JD's Restaurant & Lounge, Indian Rocks Beach, Florida

The exterior decor of a restaurant can help influence whether we stop in or not.  Now don't get me wrong because we have found some excellent restaurants that have very non-de-script exteriors to the point that if you didn't know it was a restaurant you'd drive right on by.  Some exteriors though just warrant a closer look to see what's inside.  So it is with JD's Restaurant & Lounge!

JD's Restaurant & Lounge is located at 125 Gulf Blvd. in Indian Rocks Beach, Florida.  The colourful exterior beckons you to enter, promising a delightfully enjoyable time.   The building is painted bright orange, yellow and turquoise!  A grand pirate stands guard ready to greet you and there is a giant, friendly octopus the kids are sure to love.  The Downing family has owned and operated JD's since 1985.  JD's is a casual dining featuring a lot of extras like live entertainment with exceptional local artists performing at their piano bar and on the back patio.  They offer breakfast from 8:00 AM to 11:45 AM, an early bird menu from 12:00 noon to 6:00 PM and beach basket lunches from 12:00 noon to 4:00 PM.  There is a kids menu for those 12 years old and under.  Happy Hour is from 8:00 AM to 7:00 PM.    JD's gift certificates are available as well.  The restaurant is closed on Mondays.

The interior of JD's is every bit as much fun as the exterior.  Folks are warned of possible neck injury trying to read all of the signs, sayings and jokes hanging from the ceiling throughout the restaurant.  The decor is eclectic and just down right fun.  The waitresses are extremely friendly and very attentive.

We ordered the potatoes skins with bacon and cheese sauce as an appetizer.  These tasty potato skins were delightful!  We also ordered a crab cake as an appetizer.  It was large enough to share between the four of us.   I ordered the fish fry entrée with 3 large pieces of cod served with choice of soup, salad or coleslaw and coice of mashed potatoes and gravy, French fries, baked potato, spaghetti or vegetable.  My husband ordered the all you can eat fish fry with clam chowder while I ordered mine with the garden salad.  The thick cod pieces were thin breaded, fried to a beautiful golden brown. 

One of our kids ordered the 1 lb snow crab legs.  The entrée came with a choice of soup, coleslaw or endless salad, and choice of potato, spaghetti or vegetable.  Aren't those crab legs gorgeous?  They were every bit as tasty as they look!  I know our kid really enjoyed eating the crab legs.  I took lots of pictures of the crab leg experience.

Our bill came in at $88 including the tip and drinks for 4 adults.  This is quite a reasonable price given the quality and amount of the food as well as the wonderful service that we enjoyed.  I highly recommend a stop at JD's if you are in the area.

JD's was just a very enjoyable dining experience all the way around!  What attracted us in the first place was the exterior decor but what will keep us coming back is their great food combined with their friendly and fun atmosphere.  JD's has made it onto our must visit when in the area list of restaurants.