The Island Grille & Raw Bar

Run don’t walk on your way out of four De Soto to this cute little place the owners and bartenders pour drinks so heavy you only need one! Great food sit outback on the deck and enjoy a tropical drink

Food was delicious, grouper with the Cajun seasoning was fantastic. Tried the baked oysters, although very tasty a little on the small size. Our waiter Patrick was very prompt with refills and ensuring our group had an enjoyable experience. Overall experience was fantastic. All good which we ordered was very good. We also had mahi mahi tacos, burgers and blackened chicken sandwich.

Great food… we had the grouper sandwich, grouper tacos, Mahi Mahi tacos, baked oysters, chopped salads, and a burger. Everything, including the service was great. Highly recommended place to eat. The location is good, a little off the beaten path, but that was ok for us.

A total random find as we were looking for a place with a raw bar. We were very disappointed to find out they ran out of raw clams!!! (How does a seafood restaurant by the beach run out of that?!?) So we had to really think about what we wanted next. The place isn’t fancy, very laidback (and not too easy to find via gps). I have to admit, the food was very good and the portions were very big. I liked it a lot that I started to tell others about this place.

This Tierra Verde gem is wonderful. The salmon carpaccio rivals the best in New York. The oysters and clams are fresh and delicious. You can have a lovely piece of fish on a Greek salad or a full entrée.

My first visit was great and we will be back. Had coconut shrimp for an app and they were hot and tasty. I got the fish special of Mahi Mahi and was not disappointed, it was delicious and the portion was just enough. My wife ordered the fish tacos and was very pleased. Service was great! We were seated immediately and the server responded to all of our needs. This is a local establishment that caters to new and repeat customers alike. They offer seating inside a tables or the bar and outside on the upper deck. Next visit we hope to sit outside and enjoy the sunset view.

Came here to enjoy birthday dinner with my family. The food was super good and the ingredients used in the preparation of the entrees was high quality.
We started out with a round of horseradish Parmesan baked oysters and they were stellar. Very fresh tasting, with a nice creamy sauce that was neither too cheesy or too horseradishy. Dad got the baked potato skins and we also got the night’s appetizer special, which was shrimp and grits. It was amazing. It had sautéed mushrooms and large shrimp in a delightful marinara sauce over creamy grits.
For the entrees our part ordered the shrimp po’boy sandwich, (my son said it was great and he ate the entire thing), the ribeye steak special with crayfish with baked potato and zucchini and squash (cooked perfectly, but we weren’t fond of the crayfish because it was overly pimento-​y tasting and a bit salty, so we’re we’re glad we got it on the side), the prime rib with twice baked potato and the fresh caught grouper blackened, with a scallop skewer. Everything was super good, the ingredients were fresh.
The service was decent, but I would have given five stars had the waiter pretended to not hate his life so much. He brought me out a water glass that was cracked and leaked water all over, and when I pointed that out and mentioned he forgot the lemon I requested, he got that «oh not this shit again, FML» look. It was undeniable, and I totally understand, as I’ve served myself, Nd I also despise nit picked customers. Although asking for a non cracked water glass seems reasonable, no? Pro-​tip: when you are earning a tip serving you just have to grin and bear it. Anyways, the view was great, the sunset lovely, and like I said the food was delish, so try it.

The island grille and raw bar is awesome! I love oysters and they definitely have all different types to satisfy everyone’s needs! My guests and I got two dozen oysters, one regular and one topped with tuna and seaweed salad. YUM! The calamari is also a great starter– delicious, fresh with a little bit of heat. Will definitely be back soon!

When we got to Florida, I was greeted with 40 oysters and upon leaving Florida, i had 40 more. Super service and fabulous quality.

I’ve been there several times and it always is excellent. Wait staff is right there and the food is excellent. The owners even come by occasionally to check on you. Donnie the bartender is a funny as he can be although he likes the New York Yankees a little too much:) definitely a great place to go. I can’t wait until their new place opens by the marina!

This was ok. The server was very fast and friendly. It’s atmosphere needs a little help. More of a bar but the food was good.

The food was fantastic, and we will be returning to explore the menu further… and it would have had a five star rating, but the server shirked her duties. She was not particularly friendly, and extremely slow and there were several periods of time we just sat there needing more chips and with other empty dishes that finally another server noticed and removed. The servers name was Madeline. We will make sure we do not have her as our server at our next visit.

Awesome place! Oysters were fresh and good. I had the plank salmon with piccata sauce, sides of twice baked potato and broccoli. I would definitely order again! The scallops were also SO good — ordered with Tuscany sauce. 6 large scallops! A+. The Cajun shrimp pasta was recommended but did not impress us — did not taste very Cajun and did not compare to the fish dishes. Also, we saw someone eating the calamari app… Will definitely order next time!!!
Key lime pie for dessert was good but not spectacular.
Overall, 4 stars. Will definitely be returning!

