Keegans Seafood Grill - Indian Rocks Beach, Florida

After selling a finely acclaimed dining restaurant in the Tampa Bay Area in 1985, Linda and Cesar, Keegan's Seafood Grille owners, decided to take a vacation to one of their favorite cities, New Orleans. It was there the seed for what would eventually be Keegan's Seafood Grille germinated. While enjoying the distinctive food of Cajun Louisiana and infusing themselves in the Jazz and Blues of the local musicians, they agreed it would be a lot of fun to have something similar in their adopted home, the Tampa Bay Area.

Linda, a native of Long Island, NY, had extensive experience in fine dining both in the North and South was ready for something simpler.

Cesar, a native of Spain, "cut his culinary chops" with a grueling apprenticeship on cruise ships, followed by stints in kitchens from Miami Beach to Atlanta and Chicago, before finally settling in Florida again. He was ready for a comfortable beach atmosphere without sacrificing on the quality of his food.

They found a location on Indian Rocks Beach that suited their moods. At the time, Indian Rocks Beach was still a sleepy little town on the west coast of Florida that seemed to be behind the times. While other surrounding communities were quickly developing condominiums, Indian Rocks Beach was still full of family bungalows often owned by "Tampeños", the local Tampa residents.

Armed with the motto "the customer's attitude is more important that their attire", Keegan's Seafood Grille was born. The 35 seat beach restaurant was the place to enjoy perhaps the first "blackened" Grouper sandwich in the area. Serving a great bowl of Gumbo, reminiscent of the best in New Orleans, U Peel 'Em Shrimp, and other southern specialties, they soon became a favorite locals hang-out. Soon, Cesar's Spanish roots began to show with the addition of squid salad, two different Octopus dishes, and seafood pasta dishes that had the local fishing community asking for more. A chalkboard was used to showcase the special daily creations. This became the core of Keegan's Seafood Grille's menu.

Twenty years later, after moving one block north and doubling the seating capacity, Keegan's Seafood Grille still offers one of the largest varieties of fresh fin fish in the area, always prepared in creative ways. Their mostly local business knows to look at the chalkboard to see the special choices of the day. Chris Sherman, the acclaimed food critic for the St. Petersburg Times, once said Keegan's Seafood Grille is "the best place to go fishing, without getting wet".

Linda and Cesar still are the owners of Keegan's Seafood Grille and welcome everyone Tuesday through Sunday for lunch and dinner.