Recommended dishes: Shrimp and Crab Dip, Buffalo Shrimp
Mary Eileen White
Excellent seafood. The staff is very friendly, helpful, and cheerful.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Cindy Casey
Wonderful service. Low key casual atmosphere.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Sheila Brown
The oysters was everything
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Oysters on the Half Shell
Andrew Rottinghaus
Food was excellent and the chowder was delicious, stuffed with clam!! Excellent choice if you’re in the area !
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Shells Clam Chowder
Lilli Garrick
Sadly they have changed the Alfredo sauce to a watered down version. Snow crabs were good and good portion. Service by Nicole was excellent.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 5
Camryn
Food, service, atmosphere... everything was amazing!! If you're looking for delicious, reasonably priced seafood with 5 star quality, you definitely have to give this place a visit! This will for sure be a 'go-to' spot for me
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Chris Rundell
This place is great! The food is priced amazing, quality is top notch, and service was perfect (Thank you Nicole!) I’ll definitely be coming back soon!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
John Eberle
Had the great experience of dining at Shells Seafood restaurant on Dale Mabry Hwy this past Friday!
First, my wife and I were greeted at the door by very welcoming staff and seated immediately. We ordered two glasses of wine and asked our server, Juan, questions about the menu. He was very personable and informative.
Keeping this short, the bowl of clam chowder was fantastic and a meal in itself! I had the shrimp pasta and it came out piping hot! The cream sauce was delicate, yet full in body. This meal was delicious! My wife had the shrimp mezzo mezzo. Again, hot and the sauce perfect. Learned from Juan that all the sauces are made daily, in house!
Finally, we shared a large piece of Key Lime pie. It was everything a Key Lime pie should be and it too, is made in house.
We are looking forward to our next Shells experience. We already know what we want to try next.
Some best seafood Ive ever had. The oysters were so fresh and the dungeness crabs were tasty. The crab meat so sweet ... Wont go wrong going seafood dinner
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Catherine Arena (Cat)
Service was amazing as always. Friendly server, Hilay. Never had to ask for refills. On top of everything! Food was incredible and prices are still affordable and portions are great. Fresh, hot and flavorful food. My husband and I ate here on our honeymoon in 1992. We come back as often as we can. We fell in love with ot and still love it all these years later. We drive 4 hours round trip just to eat here! And it is absolutely worth it!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Shrimpin Scallop Pasta, Baby Lobster Pasta, Shells Clam Chowder, Salmon Felix, Coconut Shrimp, Shrimp and Scallop Pasta
Lauren Ray
I don’t understand the appeal. We sat next to the fish tank that looks like it hasn’t been cleaned in months 🤢 we ordered the highly recommended clam chowder and shrimp and crab dip to start. The clam chowder tasted like canned progresso with extra bacon thrown in. The shrimp and crab dip was AWFUL I’m pretty sure it has velveeta in it and congealed almost immediately. I ordered the “staff favorite” Shrimp Mezzo Mezzo for my entree and was again very underwhelmed, the shrimp was very over cooked, tough and the sauce was oily. The single star was for our waiter and because I can’t leave zero. 1/10 do not recommend
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 4
Susan Cottingham
This was a great place to eat! The food was super absolute the waitress gave great suggestions when we were unsure what to choose. They even modified their signature dish when I said I was not fond of Salmon and made it with fish I did like! Such nice people and great food. Highly recommend!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Francisco Diaz
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I’ve been coming to Shells in Tampa for over a decade, and it’s still one of my favorite spots in the area. The food here is consistently fresh, flavorful, and cooked to perfection every single time. Whether it’s the seafood pasta, shrimp, scallops, or any of their daily specials, everything tastes amazing and you can tell they use quality ingredients.
What really sets this place apart is not just the food but the people. The staff is always friendly, welcoming, and attentive, which makes the experience even better. Over the years, the service has always been reliable, and you can feel the genuine hospitality that keeps customers coming back.
It’s rare to find a restaurant that maintains such a high standard of food and service for so many years, but Shells has done it consistently. It’s a great place for a casual lunch, family dinner, or even to bring out-of-town guests to give them a taste of Tampa.
