dixie crossroads seafood restaurant

southernseafood- simple and delicious. local seafood, great quantity, fair price, good service, family oriented;
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fresh hot corn fritters awaited us as we sat down. the broiled rock shrimp are not to be missed. the cheese grits are just the way mother used to make them; if you are not southern you won't understand that. two house brand hot sauces - habanero and dixie datil - were both tasty, a welcome alternative to texas pete.
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tracy delivered excellent service and updated us on local culture. we were seated in 30 minutes on memorial day weekend, not bad! parking was easy, facilities clean, restrooms nice, noise level good.
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i can understand why people drive hours out of the way to get here.

really a niceseafoodrestaurant and very old florida. nice wide selection and well prepared. feels like a upscale theme beach place, just not on the beach. feels like it should be in vero beach on a1a. lots of locals which means it's good.

  the menu features local shrimp and fish from port canaveral and ranges from sandwiches and fried baskets to  bigseafoodcombos. dixie crossroads is a very family oriented restaurant with some of that down home southern hospitality that is great for a big family dinner or just a quick bite. their  claim to fame is the rock shrimp: this shrimp-family member resembles a miniature lobster and is wild-caught. the name comes from the thick, rock-hard shells that can be difficult to remove by hand. today the shrimp shells (and heads)

visiting from texas and found this restaurant on google. reviews seemed good so we stopped for a very late lunch. wait was 20 minutes on a tuesday afternoon at almost 3pm. our waitress was pleasant and prompt and kept our water full. the food however was a little disappointing. google had a 4+ rating so my expectations were a bit higher. we ordered the dixie spectacular. sadly it was not spectacular. we got the broiled rock shrimp and they were the only thing that was spectacular on the plate. the crab and the lobster were both way overcooked and difficult to shell. we went ahead and had the scallops fried, but they were not hot and crispy, but a bit on the soggy side. not sure what other people expect out of theirseafoodto give it such high reviews, but i make better crab at lobster at home than i experienced here. i give it a 2.5 only because the staff was friendly, our waitress was good and the rock shrimp was very good. the rest was a bit ho hum and below average in my book.

dixie crossroads has an almost cult like following with both locals and tourists alike. they welcome large parties and accommodate tour busses. it is worth a stop if traveling on i95 or visiting the space center. my favorite was the complimentary corn fritter appetizer which filled me up before our meal. the.seafoodis fresh and tasty. i recommend the grits as a side. our server was efficient and friendly.

here twice on visits to the area and i am absolutely in love with the rock shrimp. cooked simply grilled with nothing added they are cooked just right here. also the corn fritters were an oddity to me at first but are very habit forming. will return any time that i can as each bit ofseafoodhas been cooked perfectly.

really, really good.. our waitress was very knowledgeable, her recommendations as to what was fresh and local were spot on. this isn't red lobster or applebees folks.. this is freshseafoodprepared very well and simply and a non-corporate family business. get the cheese grits as a side you'll think you died and went to heaven. even our vegetables (fresh green beans and carrots prepared al dente) were notable and worth a positive comment.

in short, anyone that complains about about a place with trained helpful servers and great well prepared and fresh (did i mention that if you ask for what is fresh, that it is fresh, fresh fresh?) food like this... is probably a competitor!

food quality went down. used to go there but breading onseafoodis too light and only flower. baked potstoes old and tasteless, frues too oily. stick with the rockshrimp cajun style, which are very tasty

an amazing florida experience. it had been 5 years since i left florida and probably longer since i came to dixie. i was back in dec craving some fresh flaseafoodso i swung by for lunch.

the first thing i noticed was that the place had obviously undergone an extensive renovation. everything looked new while retaining that comfortable small town familyseafoodenvironment.

we are sat right away by the friendly staff with a view of a large fish pond and fountain. after getting drinks, the server approached us and recommended the smoked oyster appetizer, which we accepted. then she took our order.

we started with the smoked oysters, which were a great recommendation! they came out piping hot in the half shell with a melted garlic parmesan topping. they didn't last long before salads came out. lettuce was cool and crisp and the salads were topped with cherry tomatoes, bacon, onion, cheese and hard boiled egg. it was like a mini cobb salad.

next were the entrees. now i have been all over the world, had a lot ofseafoodand let me tell you... there is no substitute for fresh fla seafood! i had 3 dozen rock shrimp, half broiled and half fried and my friend had the mahi sandwich. the rock shrimp were better than lobster! they taste similar but rock shrimp are a little sweeter. there was silence over our table for at least 10 min after the food got there. it was that good! i cant comment on any of the deserts because i felt like i was going to burst close to the end.

it did seem a little pricy at first but after seeing how much food we got for what we paid i felt like it was a good deal. next time i might not order so much.

i would highly recommend dixie crossroads. the only recommendation i have is that they open a place in los angeles.

went an hour out of our way during our vacation for the food and all i can say is amazing!! it is well worth the trip. the staff is friendly and really made it feel like home. our waitress rosa marie was amazing and took extra care of us. she is probably the best waitress we have ever had at any restaurant. we just had to get our picture taken with her. the portions are huge and it is well worth the price you pay. in fact, theseafoodby us in massachusetts cost more, give you less, and the quality is not as good for the money you pay. i know a couple years ago we had the royal red shrimp and i have never had a shrimp like this any where. we are going to be sure to make another stop by next time we are in florida. i highly recommend anyone to eat here!! we also left with a christmas ornament of a rock shrimp that we cannot wait to put on our tree!!!! thanks clay!

not of fan. much betterseafoodjust about anywhere else. and the sides seem to be mushy all of the time. i don't get it!

ur taste buds r obviously use to farm raisedseafoodstick to redlobster then...


