Fishlips Waterfront Bar & Grill

Fishlips Waterfront Bar & Grill is one of Port Canaveral's most popular family restaurants, offering casual seafood dining on a waterfront patio with direct views of the port channel, cruise ship terminals, and the comings and goings of one of the world's busiest cruise ports.

The waterfront patio is the dining experience. Tables overlook the port channel where cruise ships, cargo vessels, fishing boats, and Navy ships pass. When cruise ships depart (typically late afternoon), they transit the channel directly in front of the restaurant -- a 20-deck, 1,000-foot ship gliding past at eye level while you eat. Kids are captivated. Adults are too.

The food is solid casual seafood. The grouper sandwich (fried, grilled, or blackened) is the most popular item and genuinely good. Fish tacos are another favorite. Shrimp baskets, crab cakes, and fresh catches of the day round out the seafood menu. Non-seafood options (burgers, chicken) are available. The kids menu ($8-12) covers the basics.

Fishlips is located at Port Canaveral's Glen Cheek Dr area, adjacent to Exploration Tower and near the cruise terminal entrances. This makes it a natural anchor for a Port Canaveral visit: Exploration Tower, Fishlips for lunch, Jetty Park Beach in the afternoon. The restaurant is also popular with pre-cruise and post-cruise passengers.

The atmosphere is casual Florida waterfront -- shorts and sandals are the dress code. Indoor and outdoor seating is available. The patio tables are most requested and may require a wait. Lunch is less crowded than dinner. Weekend evenings during summer can have 30+ minute waits.

Sunset over the port from the Fishlips patio is a pleasant way to end a Space Coast day -- the western sky glows behind the cruise terminals and port infrastructure, and the transition to evening lights on the water creates a warm atmosphere.