If you’re looking for fresh seafood in Tampa, Shells is the place to go. I absolutely recommend it to everyone—locals and visitors alike. After more than 10 years of dining here, I can confidently say it’s one of the best seafood restaurants in town.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Oysters on the Half Shell, Crab Cake
Good food. Price matched portions.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Shrimp and Crab Dip, Buffalo Shrimp
Excellent seafood. The staff is very friendly, helpful, and cheerful.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Wonderful service. Low key casual atmosphere.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
The oysters was everything
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Oysters on the Half Shell
Food was excellent and the chowder was delicious, stuffed with clam!! Excellent choice if you’re in the area !
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Shells Clam Chowder
Sadly they have changed the Alfredo sauce to a watered down version. Snow crabs were good and good portion. Service by Nicole was excellent.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 5
Food, service, atmosphere... everything was amazing!! If you're looking for delicious, reasonably priced seafood with 5 star quality, you definitely have to give this place a visit! This will for sure be a 'go-to' spot for me
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This place is great! The food is priced amazing, quality is top notch, and service was perfect (Thank you Nicole!) I’ll definitely be coming back soon!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Had the great experience of dining at Shells Seafood restaurant on Dale Mabry Hwy this past Friday!
First, my wife and I were greeted at the door by very welcoming staff and seated immediately. We ordered two glasses of wine and asked our server, Juan, questions about the menu. He was very personable and informative.
Keeping this short, the bowl of clam chowder was fantastic and a meal in itself! I had the shrimp pasta and it came out piping hot! The cream sauce was delicate, yet full in body. This meal was delicious! My wife had the shrimp mezzo mezzo. Again, hot and the sauce perfect. Learned from Juan that all the sauces are made daily, in house!
Finally, we shared a large piece of Key Lime pie. It was everything a Key Lime pie should be and it too, is made in house.
We are looking forward to our next Shells experience. We already know what we want to try next.
Highly recommend this family owned restaurant!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great place with excellent food and service
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Some best seafood Ive ever had. The oysters were so fresh and the dungeness crabs were tasty. The crab meat so sweet ... Wont go wrong going seafood dinner
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Service was amazing as always.
Friendly server, Hilay. Never had to ask for refills. On top of everything!
Food was incredible and prices are still affordable and portions are great.
Fresh, hot and flavorful food.
My husband and I ate here on our honeymoon in 1992. We come back as often as we can. We fell in love with ot and still love it all these years later. We drive 4 hours round trip just to eat here! And it is absolutely worth it!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Shrimpin Scallop Pasta, Baby Lobster Pasta, Shells Clam Chowder, Salmon Felix, Coconut Shrimp, Shrimp and Scallop Pasta
I don’t understand the appeal. We sat next to the fish tank that looks like it hasn’t been cleaned in months 🤢 we ordered the highly recommended clam chowder and shrimp and crab dip to start. The clam chowder tasted like canned progresso with extra bacon thrown in. The shrimp and crab dip was AWFUL I’m pretty sure it has velveeta in it and congealed almost immediately. I ordered the “staff favorite” Shrimp Mezzo Mezzo for my entree and was again very underwhelmed, the shrimp was very over cooked, tough and the sauce was oily. The single star was for our waiter and because I can’t leave zero. 1/10 do not recommend
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 4
This was a great place to eat! The food was super absolute the waitress gave great suggestions when we were unsure what to choose. They even modified their signature dish when I said I was not fond of Salmon and made it with fish I did like! Such nice people and great food. Highly recommend!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I’ve been coming to Shells in Tampa for over a decade, and it’s still one of my favorite spots in the area. The food here is consistently fresh, flavorful, and cooked to perfection every single time. Whether it’s the seafood pasta, shrimp, scallops, or any of their daily specials, everything tastes amazing and you can tell they use quality ingredients.
What really sets this place apart is not just the food but the people. The staff is always friendly, welcoming, and attentive, which makes the experience even better. Over the years, the service has always been reliable, and you can feel the genuine hospitality that keeps customers coming back.
It’s rare to find a restaurant that maintains such a high standard of food and service for so many years, but Shells has done it consistently. It’s a great place for a casual lunch, family dinner, or even to bring out-of-town guests to give them a taste of Tampa.
If you’re looking for fresh seafood in Tampa, Shells is the place to go. I absolutely recommend it to everyone—locals and visitors alike. After more than 10 years of dining here, I can confidently say it’s one of the best seafood restaurants in town.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Oysters on the Half Shell, Crab Cake
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