Critic’s pick: 5 great restaurants for fresh fish and seafood in Palm Beach County
The crowd-sourced review site Yelp picked 11 Florida restaurants in its newly released “Top 100 Seafood Spots” in the nation list for 2024. But it ignored Palm Beach County. To which we say:
Have they never feasted on a fresh, daily-catch sandwich while watching ocean waves roll and tumble outside? Or had fresh snapper, old-school Jupiter style, sweet-potato crusted and pan-fried? Or tried in-season Florida stone crabs at a café inside one of the county’s best seafood markets?
While the county could use more seafood-centric restaurants, it boasts some terrific seafood markets and chefs who allow the daily catch to shine. I think of the crudo dishes at chef Clay Conley’s Buccan and Imoto restaurants in Palm Beach, the fresh and flavorful Peruvian ceviche at Lake Park's Ceviche Arigato and the killer fish dip at Outclaws Seafood market and café, also in Lake Park.
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Here are five of my favorite spots for fresh-catch seafood in Palm Beach County.
Seafood Bar at The Breakers
There’s an aquarium bar at this yacht-inspired seafood restaurant at The Breakers Palm Beach resort that makes for dream-like social videos. But gazing at the ocean waves crashing just steps away may distract you from the glass-enclosed fish. And doing so while digging into a swordfish sandwich is even nicer.
This place is pricey — that sandwich is currently priced at $46 — but it never fails to impress your guests from out of town.
Seafood Bar at The Breakers: 1 S. County Rd., Palm Beach, 877-724-3188, TheBreakers.com
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Benny’s on the Beach
Craving conch fritters, crispy shrimp, fish-and-chips and other crunchy seafood bites to enjoy in your flip-flops and beachwear? You’ve come to the right place.
But Benny’s on the Beach is also a great place for seafood bakes, weekend paella and nicely grilled, tail-on snapper. It's also where executive chef Jeremy Hanlon prepares fried whole snapper (pescado frito) one can enjoy with fixings and warm tortillas at the pier location or just steps away at the newer Benny's Oceanwalk space.
Seafood is Hanlon’s specialty here. You’ll even find it on the breakfast menu in the form of shrimp and grits and the “Lots of Lobster” Benedict. His menus are sprinkled with global inspirations, from spicy, citrus "poached" ceviche to seared scallop gnocchi.
And if you still crave a crunch, how about the Captain's Platter, which includes a heap of fried shrimp, crispy fish and conch fritters served with mango tartar sauce and fries?
Benny’s on the Beach: original pier location and new Oceanwalk location are steps from one another at 10 S. Ocean Blvd., Lake Worth Beach, 561-582-9001, BennysontheBeach.com
PB Catch
This stylish spot is one of the most seafood-centric restaurants in the county, serving everything from fancy osetra caviar to blackened mahi sandwiches to smoked and cured fish and seafood starters they’ve trademarked as “Seacuterie”. (Think salmon pastrami, sea bass jerky and scallop mortadella.)
I love PB Catch’s pan-roasted Chilean sea bass that’s served with glazed baby carrots, caramelized Brussels sprouts and beech mushrooms.
PB Catch: 251 Sunrise Ave., Palm Beach, 561-655-5558, PBCatch.com
Cod & Capers Café
If you’re looking for fresh-from-the-boat claws served with a side of Caribbean steel drum music, you’ll find them during stone crab season at the family-owned Cod & Capers Café. Tucked into a full seafood market that’s known for its fresh-catch and seasonal claws, the café offers stone crabs for the same price as at the seafood counter.
Stone crab nights are Wednesdays and Thursdays from 4 to 8 p.m. through early May.
Cod & Capers: 1201 U.S. Hwy 1, North Palm Beach, 561-622-0963, CodandCapers.com
Little Moir’s Food Shack
Here’s a restaurant that brought a world of flavors and a fresh way of presenting seafood to a Jupiter strip plaza 22 years ago. Since then, chef/restaurateur Mike Moir’s Food Shack has been serving Florida-caught fish and seafood in abundant ways. Abundantly fresh, creative and flavorful.
The must-try dish for newcomers is Moir’s iconic sweet potato-crusted, daily-catch fish. It’s served over a heap of salad greens and seasonal fruit in a key lime and garlic dressing. The menu is still handwritten daily, and it offers a good variety of spot-on fish and seafood dishes.
Also try: Moir’s Leftovers Café and his Hibiscus Streatery seafood retail market and café, both in Jupiter.
Food Shack: 103 S. US Hwy 1, Jupiter, 561-741-3626, LittleMoirsJupiter.com
Liz Balmaseda is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist for The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA Today Network. She covers the local food and dining beat. Follow her on Instagram and Post on Food Facebook. She can be reached by email at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Seafood, fish restaurants near me Jupiter, West Palm Beach, Gardens
