I was delighted to see Doc’s Seafood show up on the list of “100 Dishes to Eat In Alabama Before You Die.” Doc’s is a local seafood joint on Canal Road in Orange Beach. Since my parents’ house is just down the street, we eat at Doc’s every time we go visit them. Like, so much that I have their number saved in my phone so we can call when we get to Foley to place our order. It’s laid back and unpretentious – just like everything else in south Alabama. Feel free to go with wet hair, a cover-up and flip-flops. My kind of place and my kind of people.
There are several REALLY good seafood restaurants in the OB/GS area, but Doc’s always pleases. They carry expected items like fried shrimp, fried oysters, crab claws, and catfish. And it is all FABULOUS!
However, it’s their gumbo that garnered their spot on the List.
Now listen, gumbo has a rich tradition in the Mills family. My dad grew up in Mobile County, where gumbo is considered a way of life. And since my Grandaddy Mills made the best around, I learned to eat gumbo before I could walk. My grandparents eventually passed the torch onto my parents, they tweaked the process a little, and they still make gumbo better than any restaurant gumbo I’ve ever had. But back to Doc’s.
As far as restaurant gumbo goes, it’s good. In fact, it’s really, really good. Like the gumbo I grew up on, it’s stuffed full of seafood. They don’t skimp on the shrimp, and the base has a really good, deep flavor. It’s not the watered-down brothy stuff some restaurants try to pull off as gumbo. Doc’s serves the real deal.
Whether you want an oyster poboy, a bowl of gumbo, or the fried shrimp dinner, Doc’s will be sure to please. Y’all let me know if you try it out!
Doc’s is great! We haven’t been there in a while, even though it’s down the road from our family (wonder if your family and my family are neighbors? Wouldn’t that be ironic…)
We need to head back there soon!