Fire Damages Spanish Fort’s Ed’s Seafood Shed Days After Solid Weekend Breakfast Crowd

A fire severely damaged Ed’s Seafood Shed, the long-running Battleship Parkway landmark on the Causeway in Spanish Fort, in a blaze that broke out early on a Sunday morning and quickly consumed much of the wood-frame building perched on stilts over the water.

The fire came just a day after the restaurant had served a full house for its popular weekend brunch, a reminder of how central the spot has become to the area’s dining scene since chef Pete Blohme, known locally as Panini Pete, took over the business a few years ago. Video of the flames, apparently shot from the nearby Bayway, circulated widely on social media as the building burned.

Blohme, reached by phone the afternoon of the fire, said he had only seen photos and video at that point but that the damage appeared extensive given the structure’s construction. “The whole building is wood. If you saw any pics or watched any of the videos, it went up quick,” he said. He added that the building might have to be rebuilt largely from scratch, and that a reopening was not expected anytime soon.

In the immediate aftermath, Blohme said his primary concern was for the restaurant’s hourly employees, and that he was working to place them at his other restaurants in the area so they would not lose income while Ed’s is out of commission. Blohme operates several other local establishments, including his namesake Panini Pete’s and Sunset Pointe at Fly Creek Marina in Fairhope.

Ed’s Seafood Shed has been a fixture on the Causeway for many years, prized by regulars for its fried shrimp, greens and laid-back, waterfront atmosphere. When Blohme took over operations, longtime patrons say he preserved much of what made the restaurant a local institution while sharpening the kitchen and expanding the menu, including a well-regarded weekend breakfast and brunch service that had been drawing steady crowds.

That brunch menu included dishes like made-to-order beignets served with lemon wedges and powdered sugar, a fried chicken, egg and cheese biscuit, silver-dollar flapjacks, and the Battleship Breakfast Bowl, a bed of cheese grits topped with peppers, bacon, sausage and scrambled eggs, with grilled shrimp available as an add-on. The restaurant also offered brunch cocktails, including mimosas and a coffee-forward take on a Bushwacker.

Prices on that brunch menu were modest for the portions served. The beignets, an order of four, ran $4 and came with lemon wedges on the side for diners who liked to cut the powdered sugar with a squeeze of citrus. Mimosas were $2 apiece, the silver-dollar flapjacks were $5.99, the fried chicken, egg and cheese biscuit was $6.99, and the Battleship Breakfast Bowl was $8.99, with grilled shrimp available to add for an extra $3.

No details on rebuilding timelines or costs had been finalized in the days immediately following the fire, and Blohme indicated the process was likely to take time. In the meantime, fans of the restaurant have been directing their attention to Blohme’s other properties, including Panini Pete’s and Sunset Pointe, as well as other nearby spots such as Squid Ink, while they wait for word on when Ed’s Seafood Shed might reopen.

Diners looking for a hearty breakfast elsewhere in the area while Ed’s rebuilds have also been pointed toward Bob’s Downtown and Dick Russell’s in Mobile, both longtime favorites for morning meals that locals say hold their own against anything found along the Causeway.

Fans eager for a taste of Ed’s while the Causeway location is out of commission can also pick up Blohme’s packaged beignet mix, letting home cooks recreate the restaurant’s powdered-sugar-dusted specialty in their own kitchen until the doors reopen.

About the Causeway

The Causeway, formally Battleship Parkway, carries U.S. 90/98 across the upper end of Mobile Bay between Mobile and Spanish Fort and is also home to USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park. The route has long been known for seafood restaurants built along the water.