This place is legit, and the only reason to come to Hudson, in my opinion (can we all agree that "Hudson Beach" really isn't a beach at all?). The service is always super friendly and attentive, and the food is fan-freaking-tastic. I always order some fried pickles, and usually eat the Fried Green Tomato BLT. You may be tempted to order fries (which are delish), but give their mango-jalapeño slaw a try. Either way, it's impossible to leave here disappointed. Oh, and need I mention the views/sunsets?
(5)
Ed M.
Good location, good fried food. Ordered the oysters and the ones I had received were old, covered in film, with thick brown liquid under them instead of fresh saltwater. The waitress first exclaimed that they were just shucked, then later admitted they had been shucked earlier. The manager did the same, and both concluded they had been at least shucked "that day" (it was 10pm). No oyster lover would eat them in this condition... I am still queasy from the sight & smell of them.
(2)
Carrie W.
Took my mom for Mother's Day lunch. Surprisingly we really didn't have a long wait to be seated. The music and beach atmosphere was upbeat and lots of fun. I had the seafood wrap and sweet potato fries. So fresh and tasty. Mom had oysters on the half shell. She was in heaven. The Sunday's I make it up from Sarasota we are going to make it a tradition to come here for lunch. Our waitress meg was awesome.
(4)
Darcy G.
Music every night. Directly on the beach. Food is alright. On Friday, Saturday, and Sunday they have live music and karaoke, too. Can get a bit noisy so if you're not into that, check this place out for lunch. This is located on the small Hudson beach that has its perks. Take a stroll along the water, but don't go in.
(4)
Jennifer B.
Great place to go for a water view while you eat. Had the crab cakes and a fruit cup. Angel our server was spot on the whole time. Very informative and quick with answers about the oysters from where they come from and why the prices are higher. Live music while you dine and relax. Would like to go back in the evening time to see a sunset and the ambience.
(5)
April W.
Great spot to watch the sunset. I've been coming here for years on my trips to Florida. Service is good although you need to double check the check they seem try to up charge people often. Food is delicious, I recommend the grilled fish sandwich and tacos. Hush puppies are always great. The sweet potato fries with apple butter are a good change of pace. All in all a great low-key pace place to relax and take it all in.
(4)
Suzanne V.
Had the Fish n Chips and hubby had Calamari. It was delicious. I am so stuffed. Watching the sunset was nice. It is my bday and they brought me a cup of ice cream to celebrate.
(4)
Tracy B.
What a awesome experience this was. We got there on a Tuesday at about 1:30 and it was crowded there was a wait for a table ( about 30 minutes ) while we were waiting we walked along the water and watched boats and fish jumping out of the water so it went fast. There is also a tiki bar. We had a choice of indoor or outdoor seating we went with the outdoor and was very happy with our choice. We ordered coconut shrimp as a appetizer in my 40 something years of life I have never had shrimp that good. My husband had wings with a dry rub I'm not much for wings but they were good. I had a fried chicken wrap it has lettuce, tomato, Swiss cheese, bacon and avocado it was awesome!!! All the staff was friendly and helpful. We will definitely be returning very soon. Worth the wait!!
(5)
Victoria L.
WORST SERVICE EVER. WAITRESS WALKED PAST US 5 TIMES. Our first and last time ever going here. The waitress took our drink order and left. 20 minutes later still no waitress! Barely wanted to answer our questions. TERRIBLE SERVICE. I've worked in food industries and I would never treat the people who PAY ME TO FEED THEM the way this woman treated us or lack thereof.
(1)
Jessica L.
Of all the places I ate at when I vacationed in Hudson, the blew all the others out of the water. Hudson suffers from a serious lack of food chops but Sam's really holds its own. It's got a great atmosphere - sometimes they feature live bands with a bar area near-by, and have some great specialty drinks (heavy on the rum) I started with some oysters with some lemon, tabasco and horseradish - sooo fresh and succulent. Being that I am from NY, I tried to stay away from dishes that are more common to the north and go for something that is considered more southern - so I went for Shrimp and grits - a dish I had been dying to try. The Shrimp and grits at Sam's was out of this world! Grits were so creamy, shrimp perfectly cooked and the flavors of the dish all perfectly complimented each other. The portion was huge, and filled me up quickly, so I had plenty left-over. Great ambiance, great service, great drinks, and great food!
(5)
Greg W.
Can't beat the view! Food was ok, a little pricey. Wait staff was friendly and attentive.
(3)
B Y.
I came here with my Dad for breakfast, we had coffee and the redneck rudie. The food was amazing, eating an awesome breakfast on the gulf coast with my Dad, priceless. Apparently they don't serve breakfast here anymore, too bad.
(5)
Alayne H.
I discovered Sam's 15 years ago when I briefly lived in Port Richey. It is a great place to go watch the sunset and have a cocktail. Whenever I visit that area, I make a point to stop in. The service has always been great and their prices are reasonable. Have to brag on their stuffed mushrooms. The caps are huge and full of crab and are nothing short of delicious. Their calamari is also very good. I've only had apps here but they do have a full menu. If you are ever in the area, I would recommend stopping in for a specialty cocktail and awesome view of the sunset on the gulf. Oh, and try the stuffed mushrooms!
(4)
Kristen W.
We had the chicken and sausage gumbo, ribs and stuffed mushrooms. Food was delish, big potions too! We couldn't even finish one appetizer and one entree together. We also got a fishbowl, strong but still on the sweet side. Great view of the ocean and live music during the day on a Saturday. Playground for kids right across the parking lot, more restaurants too. Also a small beach nearby.
(4)
Ben M.
This is an experience of extremes, depending on the time of day you go, which can either be quite nice, or pretty bad. The stars it gets are really for the view and location. If you get there in between lunch and dinner, the view from the deck is about the best in the area. If you get bottles of beer, or order wine, they can't mess that up. But the food is totally mediocre at best. I've come here for years, but most recently I've had the nachos, Caesar salad and grouper Reuben. All bland and nothing special, and overpriced. But overpricing in a waterfront restaurant is to be expected. The chocolate Italian ice is quite nice and refreshing. The bathroom is stinky. The service is okay when they're not busy, but can be very bad when they are busy. And, if you're not running up the bill with liquor, the waitresses are slow and a lot less friendly. They also make mistakes, always in favor of the house. The biggest buzzkillers in going here are the very limited parking when it's busy (impossible at sunsets, which the sunsets are usually spectacular) and the worst thing is the conversation-drowning horrible music they blast at you. The live bands are absolutely horrible, and the quality of the screeching booming sound system is very poor. I don't know how the area residents can stand the noise pollution, in such a pretty setting. The best times to stop in are between 2 and 4 pm, during weekdays in nice weather from September through May. If its overcast or a little raining, then it's quieter, and you can retreat to the covered area, but it usually clears up pretty quickly. If you are deaf, and don't mind circling the parking lot until you find a space to park, then you would enjoy the sunsets. When it's busy, maybe just park in the public parking lot, walk up and get an Italian ice and a soft drink, then enjoy that on the adjacent public park boardwalk as you watch the sun go down.
(3)
Candy M.
Dont come here! Service sucked, food sucked. This is nothing but a tourist trap. Enough said.
(1)
Victoria N.
5 stars for excellent service, perfectly cooked shrimp (fried and in the seafood wrap), and the nicely updated outside deck. There was a great band on the summer Sunday afternoon we were there, and a merry crowd dancing to the 80s and 90s music. The view is very nice, right on the channel and Gulf. The service was fast and friendly. A great place to eat or while away the afternoon.
(5)
Bobbie S.
Great Food, Super Service Excellent Live Music! Awesome Gulf View! Parking on a Sunday is not so good. We had to pay $5.00 & walk a short distances. Wait time was an about a hour & a half. My only issues with the time was I watched 8 tables open the entire time. When I inquired why the empty tables, the hostess told me they never seat all the tables because they wanted to, "pace the tables." She was also a bit rude when I asked. There were only a few places to sit & wait. My husband has back issues & can not stand for lone periods of time. My question why they don't allow folks to sit, get drinks from the bar & enjoy the music until their table is ready. :~(
(4)
Jeanna L.
Beautiful view of the water. Very casual outdoor patio seating. There's a nice toddler playground next door but I would only bring kids at lunch or early evening. I've been to Sams many times over the years and I will say this was by far our best visit. The food has never been great... lots if fried / previously frozen stuff that didn't seem fresh. Most menu items are 10-16 so it doesn't really matter if you come for lunch or dinner. This time, I had the blackened Mahi Mahi tacos and they were yummy. The Mango salsa & guacamole they came with were also great. My only complaint was that the yellow rice wasn't cooked properly so I kept getting hard pieces. However the black beans were so good over the rice. I would order this again! The fried pickles appetizer was really tasty. My kids enjoyed the dinosaur chicken nuggets & fries that came in a cute Sams beach bucket w/shovel - great idea!!! My husband enjoyed the Shrimp Po boy.
(4)
Foo D.
The view, the food, the staff= incredible! ! I highly recommend the blackened grouper sandwich at sunset!
(5)
Christopher S.
A friend of ours told us to try this place so we spent the Saturday creeping north from our house in Dunedin, shopping, then ended up here to chill and eat. I was shocked by the Hudson Beach surroundings as it was small, quaint, and a place to just free your mind. Sam's is a dive! It's the perfect beach joint. They're not pretentious about it at all. I gotta tell you, we went to the hostesss stand and they took us right to a table. The crowd was comfy but not overcrowded. I immediately caught the vibe and went with it. I could imagine this place filled as it was one of three places we saw to eat in Hudson Beach,and the location with THE view was perfect. We order a waverunner with a mixture of different rums and mixes to go with our gator bites. Nice start! Then we ordered the daily catch of the day, Swai! It tasted like tilapia and was grilled perfectly. All you have to do is squeeze a lil lemon on it and leave the tartar and cocktail sauce for the tourists! :P The hush puppie couldn't be hurt, the mango jalapeno slaw was excellent, the sweet taterfries dipped in an apple mixture was yummo, and the side crab cake was not overdone with filler and just right. We split that meal and there was more than enough food for the two of us. To make it all just right, I have to shout out to my girl, Sarah, who served us. She made us feel at home, relaxed, and gave us the best service. I will ask for her WHEN we go back. It kicked off a great Memorial Day weekend.
(3)
Buddy Jack E.
I'm a big fan of Sam's. It's a great place to watch the sunset for everyone, and it's also nice for people like me who don't have much experience around oceans. Great atmosphere to just relax with friends and have a nice meal. I'm had quite a bit of their menu. The only thing that fell flat for me was the chicken and waffles. They need to leave that to Roscoe's and stick with the other things they do so well. I can't recommend anything in particular because most everything is of such high quality. I plan on returning to Sam's whenever I find myself in Tampa area.
(4)
Diane P.
My hubby and I found this place about a year ago, now they have a new menu, even better! Love the plantains and the mango slaw! My hubby is retired Army, 23yrs and they happily offer a military discount, thank you! Being seated can be slow, especially if you show up after 4pm on weekends, expect to WAIT! Angel, our favorite server rocks, bends over backwards to make us happy and with a smile and urgency. Love him. Rarely, we have a different server, but they are always sweet too! The hostess is sweet and our compliments to the chefs! One suggestion, have a cocktail waitress perusing around to get us cocktails while we wait. We have waited up to 2 hours one Saturday! Their bar is tiny and the bartenders could use a flame under their feet sometime. I've been a bartender on St Pete beach at a couple of beach bars in my past and know how to move really fast! I'm a RN and still know how to move fast! :^) all that said, we are happy to be repeat customers. And yes, I read the news article, but unless an establishment is infested with German cockroaches, ANY open building with food in Florida is going to have the occasional palmetto, or a couple of flies. Toughen up people. Kids spread more germs on a daily basis but we love them anyway! Am I right? God bless all! Keep up the great service, food, music and atmosphere! Oh, they allow doggies too!
(5)
Richard C.
Ordered crab stuffed mushrooms - the size of a golf ball or larger and delicious! Sweet Potato fries - get the apple butter - Thomas the waiter turned us on to this. Great Sunset view.
(4)
Chelsea J.
My sister and I had a nice lunch here when in Hudson. We sat outside in January looking over the water in the sunshine. You can't ask for much more than that! I had the crab cakes. The dish was listed under appetizers but it was a lot of food. I got 3 crab cakes for $8.95! That price is unheard of in my opinion. The crab cakes were tasty and hearty but to be honest they didn't seem to have a lot of crab in them. Still good though. I had one of my sister's shrimp and it was very good. Prices are reasonable, servers are friendly. You can't beat the setting which is literally on the water. I'd like to come back at night when they have live music!