I’ve seen a few reviews that complain of poor oysters and/​or service. Fortunately I’ve yet to have that experience here, although I’ve been less than ten times so far. My experiences have been solely on weekends.
First things first; getting into the place. The development they’re in has numerous stairways to the first floor shops (up about six steps from the parking lot), and Island Grille is on the second floor, so even more stairs or the elevator. Where it’s annoying is if you have a baby stroller or wheel chair, because the ramp is on the front side of the building along the Bayway, nowhere near anything else. For Island Grille specifically, there’s parking on the back side of the building as well as a stairway that goes directly to their outdoor patio.
Inside, the place is split into three unique areas. There’s a room on the south side that has a combination of high tops and low tops as well as a bar that seats probably seven or eight, and while the bar is stocked and has beer taps, I’ve never actually seen it open, so I’m not sure if there are evenings when there is a bartender or they just don’t use it for that; you can of course order drinks either way. The north side of the restaurant is a bunch of low top tables. Then, there’s the outdoor patio which is my favorite area to sit as it’s covered and while you’re not on the water, you’re close enough, and have an open view of the sunset. The kitchen is open the dining room so you can see what’s going on.
I’ve had their raw oysters several times, enjoyed them each time, and they’ve always been a good size. I’ve also had the moscow oysters, which are raw oysters with sour cream, caviar and vodka on top; they’re great, but a little pricey. My wife has ordered the filet and it has been cooked to perfection, which for her is somewhere between rare and medium rare, and she’s picky about it; it’s been a very high quality steak each time. While not on the menu, they are also able to make a bearnaise sauce, so if that’s your thing, make sure to ask. Other entrees I’ve had include the cajun shrimp & crab pasta, seafood fra diavolo, ahi tuna app, island shrimp, grouper sandwich and the island burger; all have been excellent.
On the drink side, they are very reasonable. We just enjoyed a Sunday night there, no drink specials at the time, but had wine and mojitos which were only $ 5 and $ 7 respectively, and the mojitos were strong, not a big glass of sugar, so really nothing to complain about there when other bars in this tourist area we enjoy living in are easily $ 10+ for mojitos.
All in all, I have no complaints; it’s a great little place with nice seating options, nice staff, it’s been clean and has served great food to us each time we’ve been.

I liked this place. They had great happy hour prices.
We had the smoked salmon plate that was plenty for two with extra crostini on the side.
Came with all the fixings and was super fresh.
Service was good although a bit up our butt which was annoying.
There’s inside and outside seating as well.

I ordered the blackened market Grouper entrée with a modified Tuscany Sauce (crab meat, artichokes, capers in a cream lemon sauce) to have added garlic. The sides I had chosen was broccoli and yellow rice. The first bite out of the Grouper after a long day of Kayaking in the Fort Desoto area and I was in awe. The sauce went amazingly well with the blackened Grouper. The fish was very fresh and you could taste it. I will definitely come back here to try another entrée or one of their pasta dishes when I kayak in the area. The server was very nice, if you are not sure what to order, they will be glad to give you honest recommendations.

I have had the relative displeasure of dining at the Island Grille a couple times and will do my best to avoid going back, God willing.
I think when you put a place to eat in an area like Tierra Verde, which has limited choice and a somewhat captive audience it is easy to serve up something subpar that other other people might think is great, as they are comparing it to the other places in the area. But compared to broader St Pete this place is mediocre at best.
On our last visit with friends we were just in time for the happy hour oysters. The Mrs and I love oysters and ordered a dozen. They were small, sandy, and had a very strong flavor. In short they were exactly what you would expect for 75 cent oysters. Yuck!
Following that hard to not beat course we had a burger and a fish dish. Burger was not terrific, but edible, and the fish dish my wife had was not particularly memorable.
The service at Island Grille was fine. The server was just fine and I have no complaints but also wasn’t really overwhelmed. She did tell me the burger was ‘fantastic’ and maybe for the Island Grille it was. I think I should have taken her recommendation with one of the sandy grains from the oysters.
The setting is nice. There is a small deck with a view of the gulf. The restaurant has a moderately sized bar, and an open dining room with windows offering a nice view. There is also live music which of course is always a nice touch.
To sum up I would say the Island Grille is a somewhat generic bar and grill that happens to be in a decent location. The aging clientele of Tierra Verde dwellers love the place in context, but I certainly wouldn’t drive out of my way to try it.

This honestly is the best breakfast I’ve had in quite some time. The Island potatoes are banging, and my veggie Benedict was spot on. My husband had the hash and said it was perfectly done, as were his eggs. Yummy! We’ll be here again!!!

We had just worked the Escape from Ft DeSoto Triathlon. The Race Director took us all out to lunch afterwards. This was the place. Damn, what a treat! Loved the fish house atmosphere! Started with a flavorful spicy Bloody Mary & an Ice Cold Beer chaser! I tried the fish spread and deelish! The oysters were off the hook and, OMG, the lobster bisque was as good as any I have tasted over the last six years on the Pinellas Peninsula!
I decided to go with the Shrimp Po’ Boy and whoa! I was raised in N’awlins. This Po’ Boy was righteous! The Shrimp was lightly grilled and had just enough «Bayou «sauce to set you free! Yummo!
We usually do at least four Triathlons, a few mock Tris, and a couple of Duathlons out at Ft DeSoto. This is the perfect after-​race spot!

Came here with the family after reading Unilocal reviews as we were looking for seafood after De Soto park
Had the mussels fra diablo — the sauce was fiery with fresh spinach and mushroom, the mussels were plump and delicious
We had the Mahi grilled as well as steamed clams and grouper
All was delicious !
Chris our server was on time with his service
This place has an outside area perfect to catch a sunset