A taste of New Orleans in the heart of Tallahassee

While Tallahassee has a field of on-the-go, fast food restaurants for the convenience of thousands of students, there are also places in this college town where you can have more of an upscale dining experience. 

Harry’s Seafood Bar & Grille is the perfect place to go for a casual drink after work or a formal birthday dinner with a group of friends. 

This New Orleans-style restaurant is located near the heart of college town on the top floor of Kleman Plaza.

One downside to this restaurant is the garage parking that charges $2 after 15 minutes and an additional 50 cents every hour — as well as the wait for the elevator to make it onto the top floor where the restaurant is located. 

When approaching the top floor there is a fountain where you can sit and wait for your party to be called.

Inside the restaurant you are hit with a New Orleans feel that starts with the jazz music all the way down to the saint’s decorated bathroom.

The menu selection is filled with different dishes that New Orleans claims as their own such as boudin balls and Louisiana fondeaux, which is a personal favorite. 

When made to perfection, this creamy three cheese dish served with crispy garlic bread is a perfect appetizer. With each flavorful bite you are surprised with either crawfish or shrimp in the fondeaux. The garlic from the bread is a very good addition to the different flavors you get from the fondeaux.

With the entree menu there is something for everyone, even those who do not enjoy seafood as much. One of the restaurant’s favorite dishes is shrimp scampi, a dish that is a hit or a miss. The flavor is always delicious, but the chef seems to use whatever noodles they have in at the time. Sometimes it’s linguini, other times it’s fettuccine. 

The sauce is phenomenal, though, and I always ask for extra to cover my scampi. 

Orders get backed up easily, but the service is amazing as well as the servers who don’t mind a little small talk and constant reassurance that the food is on the way if the place isn’t too busy.

If you’re still hungry after the big portions that Harry’s provides, she crab soup is another great dish to try. It is a bisque that contains real crab. It has a slight spice to it but not too overbearing.

Overall, this popular restaurant is a great place when it is not excessively busy and not too close to closing hours.