Some of Tampa’s best seafood never sees the inside of a dining room. The city’s outdoor seafood restaurants put you at a picnic table, a covered patio, or a deck a few feet from the water, with a plate of Gulf catch in front of you and a breeze off the bay. This guide rounds up six spots around Tampa where the patio is the whole point, from a fully open-air seafood shack on the Riverwalk to a fish camp off Interbay with tent-covered tables. Each one is verified open, genuinely outdoor, and seafood first, with hours, neighborhood, and what to order.
| Restaurant | Neighborhood | The patio | Price | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stones Throw | Tampa Heights (Riverwalk) | All-outdoor deck on the river | $$ | Mon-Thu 11am-11pm, Fri-Sat to 1am |
| Oystercatchers | Rocky Point | Water’s-edge patio and private dock | $$$ | Daily 10:30am-10pm |
| Salt Shack on the Bay | South Tampa (Gandy) | Open-air tables on the bay | $$ | Mon-Thu 11am-10pm, Fri-Sat to 11pm |
| Big Ray’s Fish Camp | Interbay (South Tampa) | Tent-covered picnic tables | $$ | Tue-Sat 11am-9pm, Sun to 8pm |
| Anchor & Brine | Water Street | Covered Riverwalk patio with a firepit | $$$ | Sun-Thu 11am-10pm, Fri-Sat to 11pm |
| Hula Bay Club | Westshore Marina | Dockside, open-air | $$ | Mon-Thu 11am-10pm, Fri-Sat to 11pm |
Outdoor Seafood Restaurants in Tampa
Stones Throw
Stones Throw is a modern seafood shack on the north end of the Riverwalk in Tampa Heights, and here’s what makes it perfect for this list: there’s no indoor dining room. Every table sits outside on a deck strung along the Hillsborough River, with string lights overhead and live music most nights. The kitchen keeps it coastal and unfussy, oysters on the half shell, a real lobster roll, ceviche, and a daily catch that actually changes. Come for a long happy hour and let it slide into dinner as the river goes dark.
Oystercatchers
Oystercatchers has been shucking on Old Tampa Bay since 1986, and the seat to ask for is out on the patio at the water’s edge, where a private dock runs right up to the bay. The raw bar is the reason to make the drive to Rocky Point, a dozen on the half shell and a tower stacked with shrimp and crab. It sits inside the Grand Hyatt’s tropical grounds, so the walk in feels like leaving the city behind. Time a table for sunset and order the grilled Gulf catch.
Salt Shack on the Bay
Salt Shack is the barefoot pick, a few feet off Old Tampa Bay near the Gandy Bridge, with open-air tables and zero interest in how you’re dressed. Everything happens outside here, under the pavilions and out by the water, with tropical drinks and peel-and-eat shrimp doing most of the heavy lifting. Get whatever Gulf fish came in that day and a bucket of shrimp, then stay put while the sun drops behind the bay. It took the city’s Best Waterfront nod in 2025, and the weekend crowds back it up.
Big Ray's Fish Camp
Here’s the outlier. Big Ray’s is the one spot on this list that isn’t on the water, and it earns its place anyway. This Interbay fish camp does its eating outside at tent-covered picnic tables, the kind of place where you order at the counter and a tray of fried Gulf seafood lands a few minutes later. The grouper sandwich is the headliner, but the grouper cheeks in sweet Thai chile and the conch fritters are what regulars sneak in for. It’s small, it’s tucked into a working stretch of South Tampa, and the Michelin Guide noticed it, so go early or expect a wait.
Anchor & Brine
Anchor & Brine is the newest name on this list, a seafood room inside the Tampa Marriott on Water Street with a covered patio that opens right onto the Riverwalk. The outdoor tables come with a firepit and a view of the boats sliding down the Garrison Channel, which makes it the dressed-up option for an outdoor seafood night downtown. The raw bar leans East Coast oysters, and the seafood tower is built to share. Walk it off along the Riverwalk after, since the arena and the parks are right there.
