Billy’s Stone Crab & Lobster Review

We arrived in Florida in February, in the middle of stone crab season. Unfortunately, as excited as we were to taste the delicacy, the price tag on the sustainably produced claws was out of our budget. Fast-forward ten months, and we are again in the middle of stone crab season, but now have more financial flexibility. So, after a great day of disc golf, we headed to Billy’s Stone Crab & Lobster in Tierra Verde, Florida.

The restaurant is on the water, offering a beautiful sunset view. We saw a sign indicating a rooftop bar as we approached the entrance. We could hear live music playing. Thinking it would be a great spot to watch the sun go down while we ate, we headed to the top level. Once there, we realized that it was more of a bar than a dining area, so we went back downstairs to the dining room, where we found a table with a great view. I enjoyed the changing pinks and purples of the sky as the sun descended.

You can order the stone crabs either cold with Cold Stone Mustard or hot with drawn butter. Price-wise, they ranged from $21.99 for an appetizer to $69.99 for an entrée of colossal claws. Having never eaten stone crabs before, we decided to share the appetizer to taste them without the significant investment before knowing if they were to our liking.

The appetizer had three beautiful claws with a delicate flavor. After cracking the claws, the succulent meat released easily. While we enjoyed the crab, I didn’t think they tasted any better than snow crab legs. I can’t see us spending the exorbitant price for them in the future.

Chris noticed an early dining section on the menu. As we were there before 6:00, we decided to take advantage of the deal, both of us ordering the Shore Platter, sea bass, scallops, and Gulf shrimp either blackened, broiled, or fried with two sides. We picked broiled. We both chose mashed potatoes for our side, with Chris having collard greens and me picking garlic bread. I added an order of hush puppies to my meal.

The seafood was fresh and fantastically cooked. The potatoes were creamy and delicious. The massive chunk of garlic bread threw me off, but it was tasty. After adding a bit of vinegar to the collards, they were perfect as well. The hush puppies were flavorful and not too dense.

We enjoyed the delicious seafood, and the smaller portion on the early dining special was the perfect amount of food. The dessert offerings looked delicious, but they weren’t enough to tempt me to order one.

Service was adequate, but our server did not display much personality or interest in serving us. However, I was impressed with the gentleman who delivered our food, who was attentive enough to ask if we needed anything else, promptly supplying us with silverware that had not made it to the table.

We were happy we were there early, as the restaurant filled up while we dined.  With delicious seafood and a great view, we would return to Billy’s Stone Crab again if in the area again.

Cost for a beer, a cocktail, stone crabs, two entrees, and hush puppies $73.25.