Now celebrating 39 smokin’ years, this venerable Tampa Bay landmark was purchased by three Air Force buddies in 1980 who met while stationed in Alaska and presumably sought to get as far away from the frozen tundra as possible. In the years since, Skipper’s has grown from a small smokehouse takeout operation with a casual Sunday jam to a full-service restaurant and much-loved purveyor of world-class music. The architecture is a smorgasbord of “cracker” and islandy-Key West styles with overturned boats, wooden walkways, large murals dot the landscape while artfully rusted walls contain the sounds of revelry. In the Oyster Bar, a vintage moonshine still hangs over the bar while in the dining room, weathered posters tinted by neon lights add varying hues of color and atmosphere.

The menu features Floribbean cuisine – a fusion of Caribbean, Florida and Louisiana flavors; We serve award-winning Black Bean Gator Chili, alligator ribs and fried gator tail. Seafood offerings include farm-raised catfish, grouper, oysters, clams, conch and shrimp. Fresh catches vary from amberjack, shark, basa, salmon, swordfish, tuna or wahoo. Mudbugs (crawfish) are on the menu almost year round. In the past, we’ve won awards for Best Outdoor Restaurant, Best Grouper Sandwich, Best Alligator, Hottest Wings in Tampa, and Best Key Lime Pie.