The Lighthouse Restaurant, Bayou La Batre, Alabama

With our four-and-a-half-year-old granddaughter, Penny, Linda and I ventured to Coden, Alabama, to visit an oyster farm operation. It was fascinating, to say the least! Penny was visiting for a few days from Athens, Georgia, and we were taking her to stay with her other set of grandparents after spending five days in Fairhope with us.

We left the oyster farm hungry and knew exactly where to go for a late lunch, the famous Lighthouse Restaurant outside Bayou La Batre. As we walked in, we saw three friends who had traveled down from Mobile just to have lunch. It’s that good!

The first “must order” are the fried crab claws. They may be the best I’ve ever had. We enjoyed a half-pound savoring every bite, fresh, plump, and lightly fried to perfection. Our friends in the adjacent booth offered us a taste of their homemade onion rings. Delicious! We were on a roll.

When it came time to order, Penny had the Fried Catfish with Mac & Cheese off the children’s menu. Linda ordered a cup of the West Indies salad, a local concoction of fresh lump crab meat marinated in chopped onions, Wesson oil, and chilled water and served with saltines; it's simple and pure heaven. Thankfully she shared.

We couldn’t stop there. Linda had the small fried shrimp dinner, and I ordered the crab omelet. It was a crabmeat extravaganza. Linda’s shrimp was especially good, as was my omelet. We both had the mustard greens and fries as a side. A couple of cold beers rounded out our meal, and we relished the experience.

I won’t get into the history of The Lighthouse. It’s been an institution for generations. They are from a seafood community and absolutely know what they are doing. People drive from miles away to enjoy a great seafood dinner like no other. We arrived after the big lunch rush, but the place was still full. 

Expect a wait if you don't arrive just as they open. It’s not fancy but just what you’d expect from people who know their seafood and have been preparing it just so for years. There are a lot of tried and true gumbo, fish, shrimp, and crab family recipes cooked into every dish. You just can’t overstate a place like The Lighthouse for a special dining experience! Worth the drive from wherever you are.