Daytona seafood restaurant named one of best in the U.S. according to Yelp

This family-owned and -operated Daytona seafood restaurant was recently featured on Yelp’s “Top 100 seafood spots” of 2024.

Yelp, an online hub for “user reviews and recommendations of best restaurants, shopping, nightlife, food ... and more,” recently released its yearly roundup of the best seafood joints nationwide, with Daytona’s own Macker Seafood placing 31st on the list.

“I really love (the recognition). It’s great because we started pretty small, you know? Just a small boat,” owner Tristan Macker said in a phone interview. “Then we got a building, started our raw market and started cooking stuff — and now we’re a full restaurant.”

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The seafood staple opened its doors in 2012 on Mason Avenue, where it remained for more than a decade until relocating to Daytona Beach's Bay Street earlier this year.

Known to never compromise on quality, the eatery offers its loyal customers a plentiful menu of locally caught favorites including classic steam pots — like the Family Blue Crab Platter, Shrimp Steamer and Dockside Delight; baskets and handhelds — including the fish and chips, fried oyster baskets, fish sandwiches and fish tacos; as well as a variety of soups, salads and sides.

“What’s always been good is that we’ve always caught our own product locally, you know? Me and my dad are always catching oysters and clams — and I catch blue crabs — and it’s all local guys catching the fish,” Macker said.

“So, you know, we just keep the real seafood as close to home as possible, and we catch most of it ourselves. I think that really makes a big difference.”

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The sea-to-table restaurant often updates its customers online with social media posts boasting its fresh selections of the day, most recently being fried or grilled snapper, grouper and golden tile. The eatery now offers beer and wine at its new location, inviting guests to stop in, grab and bite and enjoy the unmatched, fresh flavor of Macker Seafood.

“We’ve got a bunch of good, local cooked food, (we’re) family owned and operated for 12 years and (have) a really friendly staff,” Macker said.

“I kind of never expected to be where we are today, but it’s a beautiful thing.”

Macker Seafood is located at 141 Bay St. in Daytona Beach and is open 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. Monday – Saturday and 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. on Sunday. For information, call 386-253-9905 or visit Facebook.com/mackerseafood.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Daytona's Macker Seafood lands on Yelp's Top 100 Seafood spots