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 Greetings & welcome to the Skipper's Smokehouse Restaurant & Oyster Bar Home Page!
Skipper's Smokehouse is "the club that washed ashore" (Lonnie Mack) in tropical North Tampa, Florida and
the Blues Foundation’s KBA Best Blues Club in America-2001.
Celebrating
25 Smokin' year, three Air Force buddies - Vince McGilvra, Tom White and Anders Bastman [bought out in 1988]
purchased Skipper's in 1980. Skipper's has grown from a small smokehouse takeout operation with a Sunday
Jam to a full service restaurant and purveyor of world-class music. Catering manager, Vicky
Dodds, was just starting
in the kitchen at that time. In 1984, Tom convinced General Manager Bonnie
O'Connor to leave another oyster bar to work at Skipper's. She's still here, but
the rival bar is long gone. Bar and service personnel include
many long-term employees. Skipper's has a licensed Talent Agency. We bottle our own
scotch bonnet hot sauce - Capt. Tom's Scorch Bonnet Pepper Sauce and offer a variety of alligator products
including heads, backscratchers and meat. We also carry a large inventory of t-shirts, huggers and
other promotional items. Adding to the uniqueness of Skipper's, Tom has performed several weddings in the backyard.
The architecture is a smorgasbord of "cracker" & islandy-Key West styles. Over-turned boats, wooden walkways,
large murals, & rusted walls dot the landscape and high walls capture the sounds. In the Oyster Bar, a giant, old still
hangs over the bar. Dated fliers & mutated neon splash varying hues of color and atmosphere.
The menu focuses on Florida cuisine with tastes of the Caribbean and Louisiana. In addition to
our award-winning black bean gator chili, we serve alligator ribs & fried gator tail. Other Florida favorites include
farm-raised catfish, grouper, oysters, clams & shrimp. Fresh catches vary and may include amberjack, shark,
permit, salmon, swordfish, tuna, or Wahoo. Nightly specials are always popular. Conch is served a
variety of ways. Mudbugs are on the menu almost year round. Food is prepared to order: grilled, fried [in peanut oil]
steamed, smoked, or sautéed. Over the years we have been honored as: Best Outdoor Restaurant, Best Grouper
Sandwich, Best Alligator, Hottest Wings in Tampa, Best Key Lime Pie and Best Place to Meet People.
Open Tuesday through Sunday, Skipper's presents a nightly parade of live music.
The music has grown & diversified from a local "open jam" to a
world class operation featuring the top names & many Grammy winners in
Blues, Reggae, Zydeco, Cajun Roots Tock, Bluegrass, Acoustic, jazz, Folk &
Worldbeat. Bands from around the world have played The Skipperdome: from the British
Isles to Russia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Brazil, & Chile; Nigeria, Madagascar,
Kenya, Zaire to South Africa, Australia and across North America. Call
or check the music schedule. Kids 10 and under get in free for all Skipper shows.
Skipper's has been recognized many times (reader and critic polls) as one of the best concert venues [800 capacity]
in the Tampa Bay area. Skipper's stage sits under huge oaks facing a collection of benches, chairs, standing areas and
picnic tables. A large covered tiki deck offers shelter from the summer and winter extremes. Fans create pleasant breezes in the
long summer months and radiant propane heaters take the chill off on the rare cold evenings. Locals have fondly dubbed the backyard
concert area as THE SKIPPERDOME.
Skipper’s is active in the community and we have held numerous charity events.
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