skipper's smokehouse

tremendous live music. let's see, derek trucks, hot tuna, damon fowler,
buddy guy, tab benoit, koko taylor...many more
famous performers have played at skippers. you don't need to be amusicsnob to enjoy the livemusicat this venue which oozes atmosphere.. great live blues,
grateful dead night every thursday night. top local performers...it's a must see venue.

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 legendarymusicscene, 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, fried gator nuggets (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. awesomemusicvenue. 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 bbq gator ribs. 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!

quaint, quirky, and fun!!. it was my first taste of alligator. their smoked gator ribs 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 themusicis superb!

happy hour oysters and wings. best hot wings in town and especially on hh when you can order 15 for $6.99. throw in a dozen cold salty oysters for $8.99 and a cold $1.50 draft and you get bar nirvana.

sometimes hard to find a seat in the only air conditioned part, the bar but persist and be rewarded.

little rough around the edges and crowded whenmusicon tap outside in the clam shell...lol.....but a good spot for the above mentioned.

have ordered other food items, hit or miss, so stick with the best ones.

colorful folks at times too,

b+ overall. and a mucho repeato place.

first, the bestmusicto 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-busting gator chili cheese fries!

casual coolness. an absolute favorite spot.musicis always good, even if you've never heard of the band, the oysters and gator chili 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.

fun!. great food, good drink prices, and a greatmusicscene; skipper's is the perfect spot to hang out with friends and enjoy the night

music, not food. you don't go to skipper's for the food, you go for themusicand atmosphere.

if you're reading this and don't know about the joint, it's a funky, ramshackle collection of buildings and bars around a central courtyard with an open area overtopped by moss-draped oak trees. there are picnic tables there with a dirt dance pit in front of an open-air stage.

the bands that play there are eclectic. i'v caught everything from gospel with the blind boys of alabama, numerous blues and soul bands, rockabilly with the rev. billy c. wirtz and exuberant punkish funsters such as the red elvises. i saw one review criticizing the kind ofmusicskippers has. if you're the type of tosser who watches american idol and obediently consumes whatever product the lamestreaming media industry says is popular, then stay away from skipper's. this place is too cool for you. but if you want something original, go, go, go!

and since this is a food blog, what they serve isn't half bad. it's old-school florida soul food, man. not haute cuisine, but by the time you eat anything, you'll be full of beer and tired from shaking your leg on the dance floor. everything tastes better when you're in a good setting. if you haven't been to skipper's, you've missed one of the jewels of the south.

great venue that anyone living in tampa must go to at least once. with that being said, skippers menu selection is pretty limited (if u are on a diet do not come here) and their livemusicis as well. all dishes are either fried or smoked, with it leaning more to the fried actually. their livemusicschedule also is an acquired taste. most are very eclectic bands that are pretty much all from the same hippie/folk jondra and are really not that great to listen to unless you are a "music snob" or smoking serious amounts of reefer. all in all a great place to go to chill out and spend some time having a few drinks, just dont expect too much from the menu or themusicmost of the time..