-----02 aug, 2011-----

first mr food fan the corn fritters aren't hushpuppies, maybe a food critic could get that right. and perhaps you enjoy eatingseafoodthat is farm raised and fed who knows what!? dcseafoodis natural and caught off the east coast. for reasons why the price is a little higher then most. it cost gas to go out to harvest these unique creatures. thanks....


-----18 oct, 2010-----

this place is a wonderful place to enjoy rock shrimp. a shrimp that taste like lobster a rarity to find. i can understand why the prices are a little higher then normal shrimp. great local place..

who says you can't get goodseafoodin florida!!. just wanted to thank the folks at dixie crossroads for being one of our club sponsors (central florida corvette association). we use their sponsor fee for our charity!
we all love to eat at dixie and are coming back as a club very soon, we are long overdue!!
everything is good here, what ever you get you will like!
ned

dixie crossroads: southernseafoodflavors with a vivid past. mr. thompson and his sewing machine belt. that's how dixie crossroads came to be. or was it a pair of scissors? as i sat in for a quick interview with dawna thorstad, the director of sales and marketing at dixie crossroads, i was quickly drawn into stories of all-you-can-eat rock shrimp for $5 and campaigning for environmental protection of rock shrimp spawning grounds to lorilee thompson's (the present owner) leonine fishing adventures. all i could ask to myself was why has this place not come to my attention sooner? and what's this rock shrimp hoopla all about?

all i figured was rock shrimp took off in a big way once the shell was cracked and the gold inside revealed it's deliciousness. and old mr. thompson had figured out just how reap the reward. initially, a pair of scissors split the bugger in half… soon, a sewing machine belt was brought in to peel through thousands of them.

god alone knows i hate driving. but i ventured out with a fistful of expressway toll change and a dismal-looking mapquest print-out to a place i've only been once before: titusville. but yours truly made it out there- with all my ten fingers and a healthy appetite. to my surprise, this place is big! i sat in a booth, quietly looking over the 'moat' filled with swarms of tilapia when the server landed some corn fritters dusted with sugar on the table (complimentary). it was a good way to start, but to make double sure, i also ordered a dixie rum runner ($6). both were sweet with the latter easing my post-driving tension and the former setting my taste buds free. i started to browse the menu for some choices, but what caught my eye was one of the specials they were running- bbq shrimp ($9). i still wanted to try the rock shrimp so i ordered them with classic southern grits ($11).

when the server came back, she offered an absurd bib. however, my hesitancy over it quickly evaporated when the plate arrived. four large shrimp atop a sumptuous ochre-colored gravy with a ridiculously addictive smell that wafted off them was nothing short of sublime. in true louisiana-style, these barbecue shrimp were shell-on. a highly fragrant buttery sauce of garlic, cajun spices, and herbs were sopped up with a (smartly accompanied) piece of buttered toast. the sauce was tangy and oily. the oiliness would have been a good thing if the toast wasn't oily as well. however, the main part of the dish was masterfully cooked and jolted my brain into a southern state of mind. the best part of this entire dish was to suck on the shrimp heads to grasp even more complexity of bayou cuisine. tmi? get over it and give it a shot. live a little. i highly recommend it :)

after almost mouth-vacuuming the dish clean, the (rock) shrimp-n-grits arrived within moments. alas, i wish i hadn't tweaked this dish by substituting rock shrimp for regular shrimp. they were a little tough and didn't showcase the entire flavor profile well with the grits. i must say that rock shrimp don't taste like other shrimp do (overcooked or not). they actually have a blend of different crustacean tones that in my mind form a vague blend of shrimp and lobster tastes combined. the grits on the other hand were great. buttery, yet flavorful, the grits simply glided down my throat as though they were on a slip-and-slide. then, a squirt of dopamine in my brain consciously reminded me of how addicting southern food can be especially when it's done right.

in a nut shell: a vivid historical restaurant with a great range ofseafooditems on the menu (land lovers don't be afraid- there's plenty for you guys as well). remember to pay homage to the rock shrimp when you get here and congratulate lorilee on her father's foresight for what a sewing machine belt can really be used for. did i mention they have a full bar? and modest price-points for lunch and dinner? the restaurant has a hodge-podge of décor that changes from room to room (it's a big place) which only indicates it's long history and unique titusville charm. on your way out, make sure to score a few cups of fish feed for the hungry tilapia right outside. and yes, they are only kept as pets- never to land in your stomach.

a vivid historical restaurant with a great range ofseafooditems on the menu (land lovers don’t be afraid- there’s plenty for you guys as well). remember to pay homage to the rock shrimp when