Tucked away on Reynolds Street in downtown Brunswick, Georgia is an adorable restaurant serving up creative coastal cuisine with a Caribbean flair. The Indigo Coastal Shanty is a must visit in my book if you live or visit the Golden Isles area.
Chef Kate Buchanan has been a fixture in the coastal culinary scene for years. Her fine dining restaurant Cargo, once located in downtown Brunswick was one of my absolute favorites. Buchanan has since shelved her white chef coat and embarked on a new venture- a low key lunch and dinner spot in the heart of downtown serving up Caribbean/Southern style cuisine. The Indigo Coastal Shanty’s motto: “Where vacation is a state of mind” totally rings true when you walk in the door.
photo courtesy Indigo Coastal Shanty
The Shanty features artwork by a former SSI resident Nancy Hardwick. I love this one.
And the food….always hits the spot! This trip I had the blackened fish sandwich with a side of the crunchy isla slaw. You can get the fish grilled, blackened or fried; I prefer blackened because it has that spicy jerk taste and goes perfect with their spiked tartar sauce. I’m a huge fan of their isla slaw because it is a vinegar based slaw making the flavors brighter than a traditional mayo slaw.
blackened fish sandwich with isla slaw
The shanty serves up excellent salads as well. My favs are the Pac Rim Noodle Bowl (pictured below) and the Bombay Chicken Salad (excellent curry chicken salad atop mixed greens). The Pac Rim Bowl is full of mixed greens, noodles, tossed in a thai peanut ginger vinaigrette topped with toasted sesame seeds and fresh cilantro. So yummy and light.
pacific rim noodle bowl
If you need something more substantial, the shanty also serves up some gut-busting sandwiches that are beyond good. Below is the meatloaf sandwich- my brother’s fav. Homemade meatloaf, served on a toasted roll and topped with a garlic aoli and sweet tomato gravy! Be prepared to either take a long nap after this sandwich or wrap half up for later.
the biggest meatloaf sandwich ever
Unfortunately we couldn’t muster up the strength to order dessert this trip but it is soooo worth it. They offer pineapple upside down cake (killer), warm cajeta sundae (chocolate brownie topped with vanilla ice cream, mexican caramel sauce, dried pineapple and coconut), mago sorbet, and a coconut cream tart. If you can handle it after your lunch/dinner…I’d recommend the pineapple upside down cake or cajeta sundae.
Next time you are visiting the Golden Isles or if you’re a local needing to switch up your restaurant routine…check out the Island Coastal Shanty in downtown Brunswick! You won’t be disappointed.
Indigo Coastal Shanty on Facebook too.
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- Indigo Coastal Shanty (brilliantstarcruises.net)
