23 essential Tampa Bay fish shacks everyone should visit at least once

Old Salty Dog

Multiple locations
With three locations to choose from, in Siesta Key, City Island and Venice Island, the Old Salty Dog has served seafood for 36 years. Right on the water, the Florida favorite is known for its loaded hot dogs. The “salty dog” is a fried quarter pound hot dog, and with toppings, it includes sauerkraut, bacon, grilled onions and mushrooms, plus a variety of cheeses. Talk about filling!
Photo via Old Salty Dog/Instagram

Rick's on the River

2305 N Willow Ave., Tampa
Rick's on the River is where raw oysters and bar bites meet drinks and live music. The riverfront pub has a full marina for boats to pull into, and it offers wet slip rentals. Stop by for coconut shrimp, fish filet or some oysters and clams.
Photo via Ricks on the River/Facebook

Hog Island Fish Camp

900 Broadway Ave., Dunedin
Hog Island Fish Camp is, of course, just by Hog Island, and it serves locally-sourced seafood and Southern sides. There’s fried grit cake, hush puppies, collard greens and of course, hogfish.
Photo via Hog Island Fish Camp/Instagram

Bait House

45 Causeway Blvd., Clearwater Beach
Yes, the Bait House does sell bait along with fresh fish. The dockside fish stop and tackle shop opened in the 1940s and is located in the Marina on Clearwater Beach. The menu includes locally caught seafood, with the famous drunken shrimp, smoked fish spread, tuna tacos and locally-crafted beer. Some of the highest quality tackle and gear is offered there.
Bait House/Google

Ballyhoo Grill

7604 Ehrlich Rd., Tampa
At Ballyhoo Grill, stop by for anything from oysters to steak. The casual restaurant in the 'burbs serves a snow crab dinner with butter and lemon and a side, firecracker shrimp tacos and ballyhoo bowls.
Photo via Ballyhoo Grill/Facebook

Big Ray’s Fish Camp

6116 Interbay Blvd, Tampa
Big Ray’s Fish Club is located south of Gandy in Interbay, just miles from Ballast Point where chef Raymond "Nick" Cruz learned to fish with his grandpa. Now, Cruz serves lobster corn dogs, plus grilled, blackened or fried grouper along with classics sides like conch fritters, a deviled crab and even fries with garlic parmesan.
Photo via Big Ray’s Fish Camp/Instagram

Bar Fly Fish Shack Bar & Grill

1026 Nebraska Ave., Palm Harbor
Bar Fly Fish Shack Bar & Grill serves sick merch, like a camo "One Love" trucker hat and a bloody fish shirt, along with fresh catch. Originally opened as a bar, the spot now has a raw bar, nibblers, tacos and cocktails from across Florida.
Photo via Bar Fly Fish Shack Bar & Grill/Facebook

Salt Cracker Fish Camp

25 Causeway Blvd., Clearwater Beach
At the Salt Cracker Fish Camp, you can eat breakfast, lunch and supper all with a side of fresh caught fish. Not even kidding, there is a shrimp and grouper omelette and a grouper and lobster benedict for the morning. Later in the day, you can feast on shrimp and oyster Po Boys, shrimp and grits and fish from the raw bar. The restaurant even prepares the fish you catch after you dock. Salt Cracker Charter Boats are just outside the restaurant, and they can take you on a fishing trip as well. As for drinks, happy hour is all day every day, with two drinks for $10.
Photo via Salt Cracker Fish Camp/Facebook

Crab Shack

11400 Gandy Blvd. N, St. Petersburg
At Crab Shack, the meals are prepared on the spot, so the wait may be a little longer. But the seafood is fresh. The restaurant has gator bites, a jumbo Maryland crab cake, Wisconsin cheese curds and seafood served with Cajun seasoning.
Photo via Crab Shack/Google

Woody’s River Roo Pub & Grill

5717 18th St. E, Ellenton
Located right on the Manatee River in Ellenton, Woody’s River Roo cooks up American eats and cocktails underneath the tiki bar and alongside live music. The casual riverside joint is named after the other businesses Woody once owned, Woody’s Restaurant, and The Lost Kangaroo, as well as the neighboring river. It's known for its clam chowder, fish spread, grouper sandwich and thick steak cut fries.
Photo via Woody’s River Roo Pub/Facebook

