Miami Dwellers Drive Hours On I-75 For One Tiny, Charming Town's Fresh Seafood
Ask anyone who lives in a coastal state and they'll probably be able to name at least one small, notable seafood town within its borders. If you ask people from Florida, whether they live on the East Coast near Miami or on the Gulf side near Tampa, one town likely comes to mind: Cortez.
Cortez, which was settled back in the 1880s, is a small fishing village that sits in between Palma Sola Bay and Sarasota Bay, and just west of the Gulf (past Anna Maria Island) in western Florida. It's known as a fishing village because it was settled by fishing families, who established the fishing and seafood economy more than a century ago. It's kept much of its history intact through the years, with many of its buildings on the National Register of Historic Places. Embedded in its rich history is, of course, a love for seafood, which draws visitors from hours away to this small town of just over 5,000.
If you find yourself in the area, Cortez is full of casual outdoor restaurants offering fresh-caught seafood, so you won't find any seafood red flags here. Many offer views of the Intracoastal waterway, and all of them are loved by locals and tourists alike.
Where and what to eat in Cortez
Throughout Cortez, you'll find a few staple options, such as fresh-caught grouper — not the more affordable but fake grouper alternative, Pangasius – in the form of bites, blackened tacos, or a fried fish sandwich. Mahi mahi is another widely available fish offered at most spots. If you're looking for individual dishes that set these restaurants apart, each has at least one.
Tide Tables' shrimp po' boy is loaded with perfectly crispy shrimp and a remoulade sauce that you could eat with a spoon. At Star Fish, a seafood market and restaurant, the blackened grouper sandwich is a hit among diners, though the blackened grouper tacos are talked about, too. Cortez Kitchen has local grouper but also offers a snow crab special on Wednesdays that always draws a crowd.
Unfortunately, Cortez's position on the map puts its restaurants at risk for major storms. In 2025, the beloved Annie's Bait & Tackle (a Cortez bait shop and restaurant that opened in 1955) and Seafood Shack (a seafood staple since 1971) were both demolished after they were deemed irreparable due to damage sustained from 2024 Hurricanes Milton and Helene.