Half Shell Oyster House

Reviews 5

WO

Wolf Tolbert

My girlfriend & I visited the Half Shell on our vacation to Biloxi. I was excited to go because they advertise a gluten free menu, & there is another one near to me in Flowood to which I have never been. Unfortunately I dont think Ill be trying the Flowood location because this one was a trainwreck. Upon entering we witnessed the lead hostess, a surly older woman, loudly berating one of the other hostess. This is unacceptable. The one who was to take us to our table ran up the stairs too fast for me to tell her to grab the gluten free menu, so she had to go back down to get it. She handed me the lunch menu instead of the dinner menu. When I showed this to the server, he took quite some time to figure it out, then brought me the correct menu. He never gave us his name, which I suppose was to protect himself from online reviews as he didnt seem to give a damn about us. I was anxious to try the chargrilled oysters, & of course I made certain to specify my allergy needs. He acted as if he understood but when the busser brought the oysters, they were dressed with some kind of parmesan/flavoring blend, & bread! Which meant they had to be sent back. I ordered the market fish of the day (redfish), with double broccoli. My server was completely unable to describe how the dishes were prepared, which is very important because if I dont know, I might miss something that will make me sick. It took over forty minutes for our food to arrive. This is in addition to the time waiting for my oysters. When my fish did arrive, it was hard, dry, & spongy. It was also about two inches by three. More of a puck than a fillet. The broccoli was not steamed as suggested but totally limp, soggy, & covered in some kind of sauce. As someone who can get sick from sauces prepared with flour, I need to be informed when steamed vegetables are dressed with sauces. Server failed to do this. My girlfriend ordered one of the simplest possible plates, the fried shrimp & hush puppies. I have no idea how it takes *a seafood restaurant* forty plus minutes to produce a dish that takes maybe seven to toss in a fryer. Our server barely stopped to check on us, & definitely had an attitude. So all in all, it was a terrible dining experience, as well as far too expensive ($43.00)for the underwhelming food. Half Shell Oyster House is permanently off my list.

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EY

Eyes Wide Open

I had been here once before but had forgotten due to not feeling well the first time I ate here. BUT... this second experience was fabulous! Had just found my biological Dad and Aunt and this was our reunion weekend! This dinner was our last night out together. We had an 8 top and the service was phenomenal especially due to the busy time. It was Memorial Weekend. Im not a seafood lover, but others in our party are so we decided on this place. #1 for me is atmosphere and although its packed, you can still have that low light, elegant & intimate dinner that many enjoy. I love the decor, with rich mahoganys and the old Biloxi antebellum look of an enormous classic 1960s home on the Beach, although it is NOT ON the beachfront, which you completely forget once you enter the doors. It is perfect for the MS Gulf Coast, where I was raised and reside again after some years away. I was impressed with the menu options for a mainly seafood restaurant and sorry to Mahoneys, but Oyster House has them beat in the Dinner Menu area for non-seafood items. (Still love Mahoneys French Dip tho). Everyone loved their orders, drinks were never empty. Service is A+++++. Chef came to table. All around special night and fabulous place to eat. The wait was long, but my company was irreplaceable and I did not mind waiting with my biological Aunt and my Dad!!! Plus it was a holiday. Long wait on the Gulf Coast, just means great food and service too, so the wait is irrelevant to us. CANT WAIT TO GO BACK!

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LO

Lourdes Wright

This review is long overdue. My husband and I have been coming here for over a year. I dont know how many managers the place has, but, they are doing their job, and they are doing it extremely well. First of all, the staff--If there are no tables available, dont worry and have a seat by the oyster-grill and bar, downstairs. This one particular grill person really enjoys his work, and it is amazing to watch him do his work. He goes the extra mile, and is extremely skilled at what he does. He always prepares for us the bread, just the way we like it! He uses that "hot" sauce. We dont know his name, but we keep coming back, and try to have a seat close to his station (he doesnt get burned once!). Then, theres the upstairs bartender, Dave. He is not just a bartender, he makes you feel like you are visiting with relatives. Efficient, friendly, awesome all around. All the waitresses are dolls, and sweet. Now, lets talk about the food--YUM-O!!!!!! Need I say more? This place also was my "pick" for my daughters graduation dinner, and every one at the table (all 15 of us) noticed how good and efficient the service was: friendly, fast, and yummy food for everyone. KUDOS!!!!!

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JE

JeAnne Swinley

I really dislike it when I give a bad review when its environmental Vs food quality and this is the case with Half Shell who suffers from a bit of mistaken identity. Half Shell is a little too pricey to be a casual place, and way too casual to be fine dining.. Especially the service. We walked in at 8:50 pm, kitchen is open til 10 and there were plenty of diners there so I didnt even consider it an issue. We were rushed to order. By 9:15, ALL OF OUR FOOD had been delivered... Thats appetizer, soup, salad and main. Well everything except my side dish which was completely forgotten. The food quality was not the issue... Everything tasted good even if presentation was a little lacking. My problem is that we had the main course plopped down on the table before we were finished with our appetizer. Then, two bites into our main we were asked if we wanted dessert. While we were eating, there was a girl sweeping and breaking down tables right behind us . At 9:30, they were emptying trash in the restaurant. To me this is unacceptable when youre paying 20 something for a dish. I wouldnt go back no matter how good the food is.

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AN

Angel D

We park in the back parking, its raining, we go up the stairs that go from the back up the side. An employee opens a door and tells us, as we are standing in the rain, that we cant go into the door he just opened. That we have to go back down the long stairs in the rain to the front of the building. We do that all in the rain still, and the hostess brings us back up the inside stairs to the upper level we were just at. We get seated and then get up and leave due to the fact that one guy told us we cant go into the door he just opened on in the upper level while its raining. And to top it off, there is NO SIGN at all at those back stairs saying you cant get into the building or that you shouldnt even go up the stairs!! Maybe if there was a sign at those back stairs then they would have kept our business.

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