The fish and oyster was amazing. However the rice was a little undercooked for me and the spinach wasn't creamy. My server was very nice and friendly read more

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How in the gash darn hell have I not written a review for The Half Shell Memphis?!?!? I've been coming here since birth. Ok. Maybe not that long. Most definitely since I can remember. My parents had the blandest worst taste for food, so I was a depraved child as far as flavor was concerned. We ate at very blah places and my Mom was the pickiest person in the world, but.... She loved this fried shrimp! So we came here often. I grew up in Parkway Village so we were always nearby. Fast forward to my Yelp days. My first CM, Joelle had a part ownership of this place when I first started Yelping. We even had her going away party here when Yelp ruined the Memphis Elite Program with part time CM's for our city. She was part owner and we hung out there so it seemed inappropriate to write a review. Besides, I knew Danny pretty well too and that was also a conflict. Nowadays it's been bought by the folks that turned Forrest Hill Grill around. They have closed the location on Winchester (which I called years ago) and opened up in Germantown on Poplar. I have no idea who these people are so I guess it's time. I have not been to the new one, but I have seen the menu. I do not have any intentions of rushing to try it. Seems as if they butchered the whole dang menu. Anywho.... I still like this one. It's pretty run down, but the food is still good. It's still the original menu with all the treats. They have a freaking Monte Cristo sandwich folks! I know of less than five places left that still serve them. When is the last time you saw a twice baked potato? Here it is!! They still have a changing weekly, "daily special". They still have an intense regular bar business. Good luck getting a seat at the bar at any given time. Best of all they still have those damn tasty fried shrimp! Oh they are so good! The best ever man. The sauces they serve are great. I've been up and down the menu and it's almost always great. Oysters are some of the best charbroiled that there are anywhere in Shelby County. Long live OG Half Shell! Please never change! '25 - 44/111 read more

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Unexpected, but right on time!! Hadn't been here in years but decided to give it a try. Went here after another restaurant left us waiting for over a hour & 1/2 on a late night search for dinner and it ended up being just what I needed! It wasn't very crowded so the wait was minimal. Moderate noise level and a bit dark, but not in a bad way. The bar was open with available seating but we took a booth instead. The server was prompt, attentive, and helpful. Our drinks came out quick and were good. The food came in a reasonable time and MAN!!! Oysters were on point, wings were amazing, & the blackened chicken dish was good as well (maybe, minus the stuffing but I'll chop that up to late night, closing time shenanigans). Overall, I can say it won't be as long before I return next time. Those wings are calling my name! ((I will add for the sake of full transparency: there was a weird scent as you enter the establishment. Almost made me turn around and leave but maybe that's just me....)) read more

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Let's start with a base The food is open to opinion. Some of it was good, some of it we had different opinions and some was bad. The service is not open to opinion. It was horrible. Our server clearly hated his job and didn't care about our experience at all. Started our order w 2 bowls of gumbo. To me it was OK. To my companion it was off-putting and she tried a little and pushed it away. She told sever who had no reaction. He just left it there. No asking if she wanted anything or apologies. Just watched me eat. Next came the entree. I don't eat French fries but partner wanted them. They were more of sliced potatoes than stick like. My partner did not want thick slices as she didn't feel they went w the entree. Instead of just taking them and asking if we wanted a different side, he told my partner that she needed to try them and her opinion would change because people liked them. Great way to talk to an adult customer, tell them they are wrong. He also left them on the table. Now we had a full bowl of gumbo AND a full plate of "fries" both crowding our plate. Drink? I had a half and had ice tea. When he finally came back to refill he just took a pitcher of room temp unsweetened ice tea and poured it in my glass resulting in no ice. So now I started with sweet ice tea and ended up with a full glass of room temp unsweetened tea. He obviously did not notice or care. Of course we're we're charged for the food that went uneaten after telling server it wasn't to her liking. When the bill comes I pay with a 100 dollar bill and he asked if I want change. For a 60 dollar bill? A presumed 40 dollar tip? I tell him yes, it take a bit and he brings my change. I'm doing tip math with my change when I see that a 15% tip was automatically added!. I hate this practice but it's in line with his attitude. The tip was guaranteed. I'm not confrontational so I just left. I just won't ever return nor will my partner. She is a local. I'm an out of town tourist. Owing her lifetime business will hurt more than losing mine. She left still Hu gry Please work hard on service and choose servers wisely. read more

