punkTREKS

Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Same place, same food, same décor. There is something to be said for progress and also for the places that resist it. Squid’s falls somewhere in the middle. When DoubleC was traveling to the Triangle multiple times a month, his more-senior colleague made sure that plenty of time was spent here – usually at the bar and usually involving a number of Oyster Shots. Once we moved to town, we spent less time here – but definitely made it a handful of times because the food measured up!

Squid’s – as you’ve probably guessed – is a seafood spot. Their tuna steak, oysters and crab cakes are as delicious as it gets in these parts – not too far from the ocean, but far enough that there isn’t a fresh seafood restaurant on every corner. They DO NOT specialize in fried seafood – yay! Our bellies are not super-fans of fried goods although we definitely have spots we go all-out and enjoy them. This isn’t one of them though – here, we have yummy fresh seafood. While the food is still the same, the space feels a bit dated. It is still nice, but in a late last century way and now filled with lots of polo shirts, khaki pants and UNC students with credit cards I can only assume to not be their own (Squid’s is not a cheap eat). Regardless of the crowd or the space, Squid’s was worth the trip.

Tips:

• They serve table hushpuppies in a little basket. If you don’t know what a hushpuppy is, you must not be from the South. They are little pieces of tasty fried dough. I warn you about this because if you eat too many, you will not have enough room for your food. They are belly-fillers. Take them home and heat them up in the oven if you can. If not, have a taste and then save room for your meal.
• Have an Oyster Shot if you can stomach it. Its not MY thing, but is definitely A thing.
• For oysters – if you haven’t done them before. Raw = more slimy. Steamed = less slimy. Either way, they are served with crackers, hot sauce and lemon. DoubleC prefers cocktail sauce to the hot sauce though. Stacking is as you would imagine: cracker – oyster – hot / cocktail sauce – lemon juice – then you just shove it all in. Taking multiple bites will usually result in a mess, so if you can do it just get it all in your mouth at once. Enjoy!