Fried whole belly clams, onion rings, fritters and coleslaw are our standard at Essex Seafood. Just remember, cash only! We arrived around 12:30 on a Saturday to a fairly empty parking lot - good for us as that meant no wait. More diners arrived after us but there was still ample seating for everyone. Service is exceedingly fast. We had our piping hot food in a matter of minutes from ordering. In fact, we were leaving the restaurant 30 minutes after arriving with very full bellies. Portions are huge, prices on par with coastal New England seafood restaurants. Product tastes great. Well worth the hour drive from the northern section of The Villages. Nothing fancy inside and out for decorations, but we come for the food!

Loved the fresh seafood and service. Staff was wonderful. The Boston Cream Pie for dessert was to die for.

A must stop if you are passing by ! We were in a trip to Jacksonville and were passing through not much to eat so we figured we would give this a try and omg amazing. Already planning the next trip back Must try hush puppies and the white mac and cheese FRESH MAINE LOBSTER !! Whole belly clams The prices were so reasonable I was shocked I haven't had this good of seafood since being back in Connecticut. The vibe literally feels like your up north . Service was amazing the girls were so nice ! Five stars for sure I wish we had something like this close to the house !! Make sure to check out the specials !!

I live in Daytona and drive over to this place pretty frequently. The only place you can get full belly clams that are fried right. I have also had the lobster rolls in the past and they are delicious as well. Highly recommend

Oysters were fabulous! It was a Sunday afternoon and this little place was packed with! I had the "boat". Fried oysters, one side, my choice was a baked potato which I took to go as the oysters were what I wanted to use my appetite for! I was not disappointed! Very casual, tables are close, service is quick and friendly. Need to head that way again for the clams!'

Hands down the best seafood in Florida, made like all us from NE love!! Pictured whole belly clams and oysters.

This place is so good I had to come back with a friend. The place is not fancy, their food does all the talking. The big full belly clams of the best. Reminds me of back home in New England. So so good. The girls here will take care of you from the minute you come in, to the time you leave. So friendly and fast. The plates may came out full but when you leave, there is nothing on them. If you're in the neighborhood, a must stop. Just make sure you have CASH... no credit here, only great food and seafood.

Fantastic northern cold water seafood ! Can't believe we have lived here for 40+ years and never heard of it! Service is great! Fried food NOT GREASY! Scallops, belly calms, steamers, cold water lobster. Great onion rings Cash only Rustic no frills Only negative is wine selection, but have beers and soft drinks.

This place is cash only so plan ahead!! They are closed on Tuesday's. Beer and wine are by the bottle only. The food...OH MY GOD is to die for!! Hubby and I shared a clam strip plate with fries and onion rings with a side of hushpuppies. Ya'll.... This was the best, most tender, and juiciest clams I have had in my life. The plate is piled high with fire and onion rings and all was delicious! The breading for the clams is the same for the onion rings and was soooooo good! Service is friendly and frequently checking in to see if everything was good. Just great southern hospitality! The ambience was at lunch time and obviously a local favorite! It was packed! We got one of the last two tables available.

I thoroughly enjoyed my meal at Essex Seafood. We started with fried clams and hush puppies. Both were freshly made and taste great. The clams were tender and lightly battered. I will definitely order them again. After the clams we settled on fried scallops, oysters, shrimp and white fish. Everything tasted super fresh and was cooked to perfection. I loved the fact that they do not have a heavy hand with salt and did not use a thick batter. This way the seafood really shines through. For sides we had Mac & cheese, coleslaw and onion rings. Loved them all. I will definitely return to this restaurant.