Fish Tacos - The Waterfront

Well, the gauntlet was thrown down by my new friend Fiona at Gecko's in Sarasota.  What she said basically was that the best fish tacos in Florida, I haven't had yet.  She said that, in fact, the best fish tacos in Florida are at The Waterfront Restaurant in Anna Maria Island.

Her level of confidence forced me to try them out.  Nevermind the fact that they have local-legend worthy fish tacos, but they also have a huge beer menu and a view straight from a postcard.  I'm there.

So the Waterfront is at 111 South Bay Blvd in Anna Maria Island and the trek there is no short task.  To look at this place on a map, it is sitting at the tip of a peninsula and not too easy to get to.   But boy, is it worth it.  


What I found most exciting about this location is that it gives you a beautiful distant view of my old nemesis, the Sunshine Skyway (the tallest bridge in Florida that makes me "wet ma draws" every time I have to drive over it.  The spot that the restaurant sits on looks right out onto this view and sitting here I feel like I've found the greatest hidden gem in all of Florida.  This place is cool.


When we arrived, we were greeted by a nice fella who we thought was a customer.  He told us about the place and as the conversation continued I finally came to realize he was in charge.  Turns out this down to earth human is the famous "Bill" who I was told to meet up with by Fiona when she suggested the place.  Furthermore, she told him we were coming!  How awesome is that?

I let him Bill know that we worked for Chimay and he let me know that they have had it on tap for six years running.  Love to see that type of devotion and since we had just picked up 60 cases of Chimay glasses in my car, I gave him an extra case to celebrate Belgian Independence Day on July 21st.  As it turns out, we set up an event with them at a later date, but I'll get into that after the tacos.  


To give a nod to Fiona, she was right - these fish tacos are amazing.  They are described by The Waterfront as:  Grouper Tacos - Seasoned seared fresh premium Gulf black grouper in grilled soft flour tortillas with fresh chopped pico de gallo, shredded cheddar jack, and jicama tartar slaw.  


To start, these tacos had more fish than any other fish tacos I have ever had - by far.  I swear there is a good 10 ounces of fish in these things.  And it is deliciously fresh.  This served with a side of couscous salad, they definitely know how to do it up.

On the scale of my crazy favorites, these tacos are right near the top.  They were incredibly refreshing and light, and left me perfectly full.  When I build my eventual list, you can bet The Waterfront is in single digits.  The tacos were great and the staff was rock-solid.

On another note, we planned an event for Boulder / Lazy Magnolia for Thursday, September 6 that is going to be AWESOME!  If anyone wants to attend, i would recommend staying on Anna Maria Island for the a few nights and make a weekend of it.  Cheers!