Wonderful seafood. Must try the blackened shrimp, cheese grits, and crab claws. Great bar. Friendly service. Macon staple.

One of the best in Macon! If you don't want to eat in the dining room, go to the bar. That's where the good stuff is. Walk up to the bar and order! Shrimp, blackened gator, Maui! My wife and I usually split a plate. Great atmosphere! read more

Fried green tomatoes were crispy and rather large in size but very tasty. My husband and I split a combination platter and WOW we are so glad we did..mounds of food left over for both of us even while splitting! Everything was tasty but my personal faves were the grilled scallops and the hush puppies. We ordered a slice of key lime pie to go....while rather small in size it was robust in flavor and perfection! While I enjoyed the entire experience the highlight for me was the Key Lime Pie! I'll be back for key lime for sure! read more

We had driven 9 hours from StL and this place was close enough to our hotel that it was drivable. Literal locals, hole in the wall place that looked like the real deal. We went to the desk and the wait was 15 minutes. We too k a pager and asked if they had a bar. She said go out the door and to the right. Hmmm, so we went to the bar. Super nice bartender, 12 local craft beers and a full bar. Got our drinks, craft for me vodka club for Di. Sat down, perused the menu and started a conversation with a nice local couple. We asked what they liked, and asked for recommendations. They said "we get the catfish, but it's all good". Awesome. We ordered NE clam chowder to split, I got fried shrimp and Di got salmon cakes (think crab cakes with salmon). These came with two sides, I had a Caesar salad and fries and Di had a baked potato with Caesar salad. The chowder came out first, as it should, and was creamy and delicious with a little sand to let you know the clams were fresh The salads came next and were perfect, and to order. Mine with dressing, D's with it on the side. We shared life stories with our table mates Wade and Dianne, and our dinners arrived. Two plump crab cakes, just like her Mama made 'em, and my shrimp. About a dozen plump, sweet fried shrimp with batter fried fries that were awesome. We really enjoyed our meal, and to top it off with true Southern hospitality, when Wade and Dianne left he whispered "I got your check". Totally unexpected and we were just overwhelmed by their kindness. They told us, this is the kind of place where if you come in once every few months the bartender always remembers your name. That's our kinda place, I wouldn't expect everyone to get their meal comped, but if you're nice to folks they're usually nice back. Cheers read more

Interesting, it's 4:40pm and the parking lot is filling up very fast. People are waiting at the doors to be open. It's filling up briskly and it's only 5:05 pm so I hope this indicates that the food is yummy. I was about the 6th person to be seated and was taken ALL the way to the back of the restaurant, odd. There were plenty seats in the front. Other patrons were seated in the front and middle. After a 7 minute wait, Tammy is sent to my table (black waitress) while the other patrons, white, were seated, greeted and thirst fulfilled immediately!! That's cool, I'm waiting for my sister in law and will sip on this martini until she gets here..... More to come........ I started with an apple martini upon being seated in the back and watch others who were seated behind me be taken care of. I ordered the voodoo shrimp and fried green tomatoes as starters. The fried green tomatoes were tasty but I was disappointed in the breaded barely spicy voodoo shrimp. I thought it would be more spicy. For our entrees, we ordered the blackened tilapia ( too salty) with a loaded baked potato (tasty) and butter peas (tasteless). Our waitress was on her second day and I felt that Tammy did a good job however I did think that rather than have her serve the "black" table which was her only table in the packed restaurant, she could have shadowed a colleague. I did feel a certain way about the atmosphere and overtones. Welcome back to the South!! The food was ok but not good enough for me to return. I hope Tammy has more tables. read more

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In Macon for the night. I checked with Yelp and ended up here! Not knowing what to do, I sat down at a table in the outside area and waited. And waited. After a few more minutes, I got up and went inside where I found out you have to order at the bar, then they'll call your name. Ok... I did that. I ordered a dozen oysters (from Pensacola), and the Grouper Tacos, (1 blackened, 2 grilled). The oysters were very good, but they were not as clean as I would've liked. They just had pieces of shells in them. Not too bad. The Grouper Tacos were excellent, and came with a nice sauce, limes, and cabbage. I also had a margarita. All of this and my bill was only $22, so I was happy! Good place with friendly people! read more

