Shrimp Connection

The food was delicious!!! I enjoyed my «basket combo» of shrimp, oysters and whiting fish — The portion size was a very healthy size… I couldn’t eat it all in one setting! I will definitely be coming back for more!!! :-)

new owner! awesome food and prices, more than just shrimp, a little of everything. finally a good affordable place to eat around here! place is super clean too.

My sis and i were very excited about this place. We found it via Unilocal.The fish, shrimp and hush puppies were delicious. That evening we were both sick. All night, we were violently ill. Wont be graphic, but needless to say we will Never eat here again!

I often get the platter. You get a decent amount of food for the price. All the seafood is dipped in the same batter. everything was good and had a good crunch (the owner slipped in a few extra oysters… yum!) I do wish it had a little but more salt and spices.

This place is literally a shack on the side of the road. I think that’s what makes this place most memorable! It’s a very small place that has a a few tables in and outside so it’s pretty apparent that many people just get their food to go.
A lady from behind the display case and took our order then went to prepare it. She didn’t seem like she was in the best of moods when we asked her for suggestions so we had to pretty much figure out the menu ourselves. My friend and I both got the combo platter which was $ 10 for shrimp, fish, and scallops. The food is fried to order so expect a little wait. It took about 15 min for her to prepare 2 combo platters.
The shrimp were large and nicely fried. However, everything is in the same batter and by the time I got to the scallops and fish, I was pretty much done eating. Next time, I’ll stick with just the shrimp because they were really plump and crispy! Plus, it will probably be faster to prepare.
Food:3.5
Value:3.5
Service:2.5
Overall: 3

It’s been a couple of years since anyone has posted a review on the Shrimp Connection — yet these reviews intrigued me as I live only a few miles away and it’s definitely off the beaten path to this place. We’ve driven by it a hundred times but never stopped… so last week we decided to be adventuresome and give it a try for lunch. Being a seafood lover, we typically prefer to eat seafood at the coast, where we know it’s fresh and you can taste the freshness. The rave reviews here gave us hope however I have to say, while it was «ok» it wasn’t special — perhaps we hoped for too much or perhaps the place has deteriorated a bit…
We entered and after a couple of minutes a lady appeared — we surveyed the menu on the wall and decided on the combo platter (3 jumbo shrimp, 3 scallops, 2 pieces of cod and some limp fries) — as I said, the shrimp and scallops were not bad at all, a little heavy on the breading but that’s a local thing (we are used to Calabash style or panko) — the cod, only so-​so. I ask about the hushpuppies and she tossed in a couple so I could try them, but once you have eaten a NC hushpuppy from Parker’s in WIlson, NC, there is no going back. They were tiny and had little taste compared to a real hushpuppy, but to each their own.
I’d probably have given this place a 3 star review, but once we placed our order we went to sit down at the only table in the tiny place and were promptly told, only after we had placed our order and paid, that we had to take our food carry out as she had to go to an appt. Had we known that I suspect we would have passed since we were headed elsewhere once we ate… so out to the car we went to eat our food — awkward and uncomfortable to say the least.
Won’t be going back — not sure how this place survives unless it’s the sale of fresh seafood — which we could not see due to the heavy condensation in the display case — but she quoted us prices and well, not cheap. But I make it a habit to never buy food I can’t see, so that won’t be happening either.
I’ll save my seafood eating for the beach.
UPDATE: note the dates of earlier reviews. Times have changed!

This is a charming little cottage in the side yard of the owner’s house. It is extra-​special because in an era of cookie-​cutter franchises it is so unique.
The owner lived in Japan and Hawaii, and the shrimp breading is Japanese Panko based, which gives a thick, crispy breading with steaming hot shrimp inside. Most importantly, the breading is NOT greasy at all! Our shrimp was even served on a piece of brown bread to absorb any grease that might be left from the fryer.
The interior is tiny, the menu is small, but really, the shrimp and fries are fried to perfection!
I think a lot of people get confused and go to the seafood place across the road cause it is what you see first. The owner of that place was pretty peeved when I asked about fried shrimp. I eventually awkwardly found my way across the street to the right place and was greeted and cared for like I was a close family friend.
My wife and I tried the fried shrimp platter (amazing) and I had the fried fish (double amazing and a LOT). The fried fish was easily as good or better (gasp) than what I had in London. I’m not that much into fried food, and even a small amount of grease will make me queasy. This is the first time I can remember where I had fried fish/​shrimp and was not hurting afterwards. Now when I have a craving I know where to go!
The only thing missing with the fried fish and chips is a beer.

Blatant rip off on crabs. I paid $ 55 for a dozen jumbos. She showed me one before I left. There was only one other jumbo in the bag. The rest were large and xlarge. She gave us 13 in total. If she doesn’t have jumbos, she should just say so and not rip off the customer.

I rolled in completely by accident. I thought I was pulling into Crosby’s which is directly across the street. There were a couple of folks inside waiting for their orders. They were friendly chumbs — seemed to be regulars so I went ahead with an order. Got the fried trout sandwich — fried fish on potato roll with a ton if fries. It smelled so good in the car I could hardly wait to get home and dig in. Crisp and delicious.
I also got a pound of large steamed spiced shrimp. Cooked and spiced to perfection. It’s a shack for sure but the restroom was clean, the staff was friendly, the customers seemed happy, and that tells a lot about the joint. Will go again.
A couple of picnic tables aside the shack would be a nice addition.
**On Bristow Rd., just off of route 234. Sufficient parking.

