Backstreet dump gives seafood restaurants in Cape Coral a bad name.
I have tried eating at The Moorings at least once a year for the last 20 years. It never ceases to amaze me that this dirty, disorganized little restaurant is still alive. Every dish over cooked, overpriced and served by special populations. I have met Al Whalen the owner on numerous occasions. He is more of a carny than a restaurateur. The bar is his big business and savior. If they did not serve liquor I'm sure they would have disappeared eons ago.    [02 Jan 2004 02:51:11]

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Recommended Dishes: Bring your own, the Morrings are chipped and dirty

     ­squeesh   

Food is just fine!
If sqeesh hates it so much, why eat there once a year for 20 years? Several of our club members enjoy he Moorings. The food comes to your table nice and hot and the service makes you feel at home! Our waitress told us just "yell" if you need anything, and she was not kidding! We heard several people yell her name and she came quickly and with a smile. A nice change from the server stopping by and asking us if everything is OK, when we have a mouth full and cannot speak!    [28 Feb 2004 15:27:18]

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Recommended Dishes: All you can eat Calamari

     ­Jeannie   

Not So Great.
As a new resident of the cape I have tried eating here twice. The food is just bad. No clams in the chowder and greasy fried platter. The place has no air conditioning, so I did take out the 2nd time but it was no better.    [25 Sep 2005 17:01:21]

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     ­Jeff   

My husband and I love the Moorings. The food is great and the atmosphere is seafaring. We love the Vidalia Grouper, with it's light breading and special sauce, it melts in your mouth. the Buffalo shrimp served in the martini glass is our favorite appetizer as is the fried green tomatoes. Most important, the food is always fresh. Al is friendly as always tries to make our dining experience a pleasant one.    [12 Sep 2006 12:54:27]

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Recommended Dishes: Vidalia Grouper; Buffalo Shrimp; Calamari

     ­Cheryl L   

My wife and I are never disappointed by coming here to enjoy a New England Dockside Meal! To be any more authentic, Al would have to import some Jersey Fishermen for background noise.    [13 Dec 2006 10:09:52]

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Recommended Dishes: Fried Zuchini to start, then Vidalia Grouper. YUM!!

     ­Anonymous   

Mooring's service sucks
We have enjoyed the Moorings from time to time, but not any more. Because it has German speaking staff, we selected it as a place to take our European friends from Germany and Holland. We waited over 1 1/2 hours to be tended.
New eaters were served before us. There is a lack of system in dealing with customers during the busy winter season. We left the place and ate elsewhere.    [14 Feb 2007 16:15:20]

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     ­Anonymous   

What a secret getaway!
We sat on the back patio and listened to wonderful music from ACT I! The Ambiance was so nice! We enjoyed the hidden treasure Cape Coral has. I think the location is not good for them but great for us because it's a great hideaway! I really enjoyed the scallops!    [04 May 2007 11:43:38]

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Recommended Dishes: #4

     ­Anonymous   

Where is the health inspector?
The waitress brought pita bread to our table and we did not eat it. We later watched as she took the bread from our table and added it to the bread bowl at the self-serve salad bar! The same waitress was passing around a plate of samples of fried gator tails. One customer commented that he enjoyed them and she used her bare hand to take a handful and pile them onto his plate. Al, the owner, meets and greets customers with the dirtiest, breading crusted hand. The salad bar is pathetic! It is mainly iceberg lettuce and of course the recycled bread is available.

If one turns down a "sample" it is offered over and over again. Even when we explained that we cannot try the samples due to a medical condition, the samples were still pushed upon us. It was as though the sale of the items was of utmost importance and the staff and owner did not believe us - perhaps we should have had a doctor's note explaining the items that could be harmful to our health.

The food is good - we had crab and grouper - but one needs to turn a blind eye to the sanitary conditions or one will be totally turned off by the lack of cleanliness. Glasses and plates were not clean.    [09 Jan 2008 08:38:41]

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     ­MR   

Night out at the Carnival
It was like walking into a carnival. We were greeted by Al, who is very outgoing, he made us feel very welcomed as well as the waitress, Sara. She was awesome! The free samples were good. No fingers were used by staff members. We were given our own samples on little plates. The kids were kept occupied by toys provided, bubbles, and little cars to play with. The kids were fed first to keep them from getting bored, which was great. The food was very tasty and delicious. The plates were clean but yes a little chipped.

The restaurant didn't seem like it was dirty to us but maybe because it is on the backstreet of Del Prado gives it the low class act. It is a nice little getaway from the other restaurants that don't treat you like your family or even care to see how your meal is. If you need anything at the Moorings, they are at your service. Even the female cook came out of her way to ask how we were and how the food was and if we needed anything. That was a nice touch.

Everyone there is remarkable and I do recommend it to others. All restaurants have ups and downs. But at least you feel like you're home or at a good friends house while at the Moorings.    [03 Feb 2008 12:13:00]

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Recommended Dishes: Vidalia grouper and fried whole belly clams

     ­Bonnie   

BEST NIGHT OUT IN THE CAPE
After looking at this web, we were skeptical due to the disparity of comments. We went anyway and are so glad we did. We sat outside on the patio (so we can smoke) Samples were brought out; Vidalia Grouper, Green tomatoes, and Gatortail all fried (which I am not a fan of) but were light and not greasy at all. My husband had a steak and he was amazed. We had steak the night before in Sarasota and paid twice as much (not as good)I had crab cakes and scallops on rice, excellent! Al talked us into an Irish Cannolli and it was fantastic. They let you pick a DVD to watch and listen from their collection and chose Roy Orbison's - Black and White tape. "oh the memories" I went back and read the negative comments on this site and think someone is looking for a freebie. When you consider 3 meals a day times 365 days = 1,095 meals, why would someone feel so upset as too screen in print about one dinner?    [04 Feb 2008 23:11:41]

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Recommended Dishes: STEAK and # 4

     ­Martha and Bob Walsh