Uncover Crystal River best restaurants
Nestled in the heart of Florida, Crystal River is not just known for its stunning natural beauty and manatee sightings, but also for its vibrant culinary scene. The city is a gastronomic delight, offering a variety of dining options that cater to different tastes and preferences. From fresh seafood caught in local waters to international cuisines and comfort food, Crystal River's best restaurants serve up a feast for every palate. Whether you're a food connoisseur or a casual diner, this guide will take you on a culinary journey through the top eateries in Crystal River, each offering a unique dining experience that will leave you craving for more.
The crab plant
4.5
(2529)
An eatery adjacent to a seafood market serving freshly prepared fish & crab in a no frills space.
Reviews:
Great place to eat on the water, especially for the price... best we've seen on local seafood! We got a lowcountry boil was fantastic other than the sausage. The conch fritters were meh, the gator bites and dip were so delicious but the real star... the hush puppies! I could have eaten 100 of those! The views were spectacular end the service was great! We will be back again!
C M
We are so glad we stopped here for lunch. It is right on the water and serves delicious seafood. Our server Brittany did an excellent job with recommendations and being friendly and attentive. I tried the king crab, and Robin got the seafood broil. We also tried the blue crab Chowder and mullet fish spread. Everything tasted great and was a wonderful experience .
Joe Pezzulich
It's probably the best low country boil I've ever had. My sister had the shrimp and scallop alfredo, which I tasted. I'm telling, it was all so dang good! You've got to go here!!! I believe our waitress was Kelcey. She was fabulous! Cuddos to whoever made our food, you're phenomenal ❤️
sharon paris
ABSOLUTELY WORTH IT!!! Recently moved from New England and a local recommended this restaurant. Everything about the experience was worth it! I’m still thinking about my shrimp burger… The view of the water was also a great touch. Reasonable prices for fresh, delicious seafood
Elizabeth Lopez
This was a really nice seafood restaurant. The downside is the atmosphere is not very nice. I mean it's just one big room and it's kind of loud.. Nice view of the water though. I ordered salmon and my husband ordered fried mullet. I much preferred his dinner. It wasn't greasy. It was cooked perfectly. My salmon was a bit undercooked, but still good.
Karen “Karen” Hale
201 NW 5th St, Crystal River, FL 34428, USA
Oysters of crystal river
4.2
(837)
Unassuming eatery offering seafood with a Southern twist, plus steaks, sides & breakfast plates.
Reviews:
Oysters has been around since I was a kid. Mr. Bunch is a man that truly serves his community. I’m happy this establishment is still here. This place is a keepsake. Fair prices, great quality food, friendly staff. I would recommend to anyone traveling through. But please don’t expect a corporate feel, this restaurant is a hidden gem.
Joshua Smith
Last night was my first time eating your food from here and it was delicious! The fried chicken was crispy on the outside yet nice and juicy on the inside. Seasoned perfectly. The mashed potatoes, collard greens and coleslaw were very good as well. I will definitely be eating there again!!
Tammy Carver
Never disappointed when we come here. Super friendly staff, clean, and if you go away hungry it’s your own fault. My mom’s favorite place to go to get fried chicken! It’s the bomb!! Mr. William always comes out to see if everything is to your liking. Great family atmosphere! So if your wanting some down home cooking this is the place to go. Check them out!
T Bone
Maybe it should be a 4 star. The only reason I knocked it down a star is that the crab cake is made from surimi. I even discussed my choices on the seafood platter with my waitress and she made no mention of the artificial crab. I don’t recall seeing it listed that way on the menu either. If I did I would have ordered another choice. Not to say it wasn’t tasty. The fish and oysters were very good. Cooked well and very fresh tasting. I think the collards have room for improvement with some better seasoning, maybe cook them with smoked Turkey for that extra flavor. The grits were good but after trying grits with cheese, that’s the only way I’ll order them from now on. I thought the hush puppies were a little dry. Not a bad little spot.
Gregory A
Good food Good service and friendly customers. Had a great time. We'll be back soon.
Ed Flowers
606 US-19, Crystal River, FL 34429, USA
Denny's
4.3
(2470)
Casual diner chain dishing up classic American comfort fare, including all-day breakfast favorites.
