Tucked away under the Theo Baars Bridge that crosses the Intercoastal Waterway from Perdido Key to Innerarity Point is an old bait shop turned restaurant that will knock your socks off. 

Driving up to The Fishermans Corner reminds you of yesterday's old river shack restaurants, like Meme’s River House Restaurant on the  Bon Secour River or Mary’s Place in Coden, Alabama. You know the food is going to be good. 

I’m embarrassed to say that I have never been to The Fisherman’s Corner before Friday night. After picking up friends and a couple of bottles of wine from Red or White in Orange Beach,  we headed down the road for a dinner experience with high expectations. We were not disappointed!

The view of The Fisherman’s Corner from the parking lot belies what awaits you inside. As you walk in the entrance, your senses are immediately heightened by the aroma of fresh seafood prepared the old-fashioned way from a kitchen that reminds you of your grandmother. It’s a casual, unpretentious atmosphere yet upscale, with white butcher paper covering the tables.  Fresh flowers adorn the tables, the staff is exceptionally friendly, and it’s bustling on a Friday night.

The gentleman who greeted us said it would be a short wait and that bringing in your wine with a $10 corkage was fine. Another of the staff took us immediately to a service counter, opened a bottle, and poured four glasses while we waited for our table. Looking around, we noticed a small bar, accessible by going back outside and sitting down. 

Fisherman’s Corner serves beer and has a small but nice wine selection but no spirits. Our name was soon called, and then the hard choices had to be made. We started with appetizers of Crispy Shrimp with Pepper Jelly and Jim’s Spicy Oysters. Delicious! With so many wonderful offerings from which to choose, we changed our minds several times before ordering.

Penny, our server, who wrote her name on the butcher paper so we’d remember, was delightful, patient… and helped guide us. “Our seafood is what we are known for, but don’t overlook the steaks and pork chop.” Mahi Mahi was the daily fish, or you could upgrade to Snapper. I went with the Crab Cakes with their special housemade Remoulade sauce and a cup of Gumbo. 

Our friend ordered the Crab Cakes, and her husband ordered the Snapper, which is grilled, blackened, or fried. After vacillating, Linda ordered the Creekstone Bone-In Pork Chop with Blackberry BBQ Sauce, which was fantastic! The sides included Fried Okra, a small Ceasar Salad, and house-made Onion Rings, crispy, fresh, and sweet. 

We didn’t leave room for dessert, but I hear the Bread Pudding is something else. The Fisherman’s Corner’s diverse menu with a creole twist requires that we will return many more times to see what we missed. The main thing is everyone there was happy, glad to be enjoying a great meal with family and friends, and left knowing that everyone associated with The Fisherman’s Corner worked hard to ensure they had a good time!