This is a busy place. I tried to come here on a Tuesday night hand the wait was over an hour. Some friends of mine and I decided to try it on a Friday. We had a party of 12, and waited 45 min to get seated. During this wait I ordered a drink from the bar. She asked if I wanted a single or double, and I said single. She poured a glass. This was my first indicator of how good the night was going to go. We were sat and our waitress went right to work taking drink orders and telling us of the specials. I started out with the tempura asparagus, and a half dozen charbroiled oysters. TEMPURA ASPARAGUS. this is hard to explain how good this was. I took my first bite...and apparently I made some kind of exclamation because the couple across from us asked what it was that made me react that way. I insisted they try it, and took them one. They ordered the tempura asparagus. The charbroiled oysters. These were so good that I had to share with some people at my table. I'm upset that I shared with people at my table. I should have hogged them all to myself. There was cheese, flavor, and love encased within that oyster shell. For my main course I ordered the royal reds. A bowl of huge shrimp (with a side of butter) was put in front of me. There were shrimp legs and butter everywhere. This also came with greens with the ham in it, and fried okra. Gluttony. The couple across from me (wanting to return the favor) offered me some of their oyster sampler. I chose the BBQ oyster...imagine an oyster covered in spicy BBQ sauce. So good! At this point, I was done. Already threw in the towel. Then our cute waitress asked if I wanted dessert. At first I said no. Then she pointed to the bread pudding my friend got. I gave in and felt ashamed of myself. She brought it to me in a martini glass...and the bread pudding was warm. Put you to sleep warm. It put me to sleep at the table, warm. I don't think I have ever been to a restaurant where EVERY SINGLE THING was outstanding. This was just my experience. A friend of mine who had the steak dinner ordered another one to go. And hate half the steak an hour later. My tab was 46.01. Seriously. I was expecting 60. I'll be back half shell, and this time, I'm fasting before I come. read more

Nice atmosphere., sea food. Tasty every time I visited. May get crowded and line out the door at times. May need reservation at times . Oysters Rockefeller read more

I went here for lunch and for dinner. This was decided largely do to the fact that lunch was so good, as a matter of fact lunch was great. This is why I'm so disappointed, because dinner was just eeeeehhhhh, barely passable. Lunch we sat at the bar, had a great bartender, who not only was it her first day, but, no matter she was terrific. She recommended the grilled oysters and the seafood pot pie, and that is what I ordered, both were excellent, so I was looking forward to dinner here. Dinner, alas poor Yorik I did not know him well. I came with a party of ten, I ordered the Rib Eye, my pal ordered the Grouper and Lobster Oscar, Some of the other orders were fried oysters, filet with shrimp and cream sauce. Well, service was good, and anticipation was there, but the Rib Eye was watery, not juicy, but watery this comes from being cooked from frozen. It was bland and tough. My friends Grouper was cold, the lobster was actually still frozen, eeeeccccchhhh! The fried oysters were way overcooked, and yes by the way the six grilled oysters I ordered as an appetizer was so over cooked the oysters weren't there anymore. However, my friend who ordered the filet loved it, saying it was the best he ever had. The staff did remove the Grouper Oscar from the bill, they were accommodating, it was just the food I had issue with. read more

Half Shell Oyster House - Amazing grilled! - Seafood Near Me - Biloxi, Mississippi

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I'm new in town, I was recommended this place buy a lady that I dropped my tailoring off to. I was greeted sweetly by the young lady at the door, and took a seat at the bar, I was greeted more times than I could count as I waited at the bar patiently. From managers to servers they all said hello and "Lindsey will be right with you". When Lindsey came to the bar she helped me immediately with a drink and helpful information about the menu. She also offered recommendations at my request as I'm new to the area. I've been through Louisiana and Mississippi for the last 5 days and I have only had one decker old fashioned. I don't blame the bartender for that as they some times bartenders are trained to make drinks a very specific way by the bar, but I would like to make a suggestion that they consider revisit their style. After that I just asked for a beer, and Lindsey was consistently attentive and helpful. She actually also led me to an area where I was able to find my new apartment. So Lindsey has no idea how helpful she truly was at the end of the day here, not to go on a tangent but availability is so scarce here at the moment that I was lucky to lock down a nice apartment, the last unit left, thanks to Lindsey's area recommendation. I saw that to say that this place was extremely hospitable, the service was amazing, managers are on the floor running a tight ship it seems. I really liked this place, and truly appreciate the service I was given. Keep up the great work guys. read more

This place is across street from hotel/casino we are staying at. Everything was beyond awesome!!! My Ahi tuna steak! I ate it all! The gumbo in my top 3 list. My friend had pecan crusted red fish and I tried a FEW bites and it was cooked to perfection. The jalepeno hush puppies!!! OMG! And the new potatoes! I loved them. We all did! They also ordered sweet potato creme brûlée as a side item! We ordered a second one because it was something we never tasted and it was so delicious that we were raving about it and our waitress brought us a third one on the house that we finished!!!! She was amazing and her name is Liz. The manager also came by to check on us too. We are saying we may come back again for dinner! Best food in Mississippi so far. read more

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While shopping in Gulfport, we wanted a seafood restaurant and I went to yelp for suggestions. This place popped up. I read over some reviews and said this will be the place we will try. We get there and had a few minutes wait, not too long. While waiting, we ordered some drinks. I had a Bloody Mary. OMG! This was one of the best Bloody Mary's I have had in a long time. It was mixed perfectly. Only problem I had with it was the liquid would not stay in my glass and I had to order more! On to the food. We ordered the Orleans oysters which were divine. I was close to licking the darn bowl. For our entrees: My son ordered the Royal Reds along with French fries and new potatoes. The new potatoes were so good, I almost eat all of his potatoes. I ordered the Ribeye. Lord this steak could not stay on my plate long enough to enjoy. The Orleans butter that was on it made that steak pop! For my sides I had grilled asparagus with gorgonzola butter and the amazing cheddar cheese grits. All of this food makes you want to hurt yourself. We were too full for dessert. However, you bet your bottoms I am going back to try other things. read more

