Top Seafood Restaurants – Vero Beach Oceanside

Thomas Miller May 25, 2021

1 1,168 3 minutes read

With over fourteen different restaurants on the island in Vero Beach that offer seafood on their menu, this article will feature three very popular fine dining choices! I’ll admit it, I’m a fine dining addict and these three places offer several amazing seafood dishes to choose from. Whether you are into the fresh fish of the day, scallops, or crab cakes, there is something on the menu to please just about any seafood lover! Don’t worry, if your dining companion(s) are not that into seafood, these restaurants also offer plenty of turf options too!

Now let’s dive right in and see all the amazing seafood dishes I tasted over the past few weeks on Vero’s Oceanside while creating this article!

Ocean Grill

**JUMBO LUMP CRAB CAKE** – Broiled and served with mango salsa.

**COQUILLES ST. JACQUES** – This seafood casserole is filled with shrimp, scallops, crab and mushrooms, then baked in a creamy sauce and sprinkled with Parmesan.

**FRESH FISH** – A broiled fish filet (Grouper) is brushed with butter and is prepared Cajun style. Sides were coleslaw and pecan rice.

It’s been many years since I last visited the Ocean Grill, so I was excited to rediscover how amazing this place is! My newest project, a video series called Holy Grail Eats was just filmed here a few weeks ago and we featured the crab cake as you see in the picture above. I was amazed at truly how simple it is and how delicious it tastes. The first full episode featuring Ocean Grill drops on June 4th! I can’t wait for you to see the first episode and get a look behind the scenes at how Chef Dexter makes these amazing crab cakes!

Ocean Grill
Address: 1050 Beachland Blvd, Vero Beach, FL 32963
Phone: (772) 231-5409
https://www.ocean-grill.com/

The Tides

**Flash Fried Calamari** – Asian Salad, Wasabi Aioli, Ponzu, Roasted Peanuts

**Crab Cakes** – Maryland style, roasted corn sauce, tomatillo salsa, chorizo cracklins, cilantro oil

**Pan Seared Pompano** – Roasted Potatoes, Smoked Bacon Tomato Broth, Caponata

The Tides has been serving up some of the best seafood on the island for nearly two decades now. Chef Leanne’s classic new American menu features elevated seafood dishes using only the finest ingredients available. Everything that I tasted on the night of the review was expertly prepared and very flavorful. Reservations are always recommend, even during the summer months since they pack the house on a nightly basis. With summer coming up, their seasonal Sunset Menu should be returning soon. It’s one of the best deals on the island and you can learn more about it on their website at the link below.

The Tides
Address: 3103 Cardinal Dr, Vero Beach, FL 32963
Phone: (772) 234-3966
https://www.tidesofvero.com/

The Wave Kitchen & Bar

**Grilled Octopus & House Cured Pork Belly** – Garbanzos, Parsley, Charred Lemon, Blistered Tomatoes, Fennel, Garlic Confit, and topped with a Salsa Verde sauce.

**Truffled Crab & Shrimp Scampi** – The pasta dish is made with Shrimp & Crab, Garden of Esther Squid Ink Linguini, Tomatoes, and the sauce is a Truffled-Herb Butter, Shallot, and White Wine Sauce.

**Saffron Tomato Seafood Stew** – The stew included clams, Mussels, Calamari, Octopus, Shrimp, White Fish, Pernod, Rouille, Saffron-Tomato broth, and topped with Grilled Bread.

Costa d’Este is one of those resorts, even though it’s in our own backyard, it makes you feel as if you have been transported to a tropical vacation destination. With it’s beachfront location, you know that their menu will feature lots of seafood dishes, several of which have been awarded my Golden Fork Awards Top 10 Best Dishes over the past few years. While I normally don’t finish all of the dishes presented to me during a review due to the sheer amount of food served, the Saffron Tomato Seafood stew was just so tasty that I ate the entire bowl! While we are only half way through the year, I’m gonna go out on a limb and say that this dish might just make it into the Top 10 Best Dishes of 2021!

The Wave Kitchen & Bar
Address: 3244 Ocean Dr, Vero Beach, FL 32963
Phone: (772) 410-0100
https://www.costadeste.com/verobeach_restaurants/wave_kitchen_bar/

Coming up next month, we continue our Chef’s of Indian River County series and will feature Chef Daniel Wood from Cafe 66! They were my 2020 Golden Fork Awards pick for Restaurant of the Year, so stay tuned to learn more about the man behind the BBQ!