crab shack: seafood with character
Kevin LacassinIt only took me a year and half, but this weekend I finally found something I longed for in Tampa: a good seafood restaurant. 
Sure, there are great restaurants in the bay area that serve seafood, but I’m not talking about a fine dining restaurant serving a $27 entree of fresh imported fish with fancy sauces. I’m talking about a seafood restaurant for those of us that grew up and live on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. You know, the kind place with raw oysters served on the half shell, fried seafood platters, steamed blue crabs and cold beer to wash it down. On Saturday afternoon I found it all at the Crab Shack Restaurant in St. Petersburg.
My girlfriend and I spent most of the day at the beach, and on the way home I realized I was in the mood for seafood. Besides, there isn’t a better way to follow up a hot day at the beach than with ice-cold raw oysters. My friend Joe raved about the Crab Shack just last week, singling out the taste and freshness of the Apalachicola oysters. After a quick stop at home and a little Internet research, I decided that it was time for a try.
Located on the Pinellas side of the Gandy bridge, the Crab Shack is a local favorite. With only about 15 tables, the place fills up fast and always seems to have a wait. The building is small, with low ceilings and has the character of a run down seafood joint on the water; exactly what I expected. The clientèle is unpretentious too; a mix of families, bikers and young couples alongside the gray haired lady sitting at the bar nursing her carafe of white zinfandel. It’s definitely not a tourist destination.
We started out our meal on Saturday with a dozen cold raw oysters on the half shell ($8.95) that turned out to be some of the best I’ve had in the bay area - salty and fresh. Although I typically do not eat at five o’clock in the afternoon, we were lucky this time to have stumbled in on happy hour, which runs 4-6 pm Monday through Saturday. I took advantage of the daily special - two for one draft beer and oysters for only $6.95 a dozen.
The dinner menu is diverse and reads like a typical seafood joint: fried fish, oysters and shrimp, steamed blue crabs and they requisite seafood platter. After eating them raw for an appetizer, I decided I would continue and order the Fried Oyster Plate ($12.95), which I enjoyed with French fries and homemade coleslaw. The oysters were fried perfect and packed with flavor – I loved every bite. My girlfriend decided on the Stuffed Shack Fish ($13.95), a large piece of cod filled with a blue crab stuffing then broiled. The fish was excellent, but I have to admit that almost anything is good if you stuff it with crabmeat and broil it with a heap of butter. We planned to hit another happy hour down the street and unfortunately unable to indulge in any dessert, unless you count more two-for-one beers.
Dining at Crab Shack is a winner and I consider it a victory in my search for reasonably priced, down to earth seafood. It’s my kind of place and will definitely be back soon. The menu has something for everyone and is one of the few places in town I have seen steamed blue crabs as well as fried soft shell crabs. Check out the Crab Shack Restaurant website to peruse the menu and even print out a coupon for a free beer, wine or well drink! The prices are reasonable, the food is good and the restaurant has character. When you are in the mood for down home seafood, don’t just eat at Joe’s, you really should try out the REAL Crab Shack.
Inspection Scorecard: Last Inspection: May 2007 violations - Critical (7), Non-Critical (8).
Crab Shack Restaurant
11400 Gandy Blvd
St. Petersburg, Florida
(727) 576-7813
http://www.crabshack.com/
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June 6th, 2007 at 6:31 pm
Lots of cool stuff on “that side” of the Gandy Bridge. Dave’s Aqua Lounge is another example. If you go to the Crab Shack, keep an eye out for Earl, Randy, Joy, Darnell, etc.
June 6th, 2007 at 8:38 pm
Hi Kevin - fellow New Orleanian/Y’at here (though I moved here in ‘96 by way of a few other places). I remember when you first came to Tampa after Katrina (when the Times wrote you up, I believe). I was looking forward to you bringing your dining blogging over here and thrilled to see you on Sticks!
Anyway, a year and a half was definitely too long to discover the Shack! It reminds me of casual New Orleans seafood dining more than any other place I’ve been in the Bay area. Growing up in New Orleans, you come to expect hole in the wall joints to have great food, and they don’t disappoint (for that price level)!
Two other great places for oysters - Oyster Bar on Central in St. Pete and Ricks on the River in (basically) West Tampa. Oh how I wish Cafe Creole were still in Ybor…THOSE were oysters!
