Shells Seafood Restaurant – Brandon

Ok here it is folks I am on the road about 100 percent of the time. You want great seafood and great service this is the place and if you like something from the bar they know how to mix a drink. Two of us had the grilled grouper which was one of the catch of the day prepared very well with their veg medley and Brussel sprouts. Some one else had the crab cake dinner and he said it was very good. We also had raw oysters VERY GOOD, and the coconut shrimp with this awesome spicy sauce. Our waitress was great and on top of her service. I do not write a lot of reviews unless
I am really impressed with the place. This is one of the two place that I have taken my time to write a review. I want people to know about this great place and only write a review for the best of the best and this place is up there with them. This place is tucked in back in a business area and does not look like what you are about to encounter inside which is great food and service. I will be back again hopefully very soon.

Shells is back! I’ve been complaining that you can’t get decent seafood in Brandon. Here we are in the middle of a peninsular surrounded by water and loaded with lakes but good seafood restaurants are few and far between. I decided we would visit the reopened Shells for Father’s Day and I’m glad I did. Food was delicious (broiled, not just fried). Amanda was always on top of it and when something wasn’t perfect, she and Bill (the manager) went above and beyond to make us happy. We will be back.

Stumbled upon shells as this is an establishment that is not in too many cities anymore. Always enjoy the quality of dishes they put out. we had the baby lobster pasta and the shrimp pasta. Both were delicious. No disrespect to olive garden but I prefer shells pasta dishes much more… must try.

Our dinner was yummy, and Rosie was the best! She was very friendly and efficient! I tend to get the same thing usually, and it never disappoints.

First time out to this place. Overall, I enjoyed myself. The restaurant is in an odd location with some pretty interesting parking options but once you get past that, it’s a breeze.
Value:
Middle of the road for pricing. $ 15.99 for their fresh Grouper option. After looking over the menu, (which is very large) I would say that this place is very reasonable.
Food:
I was very satisfied with my Fried Grouper Sandwich. Came with fresh vegetables on it and a potato bun. If I was to be super picky about the grouper, I’d say that the breading was pretty bland.
Service/​Concept:
Shells is a sit-​down seafood restaurant with a very nice and open layout. Good selection of beer and liquor at the bar. Pretty good sized dining area. Our server was very polite and attentive. One of the highlights of the dining area for me was the huge chalkboard on the south wall. The board is filled with everything from daily specials and prices to funny and witty quotes.

Okay at first was a bit sceptical, but then you try the food and all sceptical thoughts just fly away…
We were invited to eat here for dinner and after a long day at the beach your appetite seems to build up. When we reached it was a 25 min wait (not bad) while we waited we all looked over the menu so we can get our food in right away (I did mention we were hungry). Also on the Unilocal check in you get a FREE! Margarita, which my wife and I took advantage of. Why not!
For my appetizer I ordered the crab cakes, so freaking awesome. My wife entrée was the Dungeness Crab (1lb) our son had the Crispy fish and chips (fries) and my self the AMAZING! Baby lobster pasta with tons of parmigiano cheese on top (guilty cheese lover). Not cheap at all with the lobster and the pasta (al dente) as it should be. Superb job in the kitchen, my compliments to the chef and staff.
This place deserves great reviews especially when great food is being brought to you. Will be back for more seafood and pasta. Kudos!!!

This place is amazing!!! Crab cake-​tastes like crab! Not all that breading!!! Crab, swordfish, chicken? Pasta, and Mahi is OUTSTANDING!!! From the bartenders, to the servers (Tyler and Aaron are the bomb), to the management, Shells is awesome!!! If you want a great meal, awesome environment, and friendly, helpful staff that will bend over backwards to make you happy, SHELLS is the place!!!
Again last night, Shells went above and beyond!!! From the bartenders to the busboys, this place is the best!!! Thank you Bill and Aaron for another great night!!! 4−16−16
As always, Aaron, thank you for almost enjoyable night! We gave you a hard time and you came through with flying colors and all of our friends absolutely love you!!! Keep dancing my fav server of all time!!!

Waiter was fantastic, he clearly loved his job. Food tasted like someone cooked it at home, restaurant was clean, menu simple and decent variety. It was a lot of food for the price. I would go back. My husband loved it, I wasn’t obsessed but it wasn’t bad at all. Actually, it was better than I expected. The hog fish was good, not fishy tasting. Got the coconut shrimp appetizer as well and it was huge! Lots of shrimp!

Very good food. Had crab legs, they were very good. Roseann our waitress was great. Owner came to table very nice.

Great service, great food and a free Margarita with Unilocal check in!
A place filled with memories and we are so happy to see them back and in the same exact location!
I don’t eat seafood, but my friends and family adore it. When we go out for seafood, I am always happy when they pick shells, because they have amazing land dishes and not just pasta. I can come here and get a great pasta dish, but I can also come here and get a healthy meal even though I don’t want fish. They have a large seafood menu but also have multiple options for chicken, beef and vegetables. They have great steamed vegetables and the chicken is always juicy and full of good flavor.
They do not make reservations but if you have a large party I recommend calling ahead to let them know you are coming. Everyone here is so nice, they will do everything they can to make your dinning experience a great one!
Welcome Back! We missed you!

This place is awesome we are so glad they reopened. we are going to be regulars. The food is awesome and the prices are good. And service was awesom we had 17 people thank you Aaron and Aaron

I have to preface this by saying that as a Native I’m a huge fan of Shells! So yes I’m glad they are back and better than ever! The inside is open, clean, and well decorated. But you came here to eat so let’s talk food. For apps go with the shrimp n crab dip, Buffalo shrimp, and clam chowder. For dinner any of the seafood pastas, Grouper, and lobster on Tuesday! Service is always great. Welcome back home Shells!

