From Water to Table at Peace River Seafood
The freshest seafood and an authentic Old Florida atmosphere.
Meet Kelly Beall
Peace River Seafood started as a fish market back in 2003, essentially to sell all the crabs that Kelly Beall’s husband—a crabber for over 40 years—was catching. She quit her marketing job to “hustle crabs” for him and they’ve been serving visitors and locals alike for 22 years. When he asked her to go on this journey, she figured, “I’m not going to work forever, but I will be married forever,” so they took the leap together.
A genuine crab shack built in 1926 houses this destination restaurant, where the crab can’t get any fresher and the atmosphere can’t get any more laid back, making it one of the best places to have an authentic Old Florida experience.
"You can get live blue crab and eat it the same day it was caught, fresh from Charlotte Harbor.”
- Kelly Beall
Peace River Seafood's Specialities
Aside from fresh crab, Kelly prepares huge batches of her Gator Gumbo, a savory and filling stew featuring gator, blue crab, shrimp, and andouille that people “lose their minds for." To this day, it’s their #2 menu item, after the blue crabs.
While Kelly firmly believes that blue crab meat is the absolute best, the restaurant also features stone crab...claws only (and only in season). This delicacy will re-grow its claw three or more times in their lifetime, which makes it one of the rare seafoods you can call sustainable without stretching the truth.
The restaurant currently purchases from six local crabbers fishing the abundant waters of the Peace River, Myakka River, Caloosahatchee River, and Charlotte Harbor.
Interestingly, once a crab grows to five inches from point to point, it’s already expelled roughly two million eggs and is mature enough to eat, contributing to a well-managed fishery that can stay healthy and abundant.
There’s also a practical, homegrown loop happening behind the scenes: every shell and vegetable scrap gets turned into a “living soil” compost that nourishes their own farm.
A True Florida Experience
Peace River Seafood boasts not only some of the freshest seafood available in southwest Florida, but a rich history and a welcoming atmosphere that makes it a destination dining experience year after year.
