24 Tampa Bay fish shacks every seafood lover should visit at least once

Salt Shack on the Bay

5415 W Tyson Ave, Tampa, FL 33611, (813) 444-4569
Overlook old Tampa Bay as you eat your fresh seasonal seafood and drink a few cocktails––but you might have to fight for a table, especially at sunset. Salt Shack on the Bay offers a Caribbean inspired menu, the freshest seafood, and an absolutely unbeatable gulf view.

Photo via Salt Shack on the Bay/Facebook

Big Ray’s Fish Camp

6116 Interbay Blvd, Tampa, FL 33611, (813) 605-3615
A little local spot that leaves a lasting impression, Big Ray’s Fish Camp and its seafood menu is so popular that they’re building a location on Tampa’s Riverwalk. Because where else are you going to get a lobster corn dog?

Photo via Big Ray’s Fish Camp/Facebook

Jensen Brother's Seafood

911 Douglas Ave, Dunedin, FL 34698, (727) 735-0755
Jensen Brother’s Seafood, a popular wholesale seafood market, recently opened up Carver’s Fish House next door, where you can eat their freshly caught seafood in house. Its relaxing, porch seating is the perfect place to slam shrimp cocktails and beer.

Photo via Jensen Brother's Seafood /Facebook

Cajun Cafe on the Bay

8101 Park Blvd N, Pinellas Park, FL 33781,(727) 546-6732
Get ready to be elbows deep in a pile of fried soft shell crabs at Cajun Cafe on the Bay. They have an almost completely seafood oriented menu––fresh Florida seafood with a Louisiana twist. Their alligator sauce piquant, spicy alligator cooked with a dark roux sauce, is the stand out entree at Cajun Cafe on the Bay.

Photo via Cajun Cafe on the Ba/Facebook

Caretta on the Gulf

1738, 500 Mandalay Ave suite 100, Clearwater Beach, FL 33767, (727) 674-4171
Not your average fried fish shack, this upscale restaurant serves up the freshest (and fanciest ) seafood around, attached to Sandpearl Resort in Clearwater. They’re known for their seasonal cuisine, wine pairings, and special all organic menu.

Photo via Caretta on the Gulf/Facebook

Crabby’s Beachwalk Bar & Grill

333 S Gulfview Blvd, Clearwater, FL 33767,(727) 608-2065
Crabby's is somewhat of a tourist trap, but with great enough food to bring locals out to Clearwater Beach. This breezy, Florida-centric restaurant is known for its waterfront views as much as they’re known for their fresh seafood. Nothing like a good meal and a beer after spending all day on the beach.

Photo via Crabby’s Beachwalk Bar & Grill/Facebook

Clearwater Oyster Co.

655 S Gulfview Blvd, Clearwater Beach, FL 33767, (727) 451-1134
Smack dab in the middle of Clearwater tourist marina, lies Clearwater Oyster Co., which is totally worth the traffic it takes to get there. From their raw menu, popular comfort dishes like lobster rolls and crab cake, Clearwater Oyster Co. is the total package seafood spot. Grab a table outside to see the oyster shuckers shucking away.

Photo via Clearwater Oyster Co./Facebook

Happy’s Bayou Bites

5080, 431 Skinner Blvd, Dunedin, FL 34698, (727) 240-1102
It’s shack-like exterior and laid-back, outdoor seating lets you know that the food at Happy’s Bayou Bites has to be good. Their po'boys are probably the most popular item on the menu, with a variety of shrimp, chicken, oyster and catfish to choose from. Yes, and course they have fried alligator bites.

Photo via Happy’s Bayou Bites/Facebook

Hog Island Fish Camp

900 Broadway Ave, Dunedin, FL 34698, (727) 736-1179
A menu jammed pack with seafood favorites, Hog Island fish camp offers the ultimate Florida-centric casual dining experience. A Dunedin local favorite serving seafood comfort dishes, like shrimp and grits, crab dip, and fried grouper sandwiches which sell out basically every day.

Photo via Hog Island Fish Camp/Facebook

Hula Bay Club

5210 W Tyson Ave, Tampa, FL 33611,(813) 837-4852
Seafood just tastes better when you eat in on the water right? Hula Bay Club has all of the American seafood classics like fried grouper bites, shrimp cocktails, and blackened scallops. They even have a somewhat unexpected extensive sushi menu. They also have a pool so you can take a forbidden post-dinner swim.

Photo via Hula Bay Club /Facebook

Crab Shack

11400 Gandy Blvd St. Petersburg, Florida, (727) 576-7813
Crab Shack warns its customers that their food might take a little longer than they want, but that’s only because every dish is made fresh to order. Now that’s worth waiting for. This no-frills, Florida style seafood joint has a huge menu chock full of any seafood dish you can think of, and then some.