June 6th, 2007 at 8:47 pm
Pj’s oyster Bar - Indian Rocks Beach
Crabby Bills - Indian Rocks Beach
Keegan’s seafood grille - Indian Rocks Beach
Guppy’s - again Indian Rocks Beach
those all within a mile or two
The beach (all 26 miles of it) offers hidden or not so hidden gems filled with raw oysters, crabs any way you like, and enough fried goodies to make you feel like your in N.O. and all at reasonable prices
Kevin, if you get a hankering for a grouper sandwich next time your at the beach, may I insist on Dockside Dave’s at John Pass (second location soon to come on Gulf BLVD.
June 7th, 2007 at 10:22 am
Yo Kevin, you were involved in putting on Milan Gras? What a party!
June 7th, 2007 at 11:16 am
i always thought the crab shack was a decent hole in the wall. just never went more than twice or so. i guess ill put it back on the list. those fried oysters sound delish…
June 8th, 2007 at 7:28 am
Gregory and CJ - great to hear from you both. Unfortunately the biggest factor keeping me from trying all of the places mentioned is geography. It’s a pain to get all the way over to Indian Rocks beach for a meal; I haven’t tried any of the aformentioned places. That being said, I have been less than impressed with many of the seafood places in St. Pete beach, Pass-a-grille and in Tampa at Rocky Point.
drkptt - unfortunately a lid was put on Milan Gras just before I moved to the block. However, we rocked that block HARD for several years. If you passed by the 1300 block of Milan between 2002-2005 and saw a crowd, that was me. (New Orleans and Mardi Gras references)
dreaming - depending on what you order, crab shack could be fantastic or just average. The fried foods are especially well done and the raw oysters were outstanding. As with other restaurants, there are probably a number of items on the menu that wouldn’t impress.
If there are other great seafood places out there, I’m open for suggestions.
-Kevin
June 8th, 2007 at 9:49 am
Yeah, I groan any time I think about driving out to Indian Rocks and beyond from Tampa (especially that jaunt down Ulmerton or the like - yeesh). St. Pete Beach is really (ironically since it’s furthest south) the easiest beach destination for folks in Tampa.
Anyway, you mentioned Rocky Point seafood places. You surely can’t mean that Oyster Catchers was a disappointment.
Here’s one I was hoping for someone else’s take on - Happy Fish in West Tampa. http://travel.yahoo.com/p-travelguide-3683734-happy_fish_seafood_restaurant_tampa-i
It’s tucked into the corner of a strip mall (surprise!) at the SW corner of Armenia and Tampa Bay (have you learned that we aren’t nearly as original in naming streets as New Orleans?) It’s a bit of a hole in the wall (again, a compliment in New Orleans-speak) but with a very interesting menu, and South Tampa prices. I wasn’t offended though because CJ and I felt like we got my money’s worth there. Much easier drive than Indian Rocks, so check it out! Also, one of the best seafood experiences I have had, hands down, was Pacific Wave (on 2nd St S in downtown St. Pete, I believe). Again kind of pricey, though it may be a little known fact that you can get 50% off of your second entree if you are a member of Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center.
June 8th, 2007 at 10:02 am
Yeah, I groan any time I think about driving out to Indian Rocks and beyond from Tampa (especially that jaunt down Ulmerton or the like - yeesh). St. Pete Beach is really (ironically since it’s furthest south) the easiest beach destination for folks in Tampa.
Anyway, you mentioned Rocky Point seafood places. You surely can’t mean that Oyster Catchers was a disappointment.
Here’s one I was hoping for someone else’s take on - Happy Fish in West Tampa.
I had tried posting a link, but the site called me a spammer - just do a google search for “Happy Fish Armenia Tampa”. It’s tucked into the corner of a strip mall (surprise!) at the SW corner of Armenia and Tampa Bay (have you learned that we aren’t nearly as original in naming streets as New Orleans?) It’s a bit of a hole in the wall (again, a compliment in New Orleans-speak) but with a very interesting menu, and South Tampa prices. I wasn’t offended though because CJ and I felt like we got my money’s worth there. Much easier drive than Indian Rocks, so check it out! Also, one of the best seafood experiences I have had, hands down, was Pacific Wave (on 2nd St S in downtown St. Pete, I believe). Again kind of pricey, though it may be a little known fact that you can get 50% off of your second entree if you are a member of Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center.