Upon walking in, the place looks interestingly nice. There is a dress code as far as full clothing required which is understandable for any restaurant in my opinion. Our server was very nice and helpful. I met my husband for lunch here and I had our 2 year old with and other servers that walked by engaged with him and were friendly as well. The food we got was good, but nothing amazing. The only thing I didn't care for and would not order again was the lobster dip. It was missing something, but I couldn't figure out what would have made it better, because of this it had an odd flavor. I got a patio salad with blackened shrimp for my entre. I should have gotten grilled shrimp with it, but it was still a decent salad. My husband got basically a club sandwich with a stuffed baked potato. That potato was the best out of the whole meal. So good! I will probably go back and try other items on the menu. read more

Half Shell - Club sandwich with stuffed baked potato - Seafood Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

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I have been going with my friends to this restaurant for years and years. The food has always been exceptional. The last three times I've been there and today was one of them we had brunch. I always get eggs Benedict and the last three times the food has been cold, not warm cold the first time this happened we sent it back. They brought it back. It was still cold. Eggs Benedict is not supposed to be served cold it's supposed to be at least warm. What is happening here with this restaurant. And now they don't serve Coke products. Just Pepsi It will be a while before we go there again read more

Met a dozen or so friends for a Christmas dinner here recently. Service was great from Megan our server. Food was superb. I had the blackened grouper & it was fantastic. Bisque was great as always. read more

The service was fairly quick and our waitress was really nice. I enjoyed a cocktail and the Rockefeller oysters, which were quite delicious! However, the crab cakes were a dud. There was no real crab flavor and they seemed like they were a frozen crab cake over something fresh or made in the restaurant. Not bad, not great. read more

Half Shell - Rockefeller Oysters - Seafood Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

everything was so good here! I'm not sure why there's so many negative reviews? everything we had was really delicious.

Horrible Food Horrible service And no one cared! Particularly the manager! Do not go to this restaurant ! I am not certain why they are allowed to serve food! The doors should be closed!!! read more

This is my favorite restaurant in Memphis. Their fried catfish is always tha bomb. Great food/Great service/Great prices read more

I had the charcoal oysters and they were the most fresh oysters I have ever had. The setting was giving the 80s and it was somewhat quiet. My sever was very nice and we left her a tip . The only downside is the place had a smell and the building is outdated read more

Half Shell - Rockefeller oysters - Seafood Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

Note - I'd rate this higher if prices seemed more in line with others serving similar items. Haven't visited in a long time due to this but I did miss the food. I had the Griled Oysters (6 for $18) - good but not great and a bowl of their King Crab Bisque ($11, including a dollop of crab meat) - Very good. My wife wasn't up for heavy items so had the soup/salad combo ($13) - Good. We split a piece of Key Lime Pie ($7). The service is excellent and the atmosphere ok (very popular with drinkers, but this doesn't imply it's loud or otherwise bad). I'd go back more often but for the price. Note they no longer have the automatic 18% gratuity (possibly on large groups, which would be standard). read more

The service here was excellent--friendly, fast, and my drink came out right away. I came specifically for the stuffed shrimp, but I was a little let down since there wasn't much stuffing--it felt more like shrimp topped with melted cheese. On the bright side, I felt very safe dining here, and the ambiance was really pleasant. I especially liked seeing so many ladies enjoying themselves at the bar--it made me feel comfortable and welcome dining solo. read more

Food was terrible and overpriced. Shrimp tasted extremely shrimpy so we didn't finish it. Waited over half an hour for 2 crab cakes. Spent $70 on the worst mealvive had in a while. Just skip it. read more

This review is strictly for the Mendenhall location. Always good food.. The grilled chicken breast sandwich and Phillie cheesesteak sandwich are my usual choices, along with the occasional veggie plate. Great service, and more than ample serving sizes. Reasonable prices. read more

Horrible food. Horrible service. Not one person cares when your food is not as ordered. What a shame. Not sure how the doors are still open. Yuck. read more

The food was awful this time. I don't know what happened to this place. It also had a horrible smell. Like raw sewage.

