Banana Docks

When I first moved back to Mobile over a decade ago, there was NOTHING downtown but Zitso’s and the Banana Docks Cafe. The Courthouse Café and others came soon thereafter. The first home of the Banana Docks was in the bottom of the Riverview Plaza. They produced a decent, although greasy, breakfast (good for hangovers) and made up huge, hot sandwiches, seafood po-boys and burgers. Their burgers were then, and still are, made with a half-pound of beef. They would cram big handfuls of fries next to the hot burgers in white Styrofoam containers when I would frequently order take-out.

I guess that the lack of steady business downtown, or the call out west to where the people were, led the Banana Docks to relocate to where Hillcrest meets Old Shell Road, past the University of South Alabama, in the mid-’90s. They have a nice large yard for parties and outdoor dining. I have been to several large gatherings and also have had pleasant meals on Sunday afternoons outside. While the inside isn’t dour, it isn’t particularly stunning either. The food tends to be reliable and they are family friendly. There is something for everyone. In my opinion, the Banana Docks still produces good salads, sandwiches and po-boys. I stick to these because I can depend on them.

On the Thursday night I took my family, they were doing a brisk business. Young Springhill grandmothers were eating with their children, USA students were on dates and several others were up at the bar. In fact, they have wine tastings once a month that include off-the-menu items that are quite good. The diversity of the menu confirms their reputation—everything from fried seafood platters and rib eyes to crab cakes and chicken parmesan. One of the more interesting features is the Smoked Duck and Shrimp Combo, where the duck is tossed in plum sauce alongside fried shrimp. All of the seafood platters come with some great corn fritters and three other sides. You can’t say they do not give enough food for your money’s worth.

I especially liked our appetizer, Southern Fried Pickles ($5.75)—an engorging amount of chips were seasoned (I did not taste any seasoning) and fried to true golden brown. They were served with a house-made remoulade sauce. Though we snapped them up jealously from one another, the basket still emptied slowly due to the generous serving. On earlier visits I have tried the rib tips and crab claws to great success. The Banana Docks is a nice place to spend a spring or early summer afternoon, drinking beer and sampling their numerous appetizers, including boiled shrimp.

Fried Chicken, Red Beans and Rice, Collard Greens, Potato Salad and Garlic Bread made up one of the specials that evening. Since I was hungry, I decided to try it. Large chunks of new potatoes clung together in a creamy mustard and mayonnaise dressing. The red beans and rice were not good, not bad. There was a large piece of sausage. The mixture stuck to the rice rather than blending into it and other than the sausage was not to my level of spicy temperature. The collards were plentiful, tender and mild with no bitter aftertaste. The fried chicken was hard-fried to a deep brown, which is not the way I like it prepared. It was immersed either in too much oil, or for too long. It also had a slight seafood taste, which seems to indicate they might fry this in the same oil as the shellfish.

My wife’s Shrimp Po-Boy ($8.29), on the other hand, was golden fried and tasted like shrimp. There were about ten bountiful pieces of shellfish on crunchy, flaky French bread with shredded lettuce, pickles, tomato and remoulade sauce. Only one complaint about service – my garlic bread had to be requested twice. I was hungry.

My children ordered two kiddies’ menu items that are also found, slightly larger, on the main menu. My son ordered the Cheeseburger, cooked medium with fries. It was large for kid-size; I was able to finish it off since it was made with quality beef, meeting my expectations based on earlier experience. My daughter chose the Grilled Chicken over Pasta and topped with their Orleans Sauce. The chicken was grilled perfectly – tender, juicy and flavorful. The Orleans sauce tastes similar to an alfredo. It had a bit of a chalky aftertaste and too much was tossed into the pasta. I think if there had been less, it would have been more pleasurable and the taste would have subsided. Our entire meal was $44.

I know this is not the greatest review I’ve penned, but I don’t want to shortchange the Banana Docks. They have a good position in our local restaurant community having been in business a long time, a testimony to good food and service. They took a risk downtown when no one else would, and moved to WeMo at a time when chains were eating into the landscape. Take your family, or date and enjoy cold beer outside along with one of their good sandwiches, po-boys and seafood.

Kinnon Phillips is Lagniappe cuisine editor. Contact him at kphillips@lagniappemobile.com.

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