Jimmy’s Grill

I Used to Love Jimmy’s…But theyre not there anymore! The Wharf is undergoing a major renovation project, so hopefully they will return soon. Another food joint is there where Jimmy’s used to be. The Sauteed Spinach, Stewed Tomatoes, Crab Balls, Fish… everything is Delish!

Very average place compared to the rest of Captain White’s. The staff is okay, not rude but not friendly. They don’t respond well to questions so don’t bother.
The food is also pretty average. Their fish and shrimp tacos are quite literally fried seafood in a tortilla with day old lettuce/​tomato. No seasoning and it gets pretty soggy. Thank god for the tartar sauce though — I would’ve thrown it away otherwise. The calamari is okay. Best to eat it within minutes or else you can really tell how tough it is.
The prices aren’t terrible so I’m content with saying you get what you pay for. However the Wharf is better and so is Jessie Taylor.

When you look into the window of a tiny little kitchen somehow nestled over a half-​sunken barge and see an eloquently arranged variety of cakes This is the last place on Earth I would imagine has a name like «Jimmy’s Grill.» Nestled in the bustling Southwest Waterfront Fish Market, it’s become a go-​to-​spot for those who have just had their taste buds and senses singed by the sharp aroma (or odor) of the fishy smell of the Wharf and what great way to satisfy a sudden hankering for seafood than to kneel down about 3 feet to place your order at the window while avoiding the notion of falling in the stagnant Potomac Lagoon. Now I know that people will start self-​righteously bark about what the true methods should be to fry fish, and make hush puppies — but Jesus we need to let it go already. So say what you will about the execution of some of the items like hush puppies, the crab cakes, or the batter of the fish and shrimp but the seafood sampler platter is a real bargain and a lifesaver whether you are touring around a large group of people or trying to shut a bunch of bratty kids up who want to eat. The seafood sampler platter comes in a gigantic Styrofoam container packed with fried pieces of whiting or cod, clam strips, scallops, shrimp, hush puppies, and mini crab cakes at just under $ 14. It can easily feed up to 3 hungry people. Another excellent menu item is the softshell crab sandwich — it’s usually a huge meaty female crab packed with that bright orange roe for an ultimate umami flavor that you can never get at upscale restaurants peddling their usual generic sludge. Jimmy’s Grill offers no seating so be ready to take your food over to the floating pavilion on the left to eat up.
By the way, those cakes at the window — they are quite good! I ordered one to take to a birthday party while stopping in for a soft-​shell crab sandwich.

Unilocalers let us down on this one.
First. Location is a WARF. There is NO seating. At first our kids sat on a cement parking block until someone told us there was a «place to eat around the corner». I guess you could call it covered but there is a stand up open area with tall boards of wood to eat off of that look like the only cleaning they’ve seen since the day they were installed is from the theiving birds.
There were 2 people in line before us & it seemed like there was always someone in line while we waited for our food so we assumed this was the really good «locals spot» so we stayed with it.
This part of the warf area has maybe 4 – 6 seafood sellers, a few of whom also served prepared & made to order menu items — primarly seafood. Jimmy’s is tucked in there & the ordering area is a door with a chain accross it so you don’t fall in because the order taker is actually standing below your feet. Odd to yell down your order onto someone’s head while you are standing in line in a parking lot with the fedex truck trying to squeeze by you.
For as divey as this place is, with no seating, & serve yourself, we spent $ 65 on lunch for 4. Not an inexpensive joint at all.
Crab cakes — more crab than cake & flavorful, best dish by far
Fish & chips– light, flakey fish & crunchy outside, also good
Hushpuppies — dry
cheeseburger– dry
mac & cheese– never touched
Fries & onion rings — fine
Cole slaw on the side– runny but frankly, given the environment, I was afraid to eat more than a bite since it wasn’t cooked through.
We clearly ordered gut buster food as everything but the mac n cheese was fried & we regretted our order as soon as we left.
Atmosphere — 1
Food-​2
Price vs. atmosphere $$$

It’s good. phenomenal or bad, but just right in the middle. I was hoping for a little more, but it really is what you can expect from the exterior and area. I will say that the crab cakes are nicely seasoned.

