Fleet Landing Restaurant & Bar

Reviews 4

AN

Andy - Marsha

Fleet Landing came highly recommended by a coworker who lives here locally. Actually, this was 1st on his list in order of quality. My family is vacationing in the area, so we decided to try his 1st choice. I made reservations for 4, and they asked me if we were celebrating birthdays or anniversaries "We celebrate birthdays and anniversaries here". I excitedly answered, yes. 2 birthdays, and our 30th anniversary. Upon finding the place, we were dismayed that there was not enough parking at the restaurant. There was the added expense of parking in the parking deck. We walked in and checked w/ the hostesses. I reminded her of our birthdays and anniversary. Despite a reservation, we had to wait for a table. I thought the restaurant would be a little more classy that it was, but if the food was good, who cared. I did notice the noise level was very high. Very difficult to have a nice conversation with each other due to the noise level. Our waiters shirt was filthy! I suggest the staff keep extra clothes in their car so they can change if they get too nasty looking. I ordered unsweetened tea, my wife, sweetened. He put the sweet at my plate, and unsweetened at her plate. I had heard the shrimp & grits was one of their signature dishes. I asked for a sample so I could get an idea of what they tasted like. The young lady brought me a small bowl w/ a scoop of grits, and some brown gravy on top. Imagine instead of mashed potatoes & ham gravy, grits with sour cream w/ ham gravy on top. Nothin real special. The shrimp and grits from Boulevard Diner on Coleman Blvd is 5x better. That place is a must go to when we come to the area. Anyway, I went safe and ordered 3 item combination..an average greasy fried seafood meal. I hate to say it, but for a coastal town w/ an abundance of seafood, this just didnt wow us. We had calamari. Id rather have calamari from Carrabbas THATS good calamari. My son-in-law ate a good looking burger. He wanted a steak salad, but the menu stated the steak was served rare. We dont do rare. My wife and daughters meals were also mediocre. Our tea glasses got empty twice. We finished eating, and were kinda expecting something for mine and my daughters birthday and my wifes & my anniversary. Nope, nothing... "Hes your check". We paid, tipped well to be polite, and left. Wont be back. Not worth it. We do plan on going to T-Bones now for the 3rd time to order lemon pepper wings, and deep fried Brussels sprouts! They and Boulevard Diner have something worth returning for! Fleet Landing has only a below average restaurant on the water.

DA

Daniel Weber

We were going on a boat tour from the Maritime Center so asked staff at our hotel for recommendations not far away (less than a mile). He said he takes his family to Fleet Landing. Unassuming single story building from land located right on the water. Seems to be a converted cement warehouse of sorts, not over decorated but they have done a lot with a little to give it some nautical feel. Waterfront location and wrap around windows is really all it needs anyway. There is outside and inside seating. The food. I asked about the crab cakes. Our waiter put me at ease telling me they are not bread crumb and mayo patties, but two 6 oz Blue Crab patties of mostly meat but with nice seasoning. I believe they were the best I have EVER had, and while Ive been disappointed plenty with crab cakes, Ive had some good ones over the years too. Meaty and seasoned but not overpowering spice to hide the crab meat flavor. Just enough mayo to hold the patties together. Ive found crab cakes to be like BBQ, you have to wade through a lot of so/so offerings to find those real gems that remind you why you keep trying them over and over whenever you have the chance! These crab cakes are gems. Other dishes ordered: Starters: Fried Green Tomatoes: Nice but unremarkable...bit mellow tasting. Crispy Steak Calamari: Very, very nice. Delicately fried substantial slices of Calamari with 2 very good dipping sauces. Entrees: Charleston Shrimp & Grits: nice portion made with Andouille sausage. My wife loved it but could not finish it. I thought it was good, definitely creamy. Benne Seed Encrusted Golden Brook Trout: Cooked perfectly and a very nice flavor. I would say it was excellent if I did not have to compare it to my crab cakes! Low Country Seafood Gumbo: I didnt try it by my 17 year old niece left no evidence there was ever any food in her dish. :-) Salads were fine, nothing overly exciting. In summary this place far exceeded our expectations. Our server was very knowledgeable about the menu. There is also free parking right in front.

TO

Tony Phillips

There is very limited parking at this restaurant, just as for about all of downtown Charleston, but there is a parking garage just up the street that charged $1 per 1/2 hour. We called to make a reservation originally but the only reservations left for all three of our nights was 9:30 PM and they close at 10:00PM. So, we decided to take our chances at walking in. We arrived about 6:00 and the waiting time was 1 hour 15 min. It wasnt all wasted time though because Waterfront Park is close by. It has some nice views of the bay and Ravenel Bridge. They text you when you table is ready so you can walk over to the park. It took the entire 1 hr 15 min to get our seat. This was on Thursday night. My wife ordered fish and chips with fries and cole slaw. I ordered fried shrimp with mash potatoes and cole slaw. My wife liked the fish ok. It was not fried quite as crispy as we both like. She really liked the cole slaw but I didnt care for it. Just had a stale taste to it for me. My shrimp was really good and so were the garlic mash potatoes. Overall just average food, but not worth the prices we paid. Not very filling either. After we both finished every bite of food (except my cole slaw) we were both still quite hungry. We were going to split a pecan pie for dessert, but after eating we decided to both get our own piece. Unfortunately the pie was not the greatest either. The filling which is usually very rich was kind of plain. Just had a bland taste. It was also cold in the center like it had been refrigerated. I expect pie to be hot or at least warm. Neither of us finished our slice. So overall we thought the food was just..."meh". Just average. Nothing great. If my bill had been $30 I would have thought it was about right. But it was $60 (before tip) and we both drank water. Way overpriced for the type of restaurant and quality of food. The view is the best thing about the entire experience. Probably would not go back if I had the opportunity. Scale of 1-10...probably 5.

VA

Vadim Ostrovsky

While in Charleston, SC, I looked for an authentic culinary experience...Fleet Landing Restaurant exceeded all expectations!!! The restaurant/bar is located behind the U.S. Customs House on Concord Avenue and is right on the water overlooking Charleston Harbor. It is a central point for walking the Charleston Waterfront Park, Meeting Street, and Kings street (some of the best sightseeing and shopping in the city). The restaurant was packed upon our arrival (good sign), which was about lunch time. A few words about the ambiance and, then, off to food review...The inside is casual; the space is plenty; the bar is very opened; the views are spectacular. The crowd was 50/50 tourists and local business people coming in for lunch. We got Bloody Marries, 1/4 lbs of Peel N Eat Shrimp, Low country Seafood Gumbo, and Blackened Triggerfish Sandwich. Here is a break down of each dish: Bloody Marries - excellent presentation and great Bloody Marry mixer. The drink was delicious; Peel N Eat Shrimp - also excellent. The shrimp was served with served chilled with Old Bay Seasoning. There is a big difference between previously frozen shrimp and fresh shrimp. Needless to say, this shrimp was as fresh as it could be. It was a great small appetizer; Low country Seafood Gumbo - have not had Gumbo before, so this dish blew my mind. In addition to seafood, the gumbo also had Andouille Sausage, Okra, & Rice in it; Blackened Triggerfish Sandwich - not crazy about sandwiches, but really wanted to try the Triggerfish. The Triggerfish was buttered, fried, presented with Avocado Aioli, Pepper Jack Cheese, Shredded Lettuce, & Tomato on Toasted Roll; We ate at the bar hence it was a little warm outside. However, the views of the Charleston harbor were pretty spectacular even from the inside; I highly recommend this restaurant to anyone either living in Charleston or travelling to this wonderful city...