Wahoo Seafood Grill - Gainesville

3.7

16 Reviews

$30 and under

Seafood

Make a booking

2 people

15 Mar 2025

19:00

Booked 1 time today

Neighbourhood gem
Great for outdoor dining
Great for happy hour

Shawn Shepherd, owner of Wahoo Seafood Grill, grew up helping his mom cook for his six siblings. His family moved from Ohio to Tennessee to Alabama and then to Mississippi, but no matter where they lived, you could always find Shepherd learning how to create a new dishes alongside family, friends, and neighbors... anyone who would let him in their kitchen. He especially loved visiting his grandfather, who owned a seafood restaurant in Pennsylvania.

When Shepherd joined the Navy, he wanted to be a cook, but the Navy wouldn't let him because his testing scores were too high. After nearly 7 years, he was honorably discharged and he worked as a cook by day and bartender by night. Eventually, he opened his first restaurant, Shepherd's, in 1999.

He went on to operate several successful restaurants after that, and in 2013, he partnered with Butch Monaghan. Together, they opened Wahoo Seafood Grill in Gainesville followed by the Tallahassee location in 2015.

Order delivery or takeout

Additional information

Dining style
Casual Dining
Price
$30 and under
Cuisines
Seafood, American, Contemporary American
Hours of Operation
Mon–Thu, Sun 11:00–21:00 Fri, Sat 11:00–22:00
Phone number
(352) 225-3922
Website
https://www.wahooseafoodgrill.com/
Payment Options
AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Dress code
Casual Dress
Catering
We offer most of our items as available to cater and are happy to deliver!
Private party facilities
We have availability to book our private room for your next meeting, birthday, or event up to 25 people.

Location
3833 NW 97th Blvd, Gainesville, FL 32606-5068
Area
Gainesville
Parking details
Private Lot
Additional
Beer, Cocktails, Counter Seating, Dog Friendly, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Takeaway, Vegan, Wheelchair Access, Wine

What 16 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

3.7

3.7 based on all time ratings

3.8Food
3.7Service
3.5Ambience
3.6Value

Noise • Moderate

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews

Wahoo Seafood Grill in Gainesville serves "amazing food" with a variety of southern-inspired dishes like jambalaya and shrimp and grits. While praised for its "great service" and attentive staff, some reviews indicate slow service during less busy times and smaller portion sizes. The restaurant features a cozy patio with heaters and all-day happy hour specials.

16 Reviews

E
Ernesto J
Orlando1 review
5.0
Dined on 15 February 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Great food and service. Mary did a great job!! We Will be back soon
Is this helpful?
W
Wayne M VIP
Fort Lauderdale85 reviews
3.0
Dined on 6 February 2025
1. Overall 3
2. Food 2
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 4
Food tended to be too greasy. Hush puppies were unnecessarily sweet.
Is this helpful?
K
Kimberly
Orlando1 review
3.0
Dined on 17 November 2024
1. Overall 3
2. Food 2
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 4
No Louisiana food at all 😢 seafood shouldn’t be allowed anywhere outta Louisiana Just say the fish tasted fishy and the sauce over the rice wasn’t even seafood ish
Is this helpful?
H
Heather
Western NC6 reviews
2.0
Dined on 13 September 2024
1. Overall 2
2. Food 4
3. Service 2
4. Ambience 4
Need more wait staff. Kitchen was timely but not enough servers to keep up with food and drinks from the bar. It’s a shame because the food was tasty.
Is this helpful?
K
KENT VIP
Jacksonville12 reviews
3.0
Dined on 28 July 2024
1. Overall 3
2. Food 2
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 2
Meh…it was ok. Nothing more to say…food was alright. Service was ok. Drinks were okay
Is this helpful?
DB
DBGator
Jacksonville5 reviews
3.0
Dined on 21 June 2024
1. Overall 3
2. Food 5
3. Service 1
4. Ambience 2
The food was very good, but the service was indifferent and VERY slow. The restaurant had numerous empty tables and no outdoor tables were occupied, so they were not overwhelmed with customers. The reservation process asked if our dinner was a special event, and we noted that it was our anniversary dinner. That was never noted, and we were never asked if we would like dessert, coffee, etc. There seemed to be little/no management or supervision, in contrast to the efficient operation we had seem in the past. Food was good, but that quality is available at other Gainesville restaurants with far better service and at comparable cost. It appeared Wahoo Grill management was "mailing it in", and closure would not be surprising.
Is this helpful?
OT
OpenTable Diner
Orlando1 review
4.0
Dined on 18 May 2024
1. Overall 4
2. Food 5
3. Service 2
4. Ambience 4
Food was great! Much to choose from. Wasn't busy but service was SLOW.
Is this helpful?
NR
NatalieR VIP
Miami96 reviews
5.0
Dined on 3 May 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Amazing food and great service! This place was a pleasant surprise!
Is this helpful?
JG
JohnG
Orlando2 reviews
2.0
Dined on 22 March 2024
1. Overall 2
2. Food 3
3. Service 2
4. Ambience 3
If you’re in G-ville,fl go to NW Seafood Grill instead.
Is this helpful?
BP
BillP
Tampa14 reviews
1.0
Dined on 15 February 2024
1. Overall 1
2. Food 1
3. Service 1
4. Ambience 1
The food was burnt and tasted terrible. The service was extremely slow and most diners were coughing or gagging throughout our meal. I would never recommend this place to anyone.
1 person found this helpful

FAQs

Wahoo Seafood Grill - Gainesville offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (352) 225-3922.

Wahoo Seafood Grill - Gainesville is rated 3.7 stars by 16 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a booking

2 people

15 Mar 2025

19:00

Booked 1 time today

Order delivery or takeout

Google Map for Wahoo Seafood Grill - Gainesville

3833 NW 97th Blvd, Gainesville, FL 32606-5068

Additional information

Area
Gainesville
Hours of Operation
Mon–Thu, Sun 11:00–21:00 Fri, Sat 11:00–22:00
Price
$30 and under
Cuisines
Seafood, American, Contemporary American
Dining style
Casual Dining
Dress code
Casual Dress
Parking details
Private Lot
Payment Options
AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Additional
Beer, Cocktails, Counter Seating, Dog Friendly, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Takeaway, Vegan, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Website
https://www.wahooseafoodgrill.com/
Phone number
(352) 225-3922
Catering
We offer most of our items as available to cater and are happy to deliver!
Private party facilities
We have availability to book our private room for your next meeting, birthday, or event up to 25 people.

Wahoo Seafood Grill - Gainesville

Make a booking

Order delivery or takeout

Additional information

Menu

What 16 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Review summary

FAQs

Does Wahoo Seafood Grill - Gainesville offer delivery through OpenTable or takeout?

How is Wahoo Seafood Grill - Gainesville restaurant rated?

Is Wahoo Seafood Grill - Gainesville currently accepting bookings?

Make a booking

Order delivery or takeout

Additional information