Fat Cat Grill

The mushroom ravioli was the best ever. My wife had it twice & after her raving about it I had to try it & no regrets so glad we went back. Both wait people were very helpful and pleasant. Very nice experience. I’m sure we will return for a 3^rd visit before we leave this wonderful area.

There aren’t many spectacular places to eat in Crystal River, so this place is worth the visit. I wasn’t impressed with the ambiance of the restaurant when I entered namely because of the smell. I am not sure what that smell was but it was not appetizing. However, I quickly adapted to the smell once food and drinks were ordered. The menu has a fair selection of items for all diets. However, based on the items, it’s not the healthiest place to visit. Also, the prices were expensive for the quality of food. I ordered a Malbec from Argentina, and it had a great full body and the perfect balance of dryness and pucker I expect from a Malbec. I had a taste of the bang bang shrimp and calamari. Both were tasty. Tasty enough to be fine with eating a few and not desiring more. I ordered the highly recommended grouper which was fried. I had a salad and a side of mashed potatoes. The salad was meh and the mashed potatoes were good. Needless to say, someone else paying the bill made the experience good. If I were paying the bill, I would be fine with just a glass of wine and appetizers. #seafood #calamari

This place is definitely a diamond in the rough. Some great dishes coming out of the kitchen, but the service staff really needs some training, as the menu arrangement makes for some odd pairings. Owner needs to fix the terrible lighting: bare bulbs in $ 10 fixtures, fluorescent «front porch» fixtures in ceiling, no dimming. I had to sit with my back to the restaurant (but thankfully focused on my sweetie). In a town with VERY limited dining choices that rise above chain restaurant fare, this perfectly located spot could easily get more stars with some nominal improvements.

We had two 5-​star experiences during our impromptu stay-​cation along the Nature Coast this weekend. One was at the Holiday Inn Express on 44, and the other was here.
We had never been to historical downtown Crystal River before, so we just parked and started walking. We made several stops on the strip, doing some light drinking. While doing so, we asked folks where to eat. We were told the chef at Fat Cat was amazing, but that the atmosphere was a little flat. Vintage on 5^th was offered for more of an «experience.» When I am hungry, atmosphere is secondary, and Vintage looked a little too bourgeois for my mood and attire at the time, so off to Fat Cat we went.
We chilled at the bar, where the bartender was found to be pleasant and attentive. The beer selection was limited, but good. There were a few craft selections on tap, but we went with Yuengling. The menu was small and straight forward, of which I am absolutely fond. I find overly expansive menus to be hostile.
Because La Chica and I had been snacking here and there all day, we weren’t starved. One thing that stood out to me was the almond encrusted, chili sauce grouper, so we decided to split the meal and also order the gyoza appetizer (pork dumplings). What we didn’t know at the time was that Chef Mark had a grouper filet back there that he was apparently waiting to whip out on someone, and that someone was us. We have all seen grouper filets before, and they can range drastically in size, depending on what the restaurant was able to procure. Never, have I seen one that was too big, even when split. They very kindly presented the meal on two different plates, and what we had on each plate was a customary single serving. We were dumbfounded. Look at Gigi S’s pic, and look at mine. That is one grouper filet. And the flavor! Just stop me from writing this review now before I start gnawing on my arm, reminiscing about how awkwardly well those flavors meshed with gulf grouper. The meal came with 2 sides. We got waffle fries and collard greens, and they were really tasty, but folks, they sat on the bench waiting for their opportunity to pinch hit on our taste buds while that grouper was in the lineup hitting grand slams.
Chef Mark emerged from the kitchen, chatted with us, took some pics and made us feel very welcomed, as did all of the staff. Restaurant chef is not normally a customer-​facing position, so it’s not something we experience everyday.
Bathrooms were extremely clean and orderly. Atmosphere was fine, and not nearly as «flat» as we were led to believe. A true Florida restaurant GEM. Would definitely return. Scratch that. WILL definitely return.

I had the bang bang shrimp and added a side of waffle fries. Both were hot and delicious! Will definitely come back next time I’m in town!

We ordered one of the specials. Which consisted of a filet and coconut shrimp with two sides. It was great. The steak was wood-​grilled and cooked to perfection the shrimp was served with a mango sauce that added great flavor. This restaurant is definitely worth a try if you are in the area.

When we arrived the ambiance was wonderful. The server was very friendly and attentive. But shortly after a large group of people arrived and the noise level skyrocketed. The service level also diminished a bit.
Overall the food was good but there were small things that kept it from being excellent. The blue moon lacked an orange. In Florida, the Orange capital, this seems like a huge over-​sight. The burger had no condiments and was a little dry. The shrimp tacos, although they appeared under whelming were the best thing we got. They were fresh and very tasty.
I would return but on a less busy day.

Popped in on a whim with a party of six and couldn’t have been more pleased with the decision. Between us we ordered the shrimp and mahi tacos, a burger, the Brie and dumpling appetizers and all of it came out fantastic. The only thing that was meh was the starter salad, but that became an afterthought once we had the main dishes.
The place doesn’t look like much from the outside and the inside is a bit dark; however, the kitchen put out some seriously good food and that’s all that matters!

