The Fish Shack

I have been to the Fish Shack three times now, and two of those times I actually wanted to go to the Q– Shack next door, but there was a long line of people waiting and I really hate long lines. I do like the Q-​Shack, but I don’t think the F-​Shack should be overlooked. The Q-​Shack and F-​Shack are brother and sister (same owners), and the Q-​Shack is the more well known of the two. (I guess the fine people of the Triangle prefer meat to fish?).
Every time I have been to the F-​Shack, it hasn’t been crowded at all, and I can walk right up and place my order. I would definitely say their fried fish is the best thing they do. I tried the fried catfish and fried flounder plates and both were very good. One miss was the shrimp I had there. I thought they were kind of small and bland tasting. (Now you know why it is called the Fish Shack and not the Shrimp Shack).
The sides I have tried there are all delicious. This includes pinto beans, fried okra, and coleslaw. All meals come with some hush puppies and also pickles and pickled okra on the side. I can’t say I enjoy the pickles and okra, but they make a nice decoration.
The place itself is quite small with picnic table seating inside and out. Definitely not fancy, but it is called a «shack» after all. Heck seafood, fried seafood at that, need not be served anywhere fancy.
For some appetizing fried fish and sides, give the Fish Shack a try!

I think the one-​two punch of Fish Shack & Q Shack is one of Durham’s most necessary, understated food features. They’re not fancy, but they fill a void: Q Shack for the fans of non-​pork (gasp) BBQ, and Fish Shack for the obvious. It’s a cozy, non-​chain place with cheap-​ish fish and sides done well, that makes me feel like there’s water somewhere in the vicinity. Since I was raised on the water, that’s a good feeling to be able to trick myself into.
I had the catfish basket, with beans & rice, fries & hushpuppies ($ 9.50) and a draft Flagship IPA ($ 4). Fish was ok: fresh, cooked well, but I like my fish a little fishier tasting (har dee har har). Lemon & a dusting of cajun spice (in a shaker on the table) brought out some flavor, but obviously not fish flavor still. Still, I’d eat it again. Sides worked really well with it. Rice & beans had what I think was andouille sausage in them — spicy and tasty. The sweetish hushpuppies were good to mellow out the flavor so I could taste the other stuff after eating the spicy stuff. Fries were normal fries. Tartar sauce was really good.
Like the food, dig the atmosphere. Ample tables, and college football was playing on a big TV at the front (but wasn’t overpoweringly loud). Good beer selection.
Good job Unilocalers! — Glad I followed your nudge and tried this place.

I tend to rate by genre, so, for the fish shack category, this place is great!
The prices are really reasonable, especially for the large portions;
the menu has a lot on it for not being overwhelming;
the wait staff was friendly;
it was clean; and, most importantly, the food was spot on.
The fried fish plate had several pieces and with two sides and hush puppies for $ 8.50 and was crispy and fresh. The nicoise salad (I had it with the trout special) was fantastic!
And there were plenty of non-​friend options including a low country boil, grilled fish specials, etc.

I am addicted to Fish Shack and try to get over there once a week for flounder tacos. The pico de gallo and chipolte tartar sauce make for one delish fish experience!
Service is great, the people are friendly and the portions are generous.
They have some of the best fried okra in Durham!
All of their seafood is fresh and lightly breaded. No oily fish at Fish Shack. I love to take friends there for a taste of local culture!

It’s a shack. They serve fish. The end. Just kidding… not really.
The menu at Fish Shack really is that simple. And that’s what I love about this place, the fact that they kept the menu simple. Fried fish, fried oysters, fried scallops, etc. All the usual fried suspects are served here along with sides such as collard greens, baked potato and fried okra. For those who are more health conscious, they have grilled options as well as low country seafood boils.
Surprisingly enough, one of my favorite items on the menu is their nicoise salad. It was a pretty fancy salad coming from Fish Shack and the salad is worth it for the price. The dressing that comes with the salad is this awesome blend of pickled peppers soaked in olive oil. You can also add shrimp or salmon to it. What’s great is the fact that there’s not just 3 or 4 measly pieces of shrimp like most restaurants, I counted about 8 to 10 of them!
I’m also a big fan of their clam chowder. Reason being that there’s BIG chunks of potato and clams and it’s topped with yummy morsels of bacon and chives.
Since Fish Shack is also owned by Q Shack, the hush puppies and sides are the same for the most part. Fish Shack is pretty much the seafood version of Q Shack. The décor is cute, with music playing in the background that makes you feel like you’re on the bayou, even though you can see Thai Café’s sign right out the window. There’s never been much of a wait all the times I went and service is fairly quick.

