Seabreeze Trolley Cafe

I’m happy that I stopped by this cool roadside seafood spot, which is located in an old trolley in the Tampa Heights area. I ordered the fried clams basket which came with fries, hushpuppies and slaw (just about $ 7 incl tax). The fried clams were great, the fries were awesome. I’m not even a fan of hushpuppies but I thought these were excellent (haven’t had the slaw yet).
The service was great. The young lady working the register has great customer services skills and she’s only about 10 years old! Very impressive. Bryce is a really cool guy who took the time to tell me all about the family business. They sell live blue crabs (which they can steam for you right in the trolley), smoked mullet, sheephead and other fish. In addition to seafood, they also sell Cubans, burgers, chicken sandwiches, fried okra, etc. But devil crabs is their money maker. Hopefully soon, they’ll be selling them in stores. They really have a good thing going here.
PS This is the same Seabreeze that was in the Brandon area off of Causeway/​301.

The original Seabreeze Deviled Crabs, rolled by the woman herself, Donna Richards. Suddenly I was 16 again. Thanks for keeping it real!

I’ve driven by this place probably a hundred times on my way to and from Hyde Park (the gym and grocery). However, they’re closed in the evening so I’ve never stopped. Finally today I passed by a little after noon after 20 miles on my bike and thought, «I’m doing it!»
Unfortunately, I didn’t have any money.
So I rode home, peeled off the spandex, put on something normal, hopped in the car and came back with my dollars. The menu is larger than I thought it would be. Not only is there a variety of fried seafood items (from the bay), but there are Cuban sandwiches, burgers, chicken tenders, etc. Baskets are served with fries, cole slaw, and hushpuppies and range in price from $ 6.50−12. Sandwiches come with fries and start at $ 5.75 for a burger or chicken and go up to $ 10 for soft shell crab. They even have a $ 4 kids menu, and there are free desserts on Fridays! There’s also devil crab, fried okra, and cheese sticks… it’s pretty much all fried. Drinks are 75 cent cans.
I had fried shrimp a la carte… although that option isn’t on the menu they do offer it. The shrimp was very good, covered in lightly seasoned cornmeal-​based breading. I really enjoyed it. There’s one big picnic table and a few of those giant wooden spools for you to stand around. There are magazines on the table that you can browse while you wait for your food to be cooked to order. I think kids will enjoy watching the crabs scuttle around in their tanks. The trolley and the attached crab/​shrimp building are the same business. They do take credit cards.
The lady who took my order was really nice. She’s the niece of the owner. She said she’s trying to convince her aunt that they should be open for dinner on some nights. I’ll keep my fingers crossed! I’m excited to try the hand cut fries.
The parking situation is weird. You can kind of pull up in front, or you can turn onto the side street and park behind the trolley.

Love this place! Known for their devil crabs which are awesome! Great Cuban sandwiches too! Also have live blue crabs for sale next to the trolley. Stop by and check them out, you won’t be disappointed!

Finally stopped to sample this roadside food source— a trolley converted into a food truck and a venerable shack that was formerly the Mattasini frozen fish store. Both special in devil crab, frozen at the shack or cooked at the trolley along with multiple fried fish/​seafood baskets, sandwiches and apps. Very reasonably priced for large servings. The fries were somewhat limp, but the fish and hush puppies were perfect. Fish options are ubiquitous tilapia or unusual sheepshead. Free desserts on Friday.

Known for their devil crabs, the original Seabreeze Restaurant was located near the port. When it closed down, the niece opened a similar restaurant in Ybor. Located on the side of the road just off of Boulevard, this establishment is run by the daughter. More of a food truck than restaurant, you order your food at the trolley window.
Almost everything here is fried, but oh so tasty. As a Maryland transplant, I could not resist the lure of the softshell crab basket. She assured me the crabs had never been frozen, and that was apparent by the flavor when I ate them. The to-​go box was generously filled with two softshell crabs, fresh cut french fries, two hush puppies, and coleslaw, all for $ 10, half of which is now leftover for dinner tonight. The crab itself was amazing — perfectly cooked, crunchy on the outside, soft and flaky on the inside. French fries and hush puppies were hot and delicious. Served with a side of tartar sauce, and ketchup packets. Wow! Why did it take me so long to ride this trolley?
Final notes: parking is in front of, and to the side of the trolley. Just one picnic table to eat at out front, so plan on taking it to-​go. They also offer live blue crabs when they can get them fresh. Sometimes they go by the name of Seabreeze Devil Crabs, because they provide devil crabs for both wholesale and retail sale.