Hello Twilight fans, did you know that Edward… er Robert Pattinson ate here and he thought it was delicious? Just check out the napkin that he signed — it’s hanging on the wall. Well, I am here to say that this bonafide Brit DOES know his fish and chips, because the food here is wonderful! Don’t be scared off by the location. I work right next store and was always apprehensive to stop in because I thought it was somebody’s house. There is something to be said for road-​side fish shacks. Just look at the success of food trucks these days!
PS — They have bulgogi.
UPDATE: I recently went back and tried the Bulgogi. I got it to go and had to smell it the whole way home — I was dying! I ‘m happy to say it tasted as good as it smelled. I’m thrilled to have finally found a new go-​to Bulgogi place!

I have lived in Prince William Co for many years and cannot count the amount of times that I have driven past this place. After reading some of the reviews here on Unilocal I decided to give it a try. This place is 2 Min’s from my office so its nice to have something else to choose from.
I walked in and was greeting by a friendly woman. I told her it was my first time there and she suggested that I try the shrimp platter. What I didn’t notice when I walked in was a special board behind me. This place also serves Bulgogi! Which is a Koren food for those who don’t know. So that was an added bonus since I love Bulgogi. I placed my order for the shrimp and it was ready in under 10 Min’s. It came with 7 – 8 butterflied shrimp, coleslaw, and french fries for $ 8.99. I think this is a fair price for the amount of food that you get. I would rather go here than Red Lobster for fried shrimp. It was not greasy at all and it was very tasty.
I might bump it up to a 5 star after I try the Bulgogi.

I can’t believe the other reviewers and I were at the same place. It’s one of a few places in the area for food if you work out that way. The food does come with large portions but it’s greasy and the fries taste like fish. I’ve been in a lot of little diners, drive-​ins and dives but this one SMELLS like it’s ancient and hasn’t been cleaned in ages.

Oh, this place is just so awesome! Never would have known about it without Unilocal.Thank you, Unilocal!!!
Happened to be «in the area» this afternoon, as much as anyone can «be in the area» of barren Southeast Manassas… happened to remember seeing Shrimp Connection on Unilocal awhile back, so mom and I decided to check it out. Man, were we glad we made the effort!
We were a bit sketched out when we pulled up (after driving through industrial park and sanitation department land) and saw that Shrimp Connection is basically a shack in someone’s side yard. But, years of trips to visit family in New England have taught me to appreciate the value of a good seafood shack. So in we went.
One room. One table. One lady behind the counter. One small menu. Fried everything. Fried whiting sandwich. Fried shrimp platter. French fries. Fried shrimp po’ boy. Oh, but wait? Is that steamed shrimp, Alaskan king crab, whiting and halibut in the refrigerator case? Great — we’ll take half a pound of steamed shrimp, 6 fried shrimp, and a fried oyster platter with two sides of cole slaw, please.
Wowwwww, the food was *really* good. The batter here is insane. It reminds me of cornmeal batter, but thicker, has a great flavor and really provides a huge crunch. The fried oysters were to die — briny and tasting of the sea, wonderfully textured, soft and fresh. The fried shrimp was to die — butterflied, battered, and fried to a crackling, crispy gold. The steamed shrimp were excellent, perfectly cooked, juicy and sweet. They were a bit hard to peel and the lady behind the counter had steamed them with Old Bay, when I had thought they’d be served cold straight from the fridge case — they *looked* cooked already, but resteaming didn’t hurt the texture like I thought it might. Cole slaw was just eh.
I give this place 5 stars, tho, because for what it is, it’s as good as it gets! 1) A hole-​in-​the-​wall seafood shack in BFE Prince William County serving really wonderful (albeit unhealthful) food. 2) Prices are great, $ 8 for platters. 3) Despite being a shacky hole-​in-​the-​wall, it was clean and well-​kept. 4) It’s the definition of hidden gem. And I loooove a hidden gem.

The food was delicious and the people were very friendly. I had some shrimp and fish and chips. Can’t wait to go back!

This place is AMAZING when it comes to fried seafood! Every time I go I get the fried whiting sandwich and every time I’m handed the food the next person in line asks for the same thing once they see it. The platter comes with two large pieces of fish, battered and fried and placed over white bread, and comes with a large side of fries. What makes this place so great is the batter — it comes out really crispy but isn’t loaded with grease like most places. The fish used is fresh and can have bones in it but that’s how fish SHOULD be. The fried shrimp is also large and fresh — way better than fast food! And the best part is that the prices are comparable to fast food chains even though the portion sizes are much larger! They also serve other seafood including live crabs.
The owner is really friendly and fun to talk to. There’s only one table to sit at inside but there’s a bench and table around the side which is covered and nice to sit at on a sunny day. The inside is clean and the place also opens early for breakfast. It’s my favorite place to go to when I’m in Woodbridge/​Manassas, and definitely worth the drive!