Barbara Jean's On The Water

My family and I love Barbara Jeans from the food, to the service, and atmosphere. I’ve been coming here with my family since I was a little girl (talking early 2000s shortly after they first opened) and now I have the privilege to bring my own children. I’m a sucker for their Coconut Shrimp, She Crab soup, and of course the infamous bread basket with pumpkin bread, jalepeno corn bread, and other assorted rolls. Oh and their BJ salad is sooo good! Kids enjoy the kids cheese burger, turkey and gravy, and chicken tenders. Rest of my family always get the catfish, crabcakes, loaded fries, and the country fried steak. Honestly, everything on the menu is to die for especially all their side options! The staff is also always friendly, and accommodating from the moment we walk in, to when we leave as well! Side note: If you haven’t been, you must know that they will not seat your table until your whole party is present. To most, this seems like an inconvenience but as someone who’s been in the hospitality industry and with this being such a desired restaurant to dine, having an entire party sit at the same time causes less disruption and timing issues than with guests arriving at their own pace. Ex. A server comes to take a partial tables drink order, returns with the drinks and the rest of party decides to show up and order their drinks. That server has to now return to the drink station a second time interrupting their time to check in on their other tables. I’m not saying this is why they do it, I’ve actually never asked what the reasoning is I just always respected their decisions. But, to me it makes sense and shows respect to have your entire party sit and dine at the same time so that everything can all flow together cohesively. Regardless, they’re quick at accommodating your party and I’d wait however long I’d need to just to get a table. Again, their food is amazing and so worth it!

If you’re not dining at Barbara Jean’s on the Water in Palm Valley, what are you even doing with your life? Seriously, stop scrolling and go there NOW! I eat out a lot (just look at my reviews, I’m basically a professional fork-lifter at this point), and this place blew my taste buds away. Let’s talk about the food: I ordered the half-and-half platter with buffalo shrimp and a crab cake. Add grits and fries to that lineup, and it was like a symphony of Southern comfort on a plate. The buffalo shrimp? Spicy, crispy perfection. The crab cake? Pure gold—no filler, just crabby goodness. And the bread—oh, THE BREAD. They could just serve me that bread basket with the honey whipped butter, and I’d leave happy. It’s a flavor explosion, a carb carnival, and a gift from the culinary gods. Now let’s talk about my wife’s shrimp and grits. (I managed to snag a bite, because marriage is about sharing, right?) The grits were creamy, the andouille sausage had the perfect kick, and the shrimp? Juicy and flavorful like they’d just hopped out of the water and onto the plate. It was next-level amazing. The service was top-notch, the views were stunning, and I left planning my next visit before I’d even finished dessert (yeah, I had dessert too—don’t judge me). Barbara Jean’s, you’ve earned my undying devotion. Five stars, because I can’t give six. Bravo!

Took my wife here last night for her Birthday!! The food was actually really good! The bread sampler they gave out at the beginning was phenomenal!!!! I got the pot roast which is something I wouldn't normally get, but the flavor was on point and it had minimal fat. My wife got the shrimp salad on a regular bun, she also enjoyed it! The sides were decent, except the spinach was flavorless.. but the fact that they had so many sides to choose from was awesome! Got the key lime tart to go! Yummmmm! We will definitely be back.

Very good food, service and atmosphere. Quick to be seated, drinks came out fast and food as well. I definitely recommend!

Visited Barbara Jean’s for my birthday. The scenery was gorgeous, sail boats going by on the intercoastal waterway. I had the blackened Tuna which was amazing, large portions and the fish of the day was red snapper. My husband Lee had the red snapper blackened. Very flaky and delicious. The staff was friendly and personable. We enjoyed ourselves immensely. The crab cake was delicious. The menu said they were voted best crab cake 5 years in a row.

Absolutely amazing experience. The customer service was top-notch and the owner personally greeted us and took the time to chat, which made us feel right at home. The food was delicious across the board. The country fried steak was perfectly cooked, and the house made breads were outstanding especially the jalapeno cornbread and the pumpkin bread. Don’t miss the coconut shrimp either they’re huge, flavorful shrimp cooked to perfection. Everything we tried was fantastic. Highly recommend this place. Will be back again.

Delicious food, grits were on point, coconut shrimp was fresh and the cat fish was delicious. The view made unforgettable.

Great food and a nice view of the water. The service was slow but it was a holiday and the place was packed. We had a 30 min wait for outside seating but it was worth it. The bread basket has a variety to choose from each as good as the next. You can't go wrong with anything you choose on the menu. I highly recommend this place.