We at here for lunch-Father's Day. Had bowl seafood gumbo. Strong Roux flavor with lots Okra, Shrimp & Tomatoes. Very Good👌! Wife & I ordered Shrimp Plate. Came with ample fresh & tasty plump shrimp, hush puppies & one side. We chose Fried Okra. Delicious! Atmosphere was cool casual with great views of Fairhope pier & Mobile Bay. We will be back to this small quaint place!
This is a truly laid-back place. They do not have a bar, but you can bring your own beverage and they will supply glasses with no corkage fee. The menu is fairly simple. Everything is prepared upon order, so you may wait a little longer for your meal to appear, but that gives you a chance to view the wonderful scene of the Fairhope Pier and Mobile Bay. We usually go at dinner and enjoy watching the sunsets. The lunch menu is slightly discounted on prices if you prefer to pay less for the same sandwiches. They are generous with sides. We like to order a veggie plate of four vegetable sides.
OMG - Amazing Food!. We found this little gem while visiting family. They had been there before & raved about the seafood. We ordered the fried shrimp & oyster po' boy. The breading was light & fluffy, the shrimp & oysters were so fresh. I also had the fried okra which was delicious & obviously homemade. My husband had fries & onion rings. The rings were sweet & battered just right. The owners are Donna & Wayne Watson. Their son, Cameron, was our server. We met Donna, too. We learned that she makes everything from scratch so the wait can be long. But, believe me, it is worth the wait.
Best wishes, Donna & Wayne, for continued success! We will certainly be back when we are in town!
Everybody missed out.. I've been eating at this wonderful little restaurant for over 15 years and I have to say that Donna is a great cook and everything is FRESH! What amazes me is that no one commented on her world class onion rings! I have eaten onion rings literally all over the world and none compare. Sweet onion with a breading to die for fried to perfection with a touch of ranch dressing and you are in heaven.
Nice family run establishment. Drop in and enjoy the view of Mobile bay from the deck. This family run diner serves meals the remind you of mom's home cooking, the pot roast is tasty.
Do not judge this place by it's looks!! Food was excellent. Service was good! No fine dining, but the seafood is hand breaded and fresh. If we come back on vacation, we will definitely eat here again!!! Yum!!!
We arrived at Down by the Bay Cafe at 7:30 on a Saturday night and were the only patrons in the restaurant. It was a cute, quaint little place. Between the four of us, we had a fried okra appetizer, hamburger, catfish, and fried shrimp. Every entree was delicious, but the okra was SO good that I wish I had ordered it for appetizer and both of my sides! The service was impeccable. Our waiter, Cameron, was actually the son of the owner, Ms. Donna. He was incredibly well-mannered, sweet, and attentive. Nothing but good things to say about this little restaurant! Drop in for a good meal...just know that it closes early. The phone number has also changed to 251-327-4473.
Christopher Caplinger
+4.5
Don't be put off by the strange appearance of this place, the food was fantastic. Nothing fancy and the presentation is far from ostentatious, but the dinner we had was really, really good. Even the kids' meals were extremely tasty -- I would have gladly had the chicken tender meal for myself and been very satisfied. The broiled seafood platter was great and the fried okra was almost perfect. We had the pleasure of meeting the chef/owner who has been at this for 18 years. We definitely recommend. Beware, however, that good food takes time, so don't expect fast food service!
Everything is Fantastic. MMM, MMM! MMM! You gotta try their Fried Okra Appetizer I've never tasted Okra that was so god it could stand alone. Usually Okra is a side dish, But, this is good enough to make a meal on an I'm not really an Okra fancier! went ther for lunch and ended up having a dinner! It was awesome. The Shrimp were fried to perfection,and not over done and rubbery. When you're there you don't have to eat 'Just Seafood,' They also have many 'land lover' choices and they're all great!
Food and Service. We have visited Down By The Bay for the past twelve years.....and have never been disappointed. Everything is good....but we especially love the Shrimp PoBoys. Service is always good.
THE best onion rings! Also the catfish and the pie are really, really good. This is a family run cafe, and everyone is really sweet and kind. The owner is a wonderful cook. I'm sure everything on the menu is great, but I can't get past the catfish, onion rings and pie to find out. 😊
Since it is a family business, it isn't always open during the posted hours. Give them a call to make sure they are open. It is so worth it. They treat you like family. You will feel well loved and well fed when you leave.
We loved our Po-Boy sandwiches! The batter was fabulous on both the shrimp and oyster versions and cooked to perfection. The gumbo was authentic, friendly service and a lovely view of the bay from a very modest outside patio deck where we dined while traveling with our dog. Recommended for travelers with pets.
If you've never eaten here you're missing out!! Now, it's very small. That's the only bad thing. The good thing is generally it's still fairly easy to find a place to sit. When you do you'll be glad.
Of course the truffle fries are the BEST fries I've every eaten but really everything on the menu is delicious and the prices are so reasonable. Especially for such gourmet make food. We really love it!!
I give it a 4 out of 5 because its a quant little spot that isn't crowded at lunch with a decent view of the bay.
The food was good, nothing fancy. I got the fried catfish and fries and the most flavorful thing on the plate were the hushpuppies. Which isn't necessarily bad, just nothing fancy. For the quality of food it may be a bit over priced however not terribly so.
Service was excellent and nice. I will surely come back.
Best fried okra in the world!!!!
Nice place good atmosphere and service
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