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Have you ever been on vacation and had a really nice dinner that made your last day of the trip really special? Well, that’s what happened when my family visited Fat Tuna Grill & Oyster House on the last night of our trip to Williamsburg, Virginia.
It had been in some ways a bit of a disappointing day in that it wouldn’t stop raining, which ruled out some of the activities we had been hoping to do that day. But the day ended up being really nice anyway. First of all, we had chosen to stay in a two-bedroom suite at Patriots Inn so we were having a relaxing day in our hotel (you can see our review for Patriots Inn here). And it was nice because of our dinner.
We picked Fat Tuna Grill & Oyster House in part it looked like it had great reviews and we liked the menu. And we also picked Fat Tuna because it was incredibly convenient to our hotel. In fact, if it had not been raining, we may have walked. It was even so close that from our seat at the restaurant, we could even see the hotel from our table! Its location on Richmond Road makes it convenient for a lot of other hotels as well.
We did not have a reservation for the restaurant, but we luckily got a table right away. Once we were seated, and really from when we walked in, we really liked the atmosphere of the restaurant. I absolutely loved the decorations. They have beautiful ocean pictures and nautical directions all over the restaurant.
My family especially liked the jellyfish hanging from the ceiling.
All over Fat Tuna are nice special touches that make you appreciate the thought and care that went into decorating the restaurant.
The restaurant also had a nice, laid-back atmosphere. So you could eat some great dishes but not have to worry about a strict dress code or too much of an upscale atmosphere.
Fat Tuna Menu
And you know how I said we liked the menu before we went? Well, that really is one of the strengths of the restaurant. It has such a wonderful variety of food on the menu. They have a wonderful selection of seafood. And they have a wonderful variety of styles of seafood.
What I mean by that is they have dishes that include seafood, like Seafood Bruschetta or Fish Tacos. They have fancier fish. But they also have seafood baskets, like a fried shrimp basket, if you just like simpler seafood fare. They also have options like Gulf Peel ‘N’ Eat Shrimp if you just want seafood.
But they also have non-seafood options if that’s what you want. For example, they have an American Classic Cheeseburger, a Classic Caesar Salad, and a NY Strip. So no matter what your tastes are, your family should be pleased. They are even very family-friendly, with lots of kids menu options and coloring options for kids.
Fat Tuna Food Review
So what did we actually think of the food? Well, we liked the food from the beginning when they brought out Hush Puppies and Cornbread Muffins.
Any restaurant that starts a meal with hush puppies in my mind has to be great!
And it was. The rest of the food was so great. This was one of the rare restaurants where everyone in my family liked what they had ordered. Here are some highlights.
The crab ravioli was absolutely delicious.
I like ravioli so I thought I would like the dish but I wrongly assumed they would be conservative with the crab as that has happened in the past when I have ordered dishes with seafood in them. Luckily, this was not the case here. There was a lot of crab in it and it was so delicious. I took home leftovers and it was a wonderful delight the next day.
Another great entree was the Shrimp & Scallops Pasta. This dish had sautéed shrimp and scallops in a garlic, butter, white wine, basil, and tomato cream over linguine.
This dish was so good! Once again, we were really pleased with the amount of seafood in the dish. It wasn’t just pasta with a couple of pieces of shrimp and one scallop or something. And the shrimp and the scallop were so tender – they were cooked to perfection. The pasta was good, too, it was just often getting pushed aside for the shrimp and scallops because they were that good!
Another dish we ordered was actually one of the specials, and that was the Halibut Picatta. The Halibut Picatrta comes with butter, lemon, shitake, and garlic.
This dish was so good that even family members who don’t like fish loved it! The mushroom was especially good. We liked how they cooked them.
The Fried Shrimp basket was really good, too.
They also have a great bar. And we enjoyed the wine we ordered.
Conclusion
Fat Tuna Grill & Oyster House is a wonderful choice for a restaurant for a nice meal on a vacation in Williamsburg, Virginia. It has a laid-back, kid-friendly atmosphere with great sea life and nautical decor. But it also has a great variety of dishes including nicer menu options. My family liked all the food we had here (which we can’t say for every restaurant we’ve attended). And the location on Richmond Road is so convenient for a lot of hotels in Williamsburg, including our own. So if you are looking for a good meal in a fun place during a Williamsburg trip, Fat Tuna Grill & Oyster House is a great choice.
And if you are planning a Williamsburg trip, check out reviews for other restaurants in the area:
- Chowning’s Tavern
- Squire’s Grille
- Blue Talon Bistro
- Capitol Pancake House
- Mama Steve’s House of Pancakes
- Smokey Griddle Pancake House
- Colonial Pancake House
Also, if you are planning on visiting both Busch Gardens and Colonial Williamsburg during your trip like my family did, check out the Busch Garden & Colonial Williamsburg Combo Ticket. Oh, and for more information about Busch Gardens, check out our Busch Gardens Guide.