A creditable cobb salad of fairly hefty proportions. I ordered balsamic vinaigrette and received an orange fluid whose "balsamic" nature, if any, was quite undetectable, vastly overwhelmed by oil, seemingly devoid of the "vinaigrette" feature one would expect the dressing to contain. Dreadful. Get a new dressing. My wife had a disappointing French onion soup and a tasty shrimp dish. Food: "okay." But pricey. Pleasant enough ambience, if you're very fond of the year 1979. Got that steak house vibe. Our server was agreeable and obliging. He was, however, hopelessly inarticulate, and I never did grasp a word he said. An entirely B-minus experience. read more

I don't like being charged for the tip. If I get good service and we did I will leave a good tip. The business added 18% to our bill which was around 7.20, but I would have left a 10.00 tip. It's very very tacky for a business to add the tip. They should have told me they were going to add the tip to the bill (for 2). So I would have went somewhere else. Because the food wasn't that good. read more

I legitimately don't even know where to begin. This was some of the most FOUL food I've ever eaten in my life. Started with a half dozen of the oysters Bienville. There was nothing oyster about it. It was just a pool of grainy cheese & butter. We attempted to eat them but could not. When the server returned with our entrees, they didn't even asked if we liked them or if anything was wrong. They simply took them without any hesitation or questioning. The only thing half way decent about my Voodoo shrimp entree was the beurre blanc on the shrimp. The dressing was congealed, yet overly mushy. Everything just tasted of butter & nothing else. The other entree was the seafood combo situation. Everything seemed to be okay with it until we got to the blackened fish. FOUL. Like absolutely foul. They might want to check some dates in their walk-in, because that fish was DEFINITELY on its last leg. I took one small bite to give it a go & immediately had to spit it into my napkin. In fact, I actually had to do it with many things that were tasted. The server seemed to not care very much. If I were serving a table & see everything half eaten/covered with napkins, I would inquire a little more about the customer's satisfaction. Overall, nothing about this place was good. Literally nothing. The price point for low quality food & mediocre service is just truly not it. Please, steer away from this place. Your stomach will definitely thank you (I say as I'm currently fighting for my life with mine )! read more

Good food, good vibes , love the appearance , fast service. Would come again. Prices are a little high for what they are read more

Half Shell - Mississippi catfish - Seafood Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

Delicious food and tiramisu from the Half Shell -- Mendenhall. Today I ordered take out for lunch - Southern Style Crab Cakes and Gulf Shrimp Skewers - they were so good I forgot to snap a photograph! The only reason why I didn't rate today's visit 5 Stars was because of the 10 minute wait I had at the "to-go"/pickup section at the bar. I was the ONLY one waiting for pickup and it took me waving a waitress down to receive help. read more

Half Shell - Tiramisu - Seafood Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

Monte Cristo with a twice baked potato The best in town!!!! . . read more

Half Shell - Monte Cristo - Seafood Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

Came here for an early dinner one Sunday with a friend. The atmosphere is pretty loud, but they are distancing seating appropriately. All staff are wearing masks and cleaning tables appropriately after flipping. On to the food. Omg, it was awesome! So good that I've been back for lunch AND take out since. The oysters were awesome! The seafood nachos were outstanding, and that gumbo was dream worthy. My only issue is it is not consistent. I've ordered the same item and wasn't impressed the second time. For that, just 4 stars today. I'll still patronize so will keep posted on future visits read more

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They do not have the classic Half Shell - Shrimp eggrolls, Monte Cristo, or Chef Salad.

Oysters are decent but certainly not the best I've ever had. Service was great. Ambience just okay. Be prepared for an 18% gratuity automatically added. Even if you have two in your party. Still using the covid excuse. They won't see me again. read more

Food was good, & service was great! Wanted a place I could enjoy while traveling alone on business & the half Shell delivered!

Fantastic food. We didn't order any drinks so I won't comment on that. no draft beer which is what it is. The grilled shrimp is some of the best I've had in my entire life. seasoned well. The grilled oysters were fantastic. The service was great. Price wasn't atrocious but certainly wasn't cheap. Would absolutely recommend. read more

Been here a number of times when I'm in the area, my favorite is the half shell combo, this week I ate there three times, egg rolls one night, combo the next and the mussels the next . All food was super. Hospitality is always good, Mike behind the bar is a great guy, chatty and prompt. Busy little place almost every evening that I have seen. Just an fyi, after 4pm a service charge of 18% is automatically added to your bill, so no need to tip again. Like this place, will be back ++ read more

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9pm on a Friday night, many places had already closed their kitchens. Stopped into Half Shell with a pleasantly bustling vibe and somewhat full bar and tables. Sat at the bar, ordered a glass of Pinot Noir and perused the extensive menu. The nightly specials looked good and I ordered the braised fish in miso with vegetables. After all we are at Half Shell, so why not fish? Not super complicated, but tasty and filling. Service was attentive and friendly at the bar and I watched some of the playoff NBA game with other patrons while finishing my meal. Solid choice for good food and lively atmosphere especially later in the evening. read more

