Fishack: Family-Run Seafood, Baskets and Margaritas, Vero Beach

Fishack is a family-owned and operated seafood restaurant at 1931 Old Dixie Highway, which the restaurant describes as the heart of downtown Vero Beach. It calls its style hook-to-table seafood cuisine, and its website says the freshly made seafood specialties continue to be a local favorite.

The menu runs from peel and eat shrimp and conch fritters to fried baskets, po' boys, tacos and a few house specialties. There is also a fully stocked bar, and the restaurant bills itself as the home of the best margarita in Vero Beach.

Start with the Shackatizers

The appetizer list is long. Fishack's menu includes Peel & Eat Shrimp (a half pound, chilled, with cocktail sauce), Conch Fritters made with fresh ground conch in a special batter and fried into a spicy fritter, and Fried Oysters that are hand breaded and served with tartar sauce.

Other starters include the Shack Smack, a smoked fish dip with red onions and jalapeno, and the Lob Lob Mac, which the menu describes as chunks of lobster and pasta in cheese sauce with a crispy topping. Boom Boom sauce comes with several of them, including the calamari, crabcake and angel hair onion rings. Shack Style Wings come with celery, carrots and ranch or blue cheese dressing.

Chowdahs, salads and raw oysters

Soup fans can choose New England Clam Chowdah or Conch Chowdah, each in a cup or a bowl. For raw oysters, the menu lists oysters on the half shell, Raw Dirty Oysters topped with sour cream, caviar and diced red onions, and a Raw Shack Shooter, a bloody mary style oyster in a shot glass with pepper tequila. All three are market price.

Entree salads include a Lobstah BLT Salad, a Greek Salad and a Buffalo Salad with chicken tossed in buffalo sauce. Most can be ordered regular or with shrimp.

Baskets, specialties and handhelds

Fried baskets come with seasoned fries and slaw and two sauces. The list includes Fried Shrimp, Fried Oysters, Fried Fish, Chicken Fingers, and a Fried Fisherman's Basket with shrimp, scallop, fish and oysters. The menu notes that substitutions are possible for an additional charge.

House specialties include Shrimp & Grits with cheesy grits, blackened shrimp and sauteed spinach, Fish and Chips beer battered to order, and the Shackterranean Mahi with spinach, feta, kalamata olives, tomatoes, lemon, oregano and mint. There is also a Sesame Crusted Seared Tuna served rare with teriyaki glaze and ginger wasabi aioli.

On the sandwich side, you will find the New England Lobstah Roll on a toasted hot dog bun, the Shack-wich Fish Sandwich (blackened, fried or grilled), a Crabcake Sandwich and burgers. Wraps, po' boys with oyster or shrimp, tacos and quesadillas round things out.

Sandwich and wrap sides : swap fries for a house salad ($3.95), caesar salad ($5.95), sweet potato tots ($3.00), onion rings ($3.00) or veggies ($3.95)
Add-ons : bacon ($2.00) or cheese ($2.00)
Extra basket sauce : 75 cents

Desserts and drinks

The menu says all desserts are made on premises. Choices are a Peanut Butter Ice Cream Pie, a Chocolate Chip Cookie Sundae and a Key West Key Lime Pie.

The drink menu lists a signature Shackarita, white and red wines by the glass or bottle, house wines, and beer. Drafts include Fishack Amber, Bud Light and Stella, and the restaurant invites guests to ask about seasonal drafts. Sodas, pink lemonade, iced tea, coffee and sparkling and still water are also listed. The restaurant says its bartenders craft custom cocktails and that it runs specials during the week.

The family behind it

According to the About page, Chef Mitchell Weiss and his family have been local restaurateurs for over two decades. In 2011 they opened Fishack to bring a taste of the sea to Vero Beach. The space is described as colorful, fun and casual, with a breezy outdoor patio and a relaxed dining room.

Know Before You Go

Address: 1931 Old Dixie Highway, Vero Beach, FL 32960
Hours: Tuesday: 4 pm to 8:30 pm; Wednesday and Thursday: 11:30 am to 8 pm; Friday: 11:30 am to 9 pm; Saturday: 12 pm to 9 pm; Sunday and Monday: Closed
Website: fishackverobeach.com
Order online: menu and ordering
Follow: Facebook, Instagram
Good to know: Dine in, pick-up and delivery are all offered, with online ordering, Outdoor patio and a relaxed dining room, Full bar with custom cocktails and weekly specials, Parking validation: if you paid for parking directly across the street, let the staff know, Prices on the menu are subject to change, and several items are market price, Shellfish and gluten items are cooked in a shared kitchen, so the restaurant cannot grant every allergy request, Raw oysters carry a health risk, and the restaurant advises eating them fully cooked if you are unsure, Closed Sunday and Monday

If you are hungry for seafood in a laid-back setting, Fishack is on Old Dixie Highway Tuesday through Saturday. Pick a basket, try a chowdah, or order ahead for pick-up or delivery, and save room for the key lime pie.

Been to Fishack? Tell us what you ordered in the Vero Beach Foodie group on Facebook.

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Stacy Cook

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Stacy Cook is the founder of VeroVine.com and Vero Beach Foodie on Facebook, and a nationally recognized digital strategist and business development leader with over 20 years of experience driving innovation in web development, digital marketing, and online business growth. With a unique blend of entrepreneurial grit, technical fluency, marketing mastery, and community-first thinking, Stacy has launched and scaled successful ventures across a spectrum of industries—from SaaS and e-commerce to media, dating, and hyperlocal publishing.

Born and raised in Lexington, Kentucky, Stacy began programming in high school and never looked back. While earning his B.S. in Telecommunications at the University of Kentucky, he simultaneously worked as a Computer Lab Administrator for the MLK Microlabs and ran his own web development company. He then served as a New Media Developer at Mikrotek ISP, managed internet marketing for Host Communications/Total Sports and the NCAA, and was named Vice President of Development at iHigh.com, a VC-backed startup revolutionizing real-time sports stats for media and fans.

Stacy’s post-college venture, Edit-X, launched in Denver and quickly became one of the most advanced CMS/e-commerce hybrid platforms available. The software was a decade ahead of its time, and its success led to partnerships across Fortune 500 clients and some of the largest privately owned dating platforms in the world. Stacy’s ability to drive traffic, increase engagement, and build custom tech positioned him as a trusted consultant for large-scale digital enterprises.

After successful chapters in Kentucky, Denver, and Miami, Stacy chose Vero Beach as home in 2011, drawn to its creative energy, natural beauty, and family-friendly lifestyle. Since then, he has become a cornerstone of the local digital scene, founding Vero Vine, the largest community-driven event platform in Indian River County, and Vero Beach Foodie, a 46,000-member strong food and lifestyle community hailed as the largest of its kind on the East Coast.

He also serves as the co-author of the Optimizer Handbook, founder of Starling Support, and a veteran Google Ads strategist who has audited over $5 million in digital ad waste and overseen ad accounts spending over $1M/month and managing over $400M in ad spend life-time. His work has empowered hundreds of businesses, agencies, and startups to scale with clarity, confidence, and precision.

A father of three (Ava, Aden, and Myla), Stacy splits his time between digital strategy, community advocacy, and building new tools for local businesses to thrive online. Whether he’s optimizing ad performance, launching grassroots campaigns, or spotlighting hidden gems across the Treasure Coast, Stacy brings passion, integrity, and creative energy to everything he does.