Photo via Crab Shack/Facebook

Joe’s Crab Shack

2730 Gulf to Bay Blvd, Clearwater, FL 33759, (727) 799-8530
With locations from Clearwater to Tampa, Joe’s Crab Shack is where you go when you’re craving shrimp, crabs, clams, and lobster tails––and lots of it. With a menu chock full of crab buckets, steampots and shrimp baskets, Joe’s Crab Shack is a place where you eat until you can't (and you leave loosening your belt a bit.)

Photo via Joe’s Crab Shack/Facebook

Harpoon Harry’s Crab House

225 S Franklin St, Tampa, FL 33602, (813) 321-4040
Encapsulating all of the old Florida, pirate-centered symbolism, Harpoon Harry’s is a seafood place that you bring your out-of-town guests as soon as they land at Tampa International, as it’s downtown Tampa’s go to seafood spot. Their menu is packed with American standards with a Florida-centric twist––featuring fresh salmon, sea bass, yellowfin tuna, lobster and shrimp.

Photo via Harpoon Harry’s Crab House/Facebook

Modern Brine

1113 Central Ave, St. Petersburg, FL 33705, (727)485-8755
This upscale raw bar in downtown St. Petersburg’s Baum Ave Market on Central Ave, truly encompasses their motto “classic brine with a modern flavor.” With a small, but refined seafood menu, they feature raw oysters from seven different oyster farms, with a frequently rotating selection.

Photo via Modern Brine/Facebook

T & T Restaurant

1107 28th St S Saint Petersburg, FL 33711, (727) 327-5388
Nothing like a good ole’ shack and a homemade sign that screams “This food here is going to be amazing!” T & T restaurant has an unassuming exterior, but serves up some of the best cajun style seafood around. Open up a styrofoam container full for steaming garlic crabs, with a side of spicy potatoes of course.

Photo via T & T Restaurant

The Old Salty Dog

1601 B Ken Thompson Pkwy Sarasota, FL 34236, (941) 388-4311
The Old Salty Dog definitely fulfills their motto “Sarasota’s Old Florida Favorite.” Their known for making classic American dishes into seafood dishes, like with their grouper egg rolls and grouper reuben. This full blown restaurant company with three different locations, originally started as a hot dog and beer stand in the 1980’s.

Photo via The Old Salty Dog/Facebook

Salt Cracker Fish Camp

25 Causeway Blvd, Clearwater, FL 33767, (727) 442-6910
You know your seafood is going to be fresh when the restaurant is in a marina. Salt Cracker Fish Camp in Clearwater is known for their smoked fish dip and grouper sandwich, long list of breezy cocktails, and peaceful waterfront dining experience. They also have prized all day happy hour, two drinks for only $9.

Photo via Salt Cracker Fish Camp/Facebook

Oyster Bar

249 Central Ave, St. Petersburg, FL 33701, (727) 897-9728
Eat some of the freshest seafood and oysters without having to take a trip to the beach. Sandwiched in between countless restaurants and bars in downtown St. Petersburg, Oyster Bar has their ‘Aphrodisiac Hour’ everyday, which features $1 Oysters & one buck chuck from 4pm-5pm.

Photo via Oyster Bar/Facebook

Sea Sea Riders

221 Main St, Dunedin, FL 34698, (727) 734-1445
Family-owned and operated since for over two decades, Sea Sea Riders is known for serving up seafood-driven lunch and dinner offerings. Nothing like eating a homey meal in a restorative, Key-West inspired 1903 Florida cracker house. Want to spice up your weekend? Order your cocktail with CBD.

Photo via Sea Sea Riders/Facebook

Ricks on the River

2305 N Willow Ave, Tampa, FL 33607,(813) 251-0369
A marina, bar, and grill, Rick’s on the River is where you go when you want fresh fish, clams, and oysters without the frills and fanciness of an uppity seafood restaurant. Ultimately casual and laid back, Rick’s most popular item is the “famous grouper sandwich.” It’s famous for a reason.

Photo via Ricks on the River/Facebook

Frenchy’s Outpost

466 Causeway Blvd, Dunedin, FL 34698, 727) 286-6139
Frenchy’s Outpost is an open-air, Key West style restaurant serving up fresh seafood and family friendly atmosphere, where the food just tastes better while wearing a hawaiin shirt. With five locations from Dunedin to Clearwater, Frenchy’s is a Tampa Bay beachside staple.

Photo via frenchysonline.com