Carvor’s Fish House

907 Douglas Ave, Dunedin
Friendly, and casual, Carvor’s Fish House sells fresh and frozen fish. The seafood restaurant serves grouper sandwiches, crab cake sandwiches, potato salad and conch fritters. Most menu items are sandwiches and sides.
Photo via Carvor’s Fish House/Instagram

The Fish House

1902 W Shell Point Rd., Ruskin
In an outdoor picnic-style setting, The Fish House cooks deep fried seafood and sides. The casual spot serves soft shell crabs, fried mullet and cheap fish sandwiches.
Photo via The Fish House/Google

Ted Peters Famous Smoked Fish

1350 Pasadena Ave. S, St. Petersburg
Ted Peters Famous Smoked Fish stop opened in 1951, and it spans five generations with the same fish spread and German potato salad recipes from the '50s. To make the famous fish, it bakes over a smoldering fire of red oak for four to six hours.
Photo via Ted Peters Famous Smoked Fish/Website

The Dog House and More

106 N U.S. Hwy-41, Ruskin
Bask in the sun under a thatched roof at The Dog House and more. The stop has an outdoor pit and picnic tables and offers hot dogs and BBQ. Fresh seafood is of course served, too. The homemade baked beans with pineapple bites, brisket with onions and BBQ sauce sandwich, shrimp Po’Boy and fish tacos with mango salsa are all hits.
Photo via The Dog House and More/Facebook

Frenchy’s

Multiple locations
Frenchy’s opened back in 1981, and the restaurant is named after the owner Michael Preston, who was nicknamed Frenchie for his Quebec roots. You know the fish is fresh there because Frenchy’s also owns a seafood company with fishing boats. Frenchy’s is also tied to a hotel. The original cafe is famous for its grouper sandwich.
Photo via Frenchy’s/Faecbook

Salt Shack on the Bay

5415 W Tyson Ave., Tampa
Salt Shack on the Bay is indeed on the bay, just off the Gandy Bridge in South Tampa and accessible by boat or car. As one of Tampa’s last outposts, the casual bar serves a Caribbean-inspired menu with fresh seafood, seasonal cuisines and tropical cocktails. It serves coconut curried shrimp, mojo marinated steak and fish tacos.
Photo via Salt Shack on the Bay/Facebook

Happy’s Bayou Bites

431 Skinner Blvd., Dunedin
Some days at Happy’s Bayou Bites in Dunedin, long lines and bikes wrap around the food trailer. Munch on some Po’boys and gumbo at the picnic tables, and relax in the casual environment.
Photo via Happy’s Bayou Bites/Instagram

Crabby’s Beachwalk Bar & Grill

333 S Gulfview Blvd., Clearwater Beach
Ornamented by palm trees and red umbrellas, Crabby’s Beachwalk Bar & Grill is a classic Clearwater Beach stop. The beachside restaurant serves every meal late into the night, with sunset views and live music. As the name entails, the crab and spinach dip is a speciality, along with the tuna tacos and garlic mussels.
Photo via Crabby’s Beachwalk Bar & Grill/Google

Morgan Mae’s Oyster House

606 N Pinellas Ave.,Tarpon Springs
At the sponge docks, Morgan Mae’s Oyster House offers lots of oysters. The oysters are steamed, raw, fried, grilled and served as specialty dishes with blue cheese or as Oysters Rockefeller with butter, parsley and bread crumbs. The restaurant also has a full bar. “We’ll have steamed, raw, fried, grilled, as well as specialty oysters like blue cheese and Oysters Rockefeller.”
Photo via Morgan Mae’s Oyster House/Facebook

Cajun Cafe on the Bayou

8260 66th St. N, Pinellas Park
The Cajun Cafe on the Bayou used to be an old shack on the water, but in 2019 it moved to a new location. Open for 25 years, the spot cooks Cajun cuisine, along with seafood dishes. Check it out for some jambalaya, Creole gumbo, crawfish cornbread and a shrimp bowl.
Photo via Cajun Cafe on the Bayou/Website