When I first moved to Macon, about 6 years ago, I was told by several people that Jim Shaw's Seafood Grill was the place to go for seafood. In fact, they're packed every night (but Sunday, of course); the locals seems to love them. As I mentioned: I'm not a real local. I did not like them. I had the Captain's Platter, just so I could sample what they have to offer. Most of the food was fried (not necessarily a bad thing), but it was greasy. My oysters were like deep-fried snot. The wait is not worth it. The staff was friendly, and the service good. However, I was not impressed with the food. Maybe growing up in Florida has spoiled me. As I said: the locals seem to love it. read more

This was my first visit to Jim Shaws, and it's not much on ambience, but the food was pretty decent. I started off with room temperature fried pimento cheese. I think it had potential if it had been served hot. The fried chicken strips were not bad, not crispy or flavorful, but definitely prepared fresh. I really enjoyed the house salad dressing which was a tangy fruit (maybe Apple?) vinegarette. The cheese grits were creamy and fresh, and the hush puppies to die for. I don't eat seafood, but friends highly recommend the catfish. read more

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When I saw the crowd, I was pretty excited to try the seafood. I honestly don't understand what the fuss is about, though. First off, I was seated right by where people wait to be seated. Two women literally watched me eat half of my meal from just inches away while waiting for a seat. I ordered the bourbon shrimp and broiled scallops. I ordered honey mustard on the salad that came with it, which my waitress confirmed and then went on to deliver with "house" instead. Some people may like the house dressing, but I hate the stuff. The shrimp tasted okay, but the texture was pretty rubbery. Fortunately, the bourbon that it came with turned out to be a great dipping sauce for my broccoli. The scallops were very buttery, which really wasn't a good thing. The hush puppies were tasty and hot. The portion was fairly small for the price, so when my waitress came around and asked if I wanted Key Lime Pie, I said yes. This was by far the best part of the meal. I'm by no means a Key Lime connoisseur, but I could have probably eaten 10 to 12 more slices of that stuff. read more

Jim Shaws, I wanted to give you 5 Stars. I really did. But the service we received recently warrents 3 stars, the food gets 5 stars, and the price gets 3. So I'm going to average it up to 4 stars. The food is terrific. Whenever I go back home, I always get the grouper fingers here. They are the thing that dreams and unicorns are made of. The fries are out of this world, also. They have a different batter for every one of their items on the menu. Attention to detail like this shines through in their food. The service was lackluster at best on my most recent visit. Out server dropped the fact that she had just re-entered the foodservice industry recently, and it showed. She was nice, but just bad at refilling drinks and getting food out to us. Appetizers took a good 20 minutes to arrive, on top of a 45 minute wait. Needless to say, we were starving when the food arrived. I didn't pay for the meal (OH YEAAAA), but the prices were a tad ridiculous. $21ish for a daily special with two sides? 15 is reasonable, for sure, but for the ambiance, I think 21 is pushing it. For three people, three Cokes, fried pickles, and 3 meals, the total was around 70. Just plain redic. Anyways, if you want a taste of the best seafood Macon has to offer, I would highly recommend checking out Jim Shaws. They're consistent, and have the greatest fries in town. read more

Jim Shaw's is on a very short list of my favorite places in Macon. Every time I have come here I have had a great experience. The restaurant is small, and the bar on the side is event smaller, but there is an outdoor patio, that's screened in--this is typically where I sit. Now the bar takes a little bit of "local knowledge" to realize that you have to go inside to order and then they will call your name when your order it up. When I was in school, my roommates and I would frequent the bar on Monday's, because they always had oysters on special (I am not sure if that is still the case). They have a decent selection of beer, definitely more to choose from than your typical, miller, bud, etc. The atmosphere is great, and you will find all kinds of crowds here, from college students, to families of 4 or 5, to seniors who are looking for some good seafood. Even though I don't live in Macon anymore, I always try my best to make it to Jim Shaw's when I know that I am going to be close to the area. If you are looking for great seafood you can't go wrong here! read more

The best seafood house in Macon. Be ready for a wait if you go during peak hours of 5:30 to 7pm. But the seafood is just plain good. Try the voodoo shrimp appetizer --- a little crunch with a light creamy sauce. Cheese grits also good. What is especially nice is how you can get your combo platter prepared to your liking. If you want the scallops fried and the catfish blackened -- no problem. And very knowledgeable and polite service. read more

Jim Shaw's Restaurant - Combo blackened catfish and fried scallops - Seafood Near Me - Macon, Georgia

