Shells Seafood Restaurant Brandon
| Address: | 115 E Brandon Blvd, Brandon, FL 33511, USA |
| Phone: | +1 813-689-4691 |
| Site: | shellsseafood.com |
| Rating: | 4.4 |
| Working: | 4–10PM 4–10PM 4–10PM 4–10PM 4–11PM 4–11PM 12–10PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 8
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Sheryl Glover
My family of four ate at Shells on 10/1/2016 for my birthday. We ordered the calamari appetizer, which came quickly. It was cooked well, maybe a bit over done but not too bad. The batter, however, tasted flavorless, only flour with no seasoning at all. For the main dish, my daughter ordered the shrimp and cheese tortellini and it tasted fine. My mother ordered the baby lobster pasta and a bowl of clam chowder. The lobster pieces and chowder were both a little bland but no big deal. The other two meals that were ordered are another story. First, the classic seafood pasta. The clams came as pieces mixed in with the pasta (the muscles were still in their shells so we thought the clams would have been as well). This was no problem, but the taste was. The dish had a strong metallic taste (mercury or zinc, possibly/hopefully??), the same taste you get if youve ever tested a 9V battery by sticking your tongue on it. Boyfriend forced himself to eat about half of it and ended up in the bathroom as soon as we got home. The last dish ordered was the dungeness crab legs. The potatoes on the dish were the best part, so basically we paid $40-something for 2 small red potatoes. The crab was the most overcooked, salty, dry crab any of us have ever had. Some of the legs were so overdone that the meat had turned brown and some parts were so hard and dry I thought I was eating a piece of shell, only to pull it out and see that it was indeed meat. I would have rather paid the money to go to an all-you-can-eat buffet and gotten a half plate of water-logged snow crab legs. The only "plus" to the crab being so overdone was that the shells were so dry and brittle that they cracked really easily... I know, I know, I should have complained. We spent well over $100 for quite possibly the worst meal any of us have had. But Ive seen "Waiting," and that aint happening to us! Our server was decent though (and yes, we still tipped over 20%. Its not the servers fault so stop taking it out on them, darn it!). Will we be back? Only if we find out who was working in the kitchen on the evening of Oct 1, and come on a day that they arent there! Otherwise, no.
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Star Young
Racism and discrimination in 2015. Its nothing new. I read about it daily. Ive been through it. However, it doesnt make me numb to it. Last night, my boyfriend and I went to this location, it was our first time at this particular Shells. The hostess was very nice, our waiter was nice as well, but the manager clearly had an issue. We were seated well before the couple in front of us was seated, they just so happen to be European-American. Anywho, within their first 10 minutes of being seated the manager greets them, asks how theyre doing, looks at us and keeps walking. Im thinking, "Okay, maybe hell come back when we arent stuffing our faces with our appetizer." Nope, he checked on these people a total of 5 times and said absolutely NOTHING to us. He would look at us, and walk away. Should I mention that we also watched him greet/check in on other (European-American) patrons? Just, wow. As a manager, your personal feelings do not matter. At the end of the day, money is all the same color; green. Regardless of how accommodating the waiting staff was, I will never go to this location, again. Ill also make sure to spare my peers from the same insulting treatment.
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Shanna Thomas
My best friend and I went here for dinner earlier today, March 9th around 830pm. We ordered 2 Bahama Mommas which came out without the rum, all schnapps and juice; we know this because we bartend at a bar as well. We are super understanding when it comes to the hospitality business. The server rarely appeared within even sight, she forgot my best friends chips and salsa all together. They were not even busy, took 45 mins to get our food, only seeing the server once when we explained the drinks were wrong, opting instead for Malibu coconut rum with pineapple juice (by far the weakest drinks either of us have ever had in Florida...) When the server came to our table with our food, peel and eat shrimp for myself and a platter including fish, crab cake and grilled shrimp for my friends, we asked about chips to ensure we werent charged, she said she totally forgot. We still tipped bc its our nature being hospitality as well but definitely would NOT recommend this restaurant.
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Terri Crawford
Took an impromptu spring break weekend trip to Busch Gardens and stayed nearby. Googled local places to eat and Shells showed up w/great reviews. And they were open until 11! (Friday night) Score! So, short drive and we are greeted by a friendly hostess immediately, and seated. Myself, husband and 3 teenage girls. Meals ran the gamut...fried shrimp, fresh catch and pastas. ALL excellent! Our server, tho was THE BOMB. Paul ( Paulo Z) was friendly, prompt and had an amazing knowledge of the menu. Just cannot say enough nice things about this guy...he was GREAT. So, if you are in the area and have a hankering for great seafood and service, definitely try Shells....and ask for Paul ( w/ the beard)!!
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Kathy Lane
Great service, excellent food! Shells has been a family favorite for years. Was so sorry when they closed and joyous when I finally noticed they were open again. (I dont live in Brandon, but do shop there from time to time.) My 2 sons took me to the Brandon Shells for my Birthday this past Sunday. It was a perfect! We had the Buffalo Shrimp and Fried Mushrooms to start. Yum! I ordered the Fisherman’s Feast and had those shrimp buffaloed as well. Yum again! The fish was cooked perfectly as were the parsley potatoes. The tiny scallops were delicious, and the mandarin cole slaw was very refreshing. Going to try the Jambalaya next time!
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Geoff Thompson
I worked at this location in 1991, and was thrilled to hear that it had reopened with original ownership taking it back. My wife and I were on a recent business trip to Tampa, so of course we had to get back over to Brandon and try it out. Its as good as I remembered, although the menu has changed a little. The New England clam chowder is still the best Ive ever had. Some things arent there any more (Seafood Siciliano, for example), but the Bowl of Scampi (essentially a pile of shrimp in scampi sauce) is still there and its great. Short story long, the same Shells value proposition is still there - excellent food at a good price.
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Christopher Casazza
The staff was super friendly but the food sucked. The clam chowder tasted like cheese and the blackened grouped tasted like it had been rolled in salt. Along side the grouper there were a mish mash of veggies at all kinds of different textures. Some were hard, others mushy. The rice seemed to be just bland. My wifes food was equally bland. Im never going back. I wanted to like this place because the staff is awesome but the food just plain sucks. *edit* I woke up with horrible stomach pain and nausea. Yup, this place is terrible.
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Dee Gibson
Nicole was fantastic! We had the catch/es of the day: i had grouper and my dinner buddy had snapper. The sauces were amazing. We had the crab & shrimp dip as an appetizer-tasty. Drinks were great! Nicole made suggestions and explained the sauces (optional) and extras & sides. The veggies were fresh and just a little crisp (hadnt been cooked for hrs) the way we like them. Nice size portions. The prices are amazingly reasonable. Well go back often and recommend to family & friends. Ask for Nicole - you wont regret it.