I am a new fan of «The Fish Shack.» Check out the various Po’Boys that you can order — Oyster, Shrimp, etc — Various salads — Fish of the Day, etc. If you are looking for a quick fish dish at lunch or a very casual place for dinner, this is it. If you are looking for waiter service and white table clothes — go across the street to Nana’s
I thoroughly enjoyed by Catfish Fish tacos with Fried Okra and Hushpuppies. A nice pico de gallo was served along with the catfish fillets and the soft tacos.
I’ll be back

Oh, yes indeed.
Always on the quest for the perfect fried shellfish sandwich, the spouse and I swung by The Fish Shack on our way out to Chapel Hill this past weekend to give it a go. I ordered the crawfish tails with a side of okra, he had the shrimp with a side of fries. The place appears to be a converted former garage, and in my opinion it’s just wonderful — the garage-​door-​style walls let in a lot of natural light which makes the small interior seem larger, and the outdoor seating has a generous roof with gutters, making it suitable even for a rainy day.
First, the dislikes, starting with the fact that the prices listed on the website’s menu are lower than what was posted on the in-​store menu. Also, I noticed that while the side menu posted in front of the register could lead you to believe that the beans aren’t made with any animal products, the one posted on the wall nearby indicates that they’re made with chicken, so vegetarians beware. On to the slaw and the hushpuppies — sugar-​sweet in both cases, and while the slaw could be salvaged for a few bites with a heavy dose of the malt vinegar on the table, one bite of hushpuppy had me gagging. Now, I’m an NC native, but these were a glaze-​bath away from being suitable for sale at Krispy Kreme, and that just is not on when it comes to seafood sides. Finally, the po’ boy bun was a separate top and bottom instead of a split bun so every bite led to spillage instead of a gathering of goodness at the bun’s crease; not a huge issue, but a marked personal preference for me.
Now to the good parts — the delicious po’ boys and fried okra! Both sandwiches were loaded with lovely pieces of fried seafood, the fries were neither crinkle-​cut nor overly salted (both personal dislikes), and the fried okra was very lightly battered, allowing the tenderness and flavour to really shine through. The sweet tea lived up to its name even with my usual blend of ¹⁄₃ unsweetened to temper it, but it tasted of tea and not just of sweet, which is a good thing in my book. Crawfish and shrimp alike were tender and perfectly cooked, and while the Tabasco-​infused tartar sauce needed a little more infusing to my palate (handily available on the table next to the malt vinegar) it didn’t overwhelm the seafood.
While I stick to non-​chordate seafood, Fish Shack still gives me several options and a vegetarian who loves the fried things in life could make a decent meal on the sides; for those who enjoy fish, options are plentiful and, judging from the other meals we saw, not skimpy on the portions, either. Any place that can hook me up with perfect fried okra, good iced tea and a crawfish po’ boy is a winner in my book!

Not gonna lie, after trying Q-​shack, I was surprised to find out that this place was good (saving that review for another day). Not to burst Andrew D.‘s bubble, but welcome to the South son. Everything is fried, I mean, have you ever eaten real okra? That stuff is gross. Speaking of, just to get the bad points out of the way, their fried okra was WAAAYYY to salty. Yes salt is another key southern ingredient, but as someone who actually likes and is used to salt? Way too much. I think I’m still parched from it. At least it was fried well, which means they didn’t get it from Q-shack…but I digress.
I got the shrimp po boy, which was pretty good. Only complaint is that it falls apart so easily, but that’s a general complaint of shrimp po boys in general. Still, the shrimp had a distinct ocean flavor to it, which means it was actually fresh shrimp. The batter was light and crisp, and they were quite generous with the number of shrimp. The po boy came with some tarter sauce, tomatoes and other junk, but no one cares about that right?. My friends had the fried fish basket and catfish po boy, which also looked well fried and pretty fresh. For $ 8 bucks or so it was definitely worth it.
Seriously, if you even think about going Q-​shack, you’re better off coming here instead. There’s better BBQ places in Durham, but this might be one of the better shrimp po boys in Durham.