Not All Fried, but Mostly. Jim Shaw's is a locals' restaurant. The kind that reminds me of places like Harold's, Robbie G's, or Mulate's all in Louisiana. It is not clean, unless you dine in the interior dining room (which is a completely formal feel compared to the dining room bar). It is not big. It is not a vast sampling of seafood. Clams, Shrimp, Scallops, Alligator and Fresh Fish choices dominate the menu. But this place has local pride and a cult following to show for it. I mean is Jimmy John's really that much better than Quizno's? Is Bojangles that much better than Popeyes? Is Raising Canes any different from your local slit and fry chicken shack? Fried Seafood is fried seafood, and Jim Shaw's keeps the bar as high as the hear attack batter allows. That being said, I had a blackened amberjack sandwich that was served on delicious po'boy french bread. So when you go here, and the small menu doesn't excite you try one of the 5 or 6 specials. They almost double the menu size with options like Orange Roughy, Trout, Salmon, Grouper, Amberjack and Mahi. The beers are cheap, and they have a Ms. Pacman game....now that I think about it, I need to add a star...4 stars here we come. read more

This was a fantastic restaurant and a great dining experience. I went here with friends that are Macon locals and they eat here all the time. When I walked in they introduced me to the bartender and he was extremely polite. The menu is updated daily and had great options all around. I had the Grouper Tacos (only because they didn't have the gator) and they were great. I would also recommend the side salad because their house dressing is incredible. The next time I walked up to the bar the bartender called me by name and asked if I wanted the same beer. That never happens and is half the reason I will go back next time I am in town. Not the only reason because the food is fantastic. A must go if you are in Macon. read more

This place is always busy and packed to the max. I'd take the time to drive to the Fish n Pig on Lake Tobo. The seafood is exactly the same as Jim Shaw's and you have the option of trying Satterfield's BBQ too. Other than that....Jim Shaw's is southern fried seafood with a semi-heavy batter on the shrimp and fish. You can also get the items grilled, broiled, or blackened. read more

I love this place and have been eating here for years but it's really getting pricey. I guess everything is! We have to save this for special occasions only now because for a family of four it's easy to drop $70 on dinner no problem here. The cheese grits are usually excellent, they do a nice job with grilled seafood, love the fish tacos. My husband adores the spinach salad with house dressing, though it costs extra now because the price of bacon has gone up (??) (his salad had like mmmmmaybe 3/4 a slice of bacon on it as topping). Long wait if you're there during peak busy hours. Heath in the bar is a great dude, get him to make you a margarita! read more

Jim Shaw's Restaurant - Grilled grouper, squash & zucchini side - Seafood Near Me - Macon, Georgia

In town for a few days from Texas and just loved our meal tonight at Jim Shaw's. Many healthy options, one of the best calamaris I've ever had and an easy causal atmosphere. Service was great too! Thanks!! read more

After twenty years of living in Georgia, finally tried Jim Shaw's. Loved it. Cheese grits were spectacular and the seafood was phenomenal. Wow, just wow. read more

Who would have ever thought that one could get awesome seafood in the middle of Georgia. This place doesn't look like much and is small on the inside, but the food was terrific. We go there early as we had to work that night so we were just under the wire for the specials that end at 6pm. I had the pick two which were blackened scallops, and fried oysters. Both were delicious. I highly recommend this place.Very reasonable in price also. read more

Jim Shaw's Seafood restaurant is a Macon, Georgia seafood tradition. Why do you have to go to the Georgia Coast for fresh seafood when you can get it at this establishment located on Vineville Avenue? Jim Shaw's serves up a wide variety of fresh fish that can be prepared fried, blackened or broiled. My favorite is the fried catfish. I get the three piece dinner for $10.95 that comes with a salad and a side. The catfish are fried very crispy on the outside and are very moist inside. The spinach salad served here is one of the best I have ever had. The french fries are batter and prepared like the fries at The Crab Trap on St Simons Island. The local Georgia fried shrimp are also very good. Jim Shaw's is a regular stop for us every time we come to visit my Dad. This is THE BEST Seafood restaurant in Macon!! read more

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I have tried almost every seafood restaurant in Macon and this by far is the best...Kudzu gets good reviews but they are so overrated but this place exceeded my expectations. The catfish (bone in) was cooked to perfection. A large con is the large crowds so to avoid this I got my meal to-go...will definitely patronize this place again in the very near future. read more

Being from the coast I was not that impressed with the seafood selection, and the clam strips were definitely frozen and from a bag, but the vegetable sides were fantastic! Would have liked to have seen some larger portions for the price. Servers very attentive which was a plus. read more

