We ate at Poppy’s Seafood Factory on a weeknight, and the Village of Baytowne parking lot was full, though valet parking was available. We parked at the main entrance near U.S. Highway 98 and rode a shuttle boat to the restaurant. The shuttle, Miss Connie, runs regularly and free of charge between the parking lot and Baytowne Wharf. The trip, which was calm and very picturesque at sunset, takes less than 10 minutes. If you prefer, there is a shuttle bus, also free.

Embarking at the wharf, you are still a fair strolling distance from the restaurant, so if walking presents a problem, you may want to consider the bus or spring for valet assistance. In any event, you will find Poppy’s at journey’s end. In fact, it would be hard to miss it.

Poppy’s is a very large restaurant, sitting on the water, a spacious two floors of indoor dining rooms and a large outdoor dining/bar/entertainment area. The décor is largely wood, with plenty of brass, fishing posters, nautical whatnots, and brightly colorful coastal/Caribbean primitive style paintings upstairs. It’s all very open, especially upstairs, and there is a good view to be had on both floors.

We had not made reservations. We were seated right away, but there were only two of us. I would advise larger groups to call ahead. Poppy’s seems to be popular with large groups—at least it was the night we were there. We sat upstairs, in a slightly secluded side room, and I noticed the place was nearly full, with more than a few large parties, when we left.

Choice is the name of Poppy’s game. You can find pretty much any kind of local or regional fish and shellfish prepared boiled, steamed, grilled, broiled, blackened, fried, or in sauce with pasta. Steaks, chicken, and pork are also offered. Buckets of steamed seafood are available for sharing, including a deluxe bucket. At $80 it’s the most expensive item on the menu, but it’s a meal for many, and probably a good compromise for parties with varying tastes.

We chose starters from an appetizer and soup menu of 17 items. My friend had never tried conch, so she got the fritters. I ordered a cup of lobster bisque. Five conch fritters arrived hot and slightly spicy. Instead of the advertised key lime tarter sauce, we got a tangy remoulade and cocktail sauce, which went well with the chewy conch. The bisque was a brownish color, spiked as it was with dark rum, and had a perceptibly spicy kick.

Other appetizers included oysters raw, chargrilled, or baked, stone crab claws, fried crab claws, crab cakes, fried calamari, seared tuna with Pickapeppa sauce (a sweet and spicy Caribbean condiment), and fried onion straws. I saw a few of these appetizers coming forth from the kitchen. Portions were uniformly generous, and they no doubt go well with the selection of beers and fancy fruit drinks from Poppy’s bar.

The main course menu offers the steamed buckets, individual steamed or fried seafood dinners, New York strip, rib eye and filet mignon alone or with seafood, and Caribbean and coastal entrées, many with a definite Louisiana accent. My friend ordered fried crawfish tails and I tried the yellow fin tuna Noronha. The former are self-explanatory. The latter was a large tuna steak, crusted with cashews and sautéed medium rare. The fish was served on a mound of mashed sweet potatoes flavored with vanilla, and sauced with a rosy red cactus pear beurre blanc. It was very rich, but delicious and I left nothing behind. My friend’s crawfish tails came piled on a nest of spicy fried potato wedges, with conch fritters for garnish, and more of the mustardy remoulade. She boxed about half of hers up, and it made a substantial meal next day.

Other menu choices included crabmeat-stuffed shrimp St. Lucia, shrimp Creole, jerk pork tenderloin, chicken, snapper topped with lump crabmeat in coconut curry sauce, horseradish encrusted grouper, grouper marinated in coconut milk and lime juice, seafood pasta, blackened and stuffed lobster, saffron poached sea bass, and snapper New Orleans, topped with shrimp, crabmeat and sauce meuniere. Most items come with fried or boiled potatoes and corn on the cob. Seafood salads of almost any combination can be had, as well as sandwiches.

Six desserts are offered, and the server will bring them out for you to look at before you decide. We shared a crËme brulée, which was big enough for two. As the menu said, it was a classic, and could have done without the artificial whipped topping. Other choices were key lime pie, banana cream pie, dark rum caramel flan, sinful chocolate (cake), and pineapple or coconut sorbet. All are suitable for sharing.

We were going to take the boat shuttle back, but just missed it and settled on the bus. As we walked back across Poppy’s outdoor dining area, a solo singer was entertaining the crowd with songs in the key of Buffet. The night air was slightly cool, but the patrons were already in shorts, halter-tops, flip-flops and T-shirts. Poppy’s Seafood Factory has already captured the vanguard of the coming summer season.

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