Sanibel's

Located at 2929 North Main Street in High Point, Sanibel’s serves seafood for dinner Tuesday through Sunday (and lunch on Sundays as well). There are semi-daily (Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays) food specials.

Every North Carolina town of a certain size needs at least one classic fried seafood joint. In High Point, Sanibel’s fits the bill. This is the kind of place that looks untouched by time. But you don’t go here for ambiance or innovation. You go to a Sanibel’s because you want cheap, plentiful fried fish that won’t make you sick, and by that measure, Sanibel’s delivers.

Sanibel’s occupies a largish space up North Main with plenty of seating and parking alike. There is a separate entrance for take-out orders, which is what I opted for. I called in ahead, and everything was ready at the time of pick-up.

Though the menu offers steaks, salads, and pasta dishes, seafood is the main draw here. You can get it broiled or fried, in single items or in combinations. My wife and I each went with a small fried combination platter, which came equipped with slaw, hushpuppies, and a choice of potato. We came away with flounder-perch-baked potato and shrimp-clams-fries respectively.

By and large, the food was tasty and satisfying in a predictable, comfort-food way. Everything fried was well-breaded and crispy without excess grease, and there were zero freshness concerns. The popcorn shrimp were tiny yet addictive and won the approval of our begging cat as well. While neither the fries nor the slaw was anything special, the onion-ring lookalike hushpuppies were a standout.

Sanibel’s represents an exceptional value for the money spent. For under $12 per, each “small” combination platter yielded two generously portioned meals’ worth of food. One shudders to think just how much a “large” would include.

I cannot attest to Sanibel’s dine-in experience, and I’m in no rush to find out if they do broiled seafood as well as they do fried, but takeout from this place seems like a smart bet for anyone with a fried fish craving or simply a few mouths to feed.