(4)
Frank N.
We ate inside since it was cold for Florida! But, well worth the stop! I had the Cuban sandwich and their homemade potato chips. I could only eat half the sandwich! Yes, of course I got it to go. We also had the fried pickles and their tasty crab cakes. They give you 3 HUGE crab cakes also! My wife had the salad with gigantic shrimp! I love oxy-morons but these were BIG shrimp! I want to go here when its warmer to sit on their deck overlooking the gulf!
(5)
Teresa R.
I Love Sam's on the Beach in Hudson! They have made some beautiful changes, new tables, dressed it up a bit, and the service and food are better than past experiences! Love their Cheesy, spicy grits and Rum Runners are delish! I had the fish and chips and always great! Brought a friend who was visiting from New York for a Gulf view and we had absolutely no complaints, except their seating protocol has changed and it made it a slightly longer wait for open tables because we had to wait for a certain server to seat us instead of anyone being able to seat us. Just a minor complaint. The ice cream in a made to order waffle cone made up for it! :)
(4)
Shawn J.
Another great lunch here at Sam's. The wife and I shared a cuban and nachos, the kids had fish, and chocolate nachos for dessert. Everything was good, the Blue Moon on tap was very cold. I think the only reason I don't give them 5 stars is the plastic cups they serve the beer in. Besides being environmentally unfriendly, I just think beer should be in a frosted mug or beer glass. Plastic was ok for college or high school parties, but I do not care for plastic cups at a bar/restaurant. It some how cheapens the whole experience for me (I am pathetic, I know).
(4)
Harry D.
After reading some good and some bad reviews about Sam's I have come to the conclusion that either their competition is writing the bad reviews or they are written by people with no taste. For me to hand out five stars you have to earn it! While it is quite the drive from Tampa it's well worth it. This is my third time here and it just gets better and better. Don't expect gourmet food but some of the tastiest bar food I have ever had. Today was some kind of special occasion and they had the parking lot closed off with a live band, as a result they had a special N'Oleans Cajun menu. I wasn't expecting much as I know this isn't a Cajun restaurant and to top it of I had just been disappointed by "The Bayou" restaurant. But I can't help it, if crawfish etoufee is on the menu I have to order it. This has been one of the biggest surprises I have had in years. The crawfish etoufee was downright fantastic! My wife had the chicken jambalaya and she thought it was some of the best she had ever had and we have been to the big easy. Sam's Hudson Beach Bar has it all, great food, great service and a unbelievable view of the Gulf Of Mexico, it's the perfect trifecta. If you love life you'll love this place, however if you're not that bright go ahead and skip it all together. Enjoy!
(5)
Casey H.
I've been in Hudson for a week and visiting Sams for the Sunset was on my list of things to do. The last few days here it was overcast so we'll have to come back another time for that. As far as the food, I'm glad I didn't read all the "not recommended" reviews before I went here. I actually thought my dinner was pretty good. I don't usually order fried things, but got the Grouper basket ($16.95 the market price). It was pretty good. When I ordered it though, I did ask about the sides because I always want to order things that were just made. Most if not all of the sides were previously frozen, bought and not actually made there. With that being said, my food was pretty good and I will most likely come back. My mother in law ordered the fried shrimp basket. They were a pretty good size. Other than at happy hour, they didn't have any drink specials, but since I'm not a drinker it didn't really bother me. Although we didn't see the sunset, we did see a whole group of what looked like dolphins swimming out in the water. Of course we looked like tourists with our cameras and iPhones taking pictures of something the local folk see every day!
(4)
Wendy D.
Love this place! Good food, good service, relaxing atmosphere and wonderful sunsets. What more can ya ask for! Try it you would have to be a stick in the mud to not have a good time.
(5)
Sylvia S.
Great Florida oysters at a great price, the local beer was cold and tasty and the waiter was funny and nice, plus you are right on the gulf, what's not to like!?
(4)
Melissa C.
The setting is beautiful, as it's right on the gulf. It has a fun, family friendly atmosphere and delicious food (pineapple chicken, mac n cheese, fried shrimp basket), but our server had too many tables and we were often waiting for her so it took quite a bit longer than it should have.
(4)
Janene H.
Sam's gets 4 stars rating only because of the gorgeous ocean view, otherwise it would be a solid three star joint. Decor: casual picnic table eatery with a fine line between outdoor and indoor dining. Eating indoors just means sitting behind thick plastic curtains! Ask to sit outside under one of the palm trees. They have a very tall tiki bar area that was closed on our lunchtime visit. The water literally laps right up to the restaurant on this quiet tip of Hudson Beach. Service: although not fancy or proper the service was friendly and quick. Our server had a decent knowledge of the menu and directed to the restaurant's specialities. We were seated on the large outdoor deck overlooking the ocean. Although we were there at lunch I could imagine the beautiful sunsets! Food: Food alone would probably get two stars. Its one of those places you tolerate the food but if the scenery/ambiance wasn't what it was you wouldn't come back. I had the grouper sandwich which had a huge, tasteless piece of fried fish. It tasted like it hadn't any seasoning at all. The calamari was about the same- flavorless (probably why they add the peppers on top). The best item I tasted was the onion rings. They are made in house and are HUGE. The seasoning was nice, they were cooked golden brown and went perfectly with my Ying Ling draft. We learned that on the weekend they have live bands perform. Since we heard the Crab Shack no longer has lives bands we'll probably be back to check out Sam's entertainment.
(4)
DeAnn J.
My mother and I went to Sam's for lunch on Thursday, Nov. 6th. We had the crab cakes and they were delicious! Our waiter, Angel, gave us the best service we have ever had anyplace! Top that off with the beautiful scenery, we will definitely be going back.
(5)
Scott E.
Great place to eat love this place there fried pickles are the best in town never had a bad meal there prolbely been there 50 times
(5)
Nick S.
I've had very mixed experiences at Sam's. On the plus side it's a nice casual outdoor setting on the Gulf, often with live music. On the other hand it's a bit spendy and touristy. The food is mostly pretty good but nothing extraordinary. The only water you can get is bottled which seems a little greedy. Not really the best place for regulars and locals, but will probably remain a popular spot for visitors and those wanting more of a party atmosphere on the Gulf. They were downright rude when I used a Groupon. Parking is $2 except for the very limited area in front.
(2)
R. M.
Just had lunch at Sam's Beech Bar on 1/3/2013. Been there before and as before the food was very good for bar food and our server was very good, but we didn't get her name. We had to ask if the music could be turned down and they were very quick to respond, but only for about five minutes though. The music came back on just a loud as before. We are old farts and hearing can be a problem. We had to eat up and get the heck out of there so we could visit with our friends. It a very cool place to go if you don't need to talk with your guest.
(3)
Matthew H.
The location of this establishment is the best in the area. And as any realtor will tell you -"you can change the house but you can't change the location". This is true of Sam's. The food is sub-par and the staff is not at all accommodating or attentive. They know they have the best location with a steady stream of customers..so they care very little if they retain YOUR business.. I gave it 2 stars strictly because the location is beyond equal in the area..grab a beer.. But for food cross the street and enjoy good food and a family that appreciates your business.
(2)
Cam B.
Love the atmosphere. Ate the grilled chicken sandwich and it was decent. Also tried the Groupie plate and it was all right. Happy overall.
(5)
Lisa B.
My daughter's were in town and wanted seafood so we headed down to Sam's for the first time. Even though it wasn't that late, about 9:45, they were getting ready to close. They staff went out of their way to accommodate us and it was fantastic. The staemed mussels with garlic and wine were delicious and fresh. The steamed clams were great as well. For us the best part were the Pulled Pork Nachos. They were amazing and unique. We will definitely go back again.
(4)
Dan S.
Places like Sam's are all about the vibe. Sure, they have food - and it's a bonus if it's edible - but really, when you come to this kind of waterfront dining place with a laid back vibe and crowds of people enjoying themselves, then it's usually a good experience no matter what. We showed up here on a seemingly-random Sunday afternoon around 2pm, yet there were mobs of people on the outdoor deck and especially in the bar area. A band was playing, people were dancing, every table was full of casual-diners, plenty of cold beer flowing... everybody having a genuinely good time. Food-wise, my blackened grouper sandwich was outstanding, but the price reflected that too. A pitcher of cold beer to help wash it down was just fine -- don't expect an expansive selection of microbrews. A cold Bud is fine given the surroundings. The kids were stoked to get ice cream treats with mom at the separate li'l stand for that, too. Maybe a bit pricey. Maybe the service wasn't too great (again, due to crowds). But just kick back and relax, man. Gaze up at those tiki thatched roofs. Jam out to the supercheeze of the live "band". Sip on yr drink. It's all about the vibes.
(4)
Laura C.
Surprisingly busy for a Wednesday night in the small waterside town of Hudson, Sam's was the place to be for a perfect view of the sunset. The tiki bar and torches lining the deck created a casual, backyard atmosphere to try a touristy mixed drink. I had the Coco Loco, which was missing the souvenir coconut monkey. Pricey for a small, mediocre combo of banana and coconut liquors, I would have been happier with a cold beer. It's located on a small stretch of sand, not exactly a beach, but a nice walk by the water. If you're a souvenir t-shirt collector, there's a large collection waiting for you in the bright colors so common to Florida.
(3)
Robert T.
I've been here when it's packed and when it's not. It's really a fun place to go out for a casual meal that happens to have a great location. It's not expensive and it can be great fun with friends and also a romantic place. Food is very simple and good. Waiters are attentive. Parking is easy and it's also a good place to bring kids. I visit this area often and recently I contacted Sam's through their website to ask about doing a birthday celebration there and they came back to me promptly with a name and contact number. Sam's is what it is, a beach-casual place to enjoy a meal in the outdoors.
(4)
Roy P.
Stopped by Sam's with visiting family from out of town. The seafood was beyond delicious and the ocean view could not of been better. Service was quick enough and more than friendly. Perfect casual lunch on the beach experience. Come as you are.
(4)
Allen M.
My wife and I gave Sam's a try on a Friday night - 30 minutes before sunset. The place was packed, and we were told there was a 30 minute wait for a table. We went to the tiki bar and had 4 margaritas - taking them back to the waiting area, so we wouldn't miss our name... Two hours passed, and we were never seated - the staff and manager were unsympathetic/unapologetic. Of course, I have no review of the food, but the (lack of) service was poor - and we weren't the only people leaving out of frustration. With a babysitter deadline, we resorted to Greek take-out on the way home... Parking in Hudson Beach is pretty bad - two lots are typically full, and the third is for vehicles with boat trailers only...
(1)
Leslie S.
The ONLY reason to go to this place is to sit and enjoy the smell of the water and to look at a sunset. Our server was great, but other tables around us had a server that was not as attentive. They seemed understaffed. The margaritas came in plastic cups...not sure if they actually had any tequila in them. Despite that, we had two, and they did not have any punch. The food was mediocre at best. We ordered calamari which was bland. When served our appetizer calamari, the server was embarrassed to tell us that they were no longer serving plates with their appetizers. No plates? We were generous about it but it was a moment of shame for the server! My husband ordered a burger which was, as he described, probably made from a frozen Costco meat patty. I ordered the fish taco which was a huge filet of fish on a cold tortilla. Extremely uninspiring. The side I got with the taco was rice and black beans - probably the best thing I had. I'm sure there are other unique spots along the water that serve better than cafeteria food!
(2)
Just Me E.
This is a dive bar that happens to be right on the gulf. The views are the best thing about this place. The crab cakes are the second best thing. Everything else aspires to be average.
(2)
Stephen F.
The vibe here is great: calm, relaxing, laid back. Service is likewise laid back, as well as attentive. Prices and quality are both great.
(5)
Ann D.
The sunset view is fantastic, you can see the rainbow colored sky sometimes. Terrific nature as fish jump out of the water, birds dive, and boats passing by. Friendly patrons, great dancing on Fri and Sat with live band, great place to have a drink, it's usually packed those two nights, usually older crowd in their fifties, and no charge for refills on the iced tea.
(4)
Ron O.
Had a very bad experience tonight. They were out of a couple of tourist drinks, the waitress had an attitude, they were so slow we left before we ever got drinks. They were not that busy. Also a turnoff was some local drunks hanging out in front of the entrance. I will not try them again, we found a much better place in Port Richey right on the water
(1)
Ti-lyn B.