I want to like it more, but everything is fried. Doesn’t that kind of defeat the purpose of eating fish?

On a nice day, the garage doors open to the patio to make this a real find out here, an open air «fish shack»…even if it’s open-​air to a moderately busy road.
It’s mostly fried fare, and as reliable as all that is, tonight we deviated and got the special: The Trout Plate, on Roasted Vegetables, Corn on the Cob and some Slaw for me, because their red beans have pork. Well done Fish Shack! So if anyone is wondering if it’s worth it to spring the extra ~$ 6 for the special, I’d have to say yes!
I love that this place is right across from Local Yogurt… but often lament I’m not over at Thai Café or Nana’s…sadly, neither of those have such attractive outdoor seating, so they lose.

«Tasty fried seafood– but tough call on comparison to nearby Shrimp Boats»
Overall, a good place to grab some fried seafood, but depending on what you’re getting and when you’re shopping, nearby Shrimp Boats may be a better bet (see below). I had the fried catfish burger– decent price ($ 6) coming with a small dollop of vinegar cole slaw, some hush puppies, and one side (e.g., fried okra, french fries, collard greens). My sandwich was good, but it wasn’t a ton of fish– three strips only. Lots of okra, but I was still pretty hungry after my meal. I should’ve gone for the po boy and instead ended up snacking everyone else’s sides to fill up.
My wife got the crawfish po boy– LOADED with crawfish– so much it didn’t seem like there was ever a time they were all «stably» on the bun. Unlike true Louisiana po boys, it was on a «hoagie» bun rather than one of crumbly french bread, but I take that as a positive (always hated the crumbliness there). That was a lot of food, but a good deal more expensive ($ 9 before tax).
Setting was nicely decorated with the «fishy» theme, but a little dirty… there was even a dead fly on our table as we sat down.
Overall, I think nearby Shrimp Boats is a better deal if you just want to get some fried fish or shrimp. However, Shrimp Boats is closed on weekends and doesn’t have crawfish. So, despite their proximity, there’s room for both. :-)

When coming to the Fish Shack, I knew that the menu would consist of mostly fried, well, fish — to be fair, not the type of cuisine I find myself craving on a regular basis. But if there’s a new restaurant in town, I’m game for checking it out.
Appropriate shack-​like décor, like fish models constructed from beer cans. But I found the wall menu placement a little difficult to view while waiting in line.
There are a few picnic benches outside, most of which are covered. And we waited there till our order was called. I’d gotten a basket of fried shrimp — which comes with two sides and hushpuppies for quite the meal at just $ 10. The shrimp were a little wimpy in size and the crust a little mushy, but they did taste fresh.
A-​OK — but given the option, I’m going to jump for next-​door Q-​Shack nearly every time.

I love the vibe of this place. They have big picnic tables outside and on a nice day they open the garage door front, giving the whole place a beachy outdoor feel. If only the view were really of the beach and not University Drive… but I digress.
The food was great. The shrimp po-​boy was LOADED with crispy fried shrimp, the bread was right and the sauce was good too. We also ordered the grilled trout salad nicoise. I was reluctant (grilled fish, yawn) but the trout was crispy and yummy –as was the haricot vert– and the salad was perfectly dressed. All the ingredients seemed fresher than fresh. Finally, the fried okra was To Die. Love it with the green Tabasco.

From the owner of Q Shack, comes The Fish Shack… I like this place because it offers seafood in a southern style. It doesn’t try to be fancy but the food is good. I ordered the fried catfish fillets which were a little small (how un-​American!) but tasty. The portion size of the side items partially made up for the small fillets. The collard greens were not as good as what I remember at the Q Shack but I still enjoyed them (maybe my memory is fuzzy here… I would think that both places would share the same recipe). The fried shrimp basket that my wife ordered looked more filling than the catfish fillets. I sampled the fried shrimp and really enjoyed it (I was craving fried seafood that day).
The restaurant is painted green which, to me, brightened the mood. The menu on the wall was a little difficult to read because of it’s placement. It’s a large menu and when you walk in to the restaurant you are about 3 feet away so you really have to move around to read it all.
As for service, someone takes your order at the end of the line and then you get a number. They have speakers inside and outside which notify you when your order is ready. Don’t worry, you’ll still hear them if you claimed a table outside.
As for the outside, there is a small outdoor patio with picnic tables. The Fish Shack and Q Shack make for a great restaurant combo. If you have a crowd that can’t decide between seafood and BBQ then just visit either of the Shacks and you are walking distance to both types of food.
With Thai Café, The Fish Shack, Q Shack, Nanas, and Local Yogurt all nearby, I’m really starting to love this general vicinity. Both The Fish Shack and the Q Shack are open on Sunday which is not characteristic of a lot of the Durham restaurants surprisingly.