Great food! The best we’ve had in Crystal River. We had the bang-​bang shrimp, ginger pork dumplings, wedge salad, fat cat burger and sweet potato fries.

In a small scuba/​snorkel town with not a lot of food options, this restaurant could have been half as good and still stood out. As it was, I feel this restaurant could compete with any in my home city of Atlanta. We had the she crab soup, the mahi mahi, and the Belgian chocolate cheesecake. There’s only one word to describe the quality of the meal and service: Ridiculous.

My wife and I enjoyed our dinner very much. We went in for cocktails and stayed for dinner… glad we did. We shared the cowboy ribeye steak and we were not disappointed. We will definitely be back. Good food at affordable prices and laid back atmosphere. Very freindly and knowledgeable bartender. Thank you and see you next time!

Great food, not so great atmosphere. We love the she crab soup. On our last visit we had the mahi-​mahi and the pecan crusted chicken. Both delicious. They were out of the grouper, but we’ll hopefully be able to try it on our next visit. The atmosphere is more of a dive bar and has a funky smell. The food definitely makes up for the atmosphere.

This has to have been one of the most dismal dining experiences I’ve ever had. We left after the soup/​salad course because they couldn’t make the simplest foods palatable and the server ignored several requests. Just go to one of the fast food places nearby – you’ll be happier.

Wow… was looking for dinner one evening in the pouring rain and came across this gem. The service was friendly and effeciant and the atmosphere cozy. The food was impeccable. The grilled mahi mahi was delicious. The sauce was great but did not take away from the taste of the fish. The potato encrusted crab cakes were so tasty and the accompanying cucumber salad was good enough that we asked for some to take home. The she-​crab soup came with a shot of sherry so one could add however much they found appropriate. I added the whole shot and it just enhanced an already perfect soup. The Fat Cat Grill is more than a grill… it is a trip down a culinary dream!

Great food! Great service!
We had the calamari appetizer. It was delicious. The marinara sauce was a little plain but the calamari were fried perfectly.
I had the salmon dinner. Cooked perfectly and was very flavorful! I got the spring mix salad to go with it and it was very delightful!
My husband had the ultimate burger and they cooked it perfectly.
Staff was very friendly. We had an enjoyable meal with a live pianist playing.
Only two reasons why I scored this restaurant a 4 and not a 5 is the smell and the décor. There is a smell when you walk in the door that is slightly off putting. The décor also needs to be updated.

Went there for New Years Eve. Had a «reservation». Upon entering, the place smelled like urine. We looked for a hostess but no one was around. We thought we had entered the wrong door, so we walked through the restaurant to find we had came in the front. We got the attention of a waitress who said «Sit anywhere». We waited for more than 10 minutes and was never acknowledged. The silverware was dirty… we left. Recommendation– don’t go near the place.

What an awesome place with good food in Crystal River! We were a group of 4 with 2 children. We were there during Scalloping season and took our catch in. The watress just took them and brought them back 3 different ways, each one being excellent. The pastas, grouper, and everything was awesome. The service and drinks were excellent as well. Next day we were on our boat headed to 3 Sisters Springs and heard a voice yelling at us from one of the piers… it was a our watress that noticed us passing by! We can’t wait to go back up to Cyrstal River, and will definitely be eating at Fat Cat again!

In the heart of big downtown Crystal River this is a great place to dine. The chef always prepares the best dishes and the great friendly staff makes it perfect to enjoy a nice meal. Very clean and modern and sometimes you will find music while you dine which makes it even more intimate. I have had dinner there many times and never a complaint.
Great folks, great food…

This is a home town restaurant for us. The chef is very good at delivering a quality menu with many tasty dishes. You are in for a treat with either the Grouper or the Mahi Mahi. Steaks are wood grilled. They recently added a full liquor bar which is nice for that area. Never had a bad meal.
This is a great little private establishment that is worth a try. Good folks…

A friendly, clean and modern restaurant with middle-​class prices. We got an array of food because we couldn’t decide and were starving. Luckily the portions were pretty small, so we were able to eat everything.
Shrimp tacos were awesome, and definitely get them with the garlicky fries because those were amazing.
Fried pickles would have worked better as pickle chips because we gave up eating them after all the breading kept falling off the spears while trying to bite into their lava core scalded out mouths. Would have been tasty if we could have eaten them. The pineapple coleslaw was really good.
The tomato & goat cheese fondue is really a bowl of pasta sauce with a slice of goat cheese in it and a fresh log of hot bread. It was awesome, just not what we expected. Could have used more bread, as we ran out way ahead of finishing the fondue.
Wedge salad didn’t have any bacon on it (sadface) and maybe I’m used to getting a half wedge, but this was a quarter wedge. Not meant for a meal, definitely a starter, but $ 6 is a bit high for iceburg lettuce, a cup of bleu cheese and no bacon.
The «grilled pizza» was more like a strip of flat bread with cheese and sliced tomatoes on top. I wouldn’t order this again because I was sort of expecting. well. pizza. Luckily we had plenty of that pasta sauce fondue left to dip it in to make it right.
So like I said, the portions were very small, but then again I hadn’t eaten all day. Food was good, just wanted more of it.