- Joe's Stone Crab Restaurant (South Beach; tel. 305/673-0365): Open only during stone-crab season (Oct-May), this always-packed Miami institution knows how to reel in the crowds with the freshest, meatiest stone crabs and the side dishes to go with them, from creamed spinach to excellent sweet-potato french fries.
- The Fish Joint (North Miami Beach; tel. 305/936-8333): Although the name does no justice to this fantastic seafood restaurant, the food makes up for it tenfold.
- Grillfish (South Beach; tel. 305/538-9908): The Liza Minelli of South Beach, Grillfish has weathered the trendy storm of South Beach and still manages to pay its exorbitant rent with a loyal following of locals who come for fresh, simple seafood in a relaxed but upscale atmosphere.
- Seven Fish (Key West; tel. 305/296-2777): It may be a little tough to find and it doesn't have a water view, but the tiny, hip Seven Fish isn't about the frills. A mostly locals' seafood spot, the motto here is "simple good food." We disagree. The food isn't simple; it's simply the best seafood in town, with fresh catches of the day, phenomenal crab cakes, friendly servers, and a cool, in-the-know crowd.
- Atlantic's Edge (Islamorada; tel. 305/664-4651): Of the many seafood restaurants in the Keys, this one is tops, with an innovative menu that includes some of the freshest and tastiest fish around. It's also the most elegant offering in the Keys.
- Marker 88 (Islamorada; tel. 305/852-9315): Bahamian conch, stone crabs from the Florida Bay, and shrimp from the West Coast are just some of the fresh items, innovatively prepared, at this Upper Keys institution.
- Rustic Inn Crabhouse (Fort Lauderdale; tel. 954/584-1637): A cacophonous Lauderdale landmark, Rustic Inn is famous for its garlic crabs and equally famous for the symphony of mallets crushing them at the table. Despite the newspaper tablecloths and paper bibs, this place is so good that even diva Barbra Streisand stopped by -- though she asked the waiter to de-shell her crabs, probably so she wouldn't break a fingernail.
- Sunfish Grill (Pompano Beach; tel. 954/788-2434): Some argue that this is the best seafood restaurant on the entire Gold Coast, and we won't argue against them, thanks to the chef/owner who buys seafood fresh from local fishermen and prepares it with stunning results.
- Conchy Joe's Seafood (Jensen Beach; tel. 561/334-1130): Known for fresh seafood and Old Florida hospitality, Conchy Joe's enjoys an excellent reputation that's far bigger than the restaurant itself. Dining is either indoors or on a covered patio overlooking the St. Lucie River.
- Channel Mark (Fort Myers Beach; tel. 239/463-9127): Every table looks out on a maze of channel markers on Hurricane Bay, and a dock with palms growing through it makes the Channel Mark a relaxing place for a waterside lunch. The atmosphere changes dramatically at night, when the relaxed tropical ambience is ideal for kindling romance. Congenial owners Mike McGuigan and Andy Welsh put a creative spin on their seafood dishes, and their delicately seasoned crab cakes are tops.
- Lobster Pot (Redington Shores, near St. Pete Beach; tel. 727/391-8592): Come here for some of the finest seafood dishes on the St. Pete and Clearwater beaches. Among the amazing variety of lobster dishes is one flambeed in brandy with garlic, and the bouillabaisse is as authentic as any you'll find in the South of France.
- Fulton's Crab House (Lake Buena Vista; tel. 407/934-2628): Located in a riverboat replica, Fulton's has a nostalgic mood and an array of good seafood, though meals can get a bit pricey if you opt for stone or king crab. There's also an excellent wine list.
- Todd English's bluezoo (Lake Buena Vista; tel. 407/934-1111): This recent addition to the Walt Disney World Dolphin is the hippest dining spot in town. A chic and sophisticated undersea theme combines with a creative menu of fresh seafood and coastal cuisine to make the bluezoo a must for discerning diners.
- Ted Peters' Famous Smoked Fish (near St. Pete Beach; tel. 727/381-7931): The Peters clan has served mouth-watering meals since 1948, when they started smoking fish and icing draft beer at the end of the causeway that leads from St. Pete Beach to the St. Petersburg mainland. Options include mullet, mackerel, and salmon, or you can bring your own fish to be smoked over the red oak coals, at $1.50 per pound.
- Back Porch (Destin; tel. 850/837-2022): The food isn't gourmet at this cedar-shingled shack with a long porch offering glorious beach and Gulf views, but this is where charcoal-grilled amberjack originated. Today, you'll see it on menus throughout Florida. Other fish and seafood, as well as chicken and juicy hamburgers, also are prepared on the coals.
- Chef Eddie's Magnolia Grill (Apalachicola; tel. 850/653-8000): Chef Eddie Cass's pleasant restaurant occupies a small bungalow, built in the 1880s, that still possesses the original black cypress paneling in its central hallway. Nightly specials emphasize fresh local seafood and New Orleans-style sauces. Chef Eddie received more than 2,000 orders for his spicy seafood gumbo at a recent Florida Seafood Festival.
