Port Canaveral/Cocoa Beach Seafood Buffet

[autismmama]

My family leaves from Port Canaveral December 2, 2018 on a 4 Day Bahamas cruise. We are arriving the day before and staying at a hotel near Cocoa Beach for the night so we aren't rushed that morning. We are looking for a seafood buffet nearby to have dinner. All recommendations would be very helpful.

[SteerageJoe]

Within walking distance? I am trying to figure out what "nearby" means!

 

Seafood Buffet dinners are not a "thing" in Cocoa Beach/Canaveral. There are a handful of excellent seafood restaurants and many more serving the usual fried/grilled Florida beach-style food.

[Capt_BJ]

Seafood Buffet dinners are not a "thing" in Cocoa Beach/Canaveral.

THIS!

[autismmama]

We will be driving so no need for walking distance. My husband loves steamed shrimp and snow crab legs. If we have to drive to another nearby city that's what we will do. But he's really looking for a buffet that has at least these 2 items. I assumed it would be comparable to Panama city with endless buffets.

[SteerageJoe]

I sorta assumed you experienced seafood buffets elsewhere and Panama City is a perfect example - in April/May we spent about 2 weeks in that area up to Destin and I LOVED the buffets because I could pick only what I like!

 

But for some reason - maybe not enough people - we do not have places like The Wharf near the cruise port.

 

You can try The Ultimate Feast at Florida Seafood on 520 near Ron Jon - eat all you can Snow Crab Legs and shrimp plus a mix of other choices for about $45. That place is always busy!

Edited July 4, 2018 by SteerageJoe

[autismmama]

I sorta assumed you experienced seafood buffets elsewhere and Panama City is a perfect example - in April/May we spent about 2 weeks in that area up to Destin and I LOVED the buffets because I could pick only what I like!

 

But for some reason - maybe not enough people - we do not have places like The Wharf near the cruise port.

 

You can try The Ultimate Feast at Florida Seafood on 520 near Ron Jon - eat all you can Snow Crab Legs and shrimp plus a mix of other choices for about $45. That place is always busy!

 

 

Yes we love Captain Jack's in PCB. Thank you for the recommendation.

[Capt_BJ]

why come to Florida to eat frozen crab from northern seas?

 

you are better off buying a box at sams and preparing at home

 

unless you buy snow crab alive, it has been previously cooked and flash frozen

[Oviedo32765]

<snipwhy come to Florida to eat frozen crab from northern seas?</snip>

:confused:

 

Maybe it is because Florida sticks out into the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico and must therefore have a huge fishing industry. Makes sense to me?!? :D And with a huge fishing industry and a large influx of visitors (I call them tourists) there obvously are many restaurants that serve fresh seafood.

 

:( Sorry - I couldn't help myself. Bad, bad. No seafood for me! :)

[SteerageJoe]

By this reasoning we should not eat lamb anywhere in the US because it comes from New Zealand, or snow crab because it comes from Canada or eat shrimp in Iowa because it comes from Alabama!

 

For me, when I am near the ocean I my taste buds prefer seafood. When I am in Texas I feel like steak even though it may come from Wyoming.

 

I know very well that some menu items are frozen and delivered by food service companies. I can get the same Alabama shrimp sold by the same service company in 50 different states most probably.

 

What is different is how it is prepared, the side dishes, the atmosphere, the surroundings, the noise and smell of the ocean and so on.

 

In Florida I like to eat seafood more than I would in the Blue Ridge Mountains. It is just a natural thing for me at least.

 

Florida is actually beef country. Could be a much bigger industry than commercial fishing but I do not know. Regardless it is the best of two worlds for me - steak and seafood by the ocean!

[Oviedo32765]

<snip>Florida is actually beef country. </snip>

 

Florida used to be a large beef producing state, but not any more.

 

U.S. Beef Cow Herd Inventory by State (2018) - https://www.datawrapper.de/_/gQW7D/ click on 2018 twice to see rankings.

1. Texas
   
2. Missouri
   
3. Oklahoma
   
4. Nebraska
   
5. South Dakota
   
6. Kansas
   
7. Montana
   
8. Kentucky
   
9. North Dakota
   
10. Iowa
    
11. Arkansas
    
12. Tennessee
    
13. Florida
    
14. Colorado
    
15. Alabama
    
16. Wyoming
    

Florida's Economy: The 6 Industries Driving GDP Growth - https://www.investopedia.com/articles/investing/011316/floridas-economy-6-industries-driving-gdp-growth.asp

1. Tourism - A record 97 million tourists visited Florida in 2014.
   
2. Agriculture - The top five agricultural commodities in 2014 were greenhouse and nursery products, oranges, tomatoes, dairy products and sugarcane.
   
3. International Trade
   
4. Aerospace and Aviation
   
5. Life Sciences
   
6. Financial Services