The Wharf is one of my favorite places in DC. It’s one of the few places in DC where everyone mingles at the same level. DC is pretty separated in every way you can imagine. From politically partisan bars, gender/​sexuality, sports teams, race, socioeconomic status…
But The Wharf was one of the places where you could stand shoulder to shoulder with somebody that you wouldn’t come across. Like a NY Subway ride, you could hear Mandarin, Arabic, English and Spanish being spoken steps from each other.
If you haven’t been over there in a while, they’re building out the area immediately adjacent to this spot. Makes me wonder about that alleged tax raid of a certain African themed club years back. *cue conspiracy theorists*
That being said, the Wharf is really 3 – 4 folks selling fresh sea food, and maybe 5 cooked food operations.
Jimmy’s Grill is the place that sells the baked goods, famous pies, plus any sort of fried thing you can imagine. Like all the other spots, it’s a barge/​boat with a kitchen. You’re going to have to reach down in order to conduct the transaction. I mention that for my folks with bad backs or weak knees.
What I got
— Sweet Potato Pie
— Crab cakes and Fries
— strawberry lemonade
I think I got back a couple of bills after giving her a 20.
Let’s start with the pie — Sweet Potato — Technically it was sweet potato, but it wasn’t sweet. I don’t need something to be toothachingly sweet, but a ½ cup of brown sugar would have set this humongous slice off.
The Fries — too many of em. And way too blonde for my tastes. I’d switch to thinner fries, fry them longer, and old bay the hell out of em.
The Crab Cakes — forgettable. If these were freshly made, I’d stick to eating them in the city.
The lemonade was definitely the highlight.
Can’t really recommend this spot for the food, but will hype the area for the ambiance. Indeed, I got to the wharf to buy food, not really to eat it. I will recommend the Ceviche @ the Raw Bar… but that’s a topic for another time.

Had the crab balls and a soft shell crab sandwich. Got two soft shells with bread and fixings. They were great, comes just right. The crab balls were also very good, soft inside and very crabby. Only downside is that there is no place to sit.

This place is walk up window style so dont plain to sit Down and eat. When the weather is nice people usually sit along the pier… but the waterfront is currently under construction so good luck. Basically this IS carry out style. Great fried fish, shrimp and scallops (my favorite)! They also have crabcakes and other seafood choices along with fried chicken.burgers. .and steak n cheese sub they have sides like mac n cheese and stewed tomatoes. yummy! !!
And I cannot forget DESSERT! HUGE slices of cake or pie made on site. Banana nut is my personal fav. but alot of people love the red velvet. I Promise one piece is enough for 2 or 3 people. Annd only 4 bucks! Enjoy!
In closing. yes the calorie intake can be dangerous but worth it :-)

Tried the crab cake here, I would disagree with their claim that its famous. Still got me to buy it though. They got me «hook, line, and sinker» if you will.
Crab Cake review: cost $ 6.60, was pretty small, no large pieces of meat (as shown in picture) but it did have a little kick to the taste.

Based on the previous Unilocal reviews I was very excited to try Jimmy’s. I had clam chowder and the crab cake platter with sautéed spinach and corn pudding. To drink I had the strawberry lemonade with fresh strawberries.
First off, be aware that they have no place to eat. I took my food and ate in the car. Not a problem since I was by myself, but if I had friends or family it would probably be an issue.
Crab cakes: Not bad. More flaky crab then chunk crap. Not a lot of filler, which is nice. I personally like the chunk crab cakes better because you can taste the crab more. Pretty good.
Clam chowder: Not a lot of clams, but the chowder was very flavorful. Average.
Sautéed spinach: Nothing special but good.
Corn pudding: I really liked the corn pudding. On the sweet side, but that’s how I like it.
Strawberry lemonade: Not a lot of strawberry flavor. More like pink lemonade with strawberries floating in it.
All in all, nothing exceptional. Next time I’m at the wharf I’ll try a different place.

An endless winter has finally ended and despite House Stark’s motto (RIP Rob Stark), summer is finally coming! With the warm weather I’ve begun to develop my seasonal insatiable thirst for oysters — raw, fried, rockefeller or grilled, I am not picky when it comes to those treasures of the sea.
After scouring Unilocal to see where I could get oysters at reasonable prices, I came across the SW Waterfront. It’s been a few years since I’ve been here and back in the day I didn’t have the appreciation for oysters that I have now. The SW Waterfront is a really quaint little place with mom and pop shops.
Jimmy’s Grill is one of these places and they offer delicious fried seafood with generous portions and great prices! I got the oyster sandwich which was chock full of JUICY, FAT oysters with two slices of bread and LTO. I was drooling just looking at the crab balls, fresh fruit pies and various other fried seafood delights they had. My companion ordered the oyster platter which came with two potato rolls and corn pudding. Oh my goodness that corn pudding comforted my soul! It was so delicious and buttery. We also ordered a small side of calamari which was so big it was pouring out of the container. The calamari had the perfect amount of breading and was tossed with a little bit of old bay. I threw some lemon juice on there and it was super filling.
I would definitely recommend Jimmy’s Grill and the SW Waterfront for the summer! I myself, cannot wait to return when I am in the mood for seafood again

