skipper's smokehouse

requested the raw oysters on sunday 29 apr 12, 0 balance. requested the smoke mac and cheese, 0 balance also.gatortails, small portion and to expensive but tasty. did not like thegatorribs, did not like the taste at all, not even when is is drenched with the smokey bbq sauce. service is wonderful and the ambience very inviting. will return for the smokey mac and cheese and the oysters.

fried heaven in a basket!. the ambiance is true beach shack florida, so if you're looking for a quiet, romantic spot - go elsewhere. now, if you're looking for casual fun for the whole family...come down to skipper's smokehouse. besides it's legendary music scene, it has some great seafood selections.
i'll start with the delicious fried skipper's platter for $16.99 - this feast could feed 2-3 people easily with fried basa (a light, delicate fish in a cormeal crust - my personal fav), fried shrimp, fried calamari, friedgatornuggets (a tasty little treat if you want to try something unique), and fried oysters. whew! if that wasn't enough, it comes with a small sampler of smoked fish spread (which i thought i was absolutely going to despise and guess what? i am a true fish spread believer after skipper's!) and hush puppies and two sides.
i preferred the breading of the basa and the shrimp over the flour battered oysters and calamari, and the slaw was sort of bland. but the hushpuppies were great, with just a hint of sweetness and the conch fritters are these massive balls - much more breading than most conch fritters (although i liked it that way - reminded me of clam cakes back in rhode island) and those were served with a sweet and smoky key lime curry sauce.
i can't believe i was able to eat all that food and still have the ability to walk upright! huge portions, overall good food served with that home-made feel, and a groovy joint to take it all in.
you can come for the shows, but i wouldn't miss out on the food if i were you!

fun kitschy florida place. awesome music venue. ive seen several concerts under the stars, beneath the trees dressed in twinkle lights on a warm summer night. hard to beat that.
but it's also a fun casual place to grab some fried florida treats. as previous reviews stated, parking can be a nightmare. get here early and on a non concert night, you should be fine as long as you dont mind a tight squeeze on gravel.
fried is what they do and do it best. fried fish, fried shrimp, etc. it's a no frills kind of place but the service is down home friendly and the beer is always cold.
the best deal is happy hour. cheap beer, cheap wings and cheap oysters. yes, i ate fresh, raw oysters here and they were darn good. the wings are hot and their hot sauce is no joke. waitress had to bring my hubbie wet washcloth for his sweaty head. but he loved every burning moment. feeling adventurous, we tried the bbqgatorribs. first bite good, saucy, tender. but after a few more bites pulling meat off skinny reptile ribs didnt sit well with me. (and im a full on carnivore) we ate more than we left behind, but honestly more because if you slather anything in bbq sauce it tastes marginally good. i would not order them again. also steer clear of the soft shell crab. the breading is gooey and puffy and just not good. shrimp, fish, wings, oysters and the grouper reuben and a bunch of beers and you're good to go!

really good place for some down home good southern seafood! excellent service and really quick turn around! we had fresh drinks in less than 2 minutes!gatorribs and mahi reuben were so good! great oysters! everything was very reasonably priced!! will definitely be coming back soon with friends!

quaint, quirky, and fun!!. it was my first taste of alligator. their smokedgatorribs were fall off the bone tender and delicious! the cajun crayfish were also amazing, as were the hushpuppies. the atmosphere adds so much . . . reminds you of a little run-down shack in the bayou, where the folks are friendly, the food is fantastic, and the music is superb!

gator ribs!. my husband and i went there for thegatorribs. they were good and tender. it's definitely a no frills kind of place and priced just right.

delicious!. i couldn't go to tampa without going to skipper's smokehouse. i had seen them on the travel channel on man vs. food so of course i just had to try the smokedgatorribs and also the oysters on the half shell. this is a very casual place, i repeat, very casual. we had gone early in the evening and not many people were in the restaurant, but the bar was full. the decor is eclectic and interesting, we had fun trying to see everything. thegatorribs were so tender, and the texture reminded me of pork. they were very good. the oysters were on a tray of ice with cocktail sauce and horseradish. although i did try these, i used a little of the extra sauce from the smokedgatorribs to put on the oysters. that put them over the top and were out of this world! i had such a moment of heaven sitting there with this delicious food. this was a truly unique stop while visiting tampa. i do say if i return, i will be returning to skipper's, definately!

first, the best music to be had in all of tampa is at skippers. second, their happy hour can't be beat: $1.50 for 20 oz of budweiser drafts 5-8 pm (and reasonable prices on real beers, like sierra nevada). finally, the food here, while 90% fried, is pretty kickass. the fried crayfish on the crayfish poboy are delectable. grab a handful on napkins and dig into a grouper (or basa) reuben. above all, don't forget to check the specials board for morsels like smokey mac n cheese and belly-bustinggatorchili cheese fries!

excellent. one of the best places to relax and chill. i have been coming here so many years and whenever my family comes into town, we hit this place first. love thegatorbites :) yum

casual coolness. an absolute favorite spot. music is always good, even if you've never heard of the band, the oysters andgatorchili are great. liked the decor better before they cleaned it up, but the soul remains. good people and always a fun time is had by all. this place is old florida, complete with a huge oak tree over this open air venue.