The Shrimp Warehouse is focusing on providing upscale, fresh food at affordable prices by offering a variety of menu items. The Lunch menu offers cheaper prices between 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
By Mariah Jones
A nice benefit to living in Florida is enjoying the fresh seafood this state has to offer. However, most of the time, this requires being near water. Luckily for residents of the Brandon area, here is a new restaurant where you can enjoy a family-oriented environment while enjoying a fresh and affordable meal.
In March, Rafael Rosario opened The Shrimp Warehouse. Rosario is not only part owner, but he is also the chef and is the founder of Shrimp and Company in Ybor. Although he did sell the restaurant, he still holds rights to the name. He is from Puerto Rico, where he was a police officer for six years, however, he has been in Brandon for nine years.
Now back to the important part: the food. The pink shrimp comes straight from the Tampa Shrimp Docks, the veggies are cut fresh daily, hamburgers are hand-crafted and they offer a variety of seafood from the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean. Not to mention, nothing is frozen, making the food taste fresher than ever.
The environment of the restaurant has two aspects. While the bar area is geared towards a mature audience, the rest of the restaurant is meant to create an atmosphere for families complete with televisions, arcade games and both affordable lunch and dinner menus. “Anyone can enjoy an upscale dish for a modest price,” Rosario said. The restaurant is individually family owned and operated and has about 30 employees with majority of them local.
It offers karaoke, trivia, music, catering, desserts, a lunch menu, to-go orders, delivery and can host large events. The restaurant provides a full service bar, a number of televisions featuring sports games, and interactive nights such as Team Trivia Mondays at 7:30 p.m.
From Monday-Thursday the hours are 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m.; Friday-Saturday, 11:30 a.m.-11 p.m. and Sunday 11:30 a.m.-8 p.m. The Shrimp Warehouse is located at 779 W. Lumsden Rd., in Brandon. For more information, call 661-0001 or visit www.theshrimpwarehouse.com.