This place seemed to have a long line of folks ordering platters and combos. We had a combo platter with 1 crab cake and 4 fried shrimp. It came with two sides (coleslaw and potato salad). Two dinner rolls are also included inside the styrofoam box. The shrimp were pretty solid as they were nicely fried, and great dipped in cocktail sauce. We weren’t fans of the crabcake as it had a fishy taste to it and was just okay in terms of the ingredients that made it up. The coleslaw was quite mayo-​y and had great flavor to it — one of the best cole slaws I’ve had! The potato salad okay. We also had a lemonade/​sweet tea mix, and it was just a bit overly sweet; I would like to try their strawberry lemonade, if I ever go back.
+fried shrimp
+coleslaw

The cakes are awesome! After a disappointing meal/​experience at nearby Jenny’s i decided to treat myself to Jimmy’s for dessert. They never disappoint! The cakes are relish! This time I ordered Banana Walnut Crème cake (or something like that).
I also love the seafood and my fav is the clam strips platter. The fish is fresh, the batter is always perfect and over the many years Ive eaten here Ive never had a bad experience. Always consistent. It’s take out only and a bit cumbersome to get to but its well worth it.

If you want a non DC experience in DC then you might want to head to Jimmy’s. For the matter just head to the Maine Ave Fish Market. Any way Jimmy’s is one of a several places in the Fish Market where you can get a quick bite to eat. Their menu is well seafood, what else would you expect at a fish market. They have several different types of sea creatures for you to enjoy. Most come in two varieties, either a sandwich or a platter. Prices are based on the current market price so it can vary. and as much is the case with seafood, it’s not going to be extremely cheap. They also serve a variety of sides for extra as well as drinks (non-​alcoholic), of which the strawberry lemonade they are know for.
My visit consisted of ordering the oyster sandwich. When you get it might be questioning its legitimacy as a sandwich. You’ll look at it and wonder where is the bread, how come this is not put together, so on and so forth. Well don’t be dismayed, i’ll explain what’s going on here. Under the generous amount of cool leafy lettuce and juicy tomatoes, i found to think pieces of whole wheat bread (think texas toast size). On the other side of the serving box were 10 nice sized fried oysters. And when i mean nice nice i mean nice sized, nice and juicy, not dried out in the least. Essentially you want to put the oysters on the bread with the lettuce and tomato. What you find out quickly is that isn’t going to work as well as you think. But they say the makings of a good sandwich is it falls apart when you eat it. Your also supplied with a generous amount of prepackaged cocktail and tarter sauce, some ketchup packs, and a lemon half (not a slice, a half). As for my drink, while the strawberry lemonade is the popular option, i went with the ice tea. it wasn’t bad, it is sweetened (a slight bit much for my taste) but it hit the spot. It also comes in (like the lemonade) a large size. In hind sight i should have asked for a half and half. All and all for a quick bite to eat it wasn’t bad.
If your looking for something that takes you away for the stuffyness that DC can be at times, give the Maine Ave Fish Market and Jimmy’s a shot.

If you’re visiting the fish market and feel like getting something deep fried, Jimmy’s has exactly what you’re looking for. As several other reviewers mentioned, the parking at Maine Avenue Fish Market is a mess. When we walked through the lot was basically filled with cars double parked/​waiting around. You can, however, just metro to the L’enfant or Smithsonian metro stops and walk over.
2 of us split a jumbo combo platter and a slice of sweet potato pie. The jumbo combo platter came with a ridiculous amount of deep fried seafood. The sign said it came with a crab cake, 2 pieces of whiting, 2 scallops, 2 oysters, 2 jumbo shrimp, and «clam strip». Silly me, I thought that it would come with 1, maybe 2 pieces of clam. Instead, we got a massive container with all of the previously mentioned, a few extra pieces of seafood on top of that, and with the remaining volume filled with deep fried clam strips and 2 pieces of sweet bread. Way more than enough food for two, maybe even enough for 3, if some extra sides or desserts are involved.
I thought that the breading on the clam strips could have been better (though the clams tasted nice and fresh), and the oysters didn’t work very well. But overall it was an awesome platter. The shrimp and scallops were perfectly battered and fried, the crab cake was excellent, and the whiting was somewhat difficult to eat but also very good. I would also recommend the strawberry lemonade — refreshing, and made with fresh strawberries! The sweet potato pie was alright — a decent pie, but there were a bunch of other interesting cake/​pie options, and if I visited again I would probably pick one of those.