Unfortunately not a good first visit. The view of the water is probably why I'm giving 3 stars instead of 2. Only waited about 5-7 min to get a table which was surprising considering the wonderful weather. Another 10 minutes to get greeted by our server and that's when my expectations for giving 5 stars went right into the water. Ordered drinks and calamari. After 20 min (literally) of watching people who sat down after us get drinks and food a different waitress brought our calamari and said "Oh no, where's your drinks?" Let her know we were wondering the same thing... Just then I saw our server carrying our iced tea and beer while serving another table that also appeared annoyed with the wait. At that point we ordered a pitcher so we wouldn't have to rely on our server. The calamari was the best thing we ate and the lime cilantro sauce was awesome - just needed a little more. Buffalo chicken wrap was good and so were the homemade chips. Thought I would try something different but should have passed on the fish tacos. By the time we were served, the black beans and rice were all dried out and nothing on my plate was warm, including the fish. I won't be going back anytime soon but I will consider giving it a second chance and maybe get there a little later to enjoy the live music.
(3)
Candis b. N.
I love going to Sam's on the Beach. We sit on the deck, it is beautiful. Some days are mighty chilly like January 21st 2012. However that did not stop people from sitting outside and enjoying their meals. I take my camera with me every where i go and when We are sitting out at Sams, :D I cannot seem to get enough photos. They are now asking for $2.00 for parking, this is fine with us, we know it takes money to keep our beaches clean. We usually donate $2.00 TO $5.00, we know many do not put anything in, yet they enjoy the beach, the resaurant, etc. I am highly allergic to shellfish, I always inform them, they are understanding of my situation. :D 'Some times we even joke about it, My husband has seen PULP FICTION one too many times, I have told the waitress's to please dont let him get excited and put it in my heart. :D The atmosphere, the ambiance, the attitudes of the staff :D its all good. If you are going on a weekend night when their is very little parking. I suggest you get there early. :D and have fun They are not open on Mondays, unless it has recently changed.
(5)
Lacey S.
I really liked Sam Hudsons! We got some great deals on pitchers and the food was great for a beach bar type joint! We loved our service and we will definitely return!
(4)
Rich C.
Sam's has a little bit of everything. Pretty good food, great atmosphere and a great view and location right on the water. Nice place to take the family or even a date and on the weekends they have live music and this place really gets busy. Parking is a little difficult, try to use the beach parking as you come in and walk over as their private lot is very small. Fun place to go year round with our great weather. Very busy at sunset.
(5)
Barney B.
This is the kind of place to come and spend an entire day drinking beer and looking at the ocean. This is not the kind of place you come to hang with cool people as customers, eat decent food, listen to good music, or feel like you fit in. So my first attempt at writing a review for this place sounded pretentious and elitist - and lord knows when it comes to my yelp record, I am not a snob; i LOVE the dives, I hate martini bars, etc etc. but this place kinda scares me, and I am not sure this second attempt I will sound any less of a prick. but here goes... and as a disclaimer - I grew up here (paroled from Florida in the 90s) - so I am not fully an outsider first, take in the pickup trucks parked on lawns on your drive in (and notice that they have driveways that are empty). then take in the amount of skin you will see at this beach bar, and realize there really isn't a beach here (or anywhere this side of Clearwater) - and the skin is not due to skantily clad hard bodies of your typical Spring Break movie - but of random pieces of skin that fall out of ill-fitting clothes. at one point I needed my glasses to play the Florida game of "Is it a belly ring or is she carrying a hub cap?" and the food....look it's a beach bar, so the "food quality" bar is set pretty low. but the grilled fish was oilier than a Papa John's pizza - and left me wondering if it's deep-fried version wasn't slightly better for the ticker. but I am giving it 3 stars, because frankly it was a place that allowed me to hang out with family, outside, smelling the sea air, watching the sunset - and in a solid state of nothing but strip malls, chain restaurants, and Jesus billboards, you just have to rate a place based on its alternatives.
(3)
Kathleen P.
This was just what I needed. After a long road trip I needed to have some real Florida fun. I could feel my stress melt away at this casual beachfront spot. The gorgeous view immediately lifted my spirits and put me in the party mood. Add some incredibly great service and delicious food- and what more does a girl need? We had Calamari and Steak Egg roll appetizers. For entrees we had to go with the Florida Grouper and it was fresh and fantastic. I have to say that this is one of my favorite spots when I visit the Tampa area.
(5)
Scott R.
This might have been a fun place if we were slurping hurricane drinks or ordering "buckets" of longnecks like half the crowd on this enclosed-deck, picnic-table style beach place. Jet lag left us looking a lot more like the other half of the patronage - namely the geritol generation. Mostly, you're looking at deep fried stuff, burgers, etc. But they do have a fresh fish special. Tonight's was grilled mahi-mahi with a mango chutney, served with your choice of sides: rice and beans (yum), spiced apples, sweet potato fries, slaw, or many other options. We rather enjoyed the mahi-mahi, and there was a nice view, but not nice enough to justify a $50 tab (after tip) for 2 adults, 1 kid, plasticware, paper plates, no appetizers, no alcohol, and no dessert. Acceptable, but not great.
(3)
Shawnn T.
I've been here a half dozen times over the last 2 years and I love it for it's unpretentious feel. Some nights its more happening than others and some times it is full of the Geritol generation, but over all its just right if you wanna show up in a t-shirt and flip-flops and knock back a couple of buckets while enjoying some blackened fish and the salt air. Its about $11 bucks a plate average and can be a nice day or night out.
(3)
Calvin T.
Great place to grab food and catch a sunset
(5)
Andy D.
After two more meals here since my previous review, I think it's time for an update. This is a really nice and beachy place. It was PACKED at 6 on a Saturday night, as expected. We didn't wait, but our table ended up being the last open table before people had to wait. Our service has been awesome the last two visits! Megan and Tom were great and super friendly. I think mediocre service (like my second visit) is the exception, not the rule. I had ordered the mojo pork bowl the third visit and the southern hospitality salad on my most recent one. The mojo bowl was oh so flavorful. So tropical tasting and the pork was so amazing. It was was better than Chipotle! The Southern hospitality salad was also very good. The fired chicken, bacon, and honey mustard dressing gave it an 'unhealthy' flavor, but the HUGE bowl of romaine lettuce, Tomatoes and cucumbers made it filling and (mostly) guilt free. With both service and food amazing 3/4 times, this place deserves to be bumped up a star.
(4)
Ralph S.
The food is ok and the service is ok as well. ..... The view and atmosphere is awesome I only give one star because they don't give you water. ..not even with your meal. ..you have to buy bottled water. ...i would go there more if it wasn't for that
(1)
Juliet W.
So let me start by saying that Courtney was our waitress (WTF AWESOME CHICKA) she was amazing on point attentive and great customer service. Kept us smiling and enjoying a good time while making sure my group was comfortable. She needs a raise I would request her for services every time I entered this place perfect service thanks court!!! Oh wait food was deliciousness to the fullest BBQ pulled pork nachos is a must!!! Shrimp Po'Boy is for the next time !!!! Huge And might I add the scenery simply gorgeous sunset and atmosphere Once again thank you Courtney for making our first time and enjoyable rememberable on its an adventure full of laughs I would do it everyday if she kept serving me (forgot to mention) Tropical Tea!!! Ummm only drink one the second was a doosey!
(5)
Eliza R.
Place is empty and there is a 40 minute wait. The problem I have is the snooty attitude of the waitress. Then after our long wait we found out people called in and she said she caught us kissing at the sunset and said how cute we were. Luv her then she showed us to the table before the server came. Which is Tom...was is phenomenal!
(2)
Kathi C.
Great food, great atmosphere, and awesome staff!! Would recommend the Mac and cheese for kids, and mahi tacos for adults... Blackened grouper good, buffalo shrimp delicious (on spicy side)... Caesar salad delicious!!! Definitely would go again!!
(5)
Kathryn J.
If you want good views of the sun setting, good beer, and music then you found it here at Sam's BEach Bar! The food is kind of a who is the cook. I"ve had good food, and I've had semi blah food. I can't complain about service. Every waitress has been attentive.
(3)
Alex R.
Our first time here, it was busy Friday night. The service was great, food came out very fast. My wife had blackened grouper, I had blackened Mahi mahi my son had wings and kids fish sticks. Everything we had was really good.
(5)
Jeremy L.
A nice place on the water in Hudson. This is a typical beach bar/restaurant. They have a nice seating option for outdoors, or in. The food options are mostly fish. I am not a fan of any seafood so trying to find something on the menu for myself took some time. The service was good. Not great, nothing notable, but not terrible either. The food was good. Not great as well. This was an average place. I didn't find anything notable or different that I am able to include in this review.
(3)
Dave L.
Food and service are fair. Staff is very nice. Charged for water, only serve bottled. Actually couldn't tell the difference between that and my two margaritas. But still worth coming for the atmosphere.
(3)
Annie D.
Love, love, love this little gem. My family and I always bring visitors from out of town to this restaurant. The food never disappoints. If you are lucky enough to go and find a patio table overlooking the water it is so sweet. The only complaint I would have is the music played on the weekends distracts people from the scenery and the delicious food. It is too loud. I have eaten here and watched dolphin play in the water next to the patio. Check this place out!
(5)
Theresa M.
We saw dolphins while we were sitting on the deck. This is a cool place to go to see the sunset! We had the fried pickles and coconut shrimp. They both were very good and pleasing to the tongue! The grilled shrimp salad i had wasn't the greatest. The shrimp in the salad were good! It had a weird taste and im not sure if it was the lettuce or what.
(4)
M C.
I love this place! I moved her on July 1st 2015 and have been to Sam's five times already! Family came down to help with the move and they enjoyed the food, drink, people and atmosphere.
(5)
Mitch L.
See my new pics. The cocktails are still good and the waitresses are very cute and pretty and the sunsets are the best. I had the fried green tomatoes and they were delicious!!!
(5)
Mark S.
Stopped in for a really late lunch!! My brother told me if I am ever in hudson i should stop by, so I did, I had a job in Hudson at the end if the day. Was a great idea. Got right in no waiting. Ordered the blackened Mahi Mahi sandwich, it came pretty quick. Looked good & sure was! The sandwich was worth the stop, the fries were good too! Where I was sitting i had a fantastic view of the Gulf. It was filling also. The atmosphere was good, the waitress did a good job.
(5)
Mona M.
We sat for 45 minutes for a salad and cheeseburger and onion rings. Got cold coffee with mo sweetener and Pepsi instead pf Root Beer . Our Waiter passed us numerous times didn't Even ask us if we needed refills . So we we got up and left never again will We waste a beautiful day at Sams !
(2)
K S.
Pretty good food. Great attentive waiter. We ate Steak tacos and shrimp Cobb salad. Nice healthy lettuce only 5 shrimp ;( but was good. Great view of gulf whether inside or on deck. This place is right on Gulf of Mexico bay Area! Next time we will try fishNchips as we like cod.
(4)
Cher T.
I have been going to Sam's Hudson Beach Bar for a very long time. I've watched the place and the surrounding beach area go through a lot of changes over the years. One thing that has always stayed pretty consistent is that the place is a dive bar and I mean that in the most respectful way possible. It's fun. It's on the beach. It's rickety looking, like a real crab shanty. It's not trying to be anything else. If you can go there with that expectation, you will enjoy your time there. I keep wavering between 3 stars and 4 stars and wish I could make it 3 and a half, but ultimately, yay, I'm a fan. The one thing that bothers me about Sam's more than anything is that they charge you for water. That irritates the hell out of me. You have to buy bottled water there instead of just getting a glass of water with ice like 99.99% of restaurants offer you. I suppose I am a little more touchy about that than most because I don't drink alcohol and I am not a huge fan of soda. I like water. I drink a LOT of it when I have dinner and I think it really sucks that every time I want another "glass" of water, I have to order another bottle of water. Like, water should be the one thing that a person should not have to buy at a beach bar, especially if they are a designated driver ALL the time. Let me have some gosh darn water. Okay, now that THAT is out of my system, I can say that I do enjoy the service, their seafood and the ambiance. The waitstaff is usually very attentive. The food is always served at an appropriate temperature and always tastes fresh. The atmosphere is very calm and peaceful. It's a great place to sit and watch a Tampa Bay sunset. Suggestions include the Gator Bites, the Fried Clams, Hush Puppies, and they make a delicious Fried Green Tomato platter that I highly suggest you order along with the mango jalapeno slaw to put on top of it. Completely delicious. Expect to see people there in various stages of dress, from jeans and nice shirts, to flip flops and swimsuit tops. Also, expect to be lumped outside with smokers if you choose to sit on the deck. Most people are very decent and ask the surrounding tables if they mind if they smoke. If you do, say so, and most will not do so at the table. If you don't speak up and then suddenly, someone is smoking in your face, don't sit there and make faces at them the whole time or complain to the management about it. You've been warned. It's a fun place though, usually some good music cranking out from speakers...kind of noisy because of the bar. You just have to go there with the expectation that it is a BEACH BAR. If you are looking for fine dining, you went to the wrong place.
