Fabulous We visited on a very busy, in season, Friday night. No tables were available but we were able to sit and wait. A server was quickly to us for our drink order. Upon getting a table we were quickly served and received hot, great food! Although prices are a little high for quantity of food, the food was prepared excellent. Will definitely return.

Waitress recognized and hugged when we arrived - Josh was absolutely 💯 awesome - talented and personable❣️👍FANTASTIC EVENING🥳

We try to get here whenever we're in town, but it been a few yrs. Glad to see parking has opened up a bit, but the place is still small so get there early. I love the grilled grouper sandwich while the others prefer blackened. It's a good portion of fish. This time I had the sweet potato fries for a side. We also got to catch some entertainment, which helped round out the experience. It's an older crowd meaning 40s and up, but a cozy, casual and comfortable place to hang out.

I mean it. This was the best seafood meal I have had, in my life. EVER. Landed in Florida and this was our first stop. We sat in the sun and pigged out!!! Conch Fritters!!! Big reds!!! Server staff was extremely friendly too!!! The best coconut shrimp I have ever had!!!!

Went there last night to hear Josh Quinn sing. He is an excellent musician and will be playing there every Friday in February. Go see him! He's amazing!!!! I had a couple of drinks and my husband and I split a cheeseburger and fries. The burger was outstanding! I would have ordered one of their many seafood dishes but I thought their prices were too steep. Like $24 for a grouper sandwich.
But the real reason to go there is to see Josh Quinn! He's off the charts amazing!!!!!!!

Good Food, Nice Setting My friend and I had lunch at Cortez Kitchen on January 15, 2023. Right on the water in an actual working fishing village. Surrounded by real fishing boats. Nice setting with good food. We were there in the afternoon but there is entertainment some evenings.

Great place to go especially when Doug Deming and the Jewel Tones are playing! Our food was great!

Delicious fresh seafood near the water. Reasonably priced and tasted amazing.

I got a fried grouper sandwich with hush puppies. The sandwich was amazing, the hush puppies were moist & delicious. Vanessa was my server. She suggested this awesome sauce she loves to dip her hushpuppies in & made it special. This was to die for!!! What a fabulous server & super kind human being! I definitely will be back 🙂

I got a fried grouper sandwich with hush puppies. The sandwich was amazing, the hush puppies were moist & delicious. Vanessa was my server. She suggested this awesome sauce she loves to dip her hushpuppies in & made it special. This was to die for!!! What a fabulous server & super kind human being! I definitely will be back 🙂

One of my favorites!! Repeat customer! First started coming here on vacay as best seafood near AMI! Then moved close by, added bonus! Seafood is excellent- hint- they own a seafood market close by tooooo! Reasonable prices, not touristy, bands on the weekends. Liz is the best server!!!! A hidden gem if you can find it.

As every year our visit was brilliant. Service spot on. Food fresh and delicious Kid-friendliness: Lots of kids Parking: Plenty of parking right outside Wheelchair accessibility: Ramp

Great food, music and deck can't wait to go back ❤️

Great service, atmosphere and food. Live music, fun crowd and a great outside deck/bar. Our waitress Kelly was excellent!

I don't care what you order at Cortez kitchen the food is absolutely wonderful. The best hamburger I have ever had anywhere and I've been many places for hamburgers. Is their seafood platter is fabulous. And their blackened Mai mai is superb.
Add to that great music on Friday Saturday and Sunday Cortez kitchen cannot be beat.

Was recommended by a local and was right on the money!! Wings are definitely on point. We had Buffalo medium, teriyaki, and garlic. Nothing left but the bones!! Waitress was very attentive and polite. Will definitely be back next visit!

Had the most delicious grilled red shrimp! Tasted like lobster! Waitress was very nice.

Food was great. Entertainment excellent. The only drawback is that they allow smoking at this venue which is not acceptable for someone with COPD. Afraid we will not be returning.

We love Cortez Kitchen, wish their menu had a few more selections but it is what it is, good food

Best place in Cortez, best place in Sarasota/Longboat Key. Incredible Blackened Scallops and Shrimp. Also they have live music which is always great! A MUST GO TO PLACE!

Gumbo is legit with a really nice kick. Our host Vannessa was very attentive and suggested getting grouper bites which were excellent, lightly fried, not salty, we got them without the buffalo sauce. Please support this local business! Located in the very few remaining fishermen villages in FL where the fourth generation is fishermen continue the family tradition.

Good food good wait staff and the band that was playing on Sunday was excellent very enjoyable time.

Had a wonderful time. The seafood combo must be very good. It contains grouper, shrimp and scallops, cooked perfectly.

Buffalo grouper sandwich, Buffalo grouper bites, soft shell crab sandwich, grouper Reubens are all incredible. The sandwiches are massive and delicious. Amazing place to stop on vacation we come by 2-3 times a week when we stay on AMI. don't miss this spot!!

Eric's music is awesome!! Great entertainment!! Good & service were good as well will be back.

Fresh fish and seafood. Excellent value for the money! Husband had the fish and chips while I had the shrimp basket! Delicious!!!

It's one of our favorite places to go, great boiled shrimp and ice cold beers sometimes tough to find a seat on the deck but everything else is great, I highly recommend this restaurant if you liked a laid back easy atmosphere.

Awesome little restaurant next to a fishing village. The staff are very friendly and the food was great. Beers were cold and went down fast. Can't beat it.

Great Recommendation A friend recommended this place. I'm glad we took him up on the suggestion. The bar is on the Cortez marina; very laid back. Food portions were delicious and generous. The wait staff was very friendly. Best seafood so far.