I really liked this place. If you get there before 6 there isn’t much of a wait but get there any later and it gets crazy. Our waitress was friendly, informative and very attentive. I checked in on Unilocal and got a free margarita which was really good. They have daily drink specials which I always find convenient. Their Cesar salad (for such a simple thing) was probably one of my favorites. Their grouper sandwich was excellent. They have some menu options for the non seafood lover of the group as well.

They’re Baaaaaack!
One of my Alma and my favorite places has reopened in their old habitat! Our meal was as memorable as always, also enhanced by our excellent waitress, Rosie.
After enjoying the Clam Chowder, we decided to have their perfectly prepared fresh fish, fried Grouper for Alma and grilled Mahi for me. I also tried the Crabmeat Lobster and red pepper topping (Felix) which was almost a meal in itself! We also enjoyed the Cole Slaw that had the right taste and well complemented with the Mandarin Orange. In olden days, I would have ordered the Mahi Italiano and to my delight, the new menus, used that night, had it listed. Unfortunately, I didn’t notice until after our meal.
I tricked Alma into taking home a dessert of Salted Caramel Cheesecake by asking for some Key Lime pie for me. Since my great grandfather had a key lime grove near Miami, I was happy to see that the pie was yellow, not green as some think it should be. It had the perfect tartness, and the taste of the cheesecake Alma let me have was great.

We wanted to try something «local» so we tried Shells.
This is a great casual local place with a very comfortable feel.
When you come as for Rosie she is awesome. She made great recommendations, gave great descriptions of the food and was quite entertaining with her stories.
They are famous for their pasta dishes and they don’t disappoint. My wife and son had the seafood pasta and the baby lobster pasta respectively and they couldn’t finish due to the large portion.
I had the Lobster Combo which was a half of a lobster cut down the middle stuffed with crab and it came with a shrimp skewer It was really good!
The prices are good and for checking in on Unilocal I got a free margarita so come check out Shells you will like it.

Perfectly cooked salmon, hot and delicious crab cake, and amazing grilled shrimp. The clam chowder was more clam than chowder, arguably the best I’ve ever had. I got the Ultimate Combo and subbed mixed veggies for the rice. Speaking of veggies, they were the best I’ve had at a restaurant in a long time.
My guest had the buffalo shrimp and clam strips. While you may think there’s no difference in fried seafood, come to Shells and you will know they are a cut above the rest!
Our wait staff was prompt, courteous, knowledgeable and engaging. This would have been a lesser experience without Rosie!

Great food and service. It’s hidden behind Angelina. Love the shrimps pasta. One of the original recipe. Great atmosphere for family. The price are fair. Definitely will be back for other great seafood platter.

Let me just say I’m so happy Shells is in Brandon. Not only were we greeted with friendly smiling faces, the service was terrific! Ashley was the young lady who waited on us. She explained every special being offered and also gave great recommendations on what to order. I would definitely go Bach and ask for Ashley! Very happy with our meal and service.

A good seafood restaurant in Brandon! Super excited! This review is based on food, service, cleanliness, atmosphere, and value.
The food was good! Finding good seafood in Florida is no easy task. To find a seafood restaurant near my home that uses fresh ingredients and cooks them properly makes my heart happy! We started with shrimp & crab dip, and calamari. The shrimp and crab dip was excellent, but the chips were a little stale. The calamari was okay, but it had a pinch more salt than I like. The ultimate combo was really good. My favorite was the crab cake. It was so moist and flavorful! I would call it the perfect crab cake. I could eat fifty of those, no problem. The snow crab legs were fresh, and cooked perfectly. Absolutely delicious!
The menu being priced reasonably is a huge bonus! Speaking of menu, it’s not expansive, and most of it is fried, but there were some semi healthy choices. Most, if not all, of the fish could be ordered blackened.
I think it was all hands on deck that night, because service was outstanding. There were tons of servers everywhere you looked. We had a couple of different people come to our table to ask how everything was, and how we enjoyed it. I can only assume these were managers or assistant managers, because they were not dressed like the others, and the questions they ask seem to be in manager format. I didn’t mention the overly salty calamari, or the stale chips, because I had already brought it up to our server. She told me it would be addressed with the kitchen. I took her word as her bond, because she did such an excellent job throughout our dining experience.
The building doesn’t look like much from the outside, but inside is completely remodeled, nice and new. If I were to drive by, I wouldn’t give this place a second look, but thanks to Unilocal,this hidden gem has become my new seafood destination. The atmosphere is casual, but I might feel out of place in a tank top, because it’s so nice inside. Then again, this is Florida. Overall, great food (with minor exceptions), great service, and great atmosphere. I’ll be back, & I definitely recommend trying this place out.

The food was good, but nothing was WOW. We had calamari, shrimp and crab dip, and two pounds of snow crab legs. The calamari was too salty, too greasy and not crispy. The shrimp and crab dip was good, but the chips it’s served with were stale. My snow crab legs were delicious! It came with butter for dipping, coleslaw and potatoes. The coleslaw was good, but I was so excited about the crab legs that I did not try the potatoes.
The service was friendly and fast. The dining area was recently renovated, clean and excellently decorated. They used blackboard paint on the walls, and there was chalk writing all over. I am excited to go back and eat crab again, or try something different off their menu.