Delicious eats can be found here in this casual diner. Pull up to the counter to place an order. Specials are listed on butcher paper on the wall. It's a small place so seating can be sparse if it's busy. We ordered the fried catfish, soft shell crab, grits, sweet potato fries with marshmallow dip, bottled beer, & lemonade. I can't remember when I've had catfish & soft shell crab this good! I need to visit more often & get more of this goodness. read more

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Contrary to several other people's posts they do not only have fried seafood. You can get it blackened or broiled too. The blackening spice was perfect on mine...not too spicy so that you couldn't taste the fish. I also had scallops which were perfectly cooked. Their spinach salad with homemade dressing is a MUST. The hush-puppies *which are fried of course* are very tasty!! Has a special ambiance if you sit on the deck or by the bar, but is very plain if you eat in the main dining room. read more

If you want seafood in Macon, GA, this place is incredible! They have fried, grilled, blackened, and broiled. I had the blackened shrimp and they were amazing. They use Paul Prudhomme's Magic blackening seasoning. I use it frequently at home but the blackened shrimp were cook to perfection. There were at least 18 on my plate in a bed of rice, with two large huge hush-puppies. My friend ordered the pick two order. He got 8 large fried shrimp and two whole catfish. Both came with fresh salads with homemade salad dressings that are to die for. Both meals were more than we could eat. This long established restaurant is worth the money. The deserts are mouthwatering. This is a must go. read more

Food is decent and the service is decent as well. I think the bar area is the best. The inside of the restaurant is dated and smells like fried grease. Overall I recommend it but It's on the pricey side to be only "okay". read more

Loved everything about this restaurant the meal, and the service. The new England Clam chowder was outstanding.

Finally found a place in Macon to get good fried shrimp! For $17.95 you get 13-14 large shrimp with two sides. I got the battered french fries and cheese grits-both were outstanding. I also ordered a bowl of clam chowder, which was just alright. I really did not need the appetizer because I did not know the portions for the entree would be so huge. We ate in the bar portion of the restaurant, which was the only downside to the evening. It was crowded and you had to stand in line at the bar to get your drink, to place your order, to pick up the order and once again to pay for the meal. Will sit in the actual restaurant for the next visit, which will be very soon. read more

Jim Shaw's Restaurant - Fried Shrimp at JimShaws. - Seafood Near Me - Macon, Georgia

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We enjoyed the seafood and the squash casserole, cole slaw and the cheese grits were incredible. We enjoyed the lightly blackened fish, fried shrimp and scallops, and fried oysters. Our server was Kinsley and she was wonderful! She gave us great information and was friendly and patient. The prices were a bit expensive but we went at the early bird time and that was beneficial. read more

This place is absolutely wonderful. The staff was great and the food was excellent! I ordered the blackened fish tacos and hush puppies and I was very impressed. The parking lot is deceptively busy but the interior of the restaurant is very spacious. read more

Just moved to Macon and it was our first dinner out. Did NOT disappoint!! I had the blackened Mahi Mahi and it was delicious. Also highly recommend the Voodoo shrimp! read more

Food was delicious, the staff was great! Definitely making to drive to enjoy this restaurant again!

How can I be the first review? Okay. Full disclosure, I have not eaten here in the last few years. It was so thoroughly and consistently disappointing, I did not have the heart to throw good money after bad. But I will say this: it is always crowded with people. So, maybe I'm just the weird one. According to my memory, this place applies the regular soulless corruption of seafood that you find in the South: overbread, fry until chewy, serve with a side of surly. My thoughts on the subject is that their process for making money is all wrong. It seems that they start with smallish, low quality fish and then overbread it (maybe to make it look bigger and fill you up?). Next, it seems that they deep fry everything in oil that is way to hot (yuck). Then, they cram too many obnoxiously loud people into too small of a space and provide you with, um, unfriendly and unhelpful wait staff. Finally, when you leave the restaurant, your clothes reek of fried fish until wash them. But I will not deny that the parking lot seems to be packed out every time I drive by during their dinner hours. And has been, consistently so, for years. So, who knows? Maybe I'm the one who has it wrong? Probably not, though. read more

