I get it: You’re not supposed to relocate from the coast and find a seafood restaurant you like better than half the places where you last lived. But there’s something special about an inland fish house.
Maybe it’s the contrast between the plainness of plates bedecked with plastic ramekins of tartar sauce and the intricate arrangements that their featured components demand. To serve shrimp, redfish, and grouper—grilled, broiled, blackened, or fried to customer specifications—the Jim Shaw’s operating team supplements the restaurant’s daily delivery schedule with twice-weekly sourcing trips.
Maybe it’s the excellence that emerges when cooks can’t count on distracting scenery. At Jim Shaw’s, the hush puppies sit at the magical juncture of sweet and crisp; the key lime pie’s made from scratch, and the catfish seasoning has a depth of flavor that the bottom dweller would surely appreciate.
Or maybe it’s just that the servers are friendly, and the dining room’s dominated by regulars. That’s the case at Jim Shaw’s, which longtime fans say didn’t miss a beat after a local restaurant group bought it in 2021. Previously, it was run by Skipper Zimmerman, who opened the restaurant in 1987; that’s his portrait on the koozie.
As for what belongs in your Jim Shaw’s koozie, general manager Chris Barroso declined to say which beer’s most popular with patrons. But he always suggests people try their sweet tea, which—true to form—is outwardly simple, unduly laborious, and delicious.
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