Pompano Grill

Pompano Grill Pompano Grill is an intimate Coastal Steakhouse & Prime Seafood destination. We are a small family owned and operated restaurant! Reservations are suggested.
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Owned by Jackie Sampson and led by Executive Chef Ricardo Molinari, we feature Mishima Reserve Wagyu, fresh coastal seafood, curated wines, and refined, welcoming hospitality. We pride ourselves on using the finest ingredients - our fish is fresh - never frozen! We offer a variety of dishes to satisfy any palate - Our specialty is our preparation of fresh locally caught fish, we also offer a varie

ty of chicken & veal dishes, as well as pasta and vegetarian dishes. We cook from the heart and serve all of our guests as if they are family! COVID POLICY
We care a lot about our guests and want you to feel safe and comfortable in our restaurant. As you know, no one is immune or 100% safe from COVID-19, and we are all making personal decisions on what level of risk we are willing to take as we try to live our normal lives. The unfortunate truth is restaurants around the country are being decimated by the pandemic and more than 1/3 will never reopen. Should you choose to dine with us, which we hope is the case, we want you to know we are creating the safest environment we can for both our employees and guests. We are open for business so that we can take care of those who serve you and cook for you. We are not making a profit right now with all of these operating limits, but that is not the goal right now, the goal is to keep our team employed and food on their tables. And regardless of how safe we're working to be - those who do not feel comfortable working here, or dining here, are not forced to come in. Here are the steps we are taking as we run this restaurant during a Global Pandemic

Every day, our staff follows all the CDC guidelines (and beyond) for social distancing, masks (upon request), hand sanitizer, and surface cleaning. We take this very seriously and have ongoing discussions and trainings with our staff

We appreciate your overwhelming support for our restaurant and know that we can make it through this together.

Happy Saturday, friends!Since apparently I’m supposed to occasionally post pictures of the FOOD… here you go. 😂And this ...
09/05/2026

Happy Saturday, friends!

Since apparently I’m supposed to occasionally post pictures of the FOOD… here you go. 😂

And this one is pretty damn sexy.

Macadamia Crusted Triple Tail — delicate, buttery, flaky fish with a crunchy macadamia crust, coconut rice, tropical salsa and Chef Ricardo’s sweet heat red curry sauce.

That sauce is the troublemaker. Sweet and velvety at first… and then the heat shows up a few seconds later. Just enough to make you go back for another bite.

If you’ve never tried Triple Tail, start here.

You know the drill… make those reservations. 🍷

TALES FROM THE OWNER… Apparently I Need to Read Minds NowFor….well, you know who you are! ⭐️⭐️⭐️So here we go again…You ...
09/05/2026

TALES FROM THE OWNER… Apparently I Need to Read Minds Now

For….well, you know who you are! ⭐️⭐️⭐️

So here we go again…

You come in for dinner. For the first hour of your 90-minute visit, you are the ONLY table in the restaurant. Three servers are available. I’m also there, but working in my office—not roaming the dining room making the rounds.

At some point you ask Austin, “Is the boss lady here?”

Yes, she is.

“Tell her I said hello.”

And that’s it.

You don’t ask to speak with me. You don’t say you’re unhappy. You don’t tell any of the other servers that apparently you’re having trouble getting anyone’s attention.

Then I read on social media that the service was “subpar,” you had to flag people down, and the “regulars” were getting all the attention.

The regulars WHO? There wasn’t another table in the restaurant for the first hour of your visit. 🤣

And apparently you “tried” to get my attention.

Folks… “Tell Jackie I said hello” is NOT code for “We have a problem and would like to speak with the owner.” I’m good, but apparently not THAT good.

If something is wrong, SAY SOMETHING. Ask for me. Ask another server. Send me a private message afterward. Especially if you’ve known me and frequented my restaurant for years.

But say nothing and take it straight to social media? Yeah, that gets under my skin.

I’ll listen to criticism. I’ll address a legitimate problem. But I’m also going to stand behind my employees when something simply doesn’t add up.

Apparently we’re expected to serve dinner, refill drinks AND read minds now.

Hmmmm… that “No Fly” list is growing. 🤣

I can’t make this stuff up.