(4)
Don S.
We have there five times and have good food and great service but the sixth time not so good the food was good the service was terrible we got our food but nothing else.My wife had to get the saucers and silver ware and ice. When we were finished we waited and waited then we had to go to the hostess station and they had To page our waitress. To get our bill She was on break. We will go back BUT will not have the same waitress Other wise I would have given them five stars
(4)
Rob C.
I am only giving them one star because you can't pick no stars!!! To begin, if sitting outside and sweating while you have dinner, this place is for you. The ice in our drinks were melting before they got to us. The menu has market price on everything, so you don't even know what your paying. Our server said the crab legs were 17.95 so my wife got them, when the bill came they were 24.95. We said that we wouldn't have got those cold crab legs if we knew the real price and the (manager) said they couldn't do anything for us. My over cooked, dripping with grease, grouper sandwich, had bones in it. And it was way overpriced!!! We have toyed to goto this place a few times with no luck, to busy. But with this experience I am wondering why? Save your time, money and stomach and don't go here!!!! I will not be back!!!!!
(1)
Robert M.
Raw bar on the coast. Watch sunset. Outdoor dance area with live bands that mostly play old Rock. Separate from restaurant which is also mostly outdoors with good seafood. Always packed. Parking is in the public area to the side.
(5)
Kerri C.
The food was not at all what we expected. It was cold so we didn't eat more than a couple bites. Our service was AWFUL!! She wasn't even concerned with why we barely ate any of our food and didn't offer a box. I'm not sure we'll ever go back. The atmosphere gives it the stars though. For such a cute place I wish the food and service had been better.
(2)
A E.
Mahi mahi tacos were superb. The view is as stunning as you will find just about anywhere on the Gulf Coast. The seating was spacious and clean. The waitress was very apologetic about their soda dispenser being on the fritz and suggested we try their fresh squeezed lemonade.. Great choice! All in all a nice out of the way place.. An oh that view!
(5)
James B.
On vacation in the area and took my 11 year old daughter here for a date. Nice gentle sea breeze near sunset. My daughter loved it! The meal was wonderful! My girl ordered the Sugar Cain Shrimp and it was great. She loved it - and so did I. Very tasty. I had the blackened Grouper and it was fantastic! Big filet, very, very moist. Seasoned very well. I like my Red Potatoes cooked a little more, but even so they were good. Onion straws were very good. I asked for some BBQ sauce to dip them in, good call. Sauce was great. Desert was very good, as well. We had the banana pudding and key lime pie. Pleasantly surprised at how wonderful both were. The pudding was fresh and great. Key lime was thick and had a great crust. Best I've had. Server was wonderful. In fact, we had a few servers pitch in when they saw a plate that needed to be cleared or a drink refilled. Our main server (Christine) was perfect, very attentive to my daughter. Great experience all the way around! Perfect date with my little girl at a great local, fresh seafood restaurant.
(5)
Josh K.
If there's seating available at sunset, do it. And order a fish bowl for your drink. The blackened grouper sandwich is my fav but since discovering this place last year on our first trip, we've eaten there easily 5x, lol. And had to drive away just as many because it was too packed! Not a complaint. Only reason not 5 stars is because the availability. Consider it 4 3/4 stars.
(4)
Jp S.
Fun spot with pretty good food, and pretty good service, RIGHT ON THE BEACH! Had a cool reggae band on Saturday at lunch. I am sensitive to fish that are preserved in sulfites and this place seemed to have very fresh fish. went back a 2nd time, service was still good.
(4)
Cynthia K.
Such a fun, yet relaxing atmosphere. I ate outside, could watch the water. There's a bar with an area for dancing. The good was also really good as was the service. You have to get there at the right time. We got a table right away, but when we were leaving the dinner line fire takes was really long.
(5)
Bonny S.
Well, we like wine with our meal. Horrible Barefoot wine - only choice. And they charge for bottled water. What!! And, don't know what the problem was, but the food made us both ill after about 1 hr from eating. Weird. WE couldn't wait to go there, from the Emeril show, but were disappointed with what I mention here. Service was great!
(3)
Becki T.
Raw Oysters,good beer and beautiful sunsets. It makes their little beach park a worthy destination. I liked the Cuban pork quite a bit, but the Mahi Mahi tacos were a little disappointing.
(3)
Jennifer S.
I am a little confused why there is a "tourist" area on this water front, it's really not an impressive beach at all. I didn't get to watch the sun set so maybe that is the allure. The food was pretty good and the drinks were typical beachy gimmicky drinks that are over priced because they come in a big plastic souvenir cup you will no doubt throw out when you realize you will never use it again. It's not bad, it's just kind of blah.
(3)
Nate B.
Stay for the drinks and view, ignore the food. Gritty clams, cold fries, pre-made tarter.
(2)
Tony O.
I really, really like this place. It is what it is...a simple water front bar, with outstanding sunsets and a healthy diet of Jimmy Buffett playing in the background (and for a very good reason). I've always found the service is always friendly, even when swamped; the beer is always cold and I do like the fish tacos (did I mention the sunsets?). See? Nice and simple... Bring the kids, your family, round up some good friends or go alone, you'll have a great time.
(4)
Cindy O.
Great sunset views from the deck. Hostess was very sweet and accommodating of our parents who needed assistance getting seated. The bartender in the outdoor kiosk has her head up her butt, she's clearly been doing this way too long and is ready for a new career that does not require people skills. Lame beer selection of mostly domestic watery varieties. Our server was pleasant enough but very rushed and was not patient with our high maintenance parents. Drinks were nothing special, not bad either but the ocean view was screaming for a good margarita made with real lime and not cheap mixer. Food was cold and not particularly tasty, but not bad. The quality of the seafood was fresh -hard to say if the main problem was the cold temp or preparation. I'd return for a sunset and maybe bring my own fresh lime juice but would skip the food.
(2)
Valerina P.
Awesome view. Great time w/ great food. Had the peel n eat shrimp for an app, delish! Dinner was fried catfish and fish tacos...#amazballs! Cool laid back vibe w a view to kill. A little slice of paradise in Hudson county.
(4)
Angela S.
Recently moved to the area from So. Cal. and this place is awesome. Perfect sunset spot with spectacular views. Comfortable chairs. Had the blackened Mahi and it was cooked perfect. Grilled veggies with an awesome seasoning. Rice was meh, but I didn't need it anyway. Came with some of the best clam chowder I have ever had. Angel was our waiter and he was great! Offered great suggestions and talked about the history of the place. Nice little tiki bar on the side for while you are waiting on a table. Definately will be going back. There was a management presence and it showed!!
(5)
Marshall M.
Food and atmosphere was fantastic! Service was great with the exception of accommodating our party. We started out with 3 people and 2 more were joining. The server and host would not seat us at a larger table because they were holding those for potentially larger parties. As a server I understand this but it was a Thursday night and by the time our entire party was present the lines had died down no one else was seated. I would have loved to rate this higher but cannot because 5 of us crammed into a 4 person picnic table with a larger one right behind us that was never used.
(3)
Alex P.
Atmosphere: As soon as you walk up, you can tell it will be a good meal. The overall decor is enough to make it feel comfortable and relaxed and there's excellent background music you can jam to! There's a patio with a great view of the gulf. You can look out over the water as you enjoy your food on the deck. Food: I ordered the Calamari basket, which was quite a bargain. At first $13 seemed a bit expensive, but when you see the portions you will understand why the place is packed. As far as the baskets go, you can choose what entree you want, but it comes with fries, a hush puppy, and cole slaw. The Calamari basket specifically had a light batter, which I prefer, mixed with peppers that added more flavor. They had fantastic homemade fries with a little spice that just make them interesting. The thickness is a mix of wedges and fries, which combine with the spices to perfect the thickness and flavor. Service: Great! Our waitress was very attentive, where most places with free refills means you can have two sodas, it was all you can drink. I ended up downing four sodas, and the waitress kept asking if I needed another. Overall: Great food, fair price, excellent view and if you can find a place to park, I would definitely recommend you give them a try.
(5)
Mark H.
What a shit show! Pulled up on Sunday evening around 6PM to check this place out based on some word of mouth reviews, only to find that the place is too big for it's britches. It looks like there are about 10 parking places for this restaurant, which means your only other option is to park in some of the nearby county beach areas, which will cost you money. One thing that really chaps my ass is when a restaurant doesn't have ample parking to match their seating capacity. There were cars lined up outside with people jockeying for position to get the next available spot. I thought two grown ass men were going to duke it out over one in particular. Both claiming they were there first. It was insane. I was on crutches, so I didn't have the physical ability to park down the street and around the corner, nor did I want to. So after viewing what a mad house the place was, we drove over to Mike's Dockside Bar & Grill where parking was plentiful, free and close to the restaurant! Sorry Sam's, but you have better be giving away gold with every meal in order to get a return visit from me.
(1)
Nicole K.
Arrived at about 6:45 pm and was told the wait was 55min. Not a problem. 55min turned into an hour and 45min. When we asked the host what was going on he told us that he never said 55min. Ok whatever. We finally get seated and the table arrangement is horrible. There is a huge bug zapper pole obstructing conversation with the rest of the group. Now onto the food. Fried green tomatoes had no flavor. Really greasy, definitely frozen. The clams were sandy. Fried calamari was so greasy and also flavorless. They ran out of romaine lettuce so my cousins Caesar salad never happened. My fish tacos were decent. The guac was horrible and the mango salsa was congealed and definitely not fresh. My mother got the ribs. Now the ribs had no flavor and were dry. They slapped some bbq sauce on top which tasted good but couldn't save the ribs. Oh well. Everyone else's food was subpar and not even worth mentioning. Overall this was a very disappointing experience given the fact every time my parents come to Florida to visit family they visit this place and love it. The kicker of the whole night was the manager trying to defend this horrible experience and telling me that the customer is NOT always right. He's definitely in the wrong business. It's called the hospitality business. I've been a chef for 10 years in NYC I come across some crazy requests and real pain in the ass customers but in the end it is my job to provide a great experience. It's the whole reason I am in this industry. I want to make people happy. This guy wouldn't last a day in NYC. The sad part is that this place will still be busy even with all the mishaps and terrible service. They have a prime location.
(1)
Robert B.
This is an overly touristy feeling place with a nice view of the water to watch a sunset. I'm not sure why nice views and good food have to be mutually exclusive, but it's definitely the case here. I knew what it would be like before we came here, but it was getting late and we didn't have time to find a place to chill and watch the sunset and another place to eat. The fried green tomatoes were anything but fresh, and I'm 99% sure they came out of the freezer and into the fryer. The batter was wet and congealed on the inside, and the the tomatoes were just green slime with no discernible flavor. For dinner we had the spinach salad with bacon dressing, and the mahi tacos. The salad was actually decent. The dressing wasn't amazing, but the rest of it was passable. The mahi tacos sounded good on the menu since they came with mango salsa, guac, and special sauce. The guac was Taco Bell grade, and the mango salsa wasn't fresh either. The pieces of fish in the taco were really big pieces from gigantic thick fillets, but they didn't work well in the tacos, and the fish had been frozen (a long time). I wouldn't expect to get fresh fish in a place like this, but the mahi could have at least been fresh frozen. The final insult? You have to buy a stupid plastic bottle of water if you want water with your meal. That's just stupid and wasteful. Oh, and draft beer is served in a plastic cup so it immediately gets warm. They serve glass bottles, so it's not a safety issue. Apparently, they just don't want to deal with cleaning the glasses. Don't forget to exit through the gift shop on your way out and buy a t-shirt to remember your crappy meal. Haha...never again.
