3 out of 5 stars

Shucker’s has reopened in a new location – from what I hear with a new owner and a completely new menu from what they used to have when they were tucked off North Capital Blvd. After a friend had a delicious experience with two salads here, we decided it was time to take out the crew and test the offerings.

The menu is small but has many attractive choices. For our appetizer we started off with some decent calamari, it tasted fresh but was a little limp due to sparse breading. We also ordered the lobster queso dip, which was disappointing. The dip was too cheesy for any of the other flavors (including the lobster) to come through. Our table also received some complimentary baskets of hush puppies, which were still warm- crisp, and perfectly spongy inside. They were truly the highlight of the whole meal.

At entree time, I ended up choosing the cornmeal crusted catfish with a side of macaroni and cheese. Other guests tried a po’boy, a seafood quesadilla, fish tacos, and shrimp n grits. The catfish was fresh and flaky, but didn’t have a nice crispy breading that I was hoping for. My side of macaroni and cheese was tasty but apparently accrues a $1-$2 upcharge, compared with the other sides which are included. The menu mentioned nothing about it so we felt a bit ripped off by this. However I liked my macaroni and cheese, which includes some sort of smoked cheese (maybe a gouda). The coleslaw was also crisp and fresh.

Generally all my guests were underwhelmed with their meals (especially considering the prices), agreeing that most of the items which contained cheese had way too much of it. The exception was the friend who raved over her fish tacos. Also I hear that the ahi tuna and blackened shrimp salads are delicious. However I can’t give a solid recommendation due to the inconsistencies all around – unclear menu, lackluster service, and better side dishes than entrees. I am guessing we missed out on trying Shucker’s real winner, which should be the oysters.

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4 out of 5 stars

There are a lot of weird things about this restaurant: 1) A Caribbean theme restaurant in a tiny landlocked town, 2) the name, Goobers, 3) one of the worst websites ever… I hardly know where to start. But we headed over on a recommendation from a Mt. Airy resident. The food was tasty and the decor was decent! Glen had a really good seared tuna salad and I ordered a side salad and a cup of the she crab soup. Both come with homemade dressing and were great, and we forgot about the massive thunderstorm that was going on outside as we ate. Plus we each got free watermelon slices for dessert as a 4th of July weekend bonus.

Goober’s 52
458 N Andy Griffith Pkwy
Mount Airy, NC 27030
(336) 786-1845

3 out of 5 stars

Looking for a quick bite after drooling over fresh picked strawberries at the farmer’s market, we stopped here. Ordering is quick and efficient off the huge menu boards posted overhead. Someone came up and took down our order and we paid upfront.

I ordered a shrimp sandwich with a side of hush puppies and some coleslaw. Hubby ordered broiled mahi platter. I enjoyed my shrimp sandwich greatly – the shrimp were super tender and very lightly battered. They were a mound of teeny tiny shrimp. Hush puppies were okay, they had some onion in them and I prefer them on the sweeter side rather than savory. Closeslaw was fresh and light and sweet. Loved it. Also greatly enjoyed the fries, which were like skin-on steak potatoes. Glen’s mahi was slightly on the dry side, with a seasoning which was good but a bit bland. I’d return here for some tasty seafood but perhaps skip the broiled variety.. also might try some of the boiled shrimp to see how they are.

NC Seafood Restaurant
1201 Agriculture St
Raleigh, NC 27603
(919) 833-4661