104 Miracle Strip Pkwy.
Fort Walton Beach
(850) 664-0345

Hours: Open daily at 11 a.m.
Reservations: Not necessary
Children’s menu: Yes
Dress: Casual

Food:
Service
Atmosphere
Overall:

Every year sees the coming and going of new restaurants in this area, some so tricked-up and gimmicky you just know they’re doomed to a short life. On the other hand, there are places like Original Waterfront Crab Shack in Fort Walton Beach. I don’t know when the place opened, but I know it has survived several hurricanes and any number of tourist seasons. It’s still standing, and it’s the real deal—as advertised, it’s a shack on the waterfront that serves crab. And oysters, shrimp, scallops, gumbo, even steak and barbecue.

The Crab Shack is located in a well-traveled section of Fort Walton Beach, surrounded by some of the city’s more long-standing buildings and businesses. There’s the obligatory giant crab on the road sign, and another on the side of the building. The restaurant has inside dining, sort of-inside dining, and outside dining, and everyone gets a shot at a view. There’s also a lounge with a full bar, and another bar outside. Crab Shack has plenty of room for the just-drinking crowd, and for the drinking-and-eating crowd. The walls are decorated with nautical stuff and odds and ends of local marina memorabilia. Tables range from standard four-tops to picnic tables on the deck. Families and large groups are cheerfully accommodated. The dress code is quite informal. There are TVs, if you’d rather not talk to your dining companions.

Naturally, the menu is mostly seafood, and the crab is the star of many entrÈe choices, notably steamer buckets of Dungeness and snow crab. If you’re not up for that, there are sandwiches, baskets, seafood combo platters, and slightly more fancy dishes like shrimp and sausage kabobs or jerk chicken. My friend and I were hungry, so she ordered a cup of gumbo and I got a dozen oysters on the half-shell. Oyster season is here.

The oysters came, plump and salty, freshly opened and resting on scrubbed shells. Not every place will do that, and it can be disconcerting to get that much beachfront in one’s oyster. The house sends out plenty of horseradish, crackers and pepper sauce. The gumbo was thick with rice and seafood, with a slightly delayed-action heat. Wait a second before you shake on the Tabasco, it might be spicy enough for you.

Other starters are “drunken” mussels, smoked tuna dip, cheese breadsticks, shrimp quesadillas, shrimp cocktail, steamed shrimp, seafood-stuffed jalapeno poppers, fish fingers, fried mushrooms, and fried crab claws.

Determined to continue my celebration of oyster season, I ordered a fried oyster basket, with hush puppies and french fries. My friend chose one of the “pick two seafood” combos, with fried shrimp and a fish the server described as being “like grouper,” but the name of which I missed. Hers came with cheese grits.

The entrees came, and mine was not what I had ordered. The server apologized and got me the right one so fast the oysters were still sizzling. There were about eight of them, mid-sized and crunchy, with plenty of equally hot fries. My friend’s shrimp were the two-bite kind, tail-less. The blackened fish didn’t taste much like grouper, but it was tender and tasted good anyway. All fish need not taste like grouper, and I for one am glad of that. The grits were well laced with melted cheese.

Other main course choices include the aforementioned steamer buckets, Creole crab cakes, barbecue ribs, ribeye steak, fish of the day, fish or seafood platters, Creole shrimp and grits, dinner salads, sandwiches and burgers, po-boys, and a veggie wrap. There are daily specials—the night we ate there, the house was advertising $7.99/dozen raw oysters on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, a $2 discount on the usual price.

Dessert offers a simple choice between key lime pie and cheesecake. We split one of the latter, and got it without any kind of topping. It’s a good-sized slice, with a graham cracker crust and a creamy, vanilla-flavored filling.

There are any number of places that try to be the Original Waterfront Crab Shack, but many are pre-fabricated and just miss the mark. I’m sure the tourists flock here, but this is the sort of straightforward place that still draws crowds, even after Labor Day. If you haven’t been lately, check it out. You’ll be happy to know it hasn’t changed.

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