The obligatory FOOD post. 🐌Fine. Enough people stories for five minutes. Let’s talk about these sexy little snails.Just ...
09/04/2026

The obligatory FOOD post. 🐌

Fine. Enough people stories for five minutes. Let’s talk about these sexy little snails.

Just LOOK at them. Lounging around in a bath of brandy crème sauce like they have absolutely nowhere else to be.

And no, Chef Ricardo is not throwing these beauties into some plain old garlic butter and calling it a day. These are Pompano Grill escargot. They have standards.

Brandy crème. Leeks. Capers. Tomatoes. Rich, decadent, slightly ridiculous in all the right ways… with fresh baked bread alongside to sop up every last bit of that sauce. Because leaving brandy crème behind is just poor decision-making.

Frankly, the escargot are living better than most of us.

There. I posted food.

Tomorrow we can get back to whatever nonsense happens tonight. 😂

Tales from the Owner… Happy Friday! 🍷Apparently Chef Ricardo and I hate our jobs.Who knew? 🤣🤣I’ve seen this a few times ...
09/04/2026

Tales from the Owner… Happy Friday! 🍷

Apparently Chef Ricardo and I hate our jobs.

Who knew? 🤣🤣

I’ve seen this a few times lately… “Why do you own a restaurant if people bother you so much?”

Oh honey. People don’t bother me.

People entertain me.

There’s a BIG difference. 🤣

We love our restaurant. We love what we do. We love the people who come in and support us night after night.

But every once in a while someone says or does something that makes Austin and me look at each other across the dining room like… did that REALLY just happen?

And THAT, my friends, is how a Tale from the Owner is born. 🍷

No anger. No misery. Just 20 years in this business, a healthy sense of humor and apparently an endless supply of material.

Happy Friday! Now behave yourselves tonight… I already have tomorrow’s post planned. 🤣

Tales from the Owner: Apparently We Advertised Too Soon 🤦‍♀️For those of you in the back…EL CHEAPO STARTS SEPTEMBER 15TH...
09/03/2026

Tales from the Owner: Apparently We Advertised Too Soon 🤦‍♀️

For those of you in the back…

EL CHEAPO STARTS SEPTEMBER 15TH.

Not September 1st. Not “sometime around September.” September 15th. It’s right there on the post. In black and white. 😂

Last night we actually had someone argue with Austin because she had “read on the internet” that El Cheapo was already running.

Austin, being Austin, very politely asked her to pull out her phone and show him where she read that.

She pulled up the post.

And there it was.

STARTS SEPTEMBER 15TH.

Now, this is normally the part of the story where someone says, “Oh! I’m sorry, I must have missed that.”

Nope.

Instead, apparently WE were the problem because we had the audacity to advertise something before it actually started.

The horror.

So, a public service announcement to every business currently advertising a Labor Day sale, a fall event, Christmas reservations, Halloween parties or anything else happening sometime in the future:

STOP IT IMMEDIATELY.

People may read your advertisement, skip the date entirely, show up whenever they feel like it and then blame you for advertising too early. 🤣

I swear, I cannot make this stuff up.

And to all of you who keep providing material for Tales from the Owner…thank you. At this rate, I have enough content for the next five years.

And one more time, just because I know someone is going to ask:

EL CHEAPO STARTS SEPTEMBER 15TH.
Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday nights ONLY.

See you then. Not tonight. 😂

Tales from the Owner: You Know What Chaps My Hide?You have dinner with us. You’re smiling, laughing, chatting. We ask ho...
09/02/2026

Tales from the Owner: You Know What Chaps My Hide?

You have dinner with us. You’re smiling, laughing, chatting. We ask how everything is.

“Fantastic!”

Great. Everyone’s happy.

Then…BAM.

⭐️⭐️

“Food was too salty.”
“Too many bell peppers in my salsa.”
“Didn’t care for my entrée.”
“Bad service.”

Ummm…what?

Why wait until you’re home to say something?

You’ll tell us when we don’t have a table for you Saturday night. And we ALL know you’ll tell us when you can’t take the crème brûlée to go. We’ve established that. 🤣

But when it comes to the dinner you’re actually paying for…silence.

