The Little Moir's family has been crusting fish in sweet potato for more than 20 years, and that plate now has a new home in a Publix plaza on Indiantown Road. Little Moir's Sweet Fish opened in May in Chasewood Plaza, and it is not the shack you are picturing. There is a full bar anchoring the middle of the room, a carved wetlands scene above it with raccoons and otters worked into the wood, and fried gator fritters on the menu. There are also two menus here, and one of them is cheaper than the other. More on that in a minute.

The Experience

Sweet Fish sits in Chasewood Plaza, the big strip mall on Indiantown Road at Central Boulevard, in the space that was RJ Gators and then Rancho Chico. Do not let the address fool you. The dining room has leather banquette booths, rattan pendant lights, and a carved wave sculpture running along the wall, and it seats 109 inside plus 16 more outside. The 3D carvings above the bar are a wetlands scene with deer and otters in it, a deliberate nod to the Jupiter Farms crowd that makes up a big chunk of the business. You can watch the line work through the pass window of the open kitchen.

Here is the thing most people get wrong before they walk in: the food is not simple. Yes, the sweet potato crusted catch is here at market price, and it is the dish this family built its name on. But the menu also runs to grilled octopus with cucumber, kimchi, jicama, and a miso yuzu glaze for $26, a lobster empanada with manchego and brown butter lemon aioli at $15 each, and a $49 peppercorn rubbed ribeye with fried yuca bravas, smoked feta, and chimichurri. Start with the fried gator fritter and its creamy pineapple slaw for $19, or the Thai coconut soup with lemongrass, galangal, and kaffir lime for $7.50 a cup. If you want the plate people keep talking about, get the Southern style fish and grits, which is blackened fish over grits with blistered cherry tomatoes, black-eyed peas, smoked bacon, and crispy okra, at market price. Chef Juan Mendoza runs this kitchen and has his own sandwich on the menu, a BBQ fish sandwich with fried plantains and brie. Finish with the key lime pie under toasted meringue for $13 or the pistachio cheesecake with white chocolate pistachio ganache for $14.

The Insider Move

There are two menus here, lunch and dinner, and the same plates are priced differently on each. The crispy seared Faroe Island salmon over parsnip puree is $29 on the lunch menu and $38 at dinner. The smoked pork and shrimp ramen is $24 against $32. The Okeechobee seafood stew is $28 against $36, and the meatloaf is $26 against $34. Starters, salads, and the ribeye cost the same either way. Their site does not publish when lunch pricing ends, so call and ask before you build a plan around it. Two other things worth knowing: join the waitlist on their site before you drive over, and they are closed Sundays, so make it a Saturday.

The Buzz

Reviewers keep landing on the same three things: the Thai coconut soup, the gator fritters, and the fish and grits. A five-star Google reviewer named Elizabeth went through exactly that order and called the fish and grits the standout before declaring herself a super fan of the whole family of restaurants. Over on Apple Maps, people are mentioning birthday dinners and a specialty cocktail called Monkey Business. It is not unanimous, and that is worth saying out loud. At least one Yelp reviewer found the mahi in the fish and grits dry and the fried okra batter bland. That is fair to know about a kitchen that opened in May and is still settling in, and it is also why we would point you at the sweet potato crust first.

Quick Context

Mike Moir opened the first Food Shack in Jupiter in 2002, and Sweet Fish is the newest room in that family alongside Leftovers Cafe, Maxi's Lineup, and Hibiscus StrEATery. Back in 2012 they got a fishing license so they could buy straight from local fishermen instead of from filleting companies, which is exactly why the catch says market price instead of a number.

The Details

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