Reviews:
Excellent food, excellent service. You will thoroughly enjoy eating here. My husband and I are 55 and over, so we ordered from the 55+ Menu, which we normally do not. I had the 2-eggs scrambled, with bacon and two pancakes. My husband had the 2-egg omelette, with hash browns and rye toast. He loved it! Both meals were fully satisfying and made EXCELLENT by the cook. We also ordered their mozzarella sticks. Denny's Mozzarella sticks are the best. 💖 The food came out on time, with a beautiful presentation. Our server, Christine, was super friendly, accommodating and kind. She was extremely attentive to us, coming by our table often checking in with us to make sure we were taken care of. 💖 This is the first time we stay in this area. This Denny's is only 7-10 minutes away from Nature's Coast Inn, which is awesome. I can't say enough good things about this Denny's. I'm saving the location in my Favorites list. Next time we stay in town, we will come here to eat. Kudos to Christine, Mark (the chef), and the rest of the staff here. Great job, great atmosphere, great food. 🥰
Ana Fernandez
I paid $16.99 for a new dinner, macaroni brisket skillet, and left hungry. It had almost no macaroni on the plate, maybe a half cup...and 2 sqirts of barbecue sauce on the onion rings. My wife tried to get me to complain when the server brought the check...she never came back to check on the table after she served our food until she brought the check. And she did not ask then if everything was OK. I will not be ordering that again...and I may just never go back at all!
Ernestine Brinager
Cute little dinner feel, down to the old school music. Our waitress Nicole was very intensive and made sure we had everything we needed. The food came out quick too. Yes there was a bit of a older crowed but don't let that stop the young from going. (In my 30s and still liked it)
Faith Brogdon
Have been twice lately for a quiet late night dinner with my daughter (1x) and her and my better half (1x). Food has not been a disappointment, and service from Karen has been great! I do believe this will become a regular stop.
D Per
A cozy eat in, or take out! Also can order over the phone. Staff is ok, not very friendly, but they do their job very well! Plus I don't pay for friendliness. I pay for food and service. Great cheeseburgers and the best milkshakes.
Mary Roberts
2380 US-19, Crystal River, FL 34428, USA
Cracker's bar & grill
4.2
(5900)
Familiar seafood choices served in a casual setting with a spacious waterfront bar & deck.
Reviews:
We went there for the chocolate mousse dessert they have. Really good! The decor is nice. Open space, plenty of room, clean. They have lots of outside seating looking over the water. Will definitely go back when we revisit the area.
Joe Caccioppo
Went for dinner with the family and we were seated right away. We picked outside seating. The service was great - friendly, helpful with suggestions and made sure the fan was on everyone outdoors!! We loved the fried shrimp basket, the batter was good and the shrimp were large. Chicken tenders were delicious!! Being on the water was relaxing with a great view. We’ll definitely go back next time we’re in Crystal River.
Allyson W
This was recommended by a friend, so we went. We did get there close to closing. Enjoyed the burger and potato skins. The grilled cheese with tomato and bacon was great and the beer is cold. The place was clean and the service was great. There wasn’t a lot of choices if you don’t like seafood (and I’m not a huge fan). So likely won’t be back.
JACOBGAMER20 Jones
Seated right away, and it was definitely lunchtime so I was pleasantly surprised ! Our first visit to Crystal Springs and we picked a winner for lunch. My wife had the French Dip and I had the fish tacos blackened. We started out with the potato skins for an appetizer and they were almost a meal in themselves. Friendly staff, clean establishment, great food ! There's a lot of outdoor seating as well with great views of the water. Bathroom was clean but small somewhat outdated for the volume of people.
James Lambert
Grilled scallop were very tender, most probably caught the same day; the beef burger and the redfish were huge; I ordered extra vegetables (not on the menu card) and they were awesomely fresh (not like we get in Germany). You really get great value for your money with the food and drink here!!!
Jenny Wu
502 NW 6th St, Crystal River, FL 34428, USA
Amy's on the avenue
4.6
(466)
American restaurant & cafe with an all-day menu, vibrant wall murals & ample outdoor seating.
Reviews:
Amy’s is one of those small town gems, a coffee shop cafe with healthy, tasty meal options, incredible baked goods (stunning, huge cake slices!), and a back patio garden with painted murals! It shares a space with a gift shop that is my go-to for specialty truffles when needing a great gift!