Takes Reservations : No Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Dinner Parking : Street Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Music : Live Good For Dancing : Yes Alcohol : Full Bar Happy Hour : Yes Best Nights : Fri, Sat, Sun Coat Check : No Smoking : Outdoor Area/ Patio Only Outdoor Seating : Yes Wi-Fi : No Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes Caters : No
Jennifer I.
This place is legit, and the only reason to come to Hudson, in my opinion (can we all agree that "Hudson Beach" really isn't a beach at all?). The service is always super friendly and attentive, and the food is fan-freaking-tastic. I always order some fried pickles, and usually eat the Fried Green Tomato BLT. You may be tempted to order fries (which are delish), but give their mango-jalapeño slaw a try. Either way, it's impossible to leave here disappointed. Oh, and need I mention the views/sunsets?
(5)Ed M.
Good location, good fried food. Ordered the oysters and the ones I had received were old, covered in film, with thick brown liquid under them instead of fresh saltwater. The waitress first exclaimed that they were just shucked, then later admitted they had been shucked earlier. The manager did the same, and both concluded they had been at least shucked "that day" (it was 10pm). No oyster lover would eat them in this condition... I am still queasy from the sight & smell of them.
(2)Carrie W.
Took my mom for Mother's Day lunch. Surprisingly we really didn't have a long wait to be seated. The music and beach atmosphere was upbeat and lots of fun. I had the seafood wrap and sweet potato fries. So fresh and tasty. Mom had oysters on the half shell. She was in heaven. The Sunday's I make it up from Sarasota we are going to make it a tradition to come here for lunch. Our waitress meg was awesome.
(4)Darcy G.
Music every night. Directly on the beach. Food is alright. On Friday, Saturday, and Sunday they have live music and karaoke, too. Can get a bit noisy so if you're not into that, check this place out for lunch. This is located on the small Hudson beach that has its perks. Take a stroll along the water, but don't go in.
(4)Jennifer B.
Great place to go for a water view while you eat. Had the crab cakes and a fruit cup. Angel our server was spot on the whole time. Very informative and quick with answers about the oysters from where they come from and why the prices are higher. Live music while you dine and relax. Would like to go back in the evening time to see a sunset and the ambience.
(5)April W.
Great spot to watch the sunset. I've been coming here for years on my trips to Florida. Service is good although you need to double check the check they seem try to up charge people often. Food is delicious, I recommend the grilled fish sandwich and tacos. Hush puppies are always great. The sweet potato fries with apple butter are a good change of pace. All in all a great low-key pace place to relax and take it all in.
(4)Suzanne V.
Had the Fish n Chips and hubby had Calamari. It was delicious. I am so stuffed. Watching the sunset was nice. It is my bday and they brought me a cup of ice cream to celebrate.
(4)Tracy B.
What a awesome experience this was. We got there on a Tuesday at about 1:30 and it was crowded there was a wait for a table ( about 30 minutes ) while we were waiting we walked along the water and watched boats and fish jumping out of the water so it went fast. There is also a tiki bar. We had a choice of indoor or outdoor seating we went with the outdoor and was very happy with our choice. We ordered coconut shrimp as a appetizer in my 40 something years of life I have never had shrimp that good. My husband had wings with a dry rub I'm not much for wings but they were good. I had a fried chicken wrap it has lettuce, tomato, Swiss cheese, bacon and avocado it was awesome!!! All the staff was friendly and helpful. We will definitely be returning very soon. Worth the wait!!
(5)Victoria L.
WORST SERVICE EVER. WAITRESS WALKED PAST US 5 TIMES. Our first and last time ever going here. The waitress took our drink order and left. 20 minutes later still no waitress! Barely wanted to answer our questions. TERRIBLE SERVICE. I've worked in food industries and I would never treat the people who PAY ME TO FEED THEM the way this woman treated us or lack thereof.
(1)Jessica L.
Of all the places I ate at when I vacationed in Hudson, the blew all the others out of the water. Hudson suffers from a serious lack of food chops but Sam's really holds its own. It's got a great atmosphere - sometimes they feature live bands with a bar area near-by, and have some great specialty drinks (heavy on the rum) I started with some oysters with some lemon, tabasco and horseradish - sooo fresh and succulent. Being that I am from NY, I tried to stay away from dishes that are more common to the north and go for something that is considered more southern - so I went for Shrimp and grits - a dish I had been dying to try. The Shrimp and grits at Sam's was out of this world! Grits were so creamy, shrimp perfectly cooked and the flavors of the dish all perfectly complimented each other. The portion was huge, and filled me up quickly, so I had plenty left-over. Great ambiance, great service, great drinks, and great food!
(5)Greg W.
Can't beat the view! Food was ok, a little pricey. Wait staff was friendly and attentive.
(3)B Y.
I came here with my Dad for breakfast, we had coffee and the redneck rudie. The food was amazing, eating an awesome breakfast on the gulf coast with my Dad, priceless. Apparently they don't serve breakfast here anymore, too bad.
(5)Alayne H.
I discovered Sam's 15 years ago when I briefly lived in Port Richey. It is a great place to go watch the sunset and have a cocktail. Whenever I visit that area, I make a point to stop in. The service has always been great and their prices are reasonable. Have to brag on their stuffed mushrooms. The caps are huge and full of crab and are nothing short of delicious. Their calamari is also very good. I've only had apps here but they do have a full menu. If you are ever in the area, I would recommend stopping in for a specialty cocktail and awesome view of the sunset on the gulf. Oh, and try the stuffed mushrooms!
(4)Kristen W.
We had the chicken and sausage gumbo, ribs and stuffed mushrooms. Food was delish, big potions too! We couldn't even finish one appetizer and one entree together. We also got a fishbowl, strong but still on the sweet side. Great view of the ocean and live music during the day on a Saturday. Playground for kids right across the parking lot, more restaurants too. Also a small beach nearby.
(4)Ben M.
This is an experience of extremes, depending on the time of day you go, which can either be quite nice, or pretty bad. The stars it gets are really for the view and location. If you get there in between lunch and dinner, the view from the deck is about the best in the area. If you get bottles of beer, or order wine, they can't mess that up. But the food is totally mediocre at best. I've come here for years, but most recently I've had the nachos, Caesar salad and grouper Reuben. All bland and nothing special, and overpriced. But overpricing in a waterfront restaurant is to be expected. The chocolate Italian ice is quite nice and refreshing. The bathroom is stinky. The service is okay when they're not busy, but can be very bad when they are busy. And, if you're not running up the bill with liquor, the waitresses are slow and a lot less friendly. They also make mistakes, always in favor of the house. The biggest buzzkillers in going here are the very limited parking when it's busy (impossible at sunsets, which the sunsets are usually spectacular) and the worst thing is the conversation-drowning horrible music they blast at you. The live bands are absolutely horrible, and the quality of the screeching booming sound system is very poor. I don't know how the area residents can stand the noise pollution, in such a pretty setting. The best times to stop in are between 2 and 4 pm, during weekdays in nice weather from September through May. If its overcast or a little raining, then it's quieter, and you can retreat to the covered area, but it usually clears up pretty quickly. If you are deaf, and don't mind circling the parking lot until you find a space to park, then you would enjoy the sunsets. When it's busy, maybe just park in the public parking lot, walk up and get an Italian ice and a soft drink, then enjoy that on the adjacent public park boardwalk as you watch the sun go down.
(3)Candy M.
Dont come here! Service sucked, food sucked. This is nothing but a tourist trap. Enough said.
(1)Victoria N.
5 stars for excellent service, perfectly cooked shrimp (fried and in the seafood wrap), and the nicely updated outside deck. There was a great band on the summer Sunday afternoon we were there, and a merry crowd dancing to the 80s and 90s music. The view is very nice, right on the channel and Gulf. The service was fast and friendly. A great place to eat or while away the afternoon.
(5)Bobbie S.
Great Food, Super Service Excellent Live Music! Awesome Gulf View! Parking on a Sunday is not so good. We had to pay $5.00 & walk a short distances. Wait time was an about a hour & a half. My only issues with the time was I watched 8 tables open the entire time. When I inquired why the empty tables, the hostess told me they never seat all the tables because they wanted to, "pace the tables." She was also a bit rude when I asked. There were only a few places to sit & wait. My husband has back issues & can not stand for lone periods of time. My question why they don't allow folks to sit, get drinks from the bar & enjoy the music until their table is ready. :~(
(4)Jeanna L.
Beautiful view of the water. Very casual outdoor patio seating. There's a nice toddler playground next door but I would only bring kids at lunch or early evening. I've been to Sams many times over the years and I will say this was by far our best visit. The food has never been great... lots if fried / previously frozen stuff that didn't seem fresh. Most menu items are 10-16 so it doesn't really matter if you come for lunch or dinner. This time, I had the blackened Mahi Mahi tacos and they were yummy. The Mango salsa & guacamole they came with were also great. My only complaint was that the yellow rice wasn't cooked properly so I kept getting hard pieces. However the black beans were so good over the rice. I would order this again! The fried pickles appetizer was really tasty. My kids enjoyed the dinosaur chicken nuggets & fries that came in a cute Sams beach bucket w/shovel - great idea!!! My husband enjoyed the Shrimp Po boy.
(4)Foo D.
The view, the food, the staff= incredible! ! I highly recommend the blackened grouper sandwich at sunset!
(5)Christopher S.
A friend of ours told us to try this place so we spent the Saturday creeping north from our house in Dunedin, shopping, then ended up here to chill and eat. I was shocked by the Hudson Beach surroundings as it was small, quaint, and a place to just free your mind. Sam's is a dive! It's the perfect beach joint. They're not pretentious about it at all. I gotta tell you, we went to the hostesss stand and they took us right to a table. The crowd was comfy but not overcrowded. I immediately caught the vibe and went with it. I could imagine this place filled as it was one of three places we saw to eat in Hudson Beach,and the location with THE view was perfect. We order a waverunner with a mixture of different rums and mixes to go with our gator bites. Nice start! Then we ordered the daily catch of the day, Swai! It tasted like tilapia and was grilled perfectly. All you have to do is squeeze a lil lemon on it and leave the tartar and cocktail sauce for the tourists! :P The hush puppie couldn't be hurt, the mango jalapeno slaw was excellent, the sweet taterfries dipped in an apple mixture was yummo, and the side crab cake was not overdone with filler and just right. We split that meal and there was more than enough food for the two of us. To make it all just right, I have to shout out to my girl, Sarah, who served us. She made us feel at home, relaxed, and gave us the best service. I will ask for her WHEN we go back. It kicked off a great Memorial Day weekend.
(3)Buddy Jack E.
I'm a big fan of Sam's. It's a great place to watch the sunset for everyone, and it's also nice for people like me who don't have much experience around oceans. Great atmosphere to just relax with friends and have a nice meal. I'm had quite a bit of their menu. The only thing that fell flat for me was the chicken and waffles. They need to leave that to Roscoe's and stick with the other things they do so well. I can't recommend anything in particular because most everything is of such high quality. I plan on returning to Sam's whenever I find myself in Tampa area.
(4)Diane P.
My hubby and I found this place about a year ago, now they have a new menu, even better! Love the plantains and the mango slaw! My hubby is retired Army, 23yrs and they happily offer a military discount, thank you! Being seated can be slow, especially if you show up after 4pm on weekends, expect to WAIT! Angel, our favorite server rocks, bends over backwards to make us happy and with a smile and urgency. Love him. Rarely, we have a different server, but they are always sweet too! The hostess is sweet and our compliments to the chefs! One suggestion, have a cocktail waitress perusing around to get us cocktails while we wait. We have waited up to 2 hours one Saturday! Their bar is tiny and the bartenders could use a flame under their feet sometime. I've been a bartender on St Pete beach at a couple of beach bars in my past and know how to move really fast! I'm a RN and still know how to move fast! :^) all that said, we are happy to be repeat customers. And yes, I read the news article, but unless an establishment is infested with German cockroaches, ANY open building with food in Florida is going to have the occasional palmetto, or a couple of flies. Toughen up people. Kids spread more germs on a daily basis but we love them anyway! Am I right? God bless all! Keep up the great service, food, music and atmosphere! Oh, they allow doggies too!
(5)Richard C.
Ordered crab stuffed mushrooms - the size of a golf ball or larger and delicious! Sweet Potato fries - get the apple butter - Thomas the waiter turned us on to this. Great Sunset view.
(4)Chelsea J.