Hula Bay Club
Hula Bay leans full tiki, a dockside hangout on the Westshore Marina side of South Tampa where boats pull right up to dinner. The seating runs along the water and out on the deck, sunny and loud in the good way, with fish tacos, poke, and a frozen drink menu that takes its time. It’s about as casual as outdoor seafood gets in Tampa, and Duke’s bar next door keeps the night going if you’re not ready to leave. Best on a clear afternoon when you can watch the marina traffic.
Best for…
Best for an all-outdoor meal
If you want to skip the dining room entirely, Stones Throw and Salt Shack are built for it. Stones Throw has no indoor seating at all, just a deck on the Riverwalk with the river running past. Salt Shack puts you out on open-air pavilions a few feet from Old Tampa Bay. Both are casual, both do shareable seafood, and both are at their best from fall through spring, when an outside table is a pleasure instead of a sweat.
Best for the raw bar
For oysters and a tower, Oystercatchers and Anchor & Brine are the two to book. Oystercatchers runs a deep raw bar on a Rocky Point dock and has done since 1986. Anchor & Brine brings the newer downtown version, East Coast oysters and a stacked seafood tower on a covered Water Street patio. Oystercatchers wins on setting and history; Anchor & Brine wins if you want the Riverwalk and a firepit at the table.
Best for a casual, no-fuss bite
Big Ray’s and Hula Bay are the show-up-as-you-are picks. Big Ray’s is a counter-service fish camp off Interbay with tent-covered tables and a fried grouper sandwich worth the drive. Hula Bay is the tiki spot on the Westshore Marina, fish tacos and frozen drinks with boats tied up at the dock. Neither needs a reservation, and neither cares whether you came from the office or the beach.
Frequently asked questions
Which Tampa seafood restaurant is entirely outdoor seating?
Stones Throw on the Riverwalk is the one with no indoor dining room at all. Every table sits outside on a deck along the Hillsborough River in Tampa Heights, with live music most nights and a coastal menu of oysters, lobster rolls, and a daily catch. Seating is first come, first served, so arrive a little early on weekends.
Where can I get outdoor seafood in Tampa that isn’t on the water?
Big Ray’s Fish Camp off Interbay Boulevard is the pick. It’s a counter-service fish camp with tent-covered picnic tables, no waterfront view, and fried Gulf seafood good enough that the Michelin Guide took notice. Order the grouper sandwich or the grouper cheeks. It’s closed Mondays, so plan around that, and expect a short wait at peak times.
Which outdoor seafood spots in Tampa are best for a casual meal?
Salt Shack on the Bay, Hula Bay Club, and Big Ray’s Fish Camp are the easy, no-dress-code picks. Salt Shack and Hula Bay both sit at the water in South Tampa with open-air seating, tropical drinks, and shareable plates. Big Ray’s is the inland fish camp with picnic tables. None of the three needs much planning, though weekend sunsets fill up fast.
Do these outdoor seafood restaurants take reservations?
It’s a split. Oystercatchers and Anchor & Brine are sit-down rooms that take reservations and are worth booking on weekends, and you can ask for an outdoor table when you do. Stones Throw, Salt Shack, Hula Bay, and Big Ray’s run mostly on walk-ins, so plan to wait a bit if you show up right at sunset on a Friday or Saturday.
When is the best time of year for outdoor seafood dining in Tampa?
Roughly October through April is the sweet spot, when the humidity eases and an outside table actually feels good. Summer still works if you go for a late dinner after the sun drops, or stick to the covered, fan-cooled patios like Anchor & Brine. Afternoon storms are common June through September, so a covered patio is the safer bet in summer.
More outdoor dining in Tampa
- Guide to outdoor Asian restaurants in Tampa
- Outdoor Italian spots in Tampa
- Where to find outdoor Mexican restaurants in Tampa
- Tampa outdoor steakhouse guide
Want the seafood right on the water? See our guide to waterfront seafood restaurants in Tampa, or bring the dog along with our dog-friendly seafood restaurants in Tampa. For more al-fresco tables around town, browse waterfront restaurants in Tampa and dog-friendly restaurants in Tampa, or start from the Restaurants1 home page.
This guide is part of our citywide roundup of outdoor dining in Tampa by cuisine.
Last updated: May 2026