Ruth Newell
Amy’s is amazing! Food, service and atmosphere is great. You do not have to make reservations but they went out of their way to accommodate our group of 14. The presentation was very nice. We’ve been several times. One of our favorite places in Crystal River. Prayers that all is well following hurricane Idalia! 🙏🏼
Cindi Mann
I’ve been visiting Crystal River for years and I first saw the cute little gem just before the Covid lockdown so I wasn’t able to go inside. I was up there this past weekend and was looking for a place for breakfast with my sister when I remembered Amy’s. I so glad we went. We entered and were greeted by their wonderful staff who made us feel like we were family. The decor is is absolutely stunning as they’re also a boutique with some of the most beautiful and tasteful gifts and treasures. It’s decorated for the holidays and it really gave us that warm holiday feeling. I ordered the avocado toast and it was mouth watering good, which is something I rarely say. The bread was fresh, thick and perfectly toasted and was topped with herbed cheese, spring greens, avocado with a drizzle of honey. My sister had the BLT croissant and loved hers equally as much. The owners use quality product and you can absolutely tell they care about their customers. We took two slices of cake to go. Their hummingbird cake and key lime. My sister said she was going to share, but we both love our cake so much that we decided to keep our own. Value for dollar, this is spot on. Make sure to stop by because you will not be disappointed.
Julie Fisher
Loved this place. Was recommended to us by a family member. We had coffee drinks and a few of their chocolate desserts that look like large chocolate bonbons. They were amazing. Shop was cute with lots of fun gift items. They had tables for those lunching in.
RobertsMom NC
Very nice place to relax and enjoy a nice relaxing meal and do a little shopping for specialty items.
Carol Coppinger
539 N Citrus Ave, Crystal River, FL 34428, USA
Bubbaque's bbq - crystal river
4.3
(1394)
BBQ chain serving pub grub, wings, ribs, pulled pork, beer & Southern sides in a folksy setting.
Reviews:
This is a chain! I thought it was not. Service was awesome and it was nice to have a bunch of sauces to try. House made ranch was really good! I was personally not a fan of the BBQ or the sides but the wings are pretty good so that would be my vote. The watermelon crawl was also a great drink to try out. They have lots of seating inside and outside. They also have a big salad bar. Service again was great!!
Maddy Matthews
My hope for Florida BBQ has been restored. I saw the smoker stack billowing smoke upon entering. Immediately knew this place is for real. Greeted by very nice host, and even nicer waitress. I ordered an ice cold Stella as usual and after scanning the menu I ordered the combo meal which contained a pile of pulled pork, quarter chicken, 3 large St Louis ribs and Mac n cheese on the side with a piece of Texas toast. The table has a rack of about 10 different sauces to your liking. The food comes well seasoned and it's up to you to add the sauce which I love, so i chose them all ! They were 100% professionally smoked and delicious. There's a ton of food to choose from so choose wisely!
Marlon Falco
Great service! Good was good though needed seasoning. We tried the pork sandwich and redneck nachos.
Stephanie Holbrook
Brooke took care of us and the food was good. Chicken was over cooked a bit, but add the sauce and it was great! I ordered the big bubba dinner meal and desserts were funnel fries and fried oreos.
Mary
Here for work so I thought I’d try this place based on the reviews. It did not disappoint. I had the Monday special which was bacon wrapped meatloaf. It was very good. Brooke was wonderful and answered all of my questions. It was my first time eating at a BubbaQue’s. I’ve already looked to see if there’s any more locations close to home (TX).
Becky Dailey
631 N Citrus Ave C, Crystal River, FL 34428, USA
Cedar river seafood crystal river
4.2
(329)
Reviews:
Average food. Nice server. Not busy at lunch. The garlic mashed potatoes were horrible! Tasted like cinnamon or all-spice used... or maybe they were going bad? YUCKKKKKK!!!! After working in the restaurant business at all levels of food and service for 10 years, I have never returned a dish of potatoes before. But the French fries were a much better improvement!@
Dr. Bill Ramsay (Dr. TerrorEyes)
We didn't even know this gem of a restaurant existed until friends told us about it. The prices are very reasonable, the service was excellent and the food was great! We definitely will be returning...highly recommend.
Peggy Gray
I stopped in here with the wife for her birthday. Dinner ordered the grouper dinner with garlic, mashed potatoes and mac & cheese. The wife ordered seafood platter fried it was over fried. The drinks were OK. Staff was OK. The waitress should’ve been more attentive to us so I’ll give them a three star.
Hank Grossman
I can not say enough about this place. Beautiful service, food was amazing, and you get what you pay for, plus some. The sweet potatoes are the best I've had, and the green beans are worth writing home about. The fish tacos were so yummy! Always eating here when I'm in town. 😋
Becky Howard
If you want the best seafood in crystal springs for decent prices then this is your place. The fried shrimp and flounder where my favs and the batter is light and very tasty. Does not taste greasy or heavy, the staff was very attentive and the place is clean and very modern. Can't wait to go back.
Lanash Lath (Dezignstar)
1935 SE US Hwy 19, Crystal River, FL 34429, USA