Clearwater Beach, Florida
Frenchy is a former Canadian turned Florida beach bum who decided to open a seafood restaurant. He also decided he didn’t want to pay some other dude to go get his seafood for him so he started a fishing fleet to supply said restaurant. And the rest is history.
There are 4 Frenchy’s restaurants within about a 2 mile stretch of Clearwater Beach: Frenchy’s Original Cafe, Saltwater Cafe, Rockaway Grill, and South Beach Cafe. They all have similar menus, with each one having a couple unique items not found at the others. I’ve been eating there since I was a kid, and have always enjoyed it!
The seafood is FRESH. So fresh, in fact, during the Stone Crab Fest in October our waitress asked if we wanted to put an order in early, because the boats were on their way back from the traps to the cafe and she knew they’d go fast! On average, they go through about 5,000-10,000 lbs of stone crabs during Crab Fest. It’s insane.
The fish spread is phenomenal and pretty much turned this landlubber into a seafood fan. Their conch fritters are crispy on the outside, doughy and wonderful on the inside, with huge chunks of conch—and a spicy finish. And then there’s grouper. Grouper is pretty much the official fish of the Tampa Bay area and you can have it any way you imagine: grilled, fried, blackened, on a sandwich, nugget-ified, rueben-ed, stuffed, you name it. But Frenchy’s doesn’t forget those who don’t eat seafood—their burgers are juicy and, if you’re feeling adventurous, you can try the Cajun fried gator tail. Awesome.
The seafood is FRESH. So fresh, in fact, during the Stone Crab Fest in October our waitress asked if we wanted to put an order in early, because the boats were on their way back from the traps to the cafe and she knew they’d go fast! On average, they go through about 5,000-10,000 lbs of stone crabs during Crab Fest. It’s insane.
The fish spread is phenomenal and pretty much turned this landlubber into a seafood fan. Their conch fritters are crispy on the outside, doughy and wonderful on the inside, with huge chunks of conch—and a spicy finish. And then there’s grouper. Grouper is pretty much the official fish of the Tampa Bay area and you can have it any way you imagine: grilled, fried, blackened, on a sandwich, nugget-ified, rueben-ed, stuffed, you name it. But Frenchy’s doesn’t forget those who don’t eat seafood—their burgers are juicy and, if you’re feeling adventurous, you can try the Cajun fried gator tail. Awesome.
After a day at the beach or cruising around on your boat, Frenchy’s is perfect. Hell, you can even take your boat to the Saltwater Cafe and dock it right across the street! Frenchy, I salute you and your amazing food, and look forward to my next visit!
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