Come on, people!

We WANT you to enjoy your dinner. If something isn’t right, say something while we can still fix it.

Because nothing is more frustrating than opening OpenTable two days later and discovering that the person who smiled, chatted and called everything “fantastic” apparently wasn’t happy at all.

THAT chaps my hide.

📣 FOR THOSE OF YOU IN THE BACK…EL CHEAPO DOES NOT START THIS WEEK.It starts SEPTEMBER 15TH.And it is available TUESDAY, ...
09/01/2026

📣 FOR THOSE OF YOU IN THE BACK…

EL CHEAPO DOES NOT START THIS WEEK.

It starts SEPTEMBER 15TH.

And it is available TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY & THURSDAY ONLY.

Not Friday.
Not Saturday.
Not this week. 😂

I love the enthusiasm, but judging by the messages I’m getting, apparently I buried this information somewhere in the fine print. I did not.

SEPTEMBER 15TH. Tuesday–Thursday. Three courses. $39.

And yes, reservations are highly recommended.

Now everyone screenshot this so I can refer back to it. 🤣

NOW HIRING — SERVER ASSISTANTCome join me, Austin & Ben! We’re looking for a part-time Server Assistant to help our litt...
09/01/2026

NOW HIRING — SERVER ASSISTANT

Come join me, Austin & Ben! We’re looking for a part-time Server Assistant to help our little crew.

This is not a serving position — you’ll help with hosting, bussing tables, running food and keeping things moving on busy nights.

Hourly wage plus tips, with Fridays & Saturdays a must.

It’s also a perfect after-school job for someone who’s curious about the restaurant business and wants to get a glimpse of what actually goes on behind the scenes. Spoiler alert: it’s not quite The Bear. 🤣

Message me if you’re interested!

Tales from the Kitchen…It’s September. Fall is in the air. 🍂Who are we kidding? We’re in Florida. It’s 900 degrees and t...
09/01/2026

Tales from the Kitchen…

It’s September. Fall is in the air. 🍂

Who are we kidding? We’re in Florida. It’s 900 degrees and the only thing falling around here is our patience with the humidity. 🤣

But Chef Ricardo apparently got the memo that it’s “fall,” so he’s been in the test kitchen playing around with some seasonal ingredients. And THIS is what happens.

And for those of you who are tired of my Tales from the Owner, think I’m “bashing people,” or have somehow concluded that I “hate my job”… here you go. 🤣

FOOD.

No policies. No reservations lecture. No crème brûlée controversy. Just something pretty to drool over.

Chef’s playing. I’m taste testing. It’s a tough job.

Hope to see you this week! ❤️

El Cheapo is back. Because apparently once wasn’t enough.Starting Tuesday, September 15th, Chef Ricardo is rolling out E...
08/31/2026

El Cheapo is back. Because apparently once wasn’t enough.

Starting Tuesday, September 15th, Chef Ricardo is rolling out El Cheapo: Fall From Grace — three courses for $39.

This time he went full-on fall comfort food: roasted pumpkin arancini, Wagyu meatballs with caramelized onions and Gruyère, Japanese pumpkin ravioli, citrus glazed salmon, sirloin steak, Dutch apple pie and cinnamon roll bread pudding.

Not exactly what you’d expect for $39. Which, of course, is the whole point.

As always, you pick one from each course. And one menu = one person. I know. Very controversial. But two people sharing a three-course $39 dinner wasn’t quite the questionable business decision we had in mind.

El Cheapo is available Tuesday–Thursday only. And don’t forget reservations. The last round taught us that waiting until Thursday afternoon and then asking why there aren’t any tables left does not, unfortunately, make a table appear.

Starts September 15th and ends… whenever Chef decides it’s run its course.

$39. Three courses. Come hungry.

Address

110 N Brevard Avenue
Cocoa Beach, FL
32931

Opening Hours

Tuesday 5:30pm - 8:30pm
Wednesday 5:30pm - 8:30pm
Thursday 5:30pm - 8:30pm
Friday 5pm - 8:30pm
Saturday 5pm - 9pm

Telephone

+13217849005

Website

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