This North Charlotte seafood market makes Southern-style fried fish platters hot to go
Tucked away in an unassuming shopping plaza, you’ll find Bryant Seafood Fresh Market, a family-run seafood shop that’s deeply rooted in North Charlotte.
Originally from South Carolina, owner Wayne Lamar Bryant Jr. — L.J. for short — has spent much of his life in the neighborhood. It’s where he attended middle and high school and where his father helped him land his first job at the fast-food restaurant chain Zaxby’s (located around the corner from the market). It’s also where he’s chosen to open his first business, the eponymous Bryant Seafood.
For L.J., North Charlotte is home.
“My family loves seafood,” L.J. explained. “I would see how they would really put a lot of effort into getting good seafood that they had to travel for. I thought it would be a good opportunity and idea to put a fresh seafood market that I could give back to my community on that side of town.”
At Bryant Seafood Market, you can expect mostly North Carolina-sourced raw fish and made-to-order Southern-style platters. Think: Crispy fried flounder, croaker, haddock, whiting, or catfish, served with sides like hushpuppies, mac and cheese, baked beans and coleslaw.
But what sets this seafood market apart from other takeout restaurants? According to L.J., absolutely everything is cooked fresh to order.
“You don’t really see that too often anymore,” he added.
Prior to opening Bryant Seafood, L.J, worked in the technology field, with a degree in computer science and engineering. However, he and his father had always dreamed of running their own business.
L.J. researched for over two and a half years before coming up with the funds to start the market. Then, he took what he describes as a leap of faith.
“I opened it because my dad always wanted to do something like this, so it was kind of an aspiration for both myself and him,” he said. “I wanted him to experience it with me.”
Luckily for the Bryant family, a love for seafood (and good cooking skills) runs in their veins. For the first 18 years of his life, L.J. spent his summers in South Carolina fishing with his grandparents. Many of the fish he now sources for Bryant Seafood are ones that he fondly remembers catching during those Lowcountry visits.
When L.J. says Bryant Seafood Market is a family-run and operated business, he means it. His mother is the “head honcho” in the kitchen, and his father is usually upfront manning the cash register — though, he sometimes cooks, too.
L.J., a self-described “people-person” with a knack for remembering names, floats between the front and back of house.
“I try to talk to everybody,” he told CharlotteFive. “I have a gift of remembering a good percentage of people’s names. I just like when people come in, even if they buy a soda, it’s still an encounter.”
L.J. is deeply invested in his community — the house he grew up in is only two minutes down the road from the market. For him, Bryant Seafood Market is his way of giving back to the neighborhood he loves while also leaving his indelible mark on the city he grew up in.
“People who come in will be like, ‘I’ve been here for over 20 years,’” L.J. said. “Now I can tell my story. I’ve been here for over 20 years, too. So we can kind of reminisce and say, ‘Do you remember when this was here, that was here?’
“The area is definitely changing every day because Charlotte is changing in general. Those kinds of stories are always good to be back in the community.”
When it comes to supporting locally, L.J. says it’s simple. According to him, stopping into a local business, even if it’s just once a month, makes a world of a difference.
“The country is not built on Walmart,” he said. “The country’s built on small businesses.”
Bryant Seafood Fresh Market
Location: 3509 David Cox Rd B, Charlotte, NC 28269
Instagram: @bryantseafoodmarket
Cuisine: Fresh seafood, Southern-style fried fish platters
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This story was originally published August 21, 2024 at 5:00 AM.
