Tampa Area Seafood

The Best Seafood is in Pinellas County

I don't know how often I hear people complaining that there are no good seafood restaurants in Tampa.  Although the city of Tampa itself is inundated with the typical tourist seafood fare, on the coast in nearby Pinellas County there are plenty of authentic and very good seafood restaurants.

In northern Pinellas County, in the town of Palm Harbor, there is a wonderful seafood restaurant called the Tarpon Turtle.  The Tarpon Turtle is located on the northern edge of Lake Tarpon and is a waterfront casual dining restaurant.  They offer a robust seafood menu and both indoor and outdoor seating.  We recommend the mahi-mahi scampi style which is sautéed in a full flavored buttery sauce topped with shrimp on top.  Their outside patio offers a wonderful place to eat with great views of Lake Tarpon and they also feature a live band on the back deck.  One of the attractions they are most well known for is the family of small alligators that makes their home underneath the docks here at the Tarpon Turtle.  After your meal, make sure you take the time to go out back and walk out on their dock area to observe the gators swimming below you.  Main courses will run you between $18.00 and $24.00.

Clearwater Beach Seafood

Clearwater Beach is one of the biggest draws in the area for tourists, beachgoers, and snowbirds.  There are however, some are a very good seafood restaurants down at Clearwater Beach.  One of our absolute favorite seafood restaurants in the area is Frenchy’s Salt Rock Cafe located on Poinsettia Avenue at Clearwater Beach offset by several blocks from the beach, this restaurant backs up against the inter-coastal waterway.  Frenchy’s Salt Rock Café is another casual dining indoor and outdoor seafood restaurant.  It boasts a very deep menu that will almost overwhelm you with the multitude of seafood entrees and it's very robust appetizer menu.  Some of their best appetizers include the raw oysters on the half shell, the baked octopus, and the steamed mussels.  They serve their seafood a bunch of different ways including fried, steamed, grilled, and even Cajun style.  You absolutely must try their Cajun grouper sandwich.  Entrees will run you $12 to $16.

The Frenchy’s name is actually associated with a handful of different restaurant at Clearwater Beach.  Although part of the same family of restaurants, each one offers a slightly different atmosphere, and each one offers a different menu.  Frenchy’s Rockaway Grill is another one of our favorite seafood restaurants in Clearwater.  This restaurant is located right on the beach at Clearwater Beach just north of all of the towering hotel resorts.  French's Rockaway Grill is a literally located a few steps right off of the beautiful white sand beach at Clearwater Beach and across the parking lot from the Palm Pavilion restaurant.  This restaurant offers casual indoor and outdoor dining, indoor and outdoor bar areas, and live music every night.  Their huge veranda faces west towards the Gulf of Mexico offering wonderful views of the sunset.  Because it is located right on the beach, the restaurant draws a heavy portion of tourists and can get packed.  We recommend coming early or you may have to put your name on the list for a table.  Entrees are $14 to $18.00.

The Best Seafood Buffet

Just south of Clearwater Beach, at the southernmost tip of the island, is the Sheppards Seafood Buffet.  This splendid buffet is located at the Sheppards Resort and if you are a seafood lover, you must dine here.  Their buffet is of exceptional quality (with notable improvements over recent years).  Their selection and quality is excellent including, steamed snow crab, shrimp, fresh grouper, sushi, beef wellington, prime rib carving station, and much more.  At $25, this buffet is reasonably priced.  The restaurant is attached to the hotel and offers indoor dining only.  But, after your meal, enjoy a stroll on their vast ocean-front deck and tiki bar that often features a live band.

Pass-a-Grille Beach Seafood

Down at the southern edge of Pinellas County next to St. Pete beach is a wonderful place called Pass-a Grille Beach.  At Pass-a Grille Beach, about one block from the beach itself, is The Hurricane restaurant.  The Hurricane is a great seafood restaurant and one of the first that we dined at when we first moved down here.  It is a large three story restaurant with both indoor and outdoor dining.  On the first floor, they offer a cozy outdoor patio area dining on picnic tables as well as indoor dining.  The second floor is slightly more upscale but still casual indoor dining and outdoor dining with great views of the beach and ocean.  The third floor offers in an outdoor tiki bar that often features live music and offers the absolute best views of Pass-a Grille Beach from the rooftop.

View of Clearwater Beach from Pier 60