Story and photos by Jackie Nunnery –
To say that there are a lot of seafood restaurants in the Northern Neck and Middle Peninsula would be an understatement. But one of the latest entries into the region, Bubba’s Shrimp Shack, stands out for its homemade approach to preparing seafood. I say homemade because the mostly hand breaded and fried seafood menu is exactly what I grew up on. The homey feel also extends to the side dishes like green beans with generous chunks of bacon, mac & cheese and even fried okra.
Owner Colburn “Cole” Crockett opened the first “Shack” in Gloucester in 2015 with the idea of providing affordable “seafood for everyone” and it has quickly caught on. The latest restaurant, his fifth, just opened in Virginia Beach in September. The Tappahannock location, in the Walgreens and Food Lion shopping plaza, opened in 2020. I visited on a bustling Saturday afternoon with diners in the brightly decorated, casual beachy restaurant and a steady stream of hungry folks picking up dinner to go. Bubba’s has online ordering for more convenience and an even quicker pickup.
“Fridays are a really busy lunch day, but Saturdays are more about dinner,” said assistant manager Tamia Johnson.
Johnson said the fish baskets, particularly the shrimp and catfish basket were both the crowd and her personal favorite. Not being a fan of catfish, I ordered the cod fish basket that came with two generous cod fillets, two hush puppies and two sides—fried okra and coleslaw.
The fish was flaky and moist and the breading was hot, crunchy and fresh out of the fryer. The hush puppies were both sweet and savory, but the fried okra was my new favorite, especially when dipped in the tangy Bubba’s house sauce. The ingredients were all fresh and cooked perfectly.
Can you come to a shrimp shack and not try the shrimp? For a little change of pace we tried the steamed shrimp basket with mac & cheese and green beans. Johnson said that everything—from sauces to sides—is made in-house. And you could really tell. The green beans were cooked homestyle, flavored with bits of bacon, just how I like them. The mac and cheese, made with seashell noodles appropriately enough, was chock full of gooey, cheesy goodness. The sides were the only time I used a fork, which leads me to another thing I enjoyed about Bubba’s: the casual eat with your hands—make a little mess—use a lot of napkins kind of meal.
Not to be outshined by the sides, the nicely-sized shrimp were seasoned and, again, cooked to perfection. As always, I had to try a crab cake, but took this one home with me, though not before taking a bite or two while it was piping hot. Once again, the generous portion of crab cake was crispy-brown and fried to perfection.
In addition to the cod and catfish, Bubba’s Shrimp Shack menu also includes other fish like whiting and flounder. Other fried seafood options include oysters, scallops, calamari and clams. Along with a kids menu, she-crab soup and chowders are also available—perfect for the cooler weather that is headed our way. On my next visit I plan on trying the shrimp tacos with a mango pineapple slaw, only available on Taco Tuesdays. Another trip to Bubba’s is also the perfect excuse to get another side (or two) of the fried okra that I have been thinking about since my first visit.
