Cottons used to be be good, but don't know about now. The original Doc's on the Intercostal is much better than the fancy place down town. Tacky Jack's was good until they went upscale. Now it a place where lonely women hang out and the service is not very good.
In my experience, all of the places mentioned are good. Just remember that a place can have a bad night and be great the next, especially during the summer with the crowds. Being old, I like a place that does not have live music and is relatively quite, so I have a definite bias.

Flipper's, wolf bay lodge and the original oyster house are my 3 favorites

The OO all the way.

Shipp's Harbot Grill on Canal Rd is the best seafood I know of in Orange Beach/Gulf Shores. Cobalts used to be one of my favorites but over the last couple years their quality has gone done hill. Tomorrow night I'm going to try out Gilbey's next to Publix.

SS Lobster Co in Fitchburg, MA. Twin Maine lobster dinner for $17.99, and HUGE lobster roll for $10.00. They're a wholesale fish place, so it's low on ambiance, but awesome seafood at the best prices.

I like their batter

Catholic owners, too, if I might add.

The girl that set me and my wife up used to drive up to Captain D's drive up and ask for the crumbs from where the fish were fried. She
would go there once a week, and after a week or two, they knew who she was. She'd get a whole bag of those crumbs for free.

There's a lot of truth in this statement. For years I never thought too much of Bubba's. But some friends wanted to meet my wife and I there to eat last summer and the fish platter I had that night was great. Who knows, I could go back 9 times and it may never be that good again. But that night the cook nailed it and everything on my plate was great.

That said I have always liked the following places.

The Original Oyster House: Good food but you better get there early or eat at an off time in the summer months. It's popular and the parking situation can really suck when it is crowded.

Wolfs Bay Lodge: Good food and it's at Zeke's Landing so you can see the boats coming in with their catch which is kind of cool.

Doc's: If you are going to get some fried seafood and (like me) don't really care about having a spectacular view when you eat then Doc's is your place. Really good fried shrimp.

Places I think are overrated but have been to mainly because other people wanted to go there.

Tacky Jacks: I have never really had a bad meal there but it's not the big deal many make of it either. Some claim they are good for breakfast but I've never been there that time of day. I also don't like to eat at places where live music from the band makes it impossible to communicate with anyone else at the table. Depending on where they seat you at Tacky Jacks you could literally leave with hearing damage.

LuLu's: I have never had a bad meal there either but good grief at the wait for a table. The last time we went (because my aunt and uncle wanted to go) we arrived at 5 pm and still had to wait right at 2 hours for a table. I had no complaints with the food but there are plenty of places just as good or much better where you can be in and out by the time your ass hits a chair at Lulu's. Yeah there's places for your kids to play while you wait but I don't go out to eat to watch my kid play.

Pretty well sums it up right there. Jesse's and tin top are not in Gulf Shores, but not a bad drive. I would include Wolf Bay Lodge also though (and get a bowl of gumbo).

X2

X3 on Desotos. Love it. Love the fried grouper and flounder.

Shipps harbour grill and its not even close!! If u want fresh seafood prepared by a great chef this is the place to go, but if you want fried shrimp or fish then just throw a dart at a map of gulf shores and orange beach.

harbor grill in the sportsmans marina in orange beach for their blackened mahi with crab meat and gorganzola sauce

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X2. I just ate this for supper tonight. It was prob the best food I've ever had down here.
Thanks hunterturf. I normally get the creole grouper, but the mahi was better

So fae it's been Wolf Bay. Gotta run. Boats waiting

Steamers just over the bridge is great for steamed seafood. We ate there twice. Sunset Grill has the best Grouper bites I have ever had. Cobalt is good but a bit pricey. Crab Shack, a couple miles from the pass down the beach towards Pensacola was mighty good too.