Big Fin Seafood Kitchen, the boat-to-table seafood restaurant that anchored Orlando’s Restaurant Row for nearly 17 years, closed its Dr. Phillips location on August 24. The closure ends the run of a spot known for fresh seafood, oysters and steaks at 8046 Via Dellagio Way, just off West Sand Lake Road.
The shutdown was first reported by the West Orange Times Observer, which detailed the restaurant’s abrupt exit from the 11,000-square-foot space it had occupied at Dellagio Town Center. The venue was large enough to host up to 270 seated guests or 500 for cocktail receptions across its private dining rooms and outdoor Bar-A-Cuda patio, according to Big Fin Seafood Kitchen’s own site, making it one of the larger independent seafood venues on the strip.
What makes the timing sting is that Big Fin was still actively promoting itself just days before closing. The restaurant had been participating in Visit Orlando’s 2026 Magical Dining event, running August 14 through September 30, and was offering a $60 three-course prix-fixe menu as part of the citywide promotion, per Couple of Critics. That made the closure catch regulars and first-time diners alike off guard.
A Winding Ownership History
Big Fin’s roots trace back to late December 2009, when founder Bobby Moore opened the restaurant after an earlier concept, originally planned as a second outpost of his Winter Park Village restaurant under the name Beluga, fell apart amid tax liens, according to Scott Joseph’s Orlando Restaurant Guide. Moore sold the business in January 2020 to Philippe Villain and Kevin O’Donnell, and Villain later sold it in May 2023 to Orlando-based investment firm Estein USA, in a deal that reportedly included a five-mile non-compete clause barring the sellers from opening a competing seafood restaurant nearby…