Poplar location (germantown) Thurs 5:30 pm, got seated quickly. Waited in excess of 10 mins before anyone came to our table to ask if we wanted drinks. Ordered drinks and raw oysters, another 20 minutes, and still no food or drinks. Stopped our server and she proceeded to tell us - she would make our drinks if she could, and the kitchen was backed up. FINALLY the drinks arrive- and they were not what we ordered. The oysters were great when they arrived, and we ordered dinner- after 45 mins- i asked the server to check on our food- she said our order got skipped by the kitchen- 30 mins later- the food arrived. The food was great- the service was horrible- too many excuses at every turn about the delays-no apologies from the server-just excuses. read more

So absolutely delicious. It was late and the parking lot was full. I realize this restaurant is a Memphis tradition and did not disappoint. The service was superb friendly fast and the food fresh and so delicious. read more

Mannnn I came here for lunch with high expectations but they weren't met I ordered the gumbo and a Caesar salad. The salad was okay but the gumbo was straight up trash. I'm so used to authentic New Orleans gumbo and but that right there was not it. But I wouldn't hold that against them. I'll def be back read more

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The oysters were phenomenal! I truly didn't expect them to be as big as they were. I also had the crab bisque and a side salad and both were great and filling. The bisque was loaded with lump crab meat. I have nothing bad to say. This was my first visit. I will definitely be back. read more

Half Shell - Grilled oysters, crab bisque and side salad - Seafood Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

I'm not sure how I've missed reviewing this location as I've been here more times than I can count. I stopped the other night for a birthday dinner. We were seated pretty quickly. Our server was so sweet. He gave great feedback and a sample wine suggestion based on my preference ( they only had a dry reisling). He suggested the Pasqua Pinot Grigio. I will say that this was a great substitute. My meal choice was the blackened Mississippi Catfish Filet, which comes topped with fresh Pico de Gallo and served over a garnish of rice pilaf. It was soo good. Perfectly seasoned and cooked just to where it fell apart, just by tapping it with my fork. For dessert, the Brownie Sundae Ala Mode. This was perfect!!! read more

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I am truly only giving this place 4 stars because the hostess did not her job. When i wakes in, she just stared at me. No welcome, no hello, no nothing. So we stared at each other for a good 8 seconds before she asked how many. She asked for how many and my contact number. I provided my number which was a 423 area code and for some reason, she had a hard time with that. No, I'll call you when your table is ready or anything. I had to ask, will you call me? At that time she said yes. As a new diner, i was not aware of How the waiting process went. We came on a Friday evening around 5 and there was a 40 minute wait. No biggie. People were leaving so i didn't think we would be waiting a full 40 mins. After waiting in the car for exactly 40 minutes, i decided to go inside to see how much longer the wait would be. At that time she said she tried to call me but it wouldn't go through. I never got a call. But she was able to seat us immediately. The place is very dim (almost dark) In the corner we sat in. Anyway. Our waiter was pretty nice and fast! He quickly came over and ask for our drink orders and asked if we already knew what we wanted. I told him once he came back with our drinks we would be ready. He came back 4 minutes later and we were ready to order. My husband got the Catfish Pauline and i got Chargrilled Oysters with a cup of seafood gumbo. Our food came in about 10 minutes! Everything was really good! The oysters were very flavorful and the catfish was cooked to perfection. Only thing is, the catfish Pauline was supposed to have crab ontop and it was left off but we didn't ask about it again. The gumbo was spicy and delicious! Overall, the food was great! Will def be back to try something else on the menu! read more

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Oldie but goodie! Stopped in here for lunch and it wasn't too busy. Our waiter was awesome. The service here has always been good. I started with some oysters they were yummy and I ordered son of a beach as my drink! Very fruity fun beach vibes drink! I ordered gumbo and crab cakes. Both were good. I loved the gumbo. The crab cakes were cooked perfectly. It had the crunch on the outside that most places don't have and the rémoulade sauce is amazing. My friend ordered the French dip. It was pretty tasty! There's something for everyone here. I think I'll try the nachos next! Those look really good! Til next! Happy eating! read more

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the best oysters i've had from this place is the bienville. gumbo was ok. red beans and rice was good. also 13 margaritas and feeling lucky read more

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You must stop into the Half Shell for Sunday brunch. The bartender "AMY" is amazing. The food is awesome and the drinks are wonderful. If you have not visited the Half Shell you must put it on your to do list. Check out their menu, and drinks! I'll see ya' all there! Cheers & Shots MJ read more