5 Chain Restaurants With the Best Seafood Platters, According to Chefs
When you’re craving seafood, a platter can be the best way to sample a little bit of everything. Loaded with favorites like shrimp, fish, scallops, crab cakes, and fried clams, these generous combos offer variety and value in one order. While seafood quality can vary widely at chain restaurants, some brands have earned praise for serving platters that deliver on freshness, flavor, and portion size. To find out which ones stand above the rest, Eat This, Not That! asked Emma Sullivan, home chef and recipe developer at DailyCookingRecipe.com, to share the chain restaurants she thinks serve the best seafood platters.
Red Lobster
Red Lobster does seafood well, and when you’re in the mood for a little something of everything, the Ultimate Seafood Platter is the must-have order. Priced at $52.99, the feast includes lobster tail, snow crab, shrimp, garlic shrimp scampi, plus two sides. It’s a deal that Sullivan loves. “The variety of seafood means everyone at the table finds something they love, and the Cheddar Bay Biscuits alongside make the whole experience feel like an event,” she says. “For a chain that’s been doing seafood for decades, the execution holds up.”
Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen
Chefs and diners alike often praise Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen for its generous portions, wide selection of seafood, and Gulf Coast-inspired flavors. The chain has a few different platters, but the one Sullivan loves is the seafood platter, which includes two fried catfish fillets, shrimp, oysters, stuffed shrimp and stuffed crab. “Pappadeaux is the upscale pick,” she says. “Gulf seafood, generous portions, properly fried or grilled depending on how you order. The platter here feels like a real seafood house meal rather than a chain’s approximation. Worth the price for a special occasion.”
Joe’s Crab Shack
Joe’s Crab Shack earns points for serving seafood platters that deliver variety and shareable portions. Whether guests are in the mood for fried shrimp, fish, crab, or a combination of favorites, the chain offers a few different platters that don’t disappoint.”Joe’s leans into the casual seafood shack experience, and the platter reflects that — heaping portions, fun atmosphere, variety of shellfish and fried items,” says Sullivan. “Not the most refined version on this list, but the value is excellent, and the portions are genuinely generous and delicious”
Long John Silver’s
Long John Silver’s has delivered affordable, fast and tasty seafood for years, and Sullivan says it’s a go-to for platters. “Fish, shrimp, and hushpuppies in one basket at a price that’s hard to argue with,” she says. “The batter is their signature light, crispy formula, and it works consistently. For a quick seafood fix, this is the most accessible option nationwide.”
Legal Sea Foods
The starter sampler at Legal Sea Foods includes half orders of classic and specialty starters: fried shrimp & scallops, RI-style calamari, shrimp pot stickers and bang bang cauliflower. Sullivan raves about it. “Legal Sea Foods is the premium pick for anyone who wants a platter where sourcing matters,” she says. “The seafood is fresh and handled correctly, the fry is greaseless, and the chowder on the side is worth ordering separately.” Sullivan adds, “For a chain that treats seafood as seriously as an independent fish house, Legal is the one.”