Papa’s Raw Bar is the kind of place locals go to, so I held off on this review until after season. Keep this entre nous, because we wouldn’t want word to get out, it’s hard enough to get a table as it is.
I tried making a reservation online, and the system kept crashing on me, so I called the restaurant and asked for an indoor table for eight at 6 p.m. on a Saturday. To my surprise, the person taking my reservation said, “No problem.” Of course, when we arrived, they had no record of our reservation, the person I spoke to wasn’t there, and every table was full. Within a few minutes, the hostess offered to seat us in the empty party room. Frankly, I preferred it; it was quieter and cooler. And we had it to ourselves for at least a few minutes, until they began to sit others in there.
Our poor waiter had us in that room, and all his other tables were at the far side of the restaurant. But he was so sweet, we really didn’t mind. The food is terrific, and the staff is very friendly and, while our waiter was overworked to the point where we had to wait a ridiculous amount of time between him bringing our drinks and taking our orders, once our orders were in, the food came quickly. Part of the reason for this was that the restaurant was overbooked, and they didn’t turn anyone away.
Joy and “Papa Hughie" Ganter‘s mission was to only buy, sell, cater, and serve the freshest, highest quality products, at their Seafood World Market. Soon they put a few tables in the market and began serving food. In 2014, The Ganters’ son and his wife opened Papa's Raw Bar next door to Seafood World. They envisioned a hole in the wall that made you feel like you were on vacation. Mission accomplished! The menu reflects the Bahamas and Executive Chef Chad Lee’s Asian background.
Burgers and such are served sans side dishes, but are large enough that you may not miss them. The Klee Burger ($18) is topped with fried onions, bacon, crumbled blue cheese, and buffalo sauce. My husband loved his shrimp burger. I ordered the lobster tacos ($30) and opted for them “Matt’s Way” which means topped with bacon and avocado, well worth the extra $3. Order large pieces of your choice of blackened or battered lobster. I opted for battered, not the best choice. I’d go for blackened or just grilled. Next time we stop in, I’m going to try either the lobster sandwich ($28) or the Caesar salad with wahoo. There are also po’boys and quesadillas.
When you get to seafood entrées, the prices jump quite a bit ($32 to market price). The Asian side of the menu is reflected in sushi or sashimi (about $4-$5 a slice), fried rice ($23-$30), and maki rolls, which run from the standard ($15-$18) to the exotic ($21-$30).
Desserts were so intriguing, our group split three of them: Stoned Brownie ($12) deep-fried, was extremely decadent; Deep Fried Banana Cheesecake ($12) was inedible; both were served with ice cream. Reese's Peanut Butter Pie ($12), which I thought would be my favorite, was too sweet.
Papa’s Raw Bar
4610 N. Federal Hwy., Lighthouse Point
754-307-5034
papasrawbar.co
Papa’s Pleasers
There are plenty of regulars at Papa’s, and these specials keep them coming back.
Happy Hour
11 a.m.- 6 p.m., Monday-Friday
Half off oysters, $3 off sushi rolls, draft beers, wines by the glass, and select spirits (Skyy, Beefeater, Bacardi, Espolon, Jack Daniel’s, High West).
Ya Mon Mondays
(11 a.m. - 9:30 p.m. seasonal)
$5 draft beers & selected spirits, $5 off craft cocktails, $5 off sushi rolls.
Taco Tuesdays,
(11 a.m. – 9:30 p.m.)
$5 Off Taco Trio (excludes conch & lobster) $10 Casamigos Blanco, $5 Espolon
Wine Down Wednesdays
(11 a.m. -9:30 p.m.)
Half-off wines by the glass *excluding bubbles.
Thirsty Thursdays
(11 a.m. - 10 p.m.)
Half-off bubbles by the glass.