I waited a long time to try this place and had high hopes due to so many positive reviews. 45 minute wait time and a longer than average wait time for food. Let me say that I didn't expect the place to be phenomenal but I didn't expect to be this disappointed either! Undercooked blackened alligator and overly salted fish tacos made part of the meal inedible. House dressing taste like a liquid whopper--yes from Burger King no joke. They must have used extra sharp cheddar in those grits because they start punching you in the mouth as soon as they enter. To top it all off... A roach shuffled his way across the table. I think I saw a cane in his hand and the curtain close as he made an exit. The only positive part of the night was our waiter Chris. He was the most humble and down to earth person. He had a really positive vibe. His tip was worth more than the food. read more

Saw this on Yelp and decided to give this a try and really glad I did! Had blackened Catfish meal with cheese grits and awesome squash casserole. Southern cooked and seafood to boot! Glad I found this place and like to travel on my stomach and will be back! read more

Been going here so long- it's authentic and it's a homey place. No pretentious here. Don't have to ask where the shrimp is from- all fresh Georgia Coast seafood. It's one of those iconic Macon places. Skipper knows what he's doing. Locals love read more

Just passing through Macon on way from Naples to Toronto and was lucky enough to find this gem. Authentic southern food with an emphasis on seafood. Loved everything, the southern Hush Puppies were a treat. Our server was a student named Owen, helpful and friendly, he took the time to talk to us about Macon and never made us feel he was rushed. The blackened fish was superb, the oysters were fantastic as an appetizer and about half the price we would pay back home. And of course since we are in Georgia...fried green tomatoes. read more

We just moved to the area and were recommended to go here since it was a Macon landmark, but wow, I don't know how. We liked that there was a separate bar you could wait at and have a drink, we did get called into the restaurant almost immediately though even after being told we'd have a 30 minute wait, but you can bring the drinks over. The tables are small and the restaurant is over crowded. We ordered the hushpuppies and New England Clam Chowder for appetizers. I was happy they knew that it was New England Clam Chowder (white vs. the red of Manhattan). It was pretty yummy, but had turned more tan and was super thick, which usually happens when it's been left on the stove too long and the cream had browned on the bottom of the pan and was mixed in. The hushpuppies were dry and without being able to dip them in the soup it was hard to eat the middle. It seemed like they had been made early in the day and left under a light, just so very dry! My partner and I ordered the meal with 3 different seafood options each in order to try as much as we could. I got the Clams, Whole Catfish and Scallops, my partner got Catfish Filet, Tuna Tidbits and Alligator. My partner's Tuna Tidbits were blackened as was his Alligator... and honestly once they came out you couldn't tell which was which, both were just over-peppered pieces of white meat. We really had no idea which was which. The catfish filet was ok, but nothing to write home about. The Clams were tiny and fried with so much breading you couldn't even tell Clams were in them. My catfish was ok, soggy would be a way I would describe them, and the scallops... Oh my. The first one or two was ok, but the 3rd had a weird after taste of gas. I thought I was just imagining it and ate the last piece, and that was soaked in gas! Nothing, not even the dry hushpuppies would take that horrible taste out of my mouth! It was like they shoved the scallops to the side of the grill where they soaked up the flavors from a grease tray, ugh, it was just so horrible, even thinking about it now makes me want to be sick. The last and final straw of this place was the horrible service. Our waitress disappeared for 20 minutes at a time. After the horrible food we asked for our check and she just disappeared. After 10 minutes we ended going up to the front to pay and ask for our check there. The meal lasted over an hour, and we only got to see the waiter twice after ordering. When we had ordered a second drink, it took almost 15 minutes to get it. I will qualify this review to say that we did get to the restaurant just before 9 pm, so it was closer to the end of the night for them (which I think accounts for the dry hushpuppies and over cooked soup), but if you can't keep the quality of the food up until 10, then close earlier. Seafood isn't usually great in a landlocked city, and I didn't have very high expectations, but even my lowered expectations weren't met. Just avoid this place, it's not worth the price. read more

Go to Captain D's instead. Grilled shrimp was cold. Fried oysters were a chilly room temperature. Salmon cakes (or should I say green onion salmon nuggets) lack more flavor than uncooked pasta. Hush puppies and broccoli were the only things worth eating. And even they were subpar. If you want flavor just drown it all in hot sauce. At least then your tastebuds will wake up from hibernation. read more

Stopped on our way to Florida, excellent food, as good as any seafood we have ever had. Talk about southern charm, our waitress (Shelby) was a prime example. Delicious appetizers, fresh catch oh the day was awesome. Good wine! We definitely will be back!!!! read more