Rusty’s Seafood & Oyster Bar

I tried Rusty’s on the recommendation of a relative who time shares in Cocoa Beach. I started with the bacon wrapped sea scallops. The scallops were decent sized but I couldn’t taste anything but the bacon. My wife had the fish and chips which is what she normally has any time we eat at a seafood place. She said it was good but the fish was a little too fishy tasting. I have no idea what kind of fish they used. I had the catch of the day which was grouper. I had it grilled with mango salsa. The fish was a little bland but was good. For dessert we had the cheese cake and key lime pie. The cheese cake was good, and the pie was ok. The pie lacked the tart limey flavor that I love about key lime pie. It was good but just didn’t have that pop to it like I’m use to. Over all it was good eats but I think they are a bit over priced for what your getting.

The best crab I’ve ever had. I’ve eaten a lot of crab. Everyone was super friendly, which was a much different experience from most other places in Cocoa. Thank you for restoring my faith, Rusty’s.

Very tasty seafood and good land food like steak and pasta for the non seafood lovers. Yummy key lime pie and peanut butter pie as well! Great service and on the «river» side for sunset. Unfortunately the view is interrupted with cruise ship terminals. Really we wanted to give 4 ½ stars but that was not an option.

Decided to stop here and get some Togo food and a few drinks while we waiting. And while I’ve given this place great reviews before tonight was not one of them. We sat at the bar for almost 10 minutes before either bartender acknowledged our existence. One bartender Tony kept looking at us but never moved from his corner of the bar. He just kept talking away to what looked like his friends. We finally got the attention of the service bartender as we were about to walk out. We ordered wings and onion rings Togo and 2 drinks. Had to flag the service bartender down again to get another round. Wtf is wrong with these people??? It wasn’t even busy!!! Anyway, the wings and onion rings were just ok. My favorite part is that they gave us one piece of celery. Won’t be in a hurry to go back here.
The problem with all the restaurants around here: they are not consistent– one time you go and it’s great the and the next time it sucks. They think it’s ok to give shitty service and still expect a good tip. They cater to the old people who tip like crap. Makes no sense. No sense of urgency what so ever. So frustrating. I guess this is why we cook so much!

Sorry to find this gem on our last day! One word describes this place… FRESH! We had ahi tuna, oysters, fish dip and grouper baskets. All were superb! Cooked and seasoned perfectly. Our only regret is that we had not tried this place sooner!!! Looking forward to coming back and listening to the live music!!!

Great atmosphere, good service, good drinks (I had merlot — how can you mess up merlot), and good food. We had the Coconut shrimp for an appetizer, and both had the blackened Mahi Mahi tacos for dinner — really good. I recommend!

This is a nice restaurant overlooking the inlet. Cruise ships are docked or getting ready to sail.
They have a nice outdoor patio overlooking the water. There was entertainment the afternoon that we were there. Myself I prefer to listen to the wild live nearby.
Our waitress Brittany was a delight. She greeted us as soon as we sat down. She was bubbly and appeared to love her job.
That was refreshing. I give her 5 stars!
We had cocktails which were watered down. I had a Como and my hubby had a Manhattan. They did not have Rye Whiskey which annoyed my husband. Brittany went out of her way to check with the bartenders to see if they had any brand. They did not.
We ordered a dozen raw oysters which were fabulous. We did not have dinner. I thoroughly enjoyed my visit.

3 stars for the food — cheese bread is good though
5 plus stars for the amazing Lori. She made great beer recommendations and helped with the perfect count of cherries. Cleaned up a mess my son made with his drink no complaints and didn’t make us feel bad about it at all
If you want someone to laugh at your lame tourist jokes she is your girl.

Flight landed late so I was scrambling to find a place that was still open. Hotel suggested this place and I was not disappointed. Walked in and noticed they seemed like they were closing even though it was an hour before listed time. Disinterested girl in the front just kind of nodded when I asked if I could sit anywhere so I chose the bar since I was alone traveling for work.
Sat at the bar and was pretty much ignored until the bartender came up and asked if I wanted a drink. Wasn’t really in the mood but since he was asking what the hell. Came back with my drink and asked if I wanted a menu.
Let me make a statement here — I freaking love gulf coast oysters. It drives me mad that on the west coast I can’t find them.
So when in Rome. Ordered a dozen oysters and to my surprise he comes back to the bar with his shucking tools and starts to open them right in front of me. If you have ever shucked an oyster you know it’s not fun but to do it standing without using the bar I was impressed.
I love oysters and these did not disappoint. They were large and succulent. Probably not the very best I’ve ever had but delish nevertheless. Their horseradish had a nice kick and I devoured the dozen like a beast.
Gave the guy a nice tip for his exceptional service and laid back demeanor.
what a great way to start a dreaded work week away from the family!
Solid four star establishment.
Order the oysters — grab a drink — welcome to cocoa beach!

Clam chowder overpriced for the quality. Scallops were cold, sent back for a fresh order. Finally refused them because my husband had already finished his entire meal. Manager did take it off the check and offered a dessert. And the water tasted terrible.