My sister and I had a nice lunch here when in Hudson. We sat outside in January looking over the water in the sunshine. You can't ask for much more than that! I had the crab cakes. The dish was listed under appetizers but it was a lot of food. I got 3 crab cakes for $8.95! That price is unheard of in my opinion. The crab cakes were tasty and hearty but to be honest they didn't seem to have a lot of crab in them. Still good though. I had one of my sister's shrimp and it was very good. Prices are reasonable, servers are friendly. You can't beat the setting which is literally on the water. I'd like to come back at night when they have live music!
(4)Frank N.
We ate inside since it was cold for Florida! But, well worth the stop! I had the Cuban sandwich and their homemade potato chips. I could only eat half the sandwich! Yes, of course I got it to go. We also had the fried pickles and their tasty crab cakes. They give you 3 HUGE crab cakes also! My wife had the salad with gigantic shrimp! I love oxy-morons but these were BIG shrimp! I want to go here when its warmer to sit on their deck overlooking the gulf!
(5)Teresa R.
I Love Sam's on the Beach in Hudson! They have made some beautiful changes, new tables, dressed it up a bit, and the service and food are better than past experiences! Love their Cheesy, spicy grits and Rum Runners are delish! I had the fish and chips and always great! Brought a friend who was visiting from New York for a Gulf view and we had absolutely no complaints, except their seating protocol has changed and it made it a slightly longer wait for open tables because we had to wait for a certain server to seat us instead of anyone being able to seat us. Just a minor complaint. The ice cream in a made to order waffle cone made up for it! :)
(4)Shawn J.
Another great lunch here at Sam's. The wife and I shared a cuban and nachos, the kids had fish, and chocolate nachos for dessert. Everything was good, the Blue Moon on tap was very cold. I think the only reason I don't give them 5 stars is the plastic cups they serve the beer in. Besides being environmentally unfriendly, I just think beer should be in a frosted mug or beer glass. Plastic was ok for college or high school parties, but I do not care for plastic cups at a bar/restaurant. It some how cheapens the whole experience for me (I am pathetic, I know).
(4)Harry D.
After reading some good and some bad reviews about Sam's I have come to the conclusion that either their competition is writing the bad reviews or they are written by people with no taste. For me to hand out five stars you have to earn it! While it is quite the drive from Tampa it's well worth it. This is my third time here and it just gets better and better. Don't expect gourmet food but some of the tastiest bar food I have ever had. Today was some kind of special occasion and they had the parking lot closed off with a live band, as a result they had a special N'Oleans Cajun menu. I wasn't expecting much as I know this isn't a Cajun restaurant and to top it of I had just been disappointed by "The Bayou" restaurant. But I can't help it, if crawfish etoufee is on the menu I have to order it. This has been one of the biggest surprises I have had in years. The crawfish etoufee was downright fantastic! My wife had the chicken jambalaya and she thought it was some of the best she had ever had and we have been to the big easy. Sam's Hudson Beach Bar has it all, great food, great service and a unbelievable view of the Gulf Of Mexico, it's the perfect trifecta. If you love life you'll love this place, however if you're not that bright go ahead and skip it all together. Enjoy!
(5)Casey H.
I've been in Hudson for a week and visiting Sams for the Sunset was on my list of things to do. The last few days here it was overcast so we'll have to come back another time for that. As far as the food, I'm glad I didn't read all the "not recommended" reviews before I went here. I actually thought my dinner was pretty good. I don't usually order fried things, but got the Grouper basket ($16.95 the market price). It was pretty good. When I ordered it though, I did ask about the sides because I always want to order things that were just made. Most if not all of the sides were previously frozen, bought and not actually made there. With that being said, my food was pretty good and I will most likely come back. My mother in law ordered the fried shrimp basket. They were a pretty good size. Other than at happy hour, they didn't have any drink specials, but since I'm not a drinker it didn't really bother me. Although we didn't see the sunset, we did see a whole group of what looked like dolphins swimming out in the water. Of course we looked like tourists with our cameras and iPhones taking pictures of something the local folk see every day!
(4)Wendy D.
Love this place! Good food, good service, relaxing atmosphere and wonderful sunsets. What more can ya ask for! Try it you would have to be a stick in the mud to not have a good time.
(5)Sylvia S.
Great Florida oysters at a great price, the local beer was cold and tasty and the waiter was funny and nice, plus you are right on the gulf, what's not to like!?
(4)Melissa C.
The setting is beautiful, as it's right on the gulf. It has a fun, family friendly atmosphere and delicious food (pineapple chicken, mac n cheese, fried shrimp basket), but our server had too many tables and we were often waiting for her so it took quite a bit longer than it should have.
(4)Janene H.
Sam's gets 4 stars rating only because of the gorgeous ocean view, otherwise it would be a solid three star joint. Decor: casual picnic table eatery with a fine line between outdoor and indoor dining. Eating indoors just means sitting behind thick plastic curtains! Ask to sit outside under one of the palm trees. They have a very tall tiki bar area that was closed on our lunchtime visit. The water literally laps right up to the restaurant on this quiet tip of Hudson Beach. Service: although not fancy or proper the service was friendly and quick. Our server had a decent knowledge of the menu and directed to the restaurant's specialities. We were seated on the large outdoor deck overlooking the ocean. Although we were there at lunch I could imagine the beautiful sunsets! Food: Food alone would probably get two stars. Its one of those places you tolerate the food but if the scenery/ambiance wasn't what it was you wouldn't come back. I had the grouper sandwich which had a huge, tasteless piece of fried fish. It tasted like it hadn't any seasoning at all. The calamari was about the same- flavorless (probably why they add the peppers on top). The best item I tasted was the onion rings. They are made in house and are HUGE. The seasoning was nice, they were cooked golden brown and went perfectly with my Ying Ling draft. We learned that on the weekend they have live bands perform. Since we heard the Crab Shack no longer has lives bands we'll probably be back to check out Sam's entertainment.
(4)DeAnn J.
My mother and I went to Sam's for lunch on Thursday, Nov. 6th. We had the crab cakes and they were delicious! Our waiter, Angel, gave us the best service we have ever had anyplace! Top that off with the beautiful scenery, we will definitely be going back.
(5)Scott E.
Great place to eat love this place there fried pickles are the best in town never had a bad meal there prolbely been there 50 times
(5)Nick S.
I've had very mixed experiences at Sam's. On the plus side it's a nice casual outdoor setting on the Gulf, often with live music. On the other hand it's a bit spendy and touristy. The food is mostly pretty good but nothing extraordinary. The only water you can get is bottled which seems a little greedy. Not really the best place for regulars and locals, but will probably remain a popular spot for visitors and those wanting more of a party atmosphere on the Gulf. They were downright rude when I used a Groupon. Parking is $2 except for the very limited area in front.
(2)R. M.
Just had lunch at Sam's Beech Bar on 1/3/2013. Been there before and as before the food was very good for bar food and our server was very good, but we didn't get her name. We had to ask if the music could be turned down and they were very quick to respond, but only for about five minutes though. The music came back on just a loud as before. We are old farts and hearing can be a problem. We had to eat up and get the heck out of there so we could visit with our friends. It a very cool place to go if you don't need to talk with your guest.
(3)Matthew H.
The location of this establishment is the best in the area. And as any realtor will tell you -"you can change the house but you can't change the location". This is true of Sam's. The food is sub-par and the staff is not at all accommodating or attentive. They know they have the best location with a steady stream of customers..so they care very little if they retain YOUR business.. I gave it 2 stars strictly because the location is beyond equal in the area..grab a beer.. But for food cross the street and enjoy good food and a family that appreciates your business.
(2)Cam B.
Love the atmosphere. Ate the grilled chicken sandwich and it was decent. Also tried the Groupie plate and it was all right. Happy overall.
(5)Lisa B.
My daughter's were in town and wanted seafood so we headed down to Sam's for the first time. Even though it wasn't that late, about 9:45, they were getting ready to close. They staff went out of their way to accommodate us and it was fantastic. The staemed mussels with garlic and wine were delicious and fresh. The steamed clams were great as well. For us the best part were the Pulled Pork Nachos. They were amazing and unique. We will definitely go back again.
(4)Dan S.
Places like Sam's are all about the vibe. Sure, they have food - and it's a bonus if it's edible - but really, when you come to this kind of waterfront dining place with a laid back vibe and crowds of people enjoying themselves, then it's usually a good experience no matter what. We showed up here on a seemingly-random Sunday afternoon around 2pm, yet there were mobs of people on the outdoor deck and especially in the bar area. A band was playing, people were dancing, every table was full of casual-diners, plenty of cold beer flowing... everybody having a genuinely good time. Food-wise, my blackened grouper sandwich was outstanding, but the price reflected that too. A pitcher of cold beer to help wash it down was just fine -- don't expect an expansive selection of microbrews. A cold Bud is fine given the surroundings. The kids were stoked to get ice cream treats with mom at the separate li'l stand for that, too. Maybe a bit pricey. Maybe the service wasn't too great (again, due to crowds). But just kick back and relax, man. Gaze up at those tiki thatched roofs. Jam out to the supercheeze of the live "band". Sip on yr drink. It's all about the vibes.
(4)Laura C.
Surprisingly busy for a Wednesday night in the small waterside town of Hudson, Sam's was the place to be for a perfect view of the sunset. The tiki bar and torches lining the deck created a casual, backyard atmosphere to try a touristy mixed drink. I had the Coco Loco, which was missing the souvenir coconut monkey. Pricey for a small, mediocre combo of banana and coconut liquors, I would have been happier with a cold beer. It's located on a small stretch of sand, not exactly a beach, but a nice walk by the water. If you're a souvenir t-shirt collector, there's a large collection waiting for you in the bright colors so common to Florida.
(3)Robert T.
I've been here when it's packed and when it's not. It's really a fun place to go out for a casual meal that happens to have a great location. It's not expensive and it can be great fun with friends and also a romantic place. Food is very simple and good. Waiters are attentive. Parking is easy and it's also a good place to bring kids. I visit this area often and recently I contacted Sam's through their website to ask about doing a birthday celebration there and they came back to me promptly with a name and contact number. Sam's is what it is, a beach-casual place to enjoy a meal in the outdoors.
(4)Roy P.
Stopped by Sam's with visiting family from out of town. The seafood was beyond delicious and the ocean view could not of been better. Service was quick enough and more than friendly. Perfect casual lunch on the beach experience. Come as you are.
(4)Allen M.
My wife and I gave Sam's a try on a Friday night - 30 minutes before sunset. The place was packed, and we were told there was a 30 minute wait for a table. We went to the tiki bar and had 4 margaritas - taking them back to the waiting area, so we wouldn't miss our name... Two hours passed, and we were never seated - the staff and manager were unsympathetic/unapologetic. Of course, I have no review of the food, but the (lack of) service was poor - and we weren't the only people leaving out of frustration. With a babysitter deadline, we resorted to Greek take-out on the way home... Parking in Hudson Beach is pretty bad - two lots are typically full, and the third is for vehicles with boat trailers only...
(1)Leslie S.
The ONLY reason to go to this place is to sit and enjoy the smell of the water and to look at a sunset. Our server was great, but other tables around us had a server that was not as attentive. They seemed understaffed. The margaritas came in plastic cups...not sure if they actually had any tequila in them. Despite that, we had two, and they did not have any punch. The food was mediocre at best. We ordered calamari which was bland. When served our appetizer calamari, the server was embarrassed to tell us that they were no longer serving plates with their appetizers. No plates? We were generous about it but it was a moment of shame for the server! My husband ordered a burger which was, as he described, probably made from a frozen Costco meat patty. I ordered the fish taco which was a huge filet of fish on a cold tortilla. Extremely uninspiring. The side I got with the taco was rice and black beans - probably the best thing I had. I'm sure there are other unique spots along the water that serve better than cafeteria food!
(2)Just Me E.
This is a dive bar that happens to be right on the gulf. The views are the best thing about this place. The crab cakes are the second best thing. Everything else aspires to be average.
(2)Stephen F.
The vibe here is great: calm, relaxing, laid back. Service is likewise laid back, as well as attentive. Prices and quality are both great.
(5)Ann D.
The sunset view is fantastic, you can see the rainbow colored sky sometimes. Terrific nature as fish jump out of the water, birds dive, and boats passing by. Friendly patrons, great dancing on Fri and Sat with live band, great place to have a drink, it's usually packed those two nights, usually older crowd in their fifties, and no charge for refills on the iced tea.
(4)Ron O.
