Downtown Tuscaloosa is known for its busy nightlife and for being nearly impossible to navigate through the sea of cars and pedestrians it attracts on game day.

Just near the corner of Greensboro Avenue and University Boulevard lies a small haven from the chaos of crowded bars and hamburger joints. Chuck’s Fish restaurant offers a little taste of the Gulf of Mexico’s finest seafood with an atmosphere to match.

“We offer a type of restaurant that, if we weren’t here, wouldn’t exist in Tuscaloosa,” said Cris Eddings, managing partner of Chuck’s.

The restaurant was opened by Eddings’ partner, Charles Morgan III, in honor of his father, who was a prominent civil rights lawyer in Alabama in the 1960s. Charles Morgan Jr. was especially known for his speech on race relations in the South after the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in Birmingham.

Before his rise to civil rights fame, Morgan was a law student at the University of Alabama and a delivery driver for the Regal beer company while he was in school.

Morgan retired to Destin, Fla., where he lived until he passed away in January 2009.

Chuck’s was named for him and features many favorites straight from the Gulf itself, reminiscent of the place where Morgan lived out his final days.

“Not only do we have fresh seafood, we have great steaks, a fresh sushi bar and wood oven pizzas,” Eddings said.

Chuck’s menu features a different fish for dinner every Monday through Saturday night beginning at 5 p.m. and Sunday brunch from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Their seafood menu also boasts favorites such as crab cakes and crab claws, gumbo, spring rolls and fresh shrimp.

“The building itself is beautiful as well,” Eddings said. “We cater a large demographic.”

With specials such as Ladies’ Night on Tuesdays and a prime rib special and live music on Wednesdays, the restaurant makes an effort to provide affordable fine dining for everyone.

“It’s cool to be able to get good sushi on a budget,” said Donna Ferretti, a sophomore majoring in music education. “It’s a nice setting for a date, too. There are two levels so you can sit at the top. Chuck’s is a big place, but it’s actually pretty private.”

The only downfall, Ferretti said, is the large crowd that often fills the restaurant on weekends. It would be wise to make reservations, she said. Those interested can call 248-9370 to do so.

Chuck’s has also been known to coordinate specials with the Bama Theatre down the street, providing drinks and other special offers as well as sponsoring independent film nights and musical events.

This Thanksgiving, they will be hosting Project Blessings, a non-profit organization in Tuscaloosa which strives to provide a higher quality of living to struggling residents of the city. Chuck’s will be providing a charity luncheon from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thanksgiving for free, and accepting donations to help future endeavors by Project Blessings.

Chuck’s sister restaurant, Harbor Docks in Destin, Fla., has also been providing aid to charities such as Habitat for Humanity.

Eddings and the rest of the Chuck’s team have been hard at work recently to open a new restaurant in downtown Tuscaloosa called Five.

“It’s going to be your basic restaurant/bar,” Eddings said, “but this one is based on simplicity.”

The appeal of Five will be fast service and an easy-to-navigate menu, featuring five entrees, five red wines, five white wines, five domestic beers and five imported beers. Eddings said the goal is to open the new place in three or four weeks.

Five will be open late, until 1:30 a.m., and hopes to attract a crowd with its fresh take on late night dining.