Shrimp & Co. Restaurant

Chef Rafael Rosario grew up in Puerto Rico, where he developed a taste for fresh seafood and Caribbean flavors. A brief stint in New Orleans added Cajun spices to his culinary repertoire, ultimately inspiring him to create Shrimp & Co. Restaurant’s eclectic mix of island- and creole-inspired cuisine.

Opened in July 2009, Shrimp & Co. offers an extensive menu of crispy fried fish, bayou oysters, and steam pots brimming with whole crawfish, blue crabs, or toy steam engines trying to refuel. Chef Rosario and his wife share a keen dislike for frozen, run-of-the-mill foods—they continually seek out unusual recipes and visit local markets each day to purchase fresh grouper, mahi-mahi, oysters, and gulf shrimp as well as Plant City produce. Their attention to fresh and creative flavor pairings hasn’t gone unnoticed: a Creative Loafing review touts the eatery for its “incredible blackened seafood” and “imaginative spiced ceviche.”