hatch satisfied all those things! They have boat parking, and it was so fun to watch people come in. We sat on the furthest table from the bar/​restaurant and received immediate service (right as my husband asked if he thought anyone would see us out that far, someone walked up and brought us water… Very prompt!). My husband had the burger and devoured it! I had the blackened fish which was perfection (I don’t usually like fish and have been discovering the delicacy of good fish! Down the hatch has out of this world fish! Fresh caught!).
It’s a great bar and grill and I recommend for casual dining with a great view!

The fish that was served with the fish and chips was a disgusting greasy mess. And the house salad was a joke. Very dirty tables as well.

Dinner was good. We were seated quickly and comfortably. Our waitress Marie was excellent and paid proper attention to our large table. All the orders were properly served. I recommend going.

«Headstones and Face Veils»
A sad lady sat at the bar. Shoulders slumped, staring into an empty glass. A barmaid rested a hand on her arm. They spoke softly. I heard something about ‘missing him so much.’ Another drink was placed down and they talked a tad more. Soon after the barmaid came to me and smiled. I asked for a rum and coke and looked out at the water.
Down the Hatch is along an inlet beside a marina. Food is available but I wasn’t hungry. The stormy sky and melancholy woman had ushered me to a dark place where only alcohol would suffice. I had another drink and occasionally glanced at the woman. I’ll bet her husband just died, I thought. She probably lives nearby, reliving in her mind the times they came here for dinner or cocktails. Fun times. Better times. Bygone times.
I listened to the rain as it pounded on the roof and dock. Steam rose like ghosts from the ground, and for a split second I childishly wondered if one of the ghostly clouds was her dead husband. I paid for my drinks and wandered out to the marina. I was soaked within seconds but didn’t care. A boat captain was leaving on a fishing expedition and I wished I was too. It seemed like an ideal escape about now.
I walked back to my car in the tree covered lot. Down the Hatch is a nice place of peace at the end of the peninsula. Drinks are strong and vistas are many. A hidden getaway that can offer times of fun or, as I thought of the sad woman, memories of better days.
I drove away in the rain, alone on a vacant road.
Ain’t life grand.

This is one of those places that people like to go while on a beach vacation. Old and rickety. Dirt parking lot. Lots of weathered wood. Looks like somewhere a John Candy character would take his family while on vacation. You get the picture. Although not busy at all, we waited and waited and waited for the hostess to wake up and notice that she had customers. Then she seemed to scramble around trying to decide which dirty table to clear, so we could be seated. The views of the water are stunning, thru the walls of paned windows.
Service was less then average. Slow. Food was aright. I got shrimp. The coleslaw was good. The bf got scallops. It was okay. I guess if you have such a prime location, you can operate with okay food.

I really want lo like it here. We live near by and have tried to like coming here, but at the end of the day, the best I can say is: «come for the bar, enjoy a beer and the music but the food is just not up to par.
The food is average, and priced above average. Tonight is was really poor. I won’t be back. Have a look around, there are better choices close by.

We’ve eaten lunch here a few times now as it is one of the few places of it’s kind (an on the water seafood restaurant) where we can eat with my father in law because unlike many of the other places in the area they don’t use peanut oil in their cooking. Since he is highly allergic, these other places are off limits and Down the Hatch it is. The location is great with lots of boats passing by adding interest to what is already a beautiful view and you can sit either outside in a more casual setting or inside. It’s especially nice on a really hot Florida afternoon to have the indoor option.
As far as the food is concerned, truth be told it’s pretty basic. Certainly there’s nothing remarkable about it and in comparison to other similar restaurants in the area it seems to be slightly over priced for what you get. For example my broiled trigger fish sandwich came on a regular hamburger bun with a piece of lettuce, an inedible hard tomato slice and a bag of ruffles potato chips on the side for $ 14.95. At Crabby Joe’s I can get a trigger fish sandwich that is served with a choice of fries, potato salad, cole slaw or pasta salad for $ 12.95. When it comes to sandwiches and burgers it seems you pay a few dollars more here for each and if you want something like fries or cole slaw you will pay even more so.
When you have places with similar menus and similar views nearby that give you more options and food for less money it’s difficult to swallow (pun intended) paying a premium if the food they are serving is not a cut above the rest. In this case it really isn’t so I give them two stars for their food and pricing and add the third star because the view and location is certainly worth something and the fact that they don’t use peanut oil in their cooking makes them allergy friendly. If that is not a concern, you may find you can do better elsewhere.