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We've made it a point to take all of our out of town guests to the Half Shell and they are always on. Consistent service and consistent food, it's actually really impressive. Our favorites, after four or five visits over several months, include: * the Royal Reds. Holy crap you MUST ORDER THESE. Seriously, even if you don't like peel and eat shrimp. They are scrumptious and worth the effort. * the bacon and pecan crusted red fish. Consistently delicious and the orange beurre blanc is manna from heaven. * the cheddar grits. Soooo good, very decadent but not greasy. Whatever I order, I always make sure I get these as a side! * the Caesar salad. This one was completely unexpected, but their Caesar is actually very light, with a delicious lemony, garlicky dressing. And, they have a great happy hour! read more

Half Shell Oyster House - Gulf Coast Island Punch - Seafood Near Me - Biloxi, Mississippi

We ate the one inside Hardrock hotel & casino. The food was fabulous and our server was excellent. A large menu of choices and a full bar. Very pleasant atmosphere and elegant dining area. The Oyster sampler was awesome. The Oysters on a half shell were very chilled. We highly recommend to all! Ps. If your not into the Casino atmosphere there is another location .3 mile from there in plain sight from the casino. We ate hear also and everything was as great as our experience in the casino! read more

This place never disappoints. Our server (Britney) was awesome and so was the food. Though it's not always on the menu, I ordered sautéed crab claws in Orleans sauce...Its my crack. read more

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Just a short walk from our Biloxi hangout the Beau Rivage, we enjoyed our lunch visit. Aside from a bit of confusion in the host/hostess area as to who should show us to our table this was a fun experience. The DC started with the oyster sampler which included three each of Charbroiled Oysters, Oysters Bienville, Oysters Rockefeller and Oysters Orleans, it was a beautiful presentation with the oysters nestled in a bed of rock salt. They were plump and wonderful and would please any oyster lover. I had the much touted Royal Reds shrimp served in a spicy Cajun boil and described as tasting lobster like. They were large and absolutely some of the plumpest and firmest shrimp I've ever had and do truly have a special flavor. They were really good but are served in the shell which I understand makes them more flavorful, but I'm not really a "peel and eat" kind of guy. Never heard of Royal Reds and any foodie certainly should try them at least once. We shared a fried shrimp entree which were breaded in seasoned corn flour. They were perfectly cooked and delicious but didn't rise above any other well prepared fried shrimp. It did include two sides that truly shined; a nice size bowl of cheese grits, the deeper the south, the better the grits! But the real winner here were the best turnip greens ever. Full of pork flavor with just the right sweetness. If you like greens, don't miss these! Service was excellent and friendly. Heard another waitress tell her customers she had been there 30 years! It's that kind of place. read more

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Arriving in town for a few days for a convention, I looked forward to trying out the Biloxi seafood. My son did a legal internship here in 2002 and found the food in some Biloxi restaurants was almost as good as New Orleans in his opinion. Katrina changed most everything on the Gulf Coast so I was anxious to see how dining fared, ten years later. Overall, the Half Shell is one of the best seafood places where I've ever eaten. Though every dish isn't sublime, everything is solid and some dishes are exceptional. I ate there 4 times over the weekend figuring I might not be back to Biloxi for another decade and seafood like this is hard to find in the North Mississippi and Memphis area. The downtown location of this restaurant is a two story affair with a large staircase. My first experience here was for lunch on the way to the convention. I had a cup of gumbo as an upside for a charge. They handled my no rice request without much fuss. The gumbo was tasty and heavy on the seafood. I had a seafood stuffed portabello mushroom which was exceptional. I also had 6 oysters Orleans style. I must confess I don't personally care for this prep too much. The hot sauce doesn't blend well with the oyster and to me seems a bit overwhelming. My next visit was for dinner and I had a caesar salad topped with oysters. The oysters were very solid but not the best I've had, somewhat smallish. Extremely large number of oysters though so I was well pleased with the value and preparation. The next day I went for brunch and had a crab claw appetizer prepared with the Orleans sauce at the recommendation of the waiter- one of the best things I've ever eaten. The sauce was cut with butter so it didn't overwhelm the claws and the sweetness of the crab claws really makes this dish. I also had a crab cake topped with an egg and a cream sauce. Very nice but a little bit on the heavy side. My final meal was for dinner on the way out of town since all the other high YELP rated places were closed on Sunday. A very pleasant meal to remember- I had the oyster sampler. The Bienville was particularly notable and probably the best version of the dish I've ever eaten, a smidge of crab really put it over the top. Rockefeller was good too and the spinach was cut very well so it was nice and creamy and not too heavy. The royal red shrimp were very good and buttery. The only thing I really thought could use some more thinking was the Voodoo shrimp which were perfectly prepared but far too sweet. I think a mayo based sauce or remoulade would be better with just a hint of sweetness. read more

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Wow!!! We wait for a whole hour to be seatedand guess what?? was worth it!! the service was fast, We got the Baked oyster and were ok, but the gumbo was deliciuos!! Snapper Deliciuos!! Seafood PastaD eliciuos!!! Blackenned Snapper Deliciuos!! Stuffed Portabellos Deliciuos!!! even the dessert was really good, Banana Cheesecake and Cinnamon roll pudding!!! Great Food!! Great Service!! read more

Half Shell Oyster House - Painting on the Wall!! - Seafood Near Me - Biloxi, Mississippi

Only place on the coast I will get Oysters anymore! Amazing! Always a great experience!

Redfish Orