Sometimes the stars align perfectly to make an average day extra special, and this spring in St. Pete will bring a particularly flavorful fate to town. Local seafood favorite Doc Ford’s just announced huge plans for National Yucatan Shrimp Day on May 24 – an otherwise innocuous square on the calendar that will combine the restaurant’s signature item with the region’s best weather under the umbrella of a national holiday that couldn’t be more perfectly tailored to St. Pete.
At both of the St. Pete Doc Ford’s locations (the St. Pete Pier and Jungle Terrace), the celebrated bar and grill will be hosting big-time giveaways alongside some of the best shrimp specials around. The party starts on May 1, and the stars of the show are the custom YETI coolers filled to the brim with restaurant swag and goodies, being given away at every Doc Ford’s location.
ADVERTISEMENT
To enter the giveaway, guests simply have to do what they already would have done for National Yucatan Shrimp Day anyway: enjoy one of the many fantastic Yucatan menu items or purchase a bottle of the restaurant’s Yucatan sauce any day or night from May 1-24.
Enjoy a ‘vacation on a plate’ with Yucatan shrimp
At a place that already specializes in all things seafood, the Yucatan Shrimp is the specialty of Doc Ford’s, served up in more ways than even Bubba could count. It shines on a plate in their shrimp tacos, in a glass as the Yucatan bloody Mary, on the shell in the Yucatan baked oysters, on the brand-new fried Yucatan chicken sandwich, and of course in the tremendously popular half- and one-pound Yucatan Shrimp entrees. You can even buy a bottle of their proprietary Yucatan Sauce at the store.
And every single dish or bottle you enjoy from May 1-24 counts as an entry into the giveaway. Head down to Sanibel and Fort Myers Beach, too, if you like. There are no limits, and only one rule: enjoy the shrimp.
It’s the perfect time of year for Doc Ford’s Yucatan shrimp, as spring transitions to summer, providing “a taste of Florida via the Caribbean Rim,” as the restaurant so eloquently puts it. Or as the New York Times once said, it’s a dish “to evoke deep summer … a kind of scampi for the sun-kissed and sun-desirous alike, a vacation on a plate.”
The secret, Doc Ford’s reveals, is in the sauce. Each Yucatan dish comes with that mouthwatering, made-from-scratch elixir of butter, garlic, fresh cilantro and Key lime juice, tossed with steamed peel-and-eat shrimp and mild Colombian chilis. Pair it with a pina colada and set sail straight for the open seas.
Visit Doc Ford’s in St. Pete on the St. Pete Pier and in Jungle Terrace at 8790 Bay Pines Boulevard. Both locations are open daily from 11 am – 10 pm.
Savor a rum-soaked literary paradise
For all the excitement over Yucatan shrimp and macadamia nut-crusted grouper, there’s plenty more at Doc Ford’s than just good eats. Rum takes center stage on the drinks menu, with everything from high-end rum flights to fruity and boozy island-inspired cocktails. The Sanibel Sunset is our go-to, though multiple rum punches are tempting members of the menu. If rum isn’t your thing, no worries: the full cocktail menu has an impressive array of margaritas, bloody marys, mojitos, mules and coladas, as well as plenty of local beer and great wines.
While it’s the food and drinks that keep people coming back, Doc Ford’s is perhaps best known for its literary history. It’s not often that a rum-soaked restaurant has such ties, but thanks to local author Randy Wayne White and his series of novels starring a baseball-loving, tropical adventurer named Doc Ford, the bar and grille is a destination for shrimp lovers and book lovers alike.
Doc Ford’s combines island vibes with a laid-back, coastal atmopshere
As for the edible parts of Doc Ford’s success, the restaurant has been on the receiving end of several notable accolades recently. In 2021, Trip Advisor ranked the company’s four restaurants as the No. 1 place in the country for “everyday eats.” Just last year, Trip Advisor also ranked their location on the pier as St. Pete’s No. 1 restaurant.
The airy and bright locations all feature combination indoor and outdoor seating with views of the water, as well as full bars and plenty of TVs for catching any live sports. The Jungle Terrace has two full bars: one tiki-style bar on the patio, and another indoor/outdoor combo tying the entire dining room and patio areas together.
Learn more and see their full menu here. Visit Doc Ford’s in St. Pete on the St. Pete Pier and in Jungle Terrace at 8790 Bay Pines Boulevard.
ADVERTISEMENT