Rustys can literally be summed up in one word «meh». Located on the channel in Port Canaveral, Rustys is overpriced fried foods with a side helpin’ of good olé people watching. Looking to grease up your hangover while breaking the bank, Rustys is your place. Otherwise, forgo the remainder of this review and begin searching for somewhere else to eat.
We arrived at Rustys around 12PM on a Sunday afternoon for a nice lunch by the water with friends. The inside reminds me of a hooters, beer stained floors, a long bar, and many little tables. If you must visit, then outside, preferably near the water, is where I would recommend trying to find seating. While the outside is nice, don’t forget the hat and sunscreen as the umbrellas are miniature and you will cook during the day. There was a solo act performing acoustic guitar during the lunch hour which sounded nice. But it was hot and soon crowded.
You would be hard pressed to find many non fried options at Rustys– fried fish, fried oysters, fried this, fried that! I exaggerate — they do have a few salads. Everything is surprisingly expensive — crab cakes ($ 24.00), fried fish with fries ($ 15.00), baked oysters ($ 15.00×6). I ended up going with the chili lime oysters, which I was under the impression came in a dozen since our server did not differentiate from the steamed and «special». While they were good, they were not much food. My wife had the mahi sandwhich, again not terrible but at nearly $ 15.00 a little overpriced for the small serving of fish on a large baguette with side of fries. Sister also went with fish sandwhich any fries, while my father had one of the penne pastas. Food was ok, nothing great for the price.
For a dumpy little restaurant in the port I was expecting better prices. While their Unilocal check in offer says any free draft beer, it’s limited to watered down bud light.

Awesome place… Great food… Great view. Our family got to watch the ships leave … So fun!!!

Our group went for dinner. I gave it two stars because of the nice outdoor seating with a big group table and live music. We ordered fried seafood baskets with various sides.
This was by far the worst fried seafood I have ever been served. The shrimp was mushy and tasteless with a heavy dry batter.
Oysters and fish were slightly better than the shrimp but still not acceptable. Fish were mushy inside. Guessing it was farm raised shrimp, read tasteless, pre-​breaded and frozen. Probably the only time ever that we did not finish our seafood. We could have done better with frozen supermarket seafood. A big disappoint.

Very nice jumbo shrimp scampi and the fried oysters and shrimp were all very good. The salads were pretty good and fresh, but a little wilted and not very interesting.
Excellent service, but a little pricey.

I have been here for lunch several times and enjoy the outdoor seating. We either get the oysters or gator bites to start. The view is nice to watch the boats go by and to see the large cryise ships. If you time it right you can see the charter fishing boats come in and see what they caught. It is also fun to see the birds in particular the pelicans.

Know before you go: The Unilocal check-​in drink date expired in 2014.
Oyster Happy Hour is from 3 – 6 but not at .90 anymore. Its $ 1 off of half a dozen or $ 2 off of a dozen. Still at $ 13.50 a dozen, its a good price I think. We sat outside and watched the cruise ships go by while having a dozen oysters, clam chowder, beers and a side of fries during happy hour.
Oysters were good — fresh and delish.
Clam chowder was also very good!
Fries were nice and crunchy but warm at best. Probably was sitting under the warmer before coming to our table.
Beers — About $ 5 for a craft beer in a plastic cup outside.
They should update their website and Unilocal though since that is what drew me there to begin with.

We stopped in for dinner after a day at the beach after looking for a place with oysters. The restaurant is easy to find and has a large parking lot, but I wasn’t blown away by the food or service. When we walked in the hostess asked if we wanted to sit inside or out, we told her out and she told us to go to the second host stand outside. There were two employees out there, but they looked at us like we were crazy for coming up to them looking for a table. I think they just need to work their communication between employees.
We went around 6PM, and just missed their deadline for their oyster special. Even though we missed the special, we still ordered the oysters, and they were great! However, although the restaurant is open late, our server told us we received the last oysters they had. I find that odd since they are an «oyster bar» and shouldn’t run out of oysters at 6PM.
Next, after a long wait, we received our food. My tacos were good, but my friend’s seafood pasta was extremely watery. He even asked to have it drained before put into a takeout box.
Overall, the view is great and the food is just alright. In total, it took us over 2 hours from the time we were seated to the time we left. Unfortunately I don’t think this experience was unusual, as it looked like it was taking a long time for everyone. We even saw a couple leave after just getting their drinks.

We stopped at Rustys for lunch. Right on the water it has indoor and outdoor seating and a relaxing atmosphere. We had the peel and eat shrimp which was good cold as it was so hot out. Our waitress was very nice and service was good.
If you prefer to eat healthy this isn’t really the place for you. I struggled to make a decision for lunch and ended up eating the coconut shrimp app for lunch. They were good not something I’d tell mom about but ok for an easy lunch. My boyfriend got the fish and chips and again ok. If you’re trying to find a place to not worry if you have a swimsuit on or dressed to shop and explore — this place would suit you. It does make you want to drink a few beers though but since I’m getting on the road it’s not in the cards for me today.

Rusty’s certainly feels a little rusty. When we stepped in the door we were told there was a 20 minute wait for the deck but when we walked to the deck a separate hostess stand seated us right away. The view is nice, a little industrial, but nice. Our server did a fine job but service was painfully SLOW. Getting drinks, waiting for food… it all took way longer than it should have. Even at the end of the meal they brought out a birthday cake for a friend but it took them so long to bring plates or utensils to eat it we finally just grabbed it with our hands and were done when they actually brought the plates! Besides, the cake tasted like it had just been thawed and still was a little freezer burnt!
But, I’m getting ahead of myself! First, make sure you check in and get your free drink. Yes, a free beer or glass of wine with check in. Thanks Unilocal!I had the special which was baked mahi with crab stuffing. The stuffing was great and had big chunks of crab in it. The fish was just ok, and was a little dry. Food was ok but the wait was painful. Unless you have 3 hours to kill I would find another spot for lunch.

My cousins and I were visiting Florida because our Uncle had passed away unexpectedly, but he would have wanted us to celebrate his life. SO! What better way than to celebrate him with great happy hour specials with oysters and drinks, which he loved doing! They had 90 cent oysters and 2-​for-​1 drink specials for beer and wine.
We ended up ordering their clam chowder, calamari, oysters and lots of beer. Great place to sit outside, enjoy the band and watch the Disney cruise ship pass you by. We had a wonderful evening here and will definitely be back.