"Casual" seafood is a good word to describe Joe Fish, but I believe that "mediocre" would be a better word. We purchased a Groupon-esque deal to check this place out, and while the service is top-notch the food left a lot to be desired. Joe Fish looks pretty nice from the outside. It's tucked away in a strip mall and has a nice little outdoor seating area. Since it was pretty chilly out we headed inside, and the interior decor immediately slapped me in the face. The place is decked out like the interior of a T.G.I. Friday's with tons of random stuff hanging from the wall. It's just a bit too cheesy for me, but I guess some people get a kick out of that. We were seated almost immediately and our waitress was extremely pleasant. If anything she checked in on us too often, but I'd rather have a server that is too present than not present enough. I ordered the special of the day which was a strip steak and crab cake combo, served with lobster mashed potatoes and mixed veggies. I wasn't expecting a lot from the steak, so I wasn't surprised by the lack of flavor. It didn't have the taste of beef to it...in fact, it almost didn't have a taste at all. I ordered the steak with some kind of bourbon glaze which added enough flavor to make the steak somewhat good. Aside from the flavor, it was cooked to perfection and was shockingly tender. The crab cakes were decent, yet nothing to write home about. It wasn't overly mayo-y which is always a good thing. The lobster mashed potatoes were ok yet overly rich. The chunks of lobster mixed throughout were good, and the potatoes themselves retained a bit of overall lobster flavor, but the potatoes are drenched in this brown gravy that was just really heavy and in my opinion, totally unnecessary. The biggest disappointment were the veggies, since they were nothing more than steamed or microwaved Green Giant frozen vegetables. Come on, there is no excuse for any restaurant to serve those carrots with the stupid ridges inside. The veggies were mushy, watery, and utterly tasteless. Bad form, I say. My wife ordered the Charleston which was a crab cake and grilled shrimp combo served with the lobster mashed potatoes and veggies. Ditto to all of her food aside from the shrimp, which were not seasoned very well and were served luke-warm. All in all, Joe Fish was basically a miss. The great service doesn't make up for lame food. The menu had a lot of fried fish and shellfish on it, and perhaps that's the best bet to make if you come here. We weren't in the mood for fried stuff that night but I might come back one day for a beer and fish and chips. Not that I'm in any rush though.
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Lunch Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : Yes Wi-Fi : No Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes
Tyna L.
Joe Fish is an awesome seafood restaurant featuring the freshest seafood around the Lake Norman area. I think most is flown in multiple times per week and it shows in the freshness and flavorful-ness of every entrée I have enjoyed here. The baked Haddock is fabulous!! The lobster mac is just as wonderful, and you absolutely can not beat the Tuesday night Crab dinner for $10! WOW! These are a very good sized crab legs, with 2 sides. My favorite side is the corn salsa! Wonderful! Enjoy, Joe Fish, as we believe it to be to best Seafood in the entire Lake area, and certainly the best prices!
(5)Rob B.
"Casual" seafood is a good word to describe Joe Fish, but I believe that "mediocre" would be a better word. We purchased a Groupon-esque deal to check this place out, and while the service is top-notch the food left a lot to be desired. Joe Fish looks pretty nice from the outside. It's tucked away in a strip mall and has a nice little outdoor seating area. Since it was pretty chilly out we headed inside, and the interior decor immediately slapped me in the face. The place is decked out like the interior of a T.G.I. Friday's with tons of random stuff hanging from the wall. It's just a bit too cheesy for me, but I guess some people get a kick out of that. We were seated almost immediately and our waitress was extremely pleasant. If anything she checked in on us too often, but I'd rather have a server that is too present than not present enough. I ordered the special of the day which was a strip steak and crab cake combo, served with lobster mashed potatoes and mixed veggies. I wasn't expecting a lot from the steak, so I wasn't surprised by the lack of flavor. It didn't have the taste of beef to it...in fact, it almost didn't have a taste at all. I ordered the steak with some kind of bourbon glaze which added enough flavor to make the steak somewhat good. Aside from the flavor, it was cooked to perfection and was shockingly tender. The crab cakes were decent, yet nothing to write home about. It wasn't overly mayo-y which is always a good thing. The lobster mashed potatoes were ok yet overly rich. The chunks of lobster mixed throughout were good, and the potatoes themselves retained a bit of overall lobster flavor, but the potatoes are drenched in this brown gravy that was just really heavy and in my opinion, totally unnecessary. The biggest disappointment were the veggies, since they were nothing more than steamed or microwaved Green Giant frozen vegetables. Come on, there is no excuse for any restaurant to serve those carrots with the stupid ridges inside. The veggies were mushy, watery, and utterly tasteless. Bad form, I say. My wife ordered the Charleston which was a crab cake and grilled shrimp combo served with the lobster mashed potatoes and veggies. Ditto to all of her food aside from the shrimp, which were not seasoned very well and were served luke-warm. All in all, Joe Fish was basically a miss. The great service doesn't make up for lame food. The menu had a lot of fried fish and shellfish on it, and perhaps that's the best bet to make if you come here. We weren't in the mood for fried stuff that night but I might come back one day for a beer and fish and chips. Not that I'm in any rush though.
(3)