While picking up snow crab legs at the Wharf for my family for our Memorial Day BBQ, the boyfriend and I were both starving and decided to try Jimmy’s Grill out. They had an extensive menu full of different types of seafood (mostly fried), desserts, and a few non-​alcoholic drinks — all at reasonable prices.
We ordered the scallop platter, crab balls (4 for $ 6!), shrimp taco, fish taco, and a strawberry lemonade. The scallop platter came with fries, rolls of bread, and our choice of potato salad (the other choice was coleslaw). The scallops were deep fried and came in 8 generous pieces. They also provided tartar sauce and cocktail sauce to dip in. The crab balls were bite sized and there was a good amount of crab meat intact. The shrimp taco was amazing — it was definitely one of the better shrimp tacos that I’ve ever had! On the other hand, the fish taco was disappointing… I believe it was tilapia but it was pretty underwhelming. I think I’ve been spoiled with the amazing fish tacos in San Diego and at Marquee at the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas but these did not cut it! However, the strawberry lemonade was refreshing, sweet (and not too tangy), and even had real strawberries inside!
Overall, the service was quick and most of the food was great. Although there isn’t any actual seating area, you can find seats nearby on the benches.

Quite possibly the BEST fish taco I have ever had. True Story.
After visiting the memorials, we were told of a place «just about the street, past the bridge». so off we went and so glad we eventually found and tried Jimmy’s Grill! Considering the quality of food, the price is on point and worth the commute over!
Planning to visit again on my next trip to DC :)

If you like fried seafood then you’ll love Jimmy’s Grill. Whether it’s fish, shrimp, oysters… in a platter, in a sandwich, or in a sub, you’ll find what you’re looking for at Jimmy’s. And beyond the steamed crabs, oysters, and other seafoody goodness you get at the fish market, Jimmy’s probably is one of the few places in the market that offers up what actually resembles «meals».
But be prepared, fried things and bread normally result in a massive food coma. One that I’ve enjoyed on more than one occasion after having their deluxe sandwich, which if I remember, really is just fried shrimp and fish and slaw and cocktail sauce and mayo all wrapped into a sandwich. Throw in a strawberry lemonade and you’ve got yourself one hell of a meal. And if you’re lucky enough to come on sample day, you can get yourself a bonus bite of their delicious cakes.
So next time you’re in the fish market, after you pick up your fresh order of seafood, why don’t you stop by Jimmy’s and grab a sandwich as well.

Just go where the lines are, folks! Everybody and their grandma-​with-​walker («I want the chicken strips this time!») hobble up to the take-​out window, stoop down (you’ll see what I mean) and order up their weekly helping of no-​frills deep-​fried goodness. Get your boiled crabs and raw oysters in the market around the corner; but stop by Jimmy’s Grill for some battered bits here! But be warned: this ain’t the place for more delicate diets. We’re talking about deep-​fried fish, deep-​fried crab cakes, deep-​fried oysters, deep-​fried scallops, deep-​fried clams, etc. And there’s no place to sit. You have to know that going in. Also, know to get some pie.
I like the deep-​fried OYSTERS the best, followed by scallops and fish. I thought the fish would be too dry, but it was surprisingly moist. The clams consist mainly of the thin neck-​like muscle, so there’s just too much batter if you’re plowing through a handful of that stuff. Contrary to Joce H. (3÷16÷2012), I did not care for the too-​dry backfin crab cake.
The sides are decent, too. I liked Jimmy’s coleslaw; the corn pudding was tasty, but kinda greasy.
This doesn’t seem like the place for pie, particularly when I noticed some flies buzzing around the pastry section (and not all pastry items sit inside the display case). However, my sister insisted on trying Jimmy’s pecan-​cream-​cheese pie. And wouldn’t you know it, it was awesome. The richness of cheesecake coupled with the sticky sturdiness of pecan pie, modestly sweetened. It was lovely.

I think I’ve found my happy place in DC.
This little shack on the waterfront has fresh seafood, cooked to order, with some amazing sides, for a crazy bargain. I couldn’t quite decide so I splurged on the seafood combo platter, choosing catfish + scallops + fries + mac n cheese = $ 15, came with a couple slices of bread and sauce. Made for 2 meals. It was delicious. Though next time I think I might go for less fried stuff…
Unfortunately, there’s nowhere to enjoy the food and it was the coldest day of the year. But I bet it’d be real nice to eat on the waterfront on a warmer day :)