NAVARRE — The first time I noticed Bayou Bob’s Seafood Kitchen was last summer.

We were headed to Navarre Beach, and there in front of the Winn-Dixie Shopping Center was a young man rocking out to tunes on his mp3 player and holding a Bayou Bob’s sign.

The food

Bayou Bob’s specializes in Cajun food.

Appetizers, or Nibblins as they refer to them, include everything from crawfish cakes to shrimp, okra and sausage gumbo.

Our choice was the hand-trimmed and deep fried alligator tail. It was tender and flavorful and was served with a remoulade sauce, but we preferred the “Cajun Ketchup,” or cocktail sauce which had more of a spicy kick.

Salads include a tossed green salad with ripe olives, cheddar cheese and tomatoes; shrimp salad either barbecued or fried; a chicken salad, which comes grilled, blackened or fried; a fried crawfish salad or a country-fried steak salad.

Sides at Bayou Bob’s include mash potatoes and gravy, French fries, coleslaw, green beans, broccoli and cottage cheese.

If you are craving catfish, Bayou Bob’s is definitely the place to go. They serve it blackened, smothered in crawfish etouffee as well as fried.

Bayou Bob’s offers three pasta choices: a seafood pasta with shrimp, scallops and mushrooms in their homemade tomato cream sauce topped with fried crawfish; shrimp alfredo; and Pasta Orleans, which is a half-pound of blackened chicken breast atop fettuccini and covered with alfredo sauce.

From the grill, Bayou Bob’s offered choice aged Angus beef, the catch of the day and chicken. All can be topped with crawfish etoufee.

The Dis-n-Dat portion of the menu includes one of our choices, the oyster dinner. The oysters were plump, sweet and delicious. They were cooked perfectly with a light cornmeal batter coating.

The oysters were served with a choice of jambalaya or red beans.

The jambalaya was smoky and spicy with just the right amount of heat.

Speaking of jambalaya, if you would like a decided Cajun meal, choose items from the bayou such as crawfish or shrimp etouffee, shrimp gumbo.

Our second choice was the crawfish etouffee, which had a rich flavor and was chocked full of crawfish tails.

If you would like to try a variety of their offerings, get one of the samplers or a “Cajun Combeaux.”

Bayou Bob’s hushpuppies, which are served with most seafood entrees, are made of yellow cornmeal and have a sweet delicate flavor.

If your taste is more for a sandwich, try one of Bayou Bob’s seafood poboys. They also offer hamburgers, grilled or blackened chicken; country-fried chicken or roast beef sandwiches.

Bayou Bob’s offers a lunch menu from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday with specials every day.

The day of our visit, dessert offerings included an apple-raisin bread pudding with homemade warm rum sauce, homemade peach cobbler, a chocolate brownie sundae and Key lime pie as well as ice cream and root beer floats.

Our choice was the peach cobbler, which was really more like a bread pudding and was served warm. We asked for a scoop of vanilla ice cream to top it off. This was a very good finish to our meal.

Bayou Bob’s has a full bar and has both weekday and weekend specials.

The atmosphere

Bayou Bob’s occupies two spaces in the shopping complex, which allows the tables to be nicely spaced and still have room for a good-sized bar area. There are a few booths in the center of the restaurant, but most of the seating is at tables.

The service

Our server was efficient and knowledgeable about the menu.

A final taste

Once the weather warms up, and you’re headed to Navarre Beach, check out Bayou Bob’s and if the young man is there, wave and join the fun.

QuickBites

Bayou Bob’s Seafood & Southern Cookin’

Location

8662 Navarre Parkway

Navarre

939-5455

Hours

Seasonal

Tuesday – Sunday 11 a.m. until

Reservations

Not necessary

Handicap accessibility

Good

Children’s menu

Yes

Price range

Appetizers $2.99-$9.99

Salads $2.99-$10.99

Entrees $5.99-$23.99

Payment

Credit cards accepted