The day after my daughter, Sophia, and I lunched at Salt Life Food Shack, we saw an airplane banner advertising Salt Life. Our tastebuds were still tingling from the foods and flavors we had experienced the day before. We were so thrilled that we planned a return trip!
General Manager Marcos Jovel tells us this is a common feeling. “People love us because we are the only ones who provide a certain flavor or dish that they cannot get out of their minds. They come in saying, ‘I need that again!’”
For me, the Hawaiian Shrimp Poke Bowl is everything that is special about poke. Pronounced PO-kay, it is hot and cold, crunchy and soft, spicy and sweet, and meat and vegetables. The Southern Fried Shrimp was tasty, light, and crisp, just the way we remembered it in our Fernandina childhoods. So delightful is this fry that I was ready to try the Fried Grouper Basket or even the generous Captain’s Platter! Shack Sauce® is their version of cocktail sauce.
Being a devout salad-lover and -maker, I personally needed their Shrimp Taco Salad. Made with tomatillo dressing, black beans, and fajita-spiced shrimp, with homemade guacamole, it is memorable indeed. Assistant Manager Gretchen says she can’t get enough of the Shrimp and Scallop Pasta. Everybody loves the Beach Burgers If you’re not sure what to order, Marcos says the Boca Style Grouper is your best choice.
A Salty Lifestyle is nothing without solid cocktail options. If you want to skip the alcohol, don’t worry; most of their drinks can be made as mocktails. Just ask. Sophia and I enjoyed a Pineapple Mojito that Marcos described as having no fruit or juice in it, only Planteray Pineapple Rum, fresh mint, and lime. Other times I have enjoyed the Stormy Seas, made with Papa’s Pilar Dark Rum, ginger beer, and a dash of lime. The Vitamin Sea is a fruitful, over-the-top daiquiri, which is what I love about it. Did I mention that Salt Life Food Shack is also a Rum Shack? Explore all sorts of delicious drinks made from rum, tequila, and even a special vodka.
Salt Life Food Shack is one of our places to go because it can be so many different places at one time – large, meandering, accessible, flexible, and consistent. Eat in the bar area, the dining room, or the porch. Go upstairs to the lively bar area with tables looking out to the ocean or the dining area with sea breezes wafting over tucked-away booths. People on wheels can roll up the ramp to the porch to enter the dining room, and the elevator provides a quick lift to the top. Surfers and beachgoers can come as they are. Fancy or formal diners are content as well. Everybody can be happy here.
When we have family in town, this is where we go to spread out. A cousin met us for dinner recently and halfway through the evening, we realized were sitting next to a famous band. Live your Salt Life any day from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., with live music at 5:30 p.m. and Happy Hour from 3 – 6:30 p.m. You, too, are a celebrity at Salt Life Food Shack. Salt Life Food Shack is located on N. Fletcher Ave. at Main Beach.