How many of you know about Madeira Beach? Probably not many, because it is only 5 miles wide and contains a population of less than a September Miami Marlins home game. It is a very small speck of beach that is located inside Tampa Bay. But within the small borders is a place that serves seafood so fresh that if they just can’t find the food, they just don’t open. The operating hours of this place are bouncy, the menu consists of whatever they were able to buy, and its not always guaranteed that the location will even open they day you want to visit.
Sounds like the typical laid-back Florida joint to me---although it makes me wonder how frustrating it must be to work for an institution like that:
“Honey, how was work today?”
“Um, we were closed again…..”
“That’s fine dear. It is not like we have bills to pay or anything like that…”
This place had been recommended to me by a wine salesman, who told me I should eat there for dinner. I find the place---and it tells me that it was closed until the next night because of limited available seafood. This place seems quite legit. Waltz Fish Shak is a very small place with a big following. How do I know this? Because despite the place being hidden in a beachside neighborhood with no parking lot and minimal press, the spot was quite busy when I arrived.
The menu was displayed to be on a chalkboard, which pretty much guarantees that it changes and fluctuates depending on what they catch and what they sell. My heart was set on mahi-mahi, the best fish ever to be cooked for a human. But they ran out, so instead I opted for the scamp, which is essentially a higher class version of a Florida grouper. I coupled that with some peel and eat shrimp, which my partner ordered the grouper cakes. With each fish they offer you a variety of ways for it to be cooked—although not all fish are created equal. For example, with my fish the best and only option was to lightly fry it.
The shrimp arrives first and unlike most peel-n-eat shrimp I experience this one was boiled quickly before being served to me. There was a special remoulade sauce that came with the appetizer had a sharp yet tasty flavor and complimented the fresh shrimp quite well. But they also have cocktail sauce for all you purists--which was also good. The grouper cakes had all the makings of a great and fulfilling crab cake, except of course with fresh hunks of grouper embedded inside. One thing to note: this place uses peppers far more than the typical seaside eatery.
My dish was quite big with an entire fish served with plenty of rice and beans and sweet cole slaw to go with it. You can tell Walt spend some time in the Caribbean with his rice-and-beans combination. The rice was just the right mix of heat and savory and blended well with the fried caper, which was phenomenal to say the least. You can almost taste the saltwater that once surrounded the fish. Hands-down some of the freshest and juiciest fish I’ve ever had in Florida. I am never ever a fan of cole slaw, but this one didn’t exaggerate the mayonnaise and focused more on being a sweet partner to the salty fish. Their salad isn’t half-bad either, although it’s a bit harsher than your typical salads thanks to the vinaigrette.
Of course we had to end it all with a Key Lime Pie, the official dessert of Florida. This pie has more of a cheesecake feel, and doesn’t add too much lime to the concoction. This leads to a simple yet refreshing pie that fills the sweet tooth and doesn’t split your tongue in half with sharpness. One thing to note though, this place is not cheap. Of course that is expected with very fresh food that clearly is made from scratch on a daily basis---but it still hurts. So if you are looking for cheap food deals, there is a Hooters close by. But if you actually want good food, swallow the pride, and open the wallets.
Bottom Line: Walts’ Fish Shak is some of the best seafood in all of Tampa Bay, and more than justifies the tougher price tag by providing great service, great food, and nice scenery to help the lunch/dinner pass by with minimal hassle. If you can ever make it to the Treasure Island area, you must give this place a spin-----and really hope that they have enough food to open that day.
Final Verdict: Recommend
Waltz Fish Shak
224 Boardwalk Pl E, Madeira Beach, FL
Special Thanks To:
Guest Star Whitney Pledger
Her Twitter Page
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