Big Fish Grill - Riverfront

Reviews

• Wendy D.

  star star star star star 9 June 2026

  One of my favorite places to go for seafood. I tried the sea bass. It was thinner than usual because it wasn't the Chilean. Excellent! Service is always top notch.
  
  It's on the water front, so while I love to eat outdoors, we had a minor problem with the insects. Other than that, it's always our first choice for seafood.

• Ken J.

  star star star_border star_border star_border 8 June 2026

  UPDATE:
  
  I find the defensive reply by the restaurant manager quite interesting.  I guess the customer is never right here as almost every element of my review was countered. I eat at a variety of restaurants across the country of all calibers and know food (and drink) very well. A couple of points of clarification in response to the response:
  
  1) There was excessive "service" in the area of our table due to PROBLEMS in an adjacent table.  Virtually the entire meal they were addressing issues and it drove excessive traffic and noise. That's a fact.
  
  2) The shrimp was the U16/20 size served cold and was NOT cleaned.  How you can effectively clean shrimp that has a shell fully intact is beyond me?  To argue that point is ridiculous. The shrimp was awful and it wasn't just how dirty it was.
  
  3) We had 3 different oyster varieties. I doubt any were select quality from the look but I could be wrong. And my point regarding the spoon was attention to detail.  Serve one so the customer doesn't have to ask for one. Good restaurants with a raw bar serve one.
  
  4) Sorry, but the crab cakes were not right IMO. Too creamy. I grew up in MD and live in VA. I know good crab cakes.
  
  5) I've eaten at several Wilmington restaurants during travels. I like a number. Just because I said options were limited on a Sunday night should not be assumed to mean I dislike area restaurants.
  
  6) I should have asked for dressing on the side for the wedge salad. Although it is still odd to drown a wedge salad with Gorgonzola cheese with a ranch dressing that doesn't pair well.
  
  7) There is no jasmine rice on the menu. Am I missing something?  That doesn't change that the orzo option was bland per my feedback.
  
  ___________________________________________________
  Dined at Big Fish for the first time as we were stopping in the area to break up a long trip down the east coast.  I was hopeful given the overall Yelp rating but disappointed overall in the experience.
  
  First, if you're looking for a quiet place to dine, this isn't it.  It is loud, crowded, and chaotic. Closer to Chuck-e-Cheese than a quaint restaurant. It is high traffic / volume, servers / food runners make their way by your table every 10 seconds, the noise level is through the roof, ceiling fans are running, colors are vibrant, large fish are hanging from the ceiling. Sensory overload.
  
  The service was attentive and OK overall. Only real complain was lack of proactive water refill. It did seem like they had a keen interest in getting you in and out quickly and we felt a little rushed.  There was also a frenzy around a neighboring table who had multiple issues with their meal (cold food etc). Pretty distracting and added to the chaos of this place.
  
  I travel and eat out frequently and eat my share of fresh seafood across the country.  The food itself was below average and attention to detail could have been better.
  
  Oysters were decent.  Good mix of varieties - a little small in size for the half dozen I received. Should have been served with a spoon for the mignonette. Lack of attention to detail.
  
  The jumbo shrimp starter (cold not steamed 16/20 count) was disappointing. Not only were some of the shrimp over cooked and mealy / difficult to peel but they were not cleaned.  Pretty lazy for shrimp served this way.
  
  Wedge salad was overly dressed with blue cheese dressing. I guess I expected balsamic to dress myself (pairs well with Gorgonzola) but it was drowned in blue cheese dressing.  The arugula salad option was better and more refined.
  
  Crab cakes on the entwere overly creamy which took away from the meat. I needed to add old bay to offset the overly creamy texture.   I also felt like they should have a rice pilaf or steamed rice side option. They only had saffron rice (doesn't pair quite as well with crab cakes) and an orzo w/ andouille and shrimp. We opted for the orzo and it was surprisingly bland and needed seasoning as well.
  
  Honestly regretted coming here although Wilmington isn't exactly flush with options for a Sunday night.

• Fred F.

  star star star star star 30 May 2026

  Swung by Big Fish on the way through Wilmington with a friend. We brought big appetites and a hankering for seafood.
  
  The service was great. Not too "how's everything since I left 30 seconds ago" and not too "which one is our waiter?"  We started with the calamari. I've had this at a BUNCH of places over the years and this was tip top (tied with Ruth's Chris, but theirs is a different style). The calamari was fried and breaded and seasoned just right. It had a bit of saltiness to it that just kicked it up a notch. Yum.
  
  I had the grilled platter. My pal had the cold bar appetizer for 2 (as his meal). Everything on my plate was delicious, even the corn on the cob. It's not easy getting scallops or steak just right, but mine definitely were. The shrimps were tasty and the dirty rice had a nice spice to it.
  
  My friend demolished his cold plate and said many complementary things about the food on the way home.
  
  This place is not cheap, but if you're going out for an expensive dinner, I don't think you can go wrong here.

• Matthew B.

  star star star star star_border 24 May 2026

  Let's start by saying I'm a fan of the Big Fish chain. Never had a bad meal. This location is no exception Dash we did Friday oysters and oysters Rockefeller and they were all outstanding. Outside seating and prompt service.
  
  No complaints - they are executing on the brand promise. Kudos all around.

• John P.

  star star star star star 22 May 2026

  Big fish is amazing!! The food over probably 20 visits has consistently been exceptional. Everything is cooked perfectly. Great beer and wine list. Really nice outdoor seating. Excellent staff.