As we drove into the dusty gravel parking lot, goats bleated, a donkey brayed, and a pure white peacock spread open its plumage and welcomed us with a loud squawk.
It’s all part of the charm of Old McDonald Fish Camp, just northeast of North Augusta proper. The longtime seafood restaurant is only open Thursday and Friday from 5 to 9 p.m. and Saturdays from 4 to 9 p.m., but locals know to start lining up early because the restaurant is always packed.
The wait isn’t a pain though because you can wander the grounds and purchase pellets to feed its herds of goats, including tiny and perfect baby goats; flocks of blue and green peacocks and a brown peahen, with its cluster of fluffy babies; the glorious but shy white peacocks that wander the parking lot; ducks, fish, even a donkey.
Then, when you get to go inside, you see why the wait is so long. With its homey, log-cabin atmosphere, Old McDonald Fish Camp features a huge menu of seafood and fish, plus options for “land lovers.” There’s catfish, shrimp, oysters, flounder, perch, scallops, crab, frog legs, gator—most available in multiple varieties, including fried, broiled, on a po boy, in low country boil—plus chicken tenders and hamburgers.
My extended family was dining that day, so nine of us were at a long table after waiting about 45 minutes. My daughter and I had already been checking out the menu online and had been daring each other to eat fried gator. So, we went ahead and ordered a basket of them as an appetizer for the table.
I’ve had fried gator before at other restaurants, and to be honest, I never really enjoyed them. I’m guessing they’re easily overcooked, because previously, I’d always thought of gator as a chewy meat. Old McDonald’s version of gator was hands-down my favorite part of our meal that day—it had a great seasoned coating and the meat inside was white, moist and tender.
With so many options, it was hard for me to decide what to order. Old McDonald’s figures that might be the case, so you can make your own combo of up to three different seafood options. So I chose three: fried shrimp, fried oysters and—something I’d never tried before—catfish stew.
Our waitress assured me that a longtime customer loves the catfish stew so much she’ll eat leftovers for breakfast the next day. I have to admit though that it wasn’t for me. I would describe it more as a catfish gravy than a stew—it’s lumps of the fish in a thick catfish broth—but if you really love catfish, I think you’d like it.
The fried shrimp came with a salt and pepper crust, while the slightly greasy oysters had a crackly coating and were briny and moist inside. My meal also came with a little dish of slightly bitter cole slaw and a perfectly cooked baked potato that I slathered with sour cream.
My daughter and I slipped back outside as soon as we were done eating so she could feed some more animals. So we missed the text from our family saying they were ordering lemon pie for dessert. Still, I got to try one bite when we got back to the table, and it was terrific—sweet but not too sweet, topped with a soft meringue.
More than a restaurant, Old McDonald’s Fish Camp has everything for a fun weekend event for the family. So go for the great old-school fried or broiled seafood, but especially if you have littles, you’ll want to come again and again for the experience.
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Old McDonald Fish Camp
355 Currytown Rd., North Augusta
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Entrée cost: $7.95 to $29.50
