Welcome to our discussion and review of the Mr. Fish Seafood Restaurant

Mr. Fish is located on Business 17 in Myrtle Beach, SC- Good Info for Snowbirds and Those Who Think Outside the Coupon Books!

Introducing Mr. Fish
Ok. You see a little hole in the wall next to the barber shop (Brooklyn Louie's barber shop to be exact, and where John gets his hair cut in Myrtle Beach - See photo below!)

The name of the hole in the wall is “Mr. Fish.” That’s it. Nothing fancy. No fancy signs or ads. One door (nearest to Brooklyn Louie’s) is the fresh fish market. Two doors down is the fish restaurant. There are a few picnic tables outside – which they need since there are only about 10 or so small tables inside.

At first glance, it might be easy to miss Mr. Fish. For one thing, there are no coupons for Mr. Fish in any of the tourist guides. There are no billboards screaming at us to make sure we don’t miss Mr. Fish. No signs saying, “Mr. Fish…Only 20 miles ahead…” No buffet (Thank you, Mr. Fish! Thank you!).

Mr. Fish is NOT a Buffet, Thank Goodness!
Mr. Fish is a fish market, and a fish restaurant. I think we’ve driven by Mr. Fish no less than 60 times since we’ve been here this year. I told John that I would really like to try some fish, but the idea of the huge seafood buffets (they always seem to be buffets) just turn me off. But Myrtle Beach is FILLED with buffet-style restaurants. I truly don’t know how many there are, but surely there are at least 500,000. Maybe more. (I know...I know... a bit of an exaggeration.)

All I know is that I get tired of buffets REALLY quickly.

So, while we were walking home from Ciao! Italian Restaurant after gorging ourselves on some of the best Italian food we’ve had in a long, long time (except, maybe, for my own

stuffed shells for which I shall someday be famous), we wandered into “Once Upon A Time,” a great little antique and consignment shop within walking distance of where we were staying.

While we were chatting with Sherry, the owner of Once Upon a Time, we happened to mention that we were walking off our lunch. When we told here we had come from Ciao! her eyes got big, and she said she and a date had just enjoyed dinner there the night before. Her date, who she said is from Italy, had what he thought was some of the absolute best Veal Picatta he had ever eaten. Ok… But let’s get back to Mr. Fish.

Sherry then said, “By the way, if you like seafood, the locals all go to Mr. Fish…”
Ah ha! Finally! Someone who knew Mr. Fish! My eyes widened, and I leaned in eagerly to ask more questions. Is this the place right next to Brooklyn Louie’s barber shop? Do they serve Fish and Chips (which I’ve been craving since our visit to England in 2000)?

Oh, yes… This was indeed the same Mr. Fish! Success at last! Sherry said, “If you go, you MUST have the Shrimp and Grits. Whenever I have company in town, I go over to Mr. Fish and get a few orders of Shrimp and Grits to go, put it into a casserole and all of a sudden I’m the best cook in the world!” 

Mr. Fish is an Impressive Fish Market
So, the very next day, it was off to Mr. Fish. We visited to fish market first, which had an excellent selection of fresh fish – including hard-to-find fresh sea scallops (without any additives!). The going price at the market that day was $12.99/pound – nearly $5.00/pound less expensive than any sea scallops at the local grocery stores.

This is a bustling fish market, with an impressive variety – grouper, tilapia, flounder, etc… and you can tell that fish doesn’t hang around long in the display.

We saw people filling the picnic tables outside, and were wondering if we would be able to get a seat. Fortunately, there were a couple of small tables still vacant. Even though I KNEW I was going to cave in to my Fish and Chips craving, I still hesitated. “Sheina’s She-Crab Soup,” and Gumbo were both on the menu. I really, really, really want to try She-Crab Soup AND Gumbo. But for this day, I just knew it would be a Fish and Chips kind of lunch. I decided on the Haddock Platter. Of course, I could have had my fish blackened, grilled or sautéed as well, but once I get stuck on an idea… well…

Shrimp n' Grits at Mr. Fish? YES! A Definite Local Favorite
John instantly chose the Shrimp n’ Grits. It’s a little difficult to describe this heavenly mixture. Shrimp and some sausage folded into the most unusual grits I’ve ever had. There was cheese in the mix, and a few other things. Whatever it was, I could understand why this is a local favorite. By the way, even though John gave me a few bites (I could have eaten more), he felt that the serving was very filling. All that for $11.95. Now… we happened to walk by what I call a “fancy-shmancy” kind of boutiquey-looking restaurant that also touted “Shrimp and Grits,” but theirs was closer to $20 than $12.

My haddock was very tasty indeed! In my humble opinion, I do not think it’s as good as what I’ve had in New Zealand or England (John says it must be the newspaper my fish & chips was wrapped in back in the days of my New Zealand visits). Nonetheless, it was still extremely satisfying.

John, who is exceptionally fond of fried haddock tried a few pieces, and gave it an enthusiastic thumbs up. He said that’s what he would be order next time we visit. The slaw was nice, and although I am not someone who eats tartar sauce, I tried it nonetheless. I found it quite flavorful – not too heavy on any ingredient. But, I’m not really a judge of tartar sauce.

I thought that the fries were a little too “soft” and a bit greasy. They were good (ahem… we didn’t leave a single fry in the basket), but just not as crispy as I prefer. Would I eat them again? Well… let’s put a basket of them in front of me and see. I’m guessing that I’d have no trouble eating them again! Still, I'd like them a little less greasy and a little more crispy.

Go to Mr. Fish for Food - not Atmosphere
Now, don’t go to Mr. Fish expecting a fancy-shmancy restaurant. Go to Mr. Fish to eat good food. Oh, the music they had gently emanating from the boom-box perched high in the corner was a blend of 70’s stuff – some Grateful Dead, Neal Young (singing “Tell Me Why,” which I haven’t heard in 20+ years), a little Allman Brothers, not so much Springsteen as to drive John nuts (Sorry, Bruce!), and some blues.

Besides being a “local favorite” restaurant and market, Mr. Fish caters. I suddenly pictured… oh goodness… a BUFFET. I thought, “Oh, if only Mr. Fish had all this stuff on a buffet! I’d try the She-Crab Soup, the Gumbo, and then some Blackened Grouper… some raw Oysters and Clams… and of course the Sea Scallops…”

Ohhh...Did I just say “buffet?” :)

(By the way, if you're needing a good barber in Myrtle Beach, John highly recommends Brooklyn Louie - right next door to Mr. Fish!)

While we've eaten at a variety of different places over the course of the last 2 winters, we'll write about a handful of them here. At this time, we would like to invite you to learn a little about the following places:
E-Noodles
Ciao! Italian Restaurant
Mr. Fish
Little Brazil
Flamingo Grill
Five Guys Burgers and Fries
Little Italy
Gino's Pizza
Texas Roadhouse and Grill
and a few Chinese places (yes, we'll address some of the buffets as well)