We celebrated Mother's Day a little early so my youngest son could join us and decided to head up the river after a day in the sun at Passage Key. It was hard to contain my excitement when pulling up to Whiskey Joe's and the new docks! They have really thrown down the gauntlet to other river establishments as with the old docks still there and about 14 on the new ones there should almost always be a spot for your boat at Whiskey Joes!
The atmosphere is truly amazing as they left no stone unturned in creating a private beach on the river! Beach sand, tiki bar, tables with umbrellas, tables with thatched roof, lots of "beach seating" around the fire pits in adirondack chairs. We just have to make it a point to get back in the evening as I imagine the fun really starts on Friday and Saturday nights!
We started it out with the conch fritters, firecracker shrimp, gator bites and a basket of fries. Everything was good but the gator bites were my personal favorite and if we went with appetizers again I might try the island crab cake or chicken wings as opposed to the conch fritters.
For the main course Elora had the Tiki Marinated Chicken, Connor a Blackened Grouper Sandwich, Julia the Mac and Cheese, Maribeth the Islas Carnitas (pork burritos) and I gave the Swashbuckler Basket a try (cod, shrimp and scallops).
For the main course Elora had the Tiki Marinated Chicken, Connor a Blackened Grouper Sandwich, Julia the Mac and Cheese, Maribeth the Islas Carnitas (pork burritos) and I gave the Swashbuckler Basket a try (cod, shrimp and scallops).
We will definitely be back to Whiskey Joe's in Ellenton, besides being so close to home the atmosphere just can't be beat and knowing that there should always be a spot at the brand new docks should make it a go to destination for everyone living in or around the Mantee River!
40 U.S. 301, Ellenton, 34222, United States