Stiltsville Fish Bar

“We wanted to make sure we serve locals local fish, and do it at an affordable rate. We want to give the public what they need.”

Trigger fish; hog snapper; blue runner.

Daily deliveries from local fishers set the menu here, where customers can get fresh, direct seafood in a luxe environment. McInnis, who grew up in the Panhandle, remembers the days of getting twenty-five-cent oysters and ten-dollar fish dishes. Stiltsville doesn’t reach quite that far back into nostalgia, but the idea of having access to fresh product from local people remains.

When the restaurant’s opening day was impacted by a hurricane – from Key West and upward north, fishmongers were out of business – Booth and McInnis hired fishermen to wait tables, process fish, and cook. Eventually they were able to help get fifteen boats back out on the water; most of those vendors still supply the restaurant today.