Took a quick drive over to the Fish Shack this afternoon for lunch. With just the area in mind, it is nice to have the option of either the Q-​Shack or the Fish Shack right next door. This is the second visit I made, it was pretty good.
I tried the flounder po boy which, with the toppings and it was not bad at all. The bread falling apart of me was kind of an issue along with the sides that accompanied this meal. The collard greens were less than impressive, my co-​worker seemed impressed with the red beans and rice, but they were nothing special either.
The good thing about The Fish Shack is the diversity of the menu. There is everything from a spicy low country boil to fish tacos. I will be coming back to try other menu items and hopefully find a side that works out.

The Fish Shack is nothing short of awesome. It’s in the space previously occupied by Rockwood Filling Station. The garage doors are still there and the open dining area makes it a great destination for lunch on a sunny, breezy afternoon.
It’s the perfect compliment to The Q Shack right next door and obviously born of the same concept, down to the menu-​design and rolls of paper towels on the tables in lieu of napkins. There’s something a bit more refined about The Fish Shack compared to The Q Shack. Maybe it’s just shiny and new. Or maybe it’s that they hide the sides out of sight unlike The Q Shack, which I always thought made them look unappetizing.
The food is superb. Everything centers around deep-​fried something-​or-​other. Don’t think you’re going to be able to get take-​out and appreciate it since nothing deep-​fried is ever going to travel well in a Styrofoam box. One of the more unique items is the Shark Attack Po Boy, which incorporates fried prawns with Q Shack beef brisket. Delicious.
The price is right, the portions are generous, and the atmosphere is great. The only thing missing is the ocean in the background.
Coming back without hesitation.

A great new addition to Durham, this place just opened up last week. Looks like the same owners of Q shack «expanded» and diversified with the Fish Shack, but I like this place so much better. I’ve never really fallen in love with Q shack despite going there several times and trying different things. The Fish Shack on the other hand is somewhere I’d take people visiting from out of state to try their shrimp po boy. At first glance I was a little disappointed by the size of the shrimp, they were teeny! However, to make up for the size, Fish Shack compensates with quantity and quality. The shrimp is not overwhelmed with deep fried batter and is nicely complemented with the slaw. The only downside is the slaw can turn the bread a little soggy, so unfortunately not a good idea for leftovers. I also still like the shrimp po boy at Watts better, but if you’re looking for something more casual and speedy, Fish Shack is your bet.
They’re still going through some growing pains, but the giant colorful fish on the walls amused me. Another plus, hush puppies and corn on the cob as your sides = yum!

We stumbled upon this new establishment by accident. From the outside, it’s an unassuming restaurant with a few picnic tables scattered out front, much of the building obscured by large bushes. However, the inside is simply but cutely decorated; angler and fishing magazines are pasted in collages on the walls, colourful blackboards post the Catch of the Day, and tables are covered in checkered cloths.
Customers walk up to the window to pay, and the staff calls out your number when your order is ready. I would say we waited about 10 minutes for our catfish basket to arrive, so service was pretty fast at prime dinnertime hours. The three pieces of fried catfish arrived with only a thin coating of breading (which I like) and were hot, tender, and moist. The fries were a little on the salty side but still decent. The side of pinto beans were spicy and hearty, but vegetarians take note: they were cooked with some kind of pork product. To finish, we had a slice of bourbon pecan pie topped with whipped cream. The pie was definitely homemade in the sense that it looked a little messy and didn’t hold together very well, but it was a pretty good rendition and hit the sweet spot.
Overall, the best part of the meal was what you would expect it to be– the fish. For $ 8.95 including 2 sides, and a slice of pie for $ 2.95, two small eaters will go home pretty satisfied. Most of the menu items are fried, so I can’t vouch for the quality of the grilled items, but I’m looking forward to returning so that I can try more of the Fish Shack fare.