Had a very bad experience tonight. They were out of a couple of tourist drinks, the waitress had an attitude, they were so slow we left before we ever got drinks. They were not that busy. Also a turnoff was some local drunks hanging out in front of the entrance. I will not try them again, we found a much better place in Port Richey right on the water
(1)Ti-lyn B.
Unfortunately not a good first visit. The view of the water is probably why I'm giving 3 stars instead of 2. Only waited about 5-7 min to get a table which was surprising considering the wonderful weather. Another 10 minutes to get greeted by our server and that's when my expectations for giving 5 stars went right into the water. Ordered drinks and calamari. After 20 min (literally) of watching people who sat down after us get drinks and food a different waitress brought our calamari and said "Oh no, where's your drinks?" Let her know we were wondering the same thing... Just then I saw our server carrying our iced tea and beer while serving another table that also appeared annoyed with the wait. At that point we ordered a pitcher so we wouldn't have to rely on our server. The calamari was the best thing we ate and the lime cilantro sauce was awesome - just needed a little more. Buffalo chicken wrap was good and so were the homemade chips. Thought I would try something different but should have passed on the fish tacos. By the time we were served, the black beans and rice were all dried out and nothing on my plate was warm, including the fish. I won't be going back anytime soon but I will consider giving it a second chance and maybe get there a little later to enjoy the live music.
(3)Candis b. N.
I love going to Sam's on the Beach. We sit on the deck, it is beautiful. Some days are mighty chilly like January 21st 2012. However that did not stop people from sitting outside and enjoying their meals. I take my camera with me every where i go and when We are sitting out at Sams, :D I cannot seem to get enough photos. They are now asking for $2.00 for parking, this is fine with us, we know it takes money to keep our beaches clean. We usually donate $2.00 TO $5.00, we know many do not put anything in, yet they enjoy the beach, the resaurant, etc. I am highly allergic to shellfish, I always inform them, they are understanding of my situation. :D 'Some times we even joke about it, My husband has seen PULP FICTION one too many times, I have told the waitress's to please dont let him get excited and put it in my heart. :D The atmosphere, the ambiance, the attitudes of the staff :D its all good. If you are going on a weekend night when their is very little parking. I suggest you get there early. :D and have fun They are not open on Mondays, unless it has recently changed.
(5)Lacey S.
I really liked Sam Hudsons! We got some great deals on pitchers and the food was great for a beach bar type joint! We loved our service and we will definitely return!
(4)Rich C.
Sam's has a little bit of everything. Pretty good food, great atmosphere and a great view and location right on the water. Nice place to take the family or even a date and on the weekends they have live music and this place really gets busy. Parking is a little difficult, try to use the beach parking as you come in and walk over as their private lot is very small. Fun place to go year round with our great weather. Very busy at sunset.
(5)Barney B.
This is the kind of place to come and spend an entire day drinking beer and looking at the ocean. This is not the kind of place you come to hang with cool people as customers, eat decent food, listen to good music, or feel like you fit in. So my first attempt at writing a review for this place sounded pretentious and elitist - and lord knows when it comes to my yelp record, I am not a snob; i LOVE the dives, I hate martini bars, etc etc. but this place kinda scares me, and I am not sure this second attempt I will sound any less of a prick. but here goes... and as a disclaimer - I grew up here (paroled from Florida in the 90s) - so I am not fully an outsider first, take in the pickup trucks parked on lawns on your drive in (and notice that they have driveways that are empty). then take in the amount of skin you will see at this beach bar, and realize there really isn't a beach here (or anywhere this side of Clearwater) - and the skin is not due to skantily clad hard bodies of your typical Spring Break movie - but of random pieces of skin that fall out of ill-fitting clothes. at one point I needed my glasses to play the Florida game of "Is it a belly ring or is she carrying a hub cap?" and the food....look it's a beach bar, so the "food quality" bar is set pretty low. but the grilled fish was oilier than a Papa John's pizza - and left me wondering if it's deep-fried version wasn't slightly better for the ticker. but I am giving it 3 stars, because frankly it was a place that allowed me to hang out with family, outside, smelling the sea air, watching the sunset - and in a solid state of nothing but strip malls, chain restaurants, and Jesus billboards, you just have to rate a place based on its alternatives.
(3)Kathleen P.
This was just what I needed. After a long road trip I needed to have some real Florida fun. I could feel my stress melt away at this casual beachfront spot. The gorgeous view immediately lifted my spirits and put me in the party mood. Add some incredibly great service and delicious food- and what more does a girl need? We had Calamari and Steak Egg roll appetizers. For entrees we had to go with the Florida Grouper and it was fresh and fantastic. I have to say that this is one of my favorite spots when I visit the Tampa area.
(5)Scott R.
This might have been a fun place if we were slurping hurricane drinks or ordering "buckets" of longnecks like half the crowd on this enclosed-deck, picnic-table style beach place. Jet lag left us looking a lot more like the other half of the patronage - namely the geritol generation. Mostly, you're looking at deep fried stuff, burgers, etc. But they do have a fresh fish special. Tonight's was grilled mahi-mahi with a mango chutney, served with your choice of sides: rice and beans (yum), spiced apples, sweet potato fries, slaw, or many other options. We rather enjoyed the mahi-mahi, and there was a nice view, but not nice enough to justify a $50 tab (after tip) for 2 adults, 1 kid, plasticware, paper plates, no appetizers, no alcohol, and no dessert. Acceptable, but not great.
(3)Shawnn T.
I've been here a half dozen times over the last 2 years and I love it for it's unpretentious feel. Some nights its more happening than others and some times it is full of the Geritol generation, but over all its just right if you wanna show up in a t-shirt and flip-flops and knock back a couple of buckets while enjoying some blackened fish and the salt air. Its about $11 bucks a plate average and can be a nice day or night out.
(3)Calvin T.
Great place to grab food and catch a sunset
(5)Andy D.
After two more meals here since my previous review, I think it's time for an update. This is a really nice and beachy place. It was PACKED at 6 on a Saturday night, as expected. We didn't wait, but our table ended up being the last open table before people had to wait. Our service has been awesome the last two visits! Megan and Tom were great and super friendly. I think mediocre service (like my second visit) is the exception, not the rule. I had ordered the mojo pork bowl the third visit and the southern hospitality salad on my most recent one. The mojo bowl was oh so flavorful. So tropical tasting and the pork was so amazing. It was was better than Chipotle! The Southern hospitality salad was also very good. The fired chicken, bacon, and honey mustard dressing gave it an 'unhealthy' flavor, but the HUGE bowl of romaine lettuce, Tomatoes and cucumbers made it filling and (mostly) guilt free. With both service and food amazing 3/4 times, this place deserves to be bumped up a star.
(4)Ralph S.
The food is ok and the service is ok as well. ..... The view and atmosphere is awesome I only give one star because they don't give you water. ..not even with your meal. ..you have to buy bottled water. ...i would go there more if it wasn't for that
(1)Juliet W.
So let me start by saying that Courtney was our waitress (WTF AWESOME CHICKA) she was amazing on point attentive and great customer service. Kept us smiling and enjoying a good time while making sure my group was comfortable. She needs a raise I would request her for services every time I entered this place perfect service thanks court!!! Oh wait food was deliciousness to the fullest BBQ pulled pork nachos is a must!!! Shrimp Po'Boy is for the next time !!!! Huge And might I add the scenery simply gorgeous sunset and atmosphere Once again thank you Courtney for making our first time and enjoyable rememberable on its an adventure full of laughs I would do it everyday if she kept serving me (forgot to mention) Tropical Tea!!! Ummm only drink one the second was a doosey!
(5)Eliza R.
Place is empty and there is a 40 minute wait. The problem I have is the snooty attitude of the waitress. Then after our long wait we found out people called in and she said she caught us kissing at the sunset and said how cute we were. Luv her then she showed us to the table before the server came. Which is Tom...was is phenomenal!
(2)Kathi C.
Great food, great atmosphere, and awesome staff!! Would recommend the Mac and cheese for kids, and mahi tacos for adults... Blackened grouper good, buffalo shrimp delicious (on spicy side)... Caesar salad delicious!!! Definitely would go again!!
(5)Kathryn J.
If you want good views of the sun setting, good beer, and music then you found it here at Sam's BEach Bar! The food is kind of a who is the cook. I"ve had good food, and I've had semi blah food. I can't complain about service. Every waitress has been attentive.
(3)Alex R.
Our first time here, it was busy Friday night. The service was great, food came out very fast. My wife had blackened grouper, I had blackened Mahi mahi my son had wings and kids fish sticks. Everything we had was really good.
(5)Jeremy L.
A nice place on the water in Hudson. This is a typical beach bar/restaurant. They have a nice seating option for outdoors, or in. The food options are mostly fish. I am not a fan of any seafood so trying to find something on the menu for myself took some time. The service was good. Not great, nothing notable, but not terrible either. The food was good. Not great as well. This was an average place. I didn't find anything notable or different that I am able to include in this review.
(3)Dave L.
Food and service are fair. Staff is very nice. Charged for water, only serve bottled. Actually couldn't tell the difference between that and my two margaritas. But still worth coming for the atmosphere.
(3)Annie D.
Love, love, love this little gem. My family and I always bring visitors from out of town to this restaurant. The food never disappoints. If you are lucky enough to go and find a patio table overlooking the water it is so sweet. The only complaint I would have is the music played on the weekends distracts people from the scenery and the delicious food. It is too loud. I have eaten here and watched dolphin play in the water next to the patio. Check this place out!
(5)Theresa M.
We saw dolphins while we were sitting on the deck. This is a cool place to go to see the sunset! We had the fried pickles and coconut shrimp. They both were very good and pleasing to the tongue! The grilled shrimp salad i had wasn't the greatest. The shrimp in the salad were good! It had a weird taste and im not sure if it was the lettuce or what.
(4)M C.
I love this place! I moved her on July 1st 2015 and have been to Sam's five times already! Family came down to help with the move and they enjoyed the food, drink, people and atmosphere.
(5)Mitch L.
See my new pics. The cocktails are still good and the waitresses are very cute and pretty and the sunsets are the best. I had the fried green tomatoes and they were delicious!!!
(5)Mark S.
Stopped in for a really late lunch!! My brother told me if I am ever in hudson i should stop by, so I did, I had a job in Hudson at the end if the day. Was a great idea. Got right in no waiting. Ordered the blackened Mahi Mahi sandwich, it came pretty quick. Looked good & sure was! The sandwich was worth the stop, the fries were good too! Where I was sitting i had a fantastic view of the Gulf. It was filling also. The atmosphere was good, the waitress did a good job.
(5)Mona M.
We sat for 45 minutes for a salad and cheeseburger and onion rings. Got cold coffee with mo sweetener and Pepsi instead pf Root Beer . Our Waiter passed us numerous times didn't Even ask us if we needed refills . So we we got up and left never again will We waste a beautiful day at Sams !
(2)K S.
Pretty good food. Great attentive waiter. We ate Steak tacos and shrimp Cobb salad. Nice healthy lettuce only 5 shrimp ;( but was good. Great view of gulf whether inside or on deck. This place is right on Gulf of Mexico bay Area! Next time we will try fishNchips as we like cod.
(4)Cher T.
I have been going to Sam's Hudson Beach Bar for a very long time. I've watched the place and the surrounding beach area go through a lot of changes over the years. One thing that has always stayed pretty consistent is that the place is a dive bar and I mean that in the most respectful way possible. It's fun. It's on the beach. It's rickety looking, like a real crab shanty. It's not trying to be anything else. If you can go there with that expectation, you will enjoy your time there. I keep wavering between 3 stars and 4 stars and wish I could make it 3 and a half, but ultimately, yay, I'm a fan. The one thing that bothers me about Sam's more than anything is that they charge you for water. That irritates the hell out of me. You have to buy bottled water there instead of just getting a glass of water with ice like 99.99% of restaurants offer you. I suppose I am a little more touchy about that than most because I don't drink alcohol and I am not a huge fan of soda. I like water. I drink a LOT of it when I have dinner and I think it really sucks that every time I want another "glass" of water, I have to order another bottle of water. Like, water should be the one thing that a person should not have to buy at a beach bar, especially if they are a designated driver ALL the time. Let me have some gosh darn water. Okay, now that THAT is out of my system, I can say that I do enjoy the service, their seafood and the ambiance. The waitstaff is usually very attentive. The food is always served at an appropriate temperature and always tastes fresh. The atmosphere is very calm and peaceful. It's a great place to sit and watch a Tampa Bay sunset. Suggestions include the Gator Bites, the Fried Clams, Hush Puppies, and they make a delicious Fried Green Tomato platter that I highly suggest you order along with the mango jalapeno slaw to put on top of it. Completely delicious. Expect to see people there in various stages of dress, from jeans and nice shirts, to flip flops and swimsuit tops. Also, expect to be lumped outside with smokers if you choose to sit on the deck. Most people are very decent and ask the surrounding tables if they mind if they smoke. If you do, say so, and most will not do so at the table. If you don't speak up and then suddenly, someone is smoking in your face, don't sit there and make faces at them the whole time or complain to the management about it. You've been warned. It's a fun place though, usually some good music cranking out from speakers...kind of noisy because of the bar. You just have to go there with the expectation that it is a BEACH BAR. If you are looking for fine dining, you went to the wrong place.
