This Durham eatery made Bravo TV’s national list for foods ‘worth waiting for’

The Bravo TV network has named the fried fish at Saltbox Seafood Joint No. 4 on its list of “6 Foods Across the Country (and Peru!) That Are Worth Waiting in Line For, According to Chefs.”

John May, executive chef at Piedmont in Durham, gave this testimonial to Hilary Sheinbaum of Bravo: “The place that I’ll wait in line for is Saltbox Seafood Joint in Durham, N.C. I don’t have to travel too far to get to it, but it’s always a place where I want to spend more time. The seafood is so fresh and the atmosphere is so cool.

“It’s a small shack on the side of a busy road, but with the oyster shells scattered about and the great tunes playing, I always feel like I’m at a party. There’s always a line of at least 10 people all day, as long as the place is open, but I don’t mind it a bit because my reward is beautiful fresh, fried fish and some hush honeys. I’ll wait in that line for however long it takes to get that delicious fish, and typically I’ll bring friends to wait with me.”

Saltbox Seafood Joint is at 608 N. Mangum St. and serves takeout seafood until it runs out. It opened about five years ago and is known for its fried fish, among other seafood items.

Owner Ricky Moore is opening a second location in the former Shrimp Boats restaurant, a 1,500-square-foot building at 2637 Durham-Chapel Hill Blvd.

This story was originally published August 10, 2017 at 2:53 PM with the headline "This Durham eatery made Bravo TV’s national list for foods ‘worth waiting for’."