- Blue Door (South Beach; tel. 305/674-6400): While the Delano may rise and fall and rise again on the hipster radar, this Claude Troisgrois restaurant remains one of Miami's best, with sensual French fare and a surreal, stylish setting that gives stiff competition to the beautiful people who frequent here.
- Prime One Twelve (South Beach; tel. 305/532-8112): This south of Fifth Street steakhouse sizzles with Kobe beef hotdogs, aged and oversize steaks, and an unparalleled celebrity clientele that has everyone begging for reservations up to two months in advance.
- Social Miami (South Beach; tel. 786/594-3344): The latest in the China Grill empire, Social Miami in the art museum-cum-lobby of the Sagamore Hotel is a dizzying spectacle of scene and cuisine. Michelle Bernstein's fashionably delicious, tapaslike fare includes mini Kobe beef burgers small enough for even the slimmest supermodel to sneak a bite.
- Big Fish (downtown Miami; tel. 305/373-1770): Located on the Miami River across from the spectacular Miami skyline, Big Fish is indeed just that, in a little pond -- or river -- with scenic value that is priceless.
- Dogma Grill (Miami; tel. 305/759-3433): A hip hotdog stand on the corner of Biscayne Boulevard's burgeoning Upper East side, Dogma serves more than 20 kinds of hotdogs and has priceless views of urban revitalization in action.
- Versailles (Little Havana; tel. 305/444-0240): This iconoclastic Cuban diner isn't as swanky as its palatial French namesake, but it is full of mirrors through which you can view the colorful -- and audible -- Cuban clientele that congregates here for down-home cuisine and hearty conversation.
- Islamorada Fish Company (Islamorada; tel. 800/258-2559 or 305/664-9271): We're not sure which is better, the view or the seafood -- but whichever it is, it's a winning combination.
- Blue Heaven (Key West; tel. 305/296-8666): What was once a well-kept secret in Key West's Bahama Village is now a popular eatery known for fresh food (it's some of the best in town) and a motley, bohemian crowd.
- Mai Kai (Fort Lauderdale; tel. 954/563-3272): At this fabulous vestige of Polynesian kitsch, you're expected to forget that you're in the middle of a tacky stretch of Fort Lauderdale and pretend you're somewhere in Hawaii or Tahiti as hula dancers and fire-eaters entertain, and potent and sickly sweet cocktails are served in coconuts.
- Taverna Opa (South Beach, Hollywood and Fort Lauderdale; tel. 954/929-4010 or 954/567-1630): Don't get nervous if you hear plates breaking when you enter this raucous, authentic Greek taverna situated directly on the Intracoastal Waterway -- it's just the restaurant's lively waitstaff making sure your experience here is 100% Greek.
- Cap's Place Island Restaurant (Lighthouse Point; tel. 954/941-0418): The only way to get to this rustic seafood restaurant, the former bootlegging and gambling hangout of Al Capone, is by boat, but don't be dismayed -- it's not the least bit Disneyfied. Churchill, Roosevelt, Marilyn Monroe, and Sylvester Stallone have all indulged in this delicious taste of Old Florida.
- Farmers Market Restaurant (Fort Myers; tel. 239/334-1687): The retail Farmers Market next door may be tiny, but the best of the cabbage, okra, green beans, and tomatoes ends up here at this simple eatery, frequented by everyone from business executives to truck drivers. The specialties of the house are such Southern favorites as smoked ham hocks with a bowl of black-eyed peas.
- Fourth Street Shrimp Store (St. Petersburg; tel. 727/822-0325): The outside of this place looks like it's covered with graffiti, but it's actually a gigantic drawing of people eating. Inside, murals on two walls seem to look out on an early-19th-century seaport (one painted sailor permanently peers in to see what you're eating). This is the best and certainly the most interesting bargain in St. Petersburg.
- Moore's Stone Crab (Longboat Key, off Sarasota; tel. 941/383-1748): Set in Longbeach, the old fishing village on the north end of Longboat Key, this popular bayfront restaurant still looks a little like a packing house (it's an offshoot of a family seafood business), but the view of the bay (dotted with mangrove islands) makes a fine complement to stone crabs fresh from the family's own traps.
- Singleton's Seafood Shack (Mayport/Jacksonville; tel. 904/246-4442): This rustic Old Florida fish camp has kept up with the times by offering fresh fish in more ways than just battered and fried, yet it has still managed to retain the charming casualness of a riverside fish camp. Even if you don't want seafood, this spot is worth stopping at, if only for a feel of Old Florida.
- The Boss Oyster (Apalachicola; tel. 850/653-9364): This rustic, dockside eatery is a good place to see if what they say about the aphrodisiac properties of Apalachicola oysters is true. The bivalves are served raw, steamed, or under a dozen toppings ranging from capers to crabmeat. You can even steam three dozen oysters and do the shucking yourself. Dine inside or at picnic tables on a screened dockside porch.
The Best Seafood Restaurants
The Best Local Dining Experiences
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