Calypso Restaurant & Raw Bar

Visiting Ft. Lauderdale for a work conference and we decided to try out the local food scene. Saw the great reviews for Calypso on Unilocal,so we figured we’d give it a try… And it was honestly one of the best meals I’ve had in years. The prices are reasonable, the service is excellent, and the desserts are second to none!
I ordered the BBQ smoked pork with fried plantains and a baked potato, and wasn’t disappointed. The BBQ glaze was perfect, the pork was juicy and full of flavor, and the plantains were fantastic.
The dessert, though… My friends and I ordered four desserts to split, and ended up hard pressed to decide which one we loved the most. The caramel flan tastes exactly like you’d want it to, the key lime pie was tangy and well textured, the double coconut pie was DELICIOUS (it almost tasted like a Samoa Girl Scout cookie, but done in fine dining dessert form), and the mango raspberry cheesecake was hard to put down. Bill was reasonable and the owners made sure to check on us throughout our dinner; the atmosphere was inviting and we didn’t feel rushed despite staying past traditional closing hours.
This restaurant doesn’t look like much from the outside, but it’s a must-​visit if you want excellent Caribbean cuisine.

Talk about a pleasant surprise! I recently moved to this area, so I had never heard of this place. A visiting friend was staying at a hotel close by, so looking at what was near the hotel, we found this, with good reviews. We get to the restaurant (completely unassuming in a strip shopping center) and there was already a wait. Totally worth waiting for, the food was amazing. The conch, the scallops, the snapper, it was all incredibly good and fresh. We will definitely be back! And to top it off, the owner was very hands on, very pleasant, stopped to chat with us for a bit. Wonderful dinner experience overall.

*Amazing* seafood, incredibly fresh. Best fish ‘n’ chips we’ve ever had. Huge shrimp that must’ve been in the ocean this morning. Fabulous gulf coast oysters. THIS is the place to go for seafood if you’re anywhere near Pompano Beach — say, within 500 miles or so. Just doesn’t get any better than this.

I love this place. We come here a lot for lunch. All the servers and the owners are very nice. The food here is excellent. If you are looking for some quality seafood in a casual key west type atmosphere, you found it. I take a lot of people here and they are always impressed with the food. I have seen the desserts but since I am always stuffed, I have never tried them. I love the cracked conch here and the shrimp and scallop burger is also great. Honestly I have never had a bad dish at this place and I have tried a bunch of different items.

We ate here in early December. The restaurant is not big and as others said it is ‘hidden’ in a strip mall and has a typical ‘dive’ feeling… that is, it doesn’t look like much from the outside but don’t let that fool ya. Our service was decent as was our food. I had the Calypso Cutter and it was good but could have used a little more seasoning as it was a bit bland.

This place was nothing really great to look at for ambiance, but the food was outstanding. The jerk wings were spicy as hell, the clams were large and the stew it came in was like a good cioppino type of flavor, the fritters were also awesome. The beer was cold and the staff and customers were all friendly. If you are in Ft. Lauderdale area, bring yourself to this place but check the hours cause they are not always open.

Dinner for 3 tonight. Great energy as soon as you walk through the door. Greeted by owner Chuck at the door. All fresh fish cooked to perfection. Any style you like. A real down home place that’s been there for 26 years. Closed weekends so be aware of that. A keeper.

I love Calypso and have been there several times now. I like to take out of town guests there, and they always love it. Jimmy Buffet, if he hasn’t been here would love this place, despite the marketing people that want to turn his name into a theme park everywhere. It’s just nice, casual, wonderful Caribbean food. I cannot get past the BBQ Shrimp served with the «Brown Sauce». I could bathe in it. Make sure to get bread to sop it up!!! They also have amazing fresh fish daily. NOW, let me stop for a minute and tell you guys NOT TO GO ON A SATURDAY OR SUNDAY. Because, they ain’t open. You know a restaurant is doing good when they don’t HAVE TO be open on Saturday or Sunday and just host private parties. Owner has been there 27 years, loves people, loves to take care of them, and loves great food! GO!

Tried Calypso for first time. The service was good and food brought about 5 minutes after ordering. I order a fish sandwich. It was blended with peppers and some kind of of sauce flavoring. I did not like it and only ate half of it. The steak fries were very good. I can’t blame them for the sandwich because the flavor they used to make it I just didn’t care for. I would probably try it again but definitely order something else.

If you’re anywhere close to this place, please, stop reading this review now and just go. Seriously, no need to read further; drive there now… right now.
Food: Oh my. I tried two apps, the bruschetta and calamari. Mamma mia, that’s some good food! By far *the best* calamari I’ve had. It was the most tender calamari to ever grace my pallet. Per the waitress, all food is always fresh, never frozen (she said the lobster tail is the only exception). Dinner was the stuffed wahoo. Holy F buckets, what a treat. Yes, please, I’ll have another.
Service: A+ Our server, Nikki, could not have been nicer and more generous in her menu knowledge. The manager also stopped by mid-​meal to ensure everything was perfect. No need, it was off the charts.
Ambiance: Local dive feeling. In a way, I felt like Anthony Bourdain. The exterior told me «stay away: frozen fish from a Gordon’s box», but the food told me I’d found my own hidden jewel. Sitting directly next to a laundromat, there’s no way you’d know this little treasure is prepared to knock you down with the oceanic experience of a lifetime. Pack your slickers matey! Any closer to the ocean and you’ll get wet.
Summary: Why have you read this far? Go!

