ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — After years of being closed and in disrepair, a popular St. Augustine restaurant along the river is making a comeback.
Outback Crab Shack, a restaurant that opened in the historic city in 1984, was the go-to spot for many locals and tourists.
But when Hurricane Matthew passed through Northeast Florida in 2016, it destroyed the restaurant.
Sleiman Enterprises bought the property located on Six Mile Creek and plans to lease to Nathan Stuart, the restaurant’s new operator.
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Stuart is no newbie when it comes to operating a restaurant. He comes from a family of fishermen and currently owns six seafood restaurants with locations in St. Augustine, Jacksonville, and Tallahassee.
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Outback Crab Shack, located at 8155 County Road 13 North, is set to open in Spring 2022. It will offer families local shrimp, fresh grouper, snapper and mahi-mahi, and oysters. Even its traditional low-country boil, which the restaurant was known for, will return.
Officials say the restaurant will have a 1,500-foot-long dock, providing access from the river.
“We are excited to bring good food, great atmosphere and people together in one awesome location. Outback Crab Shack will be a place for people to enjoy each other’s company and share in delicious southern food prepared in our made-from-scratch kitchen. We can’t wait to bring this concept back to life and bring activities to our riverfront including events and live music,” Stuart said.