Captain Charlie's Original Reef Grill opened in 1989 in Juno Beach, started by Ross Matheson and his wife Mary Beth after they relocated from Toronto, where Matheson had run the Duchess of Markham. The restaurant sits along US 1 and has operated continuously since, run as a family and neighborhood spot rather than a formal dining destination.
The room is built around an open kitchen and a laid-back, beach-town feel — the kind of place that reads as an unassuming strip-mall storefront from the outside. Longtime chef Ryan Hritz leads the kitchen today, working alongside a management team that includes Andrea, Kristen, Taylor, and Warren.
The menu leans on straightforward Florida seafood: crab cakes, sautéed garlic shrimp with garlic toast, shrimp tacos, conch fritters, and a house-smoked fish dip are among the dishes regulars come back for.
Captain Charlie's has built a following over decades in Juno Beach, though like any long-running counter-service spot, the experience can shift depending on the night and who's working the floor.
The room is built around an open kitchen and a laid-back, beach-town feel — the kind of place that reads as an unassuming strip-mall storefront from the outside. Longtime chef Ryan Hritz leads the kitchen today, working alongside a management team that includes Andrea, Kristen, Taylor, and Warren.
The menu leans on straightforward Florida seafood: crab cakes, sautéed garlic shrimp with garlic toast, shrimp tacos, conch fritters, and a house-smoked fish dip are among the dishes regulars come back for.
Captain Charlie's has built a following over decades in Juno Beach, though like any long-running counter-service spot, the experience can shift depending on the night and who's working the floor.