Visited here for my second time last night. The first time I went here I had AMAZING service and the food was top notch. My parents are in from out of town this week and I took them hoping they would be as impressed as I was! Although our food was one again delicious, I had horrible service. My waitress was immediately rude as soon as we sat down and her attitude did not improve throughout the meal. As a waitress myself, I completely understand that people have bad days, but she seemed nothing but completely irritated with us all night. This experience will definitely make me think twice about returning again!

Yes, yes, a thousand times yes.
Hidden in a strip mall close to 95, next to a laundromat and empty parking lots, in Pompano Beach Florida, there lies a gem of a restaurant. A Caribbean seafood joint with fresh local fish, chill ambiance, and great service this place is a must for any foodie living in/​traveling to/​or anywhere within a 50 mile radius.
Packed and with a 20 minute wait, we were seated by the amicable owner at the bar after he conspiratorially told us he could wrangle some seats for us with no wait if we were interested in bar seating. The bartender was also friendly and provided great service by keeping the wine flowing while validating our starter and dinner choices.
While a little pricey for the casual Wednesday night, it’s a great place to treat yourself to a night out. With great food, I especially recommend the shrimp (unfortunately it ruins all other shrimp with each buttery and flavorful mouthful) and the spicy cucumbers for a side. Awesome small business open for lunch and dinner weekdays only. Worth the drive and every penny.

One of the best seafood spots in S Fla!
Delicious cracked conch and always fresh fish! Great seafood soups and draft beer.
The owner/​manager is always extremely kind!
5 stars for food!

This was bar none the worst seafood meal I ever ate. To put into words I would say … Come to my restaurant for stouffers frozen dinners.
We started with the fresh calamari which wasn’t bad but under seasoned. Don’t order the ceasar salad or any salad… Watery and nothing special. Don’t even think of getting any crab stuffed fish… No crab… All breading… Don’t bother coming here EVER unless you’re satisfied with a beer and oysters… Otherwise eat at the Italian restaurant next door.

World Class!!! loved the scallop and shrimp burger. The server and the owner were both great. Lots of interesting foods or just traditional fish up to you.
Try the pepper pot soup and the double coconut pie, both are excellent.

Calypso… oh cypso… want a healthy lunch served to you the most awesome staff in Palm Beach county. Seriously, Rhonda, Linda, Julio and Chuck (owners are Chuck & Linda) are faces I love to see on my lunch hour.
Calypso always has fresh and tender selection of fish ranging from snapper to wahoo to corvina, grouper. Mahi… such a wide variety!!!
Try the curry cauliflower! Insanely delicious!
I just tried the bacon cheeseburger foe the first time and POW MAN was I impressed! It has a smokey flavor and was cooked perfectly. The fries do not disappoint either.
Try the pepper pot soup for a thick and rich cup of soup!!!
When Linda makes her famous coconut pie YOU MUST TRY!!!
Tell them Adrienne sent you!

Top quality seafood on almost all their dishes, this place is one of the best in the area.
Tucked away between Pompano and Fort Lauderdale this cozy little spot is the top thing in a shopping center, which has seen better days.
Walking in the atmosphere is lively and has you feel like you are in the Caribbean and their menu does a excellent job of helping with that too. Pretty good land options as well. I have truly enjoyed the curry and rice based dishes, but top picks are from the extensive fish and seafood options that change often based on the fresh catches. The squid streak is one of my favorites, but the fresh catch prepared blackened is usually a good or the shrimp salad blackened.
They also have a very tasty key lime pie and a full bar to accompany your great meal.

A most memorable experience at this little neighborhood gem. Locals love this spot for its raw bar and its comfortable casual feel. Elegance is in the recipe and I am still swooning over the night’s special: Grilled Squid Steak. Served up with plantains, salad, and your choice of a third side — pigeon peas and rice is a popular pleaser as are the baked potatoes. This squid steak was the plumpest and juiciest I’ve ever seen and tasted — so delicate and tender I can’t help but crave more. The wine list is generous, and the raw bar includes New England oysters as well as the Gulf Coast variety. My dinner companion enjoyed a beef curry along with a spicy yet cool cucumber salad that was simply out of this world. Impressive service and selection. Bar, tables, and tv. Private lot parking and note, they’re open Monday thru Friday. Unilocalelicious!

Super good. Best chicken wings I have ever had! Very nice staff and comfortable environment. This place is always packed, but the staff always hustles to make sure they find you a table.
Other than the wings (again, the best I’ve ever had), I suggests any of the cutters. They are all delicious. And their curries are amazing. Haven’t had much else on the menu, but will be trying much more soon!

Went to this restaurant on a recommendation and it did not disappoint! It’s small and casual with fantastic food. There was a lot to choose from, including specials of the day.
We started with the Stamp & Go appetizer. They were so flavorful that my husband and I sucked them down so fast that I don’t think we breathed in between bites! Gus had the Calypso Cutter (sandwich with shrimp and mushrooms) and he was stunned at how much shrimp was involved — HUGE SHRIMP! I didn’t even get a bite! I got a special called St. Augustine Scallops — scallops in a tomato broth with capers and bacon. How can you go wrong with scallops and bacon? You can’t! It was FANTASTIC!
The service was attentive and fast, and at some point during our meal the owner stopped by the table to see how we were doing — nice touch! When he found out we were newbies, he told us a little bit about the place. He and his wife have owned the joint for 25 years, and they are closed on the weekends, because they deserve it. YES THEY DO!!! The food is so good that I doubt anyone would stop going because they are closed on the weekends. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone that loves seafood. .. and great people!