Review: Sal & Phil's

The seafood platter. (Credit: Leah Starnes)

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Sal and Phil’s has been a local staple since 1987. If you are looking for some authentic crab shack style dining they are a must try. Sal and Phil’s has great authentic fresh seafood, delicious poboys, and daily lunch specials at a very reasonable price.

The food: The appetizers are a great start with plenty of fresh offerings. We tried the fried crab claws and were quite pleased with the size as there definitely was plenty for sharing. Other offerings include crabmeat stuffed jalapenos, crawfish tails, crab cakes, oysters on the half shell, fried pickles and some pretty mean looking onion rings ($ 3.50-$8.95).

Salads offerings include shrimp (boiled or fried), crawfish tails, crabmeat, or fried chicken if you’re in the mood for a lighter meal, and you can also visit the salad bar with an array of offerings to go along with your entrée.

Seafood gumbo and crawfish etouffee are served up by the cup or the bowl and are worthy of a try with plentiful fresh ingredients ($3.49-$5.95).

Tuesday through Friday a regular lunch crowd stop in for the special of the day or one of their fine, delicious poboys. You name it, they pretty much make it with their offerings of roast beef, Sal’s supreme of beef, ham and cheese, veal cutlet, meatball, hamburger, turkey, chicken strips, smoked sausage, oyster, shrimp, catfish, corn beef, Reuben, muffuletta and more ($4.75-$11.50).

Boiled shrimp abounds with a variety of specials. Dungeness crab and Blue crab although seasonal are definitely the talk of the town and reasonably priced. The fried seafood is delicious and choosing is difficult so try the seafood platter for a fine sampling of crab, catfish, shrimp, and oysters.

The royal red shrimp with drawn butter, corn and potatoes will make you feel like you are sitting at a wonderful beach side eatery in your swimwear. My dining partner definitely enjoyed the platter and was quite pleased with the offerings.

If you are up for it, a shrimp lovers delight platter is filled with 20 boiled, 20 fried shrimp along with a baked potato or fries as well as a trip to the salad bar($16.95). Being a shrimp lover I checked out the 10 butterfly jumbo shrimp which were perfectly fried and plentiful. You can also try them grilled, boiled or barbecued. Another great sampler platter is the King’s plate of 10 boiled shrimp, 10 fried shrimp, 8 fried oysters, and 3 pieces of catfish—whew, that’s a lot of food for $16.95.

They have some great grilled offerings of redfish, grouper, shrimp, soft shell crab, oysters, crab meat or flounder served with some great pasta and a trip to the salad bar ($11.95-$14.95) .

Rounding out the expansive menu is fresh seafood to go by the pound with shrimp, grouper, redfish, oysters and crabmeat. Just give them a quick phone call and they will have it ready to go for you.

The drink: They offer soft drinks and tea as well as domestic and imported beer by the glass, or you can grab a pitcher and enjoy your good eats. A full bar is also in house with plenty of wine and mixed drinks available. Some great stories can certainly be heard while sitting at the bar area.

The scene: If you are looking for white tablecloth fine dining, Sal and Phil’s is not the place.

This is a straight up no-frills seafood shack, and having been housed in the same location for 20 years the weathered decor isn’t exactly eat-off-the-floor. However, if you are a seafood, poboy, get down and grub eater then you’ll enjoy the laid back feel, which lets you dig right in without any messy eater’s remorse.

It’s definitely a come-as-you-are place, perfect for a stop right from a day at the reservoir. You will enjoy the good, fresh food, the friendly staff and cold beverages. They have a nice size dining room for large gatherings, and make up some pretty mean looking party trays.

The bottom line: Area classic and down home friendly service and staff awaits you at Sal and Phil’s restaurant.  Phil Sizler and Sal Todaro began their restaurant over 20 years ago. Today you will find some great managers in Anthony and Casey along with their staff that greet you as soon as you walk in.

Friendly is not nearly the right word for the way they make you feel as you sit and enjoy some of the best seafood you will find in the area. They definitely are keeping the passion alive and should be around for even more decades to come.

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