We just ate there not more than an hour ago on a whim and I think this place is a solid 3.5 stars. It’s located on the same street as Nanas, Local Yogurt and Thai Café… and right next door to the Q-​shack.
After stuffing ourselves on some dessert at Local Yogurt, we decided it was time to chow down on something substantial. Too lazy to drive (a recurring theme for us these days), we just walked across the street and placed an order to go. Not having any idea of what to expect from the place… we were pleasantly surprised at the nice atmosphere here. Generally it seems to be frequented by many Dukees as evidenced by all the Duke t-​shirt wearing patrons. It’s a small space… but seems to have limited indoor seating (prolly about 4 – 5 tables) and a small outdoor patio with several picnic tables. All of them were full at the time we arrived with adults and kids.
There’s a 4 ft half-​wall c-​shaped divider that funnels you in along the left-​side of the building where the menu is plastered on the upper half of the wall. As the name implies, they have the standard seafood fare — fried (catfish, flounder, rock and jumbo shrimp, oysters and crawfish) as well as some grilled items, nicoise salad w/​or w/​o seafood, chowder, poboys made with your choice of fried seafood and a special of the day menu near the order window. This is a bare bones operation that reminds you of some mom and pop seafood shack on the Outerbanks. Nothing out of the ordinary here. Depending on your order, you get a choice of sides — hushpuppies, fries, slaw, and beans and rice among others. They also have some cheap ($ 1.95/bottle or cheaper by the bulk) PBR or pricier beers if you need to wash down the grease. The also seem to specialize in a low country boil with either shrimp or crawfish (seasonal). Overall, good greasy choices if you just need the comfort of fried goodness.
We opted for the fried catfish with fries and beans and rice. Holy catfish… this was done really well… a bit greasy, but still very tender and moist. The fries were tasty and good as well… but the beans and rice were the star of the meal IMHO — really tasty having bits of (what looked to be) andouille sausage with your pinto beans and rice… also with a slight cajun flavour to it. Overall the prices are fairly cheap — $ 8.95 for the basket and that included 3 huge pieces of catfish, a whopping serving of fries and a large serving of beans and rice. They also include a couple pieces each of pepperoncini and pickled okra with your meal. The standard sauces can be had at the condiment table to the side. I think the price is pretty respectable considering going to someplace like the NC Seafood Restaurant out at the NC Farmers Market costs you something like $ 12+ for their fried fish platters.
Dessert comes in two options (based on the menu) — a bourbon pecan pie, or a blueberry bread pudding. Being the gluttons we were… we caved in and had a slice of their pie which comes with what looks like chantilly cream. Pretty standard, but you could taste the bourbon and the pecans were crisp and fresh. The crust was definitely flakey in a shortening sort of way… but good nonetheless.
Service was fast and efficient — all orders (take out and eat in) go through the same window. You pick up everything when your number is called. The fish is def. cooked to order b/​c we could def. hear the guy in the back shouting for everyone to «pick up the pace»! ;)
Anyways, one thing worth considering is parking — doesn’t look to be much around this area… you may not want to do what we did — park across the street b/​c i don’t know their parking policies. Good decent fried seafood place and a place I would consider coming back to if I get the craving — it’s definitely a better quality of food and cheaper priced than the NC Seafood Resto at the Farmers Mkt… plus it totally satisfied my fried seafood craving for the month at least.

Visited this new offering in the old Rockwood Filling Station and got surprisingly good fried seafood, in a restaurant similar to one of those great places on the beach, where the focus is fresh, rather than décor. They had a nice selection of fried, broiled or cold seafoods, with sandwiches & salads. We tried fried — shrimp, flounder, catfish and oysters. Nice light flour/​meal coating, cooked perfectly for fish & shrimp (oysters needed another few minutes to hit perfection). Wife liked fries/​I didn’t (they’re same as Q-​Shack) but they had great hush puppies, peppers and okra.
The prices were reasonable and the staff were friendly.
We were there fairly early on their opening night; there were light crowds on our arrival; but within 15 minutes, the lines were around the place, and people were happily enjoying the food.
Summary: this place is a keeper… when they work out startup kinks and get a handle on the oysters (either cook times or where they get them??? Chesapeake or Fla?) they should get four stars!