Indian Pass Raw Bar

Unique, long-standing part of the community. Live music stage. The freshest seafood (crab-stuffed shrimp were a favorite). Self-serve, dirt-cheap local beer ordered on the honor system. The food is pricier than the drinks, but fair market.

We've heard about this place from friends and decided to check it out. Place is on the side of the road and has a "rural rustic" vibe. There is a gaming area with a band playing live music to enjoy while waiting to be seated.

Place was crowded and waiting was very long. We've waited 2 hours before we were seated. Some people even brought some chairs with them. After I saw that, I had the feeling this was going to be a long wait. Haha.

Menu options are very few. You get 2 sheets, one to keep track of your drinks and another one to order food. That made it fast, easy, and convenient when you are ordering food and drinks. We just wish menu was more kids friendly.

There is a big fridge in the back of the main seating area where you can get your drinks. You can find beer, juices, soda and bottled water.

Wife and I ordered steamed and stuffed shrimps. The stuffing on the shrimps was tasty but shrimps were over cooked. I was put off by it. Only had 2 shrimps. On the other hand, steamed shrimps had the right amount of seasoning and cooked just fine. The portion was good as well. See pictures for more details.

Kids mainly ordered burgers and chicken fingers. Taste was more like microwaved food. They don't eat seafood at all.

Staff was very friendly and professional. Some of our food took too long and waitress was very apologetic. Despite them being super busy, they handle the situation very well.

Overall, I think experience could being a lot better if the few dishes on the menu were executed better and waiting time wasn't too much. In the future, we will give it another try and we will report.

This place makes the most delicious crab stuffed shrimp I've ever had. We also had the smoked fish dip which was Aldi delicious! For dessert we had the strawberry shortcake cheese cake & a slice of key lime pie. WOW! We will definitely eat here again any time we're in the area. I highly recommend this place!

The Indian Pass Raw Bar is described on the website for the restaurant as being in a "pristine" and "wilderness area." That is a good description. It can be difficult to find. A GPS is a good way to locate it for those not familiar with the area.

I first learned of the restaurant from the Wall Street Journal. It described the restaurant as "The lively Gulf seafood shack is renowned for its oysters—raw, steamed or baked and plumpest in winter and early spring."

We were not disappointed. The stuffed shrimp were excellent. The steamed oysters elicited a similar reaction. The baked oysters were slightly salty but contained cheese which is probably the reason. They still tasted very good. All were fresh and plump and a contained good size oysters.

This is a self-service kind of place. Neat and clean but informal. A great experience and a unique one as well.

The unique nature of the restaurant was anticipated. Nothing screams "informal dining in a country restaurant" like the menu written out on a chalkboard above the grill, plastic forks, grilled white toast on top of the oysters, and a "serve yourself" cooler for drinks where diners pick out their favorite drink and let the cashier know what they purchased to add to the bill.

The ambiance of the restaurant in a rural area was anticipated as this restaurant is on a county road that is not easy to find and cell phone service on the highway is...spotty. The restaurant apparently started serving turpentine workers in 1903, the building was built in 1929 and food has been served there since the 1930's. It was very neat and clean, the staff was very friendly, and the restaurant was still full at 2 PM.

The oysters were fantastic--fresh, moist, plump and tasted as good as any oysters I have ever eaten. No doubt, these are reasons the restaurant has been in business for so long.