Singleton's Se
Singleton's
The place
A Mayport institution since 1969, founded by commercial shrimper Captain Ray Singleton. Featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. A renovated waterfront deck seats 200 with views of the working shrimp fleet, but the Minorcan clam chowder and hand-carved model boats inside are what keep the regulars coming back.
Singleton's Seafood Shack has been on the Mayport waterfront since 1969. Captain Ray Singleton was a commercial shrimper; his wife "Miss Ann" started cooking the day's catch for charter guests, demand forced them into the restaurant business, and they never went back. The family has turned down developer buyout offers across five decades. Some staff members have worked here over 40 years.
A 2020 fire inspection closure led to a roughly $1 million renovation — the result includes a newly built waterfront deck seating about 200 people with views of the working shrimp boats, a 12-tap craft beer bar, and a Gary Mack mural of Mayport fishing history. The creaky wooden floors, nautical artifacts, and model shrimp boats hand-carved by Captain Ray himself stayed. The restaurant was featured on Guy Fieri's Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives in 2010.
The smoked fish dip is made in-house — chunky, not from a jar, and multiple reviewers call it the best in Florida. The Minorcan clam chowder is a tomato-based preparation rooted in the Minorcan immigrant community of Northeast Florida — a regional variant found almost nowhere outside the First Coast. The Dean's Dozen oysters come in six style combinations. Order whatever came off the boats that morning: sheepshead, triggerfish, and flounder rotate through based on the catch and are worth prioritizing over fixed menu items. Closed Tuesdays.
What to expect
A genuine 1969 waterfront institution with character earned over 55 years. Renovated deck with shrimp boat views, creaky interior with model boats and nautical history. Best experienced on a weekday when the crowd is local, the kitchen isn't rushed, and the rotating fresh catch is most likely to be available. Come for the smoked fish dip, the Minorcan chowder, and whatever came off the boats that morning.
The shop, in frames
What people are saying
Frequently asked
Why is Singleton's closed on Tuesdays?
What is Minorcan clam chowder?
Is the catch actually from Mayport?
Closest spots by distance
Other places to fold into the same trip — measured straight-line from Singleton's Seafood Shack.
