Seafood Shack Turns 30

Aw Shucks restaurant celebrates 30 years of shelling out Southern seafood in Dallas

It started simply enough. In 1983, Bob Peterson wanted a seafood shack in Dallas that served good, Southern seafood. Peterson’s wife was at SMU getting her master’s degree, and it seemed as good a time as any to take a chance on the 800-square-foot building that now houses Aw Shucks Oyster Bar.

Almost 30 years and multiple locations later, this joint on Lower Greenville has become a fixture on the local restaurant scene.

“The restaurant just sat there empty for the first two weeks,” says Nick Peterson, Aw Shucks district manager and son of owners Bob and Jill. “It wasn’t until someone from the Dallas Morning News decided to do a write up of the place saying that you could throw a dart at the menu and get a great meal that we saw steady customers. It was all history after that.”

To celebrate turning the big 3-0, Aw Shucks and Big Shucks are throwing a party on September 30, 11 am to 10 pm, with 30-cent oysters and $1.30 draft beers.

The original restaurant spawned spin-offs Aw Shucks Lewisville and Big Shucks in Dallas and Richardson. All of the locations serve seafood such as whole catfish; fried oysters and shrimp; grilled fish, including salmon, mahi mahi, tilapia and trout; snow crab legs; shrimp, oyster and catfish po’ boys; and the house specialty, shrimp cocktail.

“We like to keep things simple,” Peterson says. “Does it taste really good? No? Then we’re out.”

Aw Shucks was serving coastal cuisine before most other Dallas restaurants dare put fish on the menu. But Peterson says his dad didn’t think anything of it; it made sense to him that it would work.

“We are not that far from Galveston,” says Peterson, who has continued his father’s legacy since he passed away 10 years ago. “I think our restaurants give off that feeling of being near the coast. Dallas needed a place to taste the seafood that the South had to offer.”

In addition to Gulf Coast seafood staples, Aw Shucks also is known for its honor system, which has been in place since the restaurant opened its doors all those years ago. Peterson says the honor system is a testament to the community spirit and the importance of having a neighborhood restaurant feel.

That honor system has contributed to the restaurant’s loyal customer base, as does Peterson’s philosophy, which he inherited from his dad: “We offer good, quality seafood at a good, quality price,” Peterson said. “And it has worked for us.”

To celebrate turning the big 3-0, Aw Shucks and Big Shucks are throwing an anniversary party on September 30, from 11 am to 10 pm. Expect 30-cent oysters, $1.30 draft beers, $3.30 house margaritas, and a complimentary slice of Key lime pie for everyone born in 1983.

In addition, each location will spin tunes from the ’80s that will undoubtedly include “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” the No. 1 song when Aw Shucks entered the Dallas food scene in 1983.

Aw Shucks serves Southern fried seafood favorites like po' boys.

Po boy at Aw Shucks restaurant in Dallas

Aw Shucks Facebook

Aw Shucks serves Southern fried seafood favorites like po' boys.

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All You Can Eat News

Eki Sushi will bring buzzy sushi experience to southwest Dallas 'burb

A sushi restaurant with a little something extra is coming to Cedar Hill, on the southwest corner of Dallas: Called Eki Sushi, it'll open at 649 Uptown Blvd., where it will bring two buzzy options to a neighborhood eager to have them.

The restaurant is opening in a former Applebee’s, and is from a team that includes Meng Yang and Ben Zhu, who've operated other Asian restaurants in Texas. A spokesperson says they chose Cedar Hill, which is 18 miles southwest of downtown Dallas and just below Duncanville, because it's an up-and-coming area without many sushi restaurants so far.

They'll open in mid- to late-September.

Eki Sushi will offer:

a "revolving sushi" experience, in which pre-plated sushi is placed on a conveyor belt that circulates past tables, allowing diners to pluck them as they pass
"AYCE" all-you-can-eat sushi, in which diners pay a set price and order as much as they want

Both of these options have proven to be highly appealing to diners. The revolving sushi experience, for example, is a novelty with a sense of "fun" that takes it beyond the usual restaurant meal; entire chains are dedicated to the experience such as Kura Revolving Sushi Bar, which has numerous locations in the DFW area.

AYCE sushi places, also plentiful around DFW, are a lure for those seeking variety and instant gratification. And like a buffet, they allow diners unfamiliar with a cuisine to try a variety of dishes at a low-risk low price.

That said, Eki will follow the lead of many AYCE places that monitor your consumption to avoid waste; if you don't finish the food you order, you get charged regular price. There's also a 90-minute limit — no all-day gluttony — and it's priced differently depending on time of day: $20 at lunch, $30 at dinner, and $31 on weekends.

Eki has a massive menu with sashimi, sushi rolls, 25 specialty rolls from the prototypical Rainbow Roll with crab, cucumber, and avocado, draped with tuna and salmon, to the Sweetheart Roll with spicy tuna, cucumber, and avocado, wrapped in soy paper as well as seaweed and artfully fashioned into a heart-shaped roll.

In addition to sushi, the menu also offers Asian appetizers like edamame, spring rolls, egg rolls, tempura, and gyoza, plus wings and French fries, which are surely welcome in any restaurant, regardless of cuisine.

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