Mr Manatee's Casual Grille - Vero Beach

Stopped at Mr. Manatees on both the southbound (March) and northbound (April) legs of our boat trip down to Key West. We sat ate at the bar both times (our usual place) and our bartender Barb couldn't have been more caring and enjoyable.Southbound we enjoyed wings and both the lobster bisque and Caribbean conch chowder. On the northern leg a bacon cheese burger and a grilled grouper sandwich (saw the onion crusted cod that looked really good too) were the fare of the day.Good sports coverage on the TVs at the bar (OK, less golf would have been better, but they hockey and basketball on, so that's a plus).We'll have to try it again next time we roll through to see if the new owners keep up the good tastes and fun.

I first came to Mr. Manatee’s 32 years ago on a business trip to Vero Beach. I’ve been coming back to Vero Beach yearly for pleasure and I always have at least one dinner at Mr. Manatee’s. I love their snow crab legs and you order them A La carte. I always get them with French fries. My wife has to be gluten free and she had their salad with I think Mahi-mahi on it. The crab was meaty and tasty and the salad and Mahi-mahi were fresh and tasty as well. It’s along a canal and a short drive from the beach. It’s a fun place to eat and very casual. A must visit when I’m in Vero Beach!

One of us wanted fish n chips. The waiter told him they might be out of it, so he went to the kitchen to check. Said they had 2 more orders. A few minutes later, he came back and said they were out of it. Why didn't he save one order when he checked? Another of us ordered coconut shrimp. A couple of others ordered burgers, and one ordered a chicken wrap, which was the only good item our table got. After waiting 30 minutes, the waiter came out and said they were out of the coconut shrimp. It was past time when the meal should have been served. The two whose orders were out switched to burgers. After another 15 minutes, it finally came out. All four burgers were ordered medium but were well done. Such a disappointment. I will never go back.Edit: In reply to the response from the restaurant, there was no appeasement offered, nor am I looking for one. You said sorry I am still unhappy. This makes it sound like you tried to rectify the situation and I was still unhappy, but there was nothing done by you.There was no apology for waiting a half hour to tell us another item ordered was no longer available nor for how long it took to deliver the very basic order. Once the food was finally delivered, no one even checked to see how everything thing was. Those burgers were horribly over cooked.

We stopped in for oyster night they were very busy . Sat at a table behind the bar. Kitchen was very slow we waited for over a hour for just an appetizer but our server mendy was amazing and very attentive. She was running food seating people and taking care of everyone’s needs the best she could! We will give them another try and we will ask for mendy. She is a local and gave us plenty of ideas of local things to do. We figure if they are busy that’s a good sign!!

It's been a while since I've stopped in and some things are just as I remember and others have improved. One of the oldest local eateries in Vero Beach and on one of the most forgotten roads in town. Royal Palm Pointe has gone through a major upgrade over the years and it's great to see Manatees has stuck through the times.Nice menu with reasonable prices featuring local fish, salads and sandwiches. Friendly staff is helpful and a nice casual atmosphere just like the name says.