TAKEN FROM THE PALM BEACH POST

MENU

Juno Beach’s Thirsty Turtle is a seafood restaurant that will cook your catch, in addition to its own selection of fresh fish. Generous portions of seafood are served on sandwiches (starting at $13.95), over salad or in what is called a house casino mix (both starting at $20.95). Pasta dishes, jambalaya and chowders are also available.

ATMOSPHERE

Marlins on TV, Eagles soundtrack and pool playing make the relaxed Thirsty Turtle feel less like a restaurant than a bar that serves seafood.

OUR FAVORITE FOOD/PRICE

At $3.25, the best value on the menu is the Turtle Egg. This dessert is wonderful: ice cream coated in a hard chocolate shell, covered in generous dollops of whipped cream and artfully drizzled with chocolate syrup. The coconut fried shrimp is a great, if expensive appetizer ($8.95; $15.95 as an entree), even if the coconut overpowers the shrimp. The first bite of the seafood silva ($16.95) makes one realize how good their shrimp tastes. The cold seafood salad ($8.95), which features greens topped with mixture of crab and shrimp, is the only menu item that cannot be recommended. The mixture tastes more like mayonnaise than either shrimp or crab and, served as an entree, should come atop something other than iceberg lettuce.

REASON TO GO

Thirsty Turtle seems to be a staple of dining for locals and visitors alike.

SERVICE

It was friendly and attentive.

NOISE LEVEL

The space is well-divided, with diners seated at booths toward the front and drinkers mostly at the bar or patio at the back.

KID FRIENDLY

The Thirsty Turtle features an affordable ($4.25 per entree) menu with reliable favorites for children: hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken and spaghetti.

Note: Post writers will anonymously visit a restaurant in your neighborhood each week in search of the best menu item. They’ll tell you about that item and why they liked it in this spot each week.

\ –JOSHUA NICHOL-CADDY

Bands in Rotation include:

• Rebel Alliance
• Herbal Krew
• + More!

Drink Specials Include:

• $3.00 Imperial Bottles
• $3.00 Red Stripe Bottles
• $3.50 Cruzan Rum Flavored Cocktails
  • Featuring our famous Black Strap Island Hopper

Great Food Served Late!

• Fresh Fish Tacos
• Conch Fritters
• Fried Calamari
• Cracked Conch
• BEST. WINGS. EVER.
• + much more!

Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

In the mood for a good grouper sandwich? How about some fish dip, chicken wings, a burger? If so, head to the Thirsty Turtle in Juno Beach. It’s a popular, laid-back place for lunch or dinner, any day of the week.

The restaurant’s within walking distance of the pier and is a great place to break up the day with a fun, filling lunch. There’s a pool table, plenty of TVs, even a sand volleyball court.

With company in town, and after a few hours of lounging around the pool, my guests and I decided to slide on our flip-flops and head there for a lunch on a Saturday. Five of us, hungry from doing nothing in the sun, arrived at about 3 p.m. and were surprised to find the place hopping with customers. Always a good sign.

You can dine in or eat on the covered deck. Four of us had eaten at the Turtle plenty of times and we knew that one can always count on good food. The one out-of-towner in our crowd, who’s always in search of a great grouper sandwich, found it here.

We started with a pitcher of cold beer ($5.75) and smoked fish dip ($5.95). It’s a toss-up which was better. The fish dip was just a bit wet for my liking. But the clean plate told me the others thought differently.

Our table ordered mozzarella sticks ($4.95), 10 chicken wings ($3.50 during happy hour), a hamburger ($6.25), a grouper sandwich ($12.95) and a fish and chips basket ($9.95).

It was hard to pick a favorite - all the food was really good - but a bite of the grouper sandwich, with its fresh tomato, onion, lettuce and tartar sauce was all I needed to know it’ll be my order on the next visit.

Source: http://www.palmbeachpost.com/search/content/neighborhood/pb_gardens/epaper/2008/07/30/npp_turtlerev_0730.html