We haven't been here for a while & today we had the best food here ever. We came at 3 pm, no wait for food as good as any in Cortez. I especially loved the oyster basket, was pleasantly surprised it was every bit as good as my usual favorite place!

Good food, like always! Good rum runner, too!! Service was great. A little spotty on COVID safety (not all wait staff wears face coverings).

Great place to grab some good food. Service was great, Elizabeth took care of us and food was awesome. Great vibe with live music, will return again.

Holy smokes! Make sure to order the soft shell crab sandwich, it will make your day five million times better!

Absolutely Love this place. The grouper sandwich was never ending. Old florida (down to Earth) feel. The service was great. If you are looking for the touristy places this isn't for you. If your thirsty for a cold beer, good food and real people. Definitely stop by The Cortez kitchen.

We had a super friendly server. The place looks like a bar/restaurant, but had really good seafood. Nothing fancy, but my scallops and my wife's grouper were cooked perfectly. We sat outside on a deck in a marina setting.

This place never disappoints! The live music is always awesome especially when TC and Randy are playing. The food is delicious, the beer is cold, service is excellent! It's busy for a reason, the place is great!

Good food. Local entertainer singing the day we visited.

BEST Local Seafood! Fantastic blacken grouper was BY FAR the freshest! Served with slaw and hush puppies too, With extremely friendly, sincere, as well knowledgeable service by Elizabeth. Highly recommend!!! Definitely worth a visit! E.J.

Nice surprise Stopped in for lunch was was surprised at how good it was. Lisa was our server and was most accommodating and delightful. I had grouper rueben, which was delicious; husband had red royal shrimp which were to die for. Prices were a bit steep but were finding that everywhere e we go these days.

This is a nice spot , if ur lookin for a dockside -cum-old Florida dinning experience. Very rustic with water foul snug up against the picnic tables and seating , amongst the boats and dock. Mostly covered some el fresco tables.

LoVE the "Royal Reds " they often have in season ,
grilled and served with drawn butter - succulent!

Full bar , they make a nice top - shelf margarita or a bud , whatever ur taste.

Live entertainment in the eves , and just a funky/ fun place to go or to bring visitors.

Great appetizers and service!! We went to the Stone Crab Festival today, and instead of eating there, we stopped in to the Cortez Kitchen. We each had a margarita (Boozy, very good). We then shared Buffalo Grouper bites and Fried Mushrooms. The mushrooms were delicious, fried perfectly and juicy, the Grouper bites were amazing. Tender, with a perfect golden crust, a little heat, and what I believe was a house made Bleu Cheese dressing…so good!! Our server was friendly, food was fast, we will go back!!

Fast service. Food came out quickly. The beer was fresh and cold. Classic local dive vibe. Friendly waitstaff.

Cortez Kitchen has a cool atmosphere. Very laid back and casual. The food was good. Got chicken tenders, seafood platter and cheese sticks. All pretty good. Would recommend for seafood.

Highly recommend! Cortez Kitchen is a yummy and efficient restaurant! When we arrived, there was no wait and as soon as we sat we were greeted. They had very cheap and cold beers! As an appetizer, we ordered the Buffalo grouper bites which came out quickly and were very tasty! For the entrees, I ordered the broiled shrimp, okra and fries and my boyfriend ordered the lightly blackened mahi with the vegetables and coleslaw. Both entrees were delicious! It’s located right on the canal and had a good atmosphere!

When you come to the restaurant, it is a self seating place so seat yourself wherever there is a table available. The waitress immediately noticed us and gave us a menu right away even though the place was really packed ! Great and fast service! The food was just amazing as the service! I got the red royal shrimp special for the day with sweet potato fries and mac m cheese ! I love the freshness and sweetness of the shrimp. Pairing it with the decadent mac n cheese was such a great combo. The clams were also delicious! We also ordered a brownie sundae and it definitely hits the sweet spot and cravings! Definitely would come back again!

The best royal red shrimp and cheeseburgers in town. You can't go wrong with anything on the menu. All made to order and all so tasty!! We will continue to come here for years to come.

Went during height of spring break but we got an outdoor spot right away. Our server was very nice and efficient. It appeared the restaurant was under staffed. I ordered the blackened grouper. It was my first time trying this fish. It was delicious but expensive. The place is pet friendly and my dog was provided water. I really enjoyed the location and watching the pelicans waddle around inside the warehouse next door. A Sandhill crane was also trotting around. All n all a good spot for food, friendly service and great bird watching. If I am in the area again I would return here.

We stopped at this place on a Saturday night but could not get a table due to the great live music. We decided to stop by on Sunday for lunch and we were glad we did. We enjoyed the shrimp, scallops, soft shell crab sandwich, and Mahi sandwich. All seafood cooked well and the price well. Service was excellent and we enjoyed all the pelicans hanging around.

Friendly waterfront vibe. Good food. Had the Red Palm shrimp. Excellent. Asked afterward, “so are these local?” Nahh, they come from Argentina. Little sad about that. Glad to have found this spot. Unassuming. Right on a working dock.

Whenever we have out of state visitors, The Cortez Kitchen is the 1st restaurant we take them for, what's left, of a bit of "old Florida" and for the great bands on the weekends. We went on Friday night, 11/06/20, and this fantastic band, Messenger, was playing a lot of '70's & '80's music, plus more. We really loved that band...brought back memories! The atmosphere is laid back, but fun and lively. It's on the bay & open all around...some under roof and some not. There was a wonderful breeze that night and everyone, in our group, enjoyed the 3 cute kids by us, about as much as the band.😅. This place is a Must to take your visitors, but it's, also,1 of our favorite places to go all year round!