(4)Don S.
We have there five times and have good food and great service but the sixth time not so good the food was good the service was terrible we got our food but nothing else.My wife had to get the saucers and silver ware and ice. When we were finished we waited and waited then we had to go to the hostess station and they had To page our waitress. To get our bill She was on break. We will go back BUT will not have the same waitress Other wise I would have given them five stars
(4)Rob C.
I am only giving them one star because you can't pick no stars!!! To begin, if sitting outside and sweating while you have dinner, this place is for you. The ice in our drinks were melting before they got to us. The menu has market price on everything, so you don't even know what your paying. Our server said the crab legs were 17.95 so my wife got them, when the bill came they were 24.95. We said that we wouldn't have got those cold crab legs if we knew the real price and the (manager) said they couldn't do anything for us. My over cooked, dripping with grease, grouper sandwich, had bones in it. And it was way overpriced!!! We have toyed to goto this place a few times with no luck, to busy. But with this experience I am wondering why? Save your time, money and stomach and don't go here!!!! I will not be back!!!!!
(1)Robert M.
Raw bar on the coast. Watch sunset. Outdoor dance area with live bands that mostly play old Rock. Separate from restaurant which is also mostly outdoors with good seafood. Always packed. Parking is in the public area to the side.
(5)Kerri C.
The food was not at all what we expected. It was cold so we didn't eat more than a couple bites. Our service was AWFUL!! She wasn't even concerned with why we barely ate any of our food and didn't offer a box. I'm not sure we'll ever go back. The atmosphere gives it the stars though. For such a cute place I wish the food and service had been better.
(2)A E.
Mahi mahi tacos were superb. The view is as stunning as you will find just about anywhere on the Gulf Coast. The seating was spacious and clean. The waitress was very apologetic about their soda dispenser being on the fritz and suggested we try their fresh squeezed lemonade.. Great choice! All in all a nice out of the way place.. An oh that view!
(5)James B.
On vacation in the area and took my 11 year old daughter here for a date. Nice gentle sea breeze near sunset. My daughter loved it! The meal was wonderful! My girl ordered the Sugar Cain Shrimp and it was great. She loved it - and so did I. Very tasty. I had the blackened Grouper and it was fantastic! Big filet, very, very moist. Seasoned very well. I like my Red Potatoes cooked a little more, but even so they were good. Onion straws were very good. I asked for some BBQ sauce to dip them in, good call. Sauce was great. Desert was very good, as well. We had the banana pudding and key lime pie. Pleasantly surprised at how wonderful both were. The pudding was fresh and great. Key lime was thick and had a great crust. Best I've had. Server was wonderful. In fact, we had a few servers pitch in when they saw a plate that needed to be cleared or a drink refilled. Our main server (Christine) was perfect, very attentive to my daughter. Great experience all the way around! Perfect date with my little girl at a great local, fresh seafood restaurant.
(5)Josh K.
If there's seating available at sunset, do it. And order a fish bowl for your drink. The blackened grouper sandwich is my fav but since discovering this place last year on our first trip, we've eaten there easily 5x, lol. And had to drive away just as many because it was too packed! Not a complaint. Only reason not 5 stars is because the availability. Consider it 4 3/4 stars.
(4)Jp S.
Fun spot with pretty good food, and pretty good service, RIGHT ON THE BEACH! Had a cool reggae band on Saturday at lunch. I am sensitive to fish that are preserved in sulfites and this place seemed to have very fresh fish. went back a 2nd time, service was still good.
(4)Cynthia K.
Such a fun, yet relaxing atmosphere. I ate outside, could watch the water. There's a bar with an area for dancing. The good was also really good as was the service. You have to get there at the right time. We got a table right away, but when we were leaving the dinner line fire takes was really long.
(5)Bonny S.
Well, we like wine with our meal. Horrible Barefoot wine - only choice. And they charge for bottled water. What!! And, don't know what the problem was, but the food made us both ill after about 1 hr from eating. Weird. WE couldn't wait to go there, from the Emeril show, but were disappointed with what I mention here. Service was great!
(3)Becki T.
Raw Oysters,good beer and beautiful sunsets. It makes their little beach park a worthy destination. I liked the Cuban pork quite a bit, but the Mahi Mahi tacos were a little disappointing.
(3)Jennifer S.
I am a little confused why there is a "tourist" area on this water front, it's really not an impressive beach at all. I didn't get to watch the sun set so maybe that is the allure. The food was pretty good and the drinks were typical beachy gimmicky drinks that are over priced because they come in a big plastic souvenir cup you will no doubt throw out when you realize you will never use it again. It's not bad, it's just kind of blah.
(3)Nate B.
Stay for the drinks and view, ignore the food. Gritty clams, cold fries, pre-made tarter.
(2)Tony O.
I really, really like this place. It is what it is...a simple water front bar, with outstanding sunsets and a healthy diet of Jimmy Buffett playing in the background (and for a very good reason). I've always found the service is always friendly, even when swamped; the beer is always cold and I do like the fish tacos (did I mention the sunsets?). See? Nice and simple... Bring the kids, your family, round up some good friends or go alone, you'll have a great time.
(4)Cindy O.
Great sunset views from the deck. Hostess was very sweet and accommodating of our parents who needed assistance getting seated. The bartender in the outdoor kiosk has her head up her butt, she's clearly been doing this way too long and is ready for a new career that does not require people skills. Lame beer selection of mostly domestic watery varieties. Our server was pleasant enough but very rushed and was not patient with our high maintenance parents. Drinks were nothing special, not bad either but the ocean view was screaming for a good margarita made with real lime and not cheap mixer. Food was cold and not particularly tasty, but not bad. The quality of the seafood was fresh -hard to say if the main problem was the cold temp or preparation. I'd return for a sunset and maybe bring my own fresh lime juice but would skip the food.
(2)Valerina P.
Awesome view. Great time w/ great food. Had the peel n eat shrimp for an app, delish! Dinner was fried catfish and fish tacos...#amazballs! Cool laid back vibe w a view to kill. A little slice of paradise in Hudson county.
(4)Angela S.
Recently moved to the area from So. Cal. and this place is awesome. Perfect sunset spot with spectacular views. Comfortable chairs. Had the blackened Mahi and it was cooked perfect. Grilled veggies with an awesome seasoning. Rice was meh, but I didn't need it anyway. Came with some of the best clam chowder I have ever had. Angel was our waiter and he was great! Offered great suggestions and talked about the history of the place. Nice little tiki bar on the side for while you are waiting on a table. Definately will be going back. There was a management presence and it showed!!
(5)Marshall M.
Food and atmosphere was fantastic! Service was great with the exception of accommodating our party. We started out with 3 people and 2 more were joining. The server and host would not seat us at a larger table because they were holding those for potentially larger parties. As a server I understand this but it was a Thursday night and by the time our entire party was present the lines had died down no one else was seated. I would have loved to rate this higher but cannot because 5 of us crammed into a 4 person picnic table with a larger one right behind us that was never used.
(3)Alex P.
Atmosphere: As soon as you walk up, you can tell it will be a good meal. The overall decor is enough to make it feel comfortable and relaxed and there's excellent background music you can jam to! There's a patio with a great view of the gulf. You can look out over the water as you enjoy your food on the deck. Food: I ordered the Calamari basket, which was quite a bargain. At first $13 seemed a bit expensive, but when you see the portions you will understand why the place is packed. As far as the baskets go, you can choose what entree you want, but it comes with fries, a hush puppy, and cole slaw. The Calamari basket specifically had a light batter, which I prefer, mixed with peppers that added more flavor. They had fantastic homemade fries with a little spice that just make them interesting. The thickness is a mix of wedges and fries, which combine with the spices to perfect the thickness and flavor. Service: Great! Our waitress was very attentive, where most places with free refills means you can have two sodas, it was all you can drink. I ended up downing four sodas, and the waitress kept asking if I needed another. Overall: Great food, fair price, excellent view and if you can find a place to park, I would definitely recommend you give them a try.
(5)Mark H.
What a shit show! Pulled up on Sunday evening around 6PM to check this place out based on some word of mouth reviews, only to find that the place is too big for it's britches. It looks like there are about 10 parking places for this restaurant, which means your only other option is to park in some of the nearby county beach areas, which will cost you money. One thing that really chaps my ass is when a restaurant doesn't have ample parking to match their seating capacity. There were cars lined up outside with people jockeying for position to get the next available spot. I thought two grown ass men were going to duke it out over one in particular. Both claiming they were there first. It was insane. I was on crutches, so I didn't have the physical ability to park down the street and around the corner, nor did I want to. So after viewing what a mad house the place was, we drove over to Mike's Dockside Bar & Grill where parking was plentiful, free and close to the restaurant! Sorry Sam's, but you have better be giving away gold with every meal in order to get a return visit from me.
(1)Nicole K.
Arrived at about 6:45 pm and was told the wait was 55min. Not a problem. 55min turned into an hour and 45min. When we asked the host what was going on he told us that he never said 55min. Ok whatever. We finally get seated and the table arrangement is horrible. There is a huge bug zapper pole obstructing conversation with the rest of the group. Now onto the food. Fried green tomatoes had no flavor. Really greasy, definitely frozen. The clams were sandy. Fried calamari was so greasy and also flavorless. They ran out of romaine lettuce so my cousins Caesar salad never happened. My fish tacos were decent. The guac was horrible and the mango salsa was congealed and definitely not fresh. My mother got the ribs. Now the ribs had no flavor and were dry. They slapped some bbq sauce on top which tasted good but couldn't save the ribs. Oh well. Everyone else's food was subpar and not even worth mentioning. Overall this was a very disappointing experience given the fact every time my parents come to Florida to visit family they visit this place and love it. The kicker of the whole night was the manager trying to defend this horrible experience and telling me that the customer is NOT always right. He's definitely in the wrong business. It's called the hospitality business. I've been a chef for 10 years in NYC I come across some crazy requests and real pain in the ass customers but in the end it is my job to provide a great experience. It's the whole reason I am in this industry. I want to make people happy. This guy wouldn't last a day in NYC. The sad part is that this place will still be busy even with all the mishaps and terrible service. They have a prime location.
(1)Robert B.
This is an overly touristy feeling place with a nice view of the water to watch a sunset. I'm not sure why nice views and good food have to be mutually exclusive, but it's definitely the case here. I knew what it would be like before we came here, but it was getting late and we didn't have time to find a place to chill and watch the sunset and another place to eat. The fried green tomatoes were anything but fresh, and I'm 99% sure they came out of the freezer and into the fryer. The batter was wet and congealed on the inside, and the the tomatoes were just green slime with no discernible flavor. For dinner we had the spinach salad with bacon dressing, and the mahi tacos. The salad was actually decent. The dressing wasn't amazing, but the rest of it was passable. The mahi tacos sounded good on the menu since they came with mango salsa, guac, and special sauce. The guac was Taco Bell grade, and the mango salsa wasn't fresh either. The pieces of fish in the taco were really big pieces from gigantic thick fillets, but they didn't work well in the tacos, and the fish had been frozen (a long time). I wouldn't expect to get fresh fish in a place like this, but the mahi could have at least been fresh frozen. The final insult? You have to buy a stupid plastic bottle of water if you want water with your meal. That's just stupid and wasteful. Oh, and draft beer is served in a plastic cup so it immediately gets warm. They serve glass bottles, so it's not a safety issue. Apparently, they just don't want to deal with cleaning the glasses. Don't forget to exit through the gift shop on your way out and buy a t-shirt to remember your crappy meal. Haha...never again.
(2)