Best Seafood: 2024 Orlando Sentinel Foodie Awards
Gently came this friendly giant of Northern seafood staples into the historic and beloved realm of its Southern cousin, easing itself into the longtime home of The Catfish Place a few years back.
And although Rhode Island native and classically trained chef Mike Rumplik hardly needed cooking lessons, he and his team patiently learned all there was to know about this Apopka mainstay, partnering with its owners and ensuring that its legacy endured.
And so, alongside Rumplik’s chowdahs and lobstah rolls – including the biggest one in the Sunshine State, with a whopping two pounds of meat on its custom-baked cushion of a roll – you’ll find raw bar offerings and clam cakes, smelts and sammiches and the rare delicacy of fried, whole belly clams, you can also enjoy the catfish classics long loved by the locals.
Southern-style fish camp and New England seafood shack are just two sides of the same delicious coin.
Critic’s Choice
Winner:The Nauti Lobstah, 311 S. Forest Ave. in Apopka, 407-889-7980; thenautilobstah.com
Readers’ Choice
Winner: TJ’s Seafood Shack, 197 E. Mitchell Hammock Road in Oviedo; (407) 365-3365; tjsseafoodshack.com
Runners-up: The Nauti Lobstah (Apopka) and Reel Fish Coastal Kitchen + Bar (Winter Park)
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