Pier 51 Seafood Restaurant

My cousin has taken me out in the boonies before to eat and but Pier 51 is a local almost hidden gem for great seafood and a very good cheeseburger too! I had never heard of "green" shrimp before, but they call "popcorn" shrimp "calabash", medium sized "green" and large is still "jumbo". Their menu is huge!! I ordered a large plate of green shrimp with homemade onion rings, & unsweet tea. Scott ordered calabash shrimp, French fries and half & half tea. His wife ordered a Sweet tea & a cheeseburger and fries (she doesn't like seafood) & seriously that burger had to be 10 ounces.. it was thick!! In the dessert cooler they had coconut cake, chocolate overload cake, and a few other selections that looked delicious but I was too full to attempt dessert. The waitstaff is superb but a tad understaffed, so if you go... be understanding (you'll still get great service and great food).

We were cautiously optimistic given some of the recent reviews. We should have taken caution and went somewhere else. Our waitress was great and the only reason why we didn't complain. The only thing that taste good were the shrimp and baked sweet potatoe. Our fish did not taste like fish...it didn't taste like anything and some of us had the salt and pepper seasoning. If it wasn't for the shape I might have thought my perch was tilapia. We had to cut our scallops with a knife. Scallops should be fork tender. I suspect they were manufactured scallops. They didn't taste like scallops nor did they have the texture or appearance of scallops. The price was right. The portions was better. We will never return.

My first time there and I was impressed. The seafood was excellent and my server could not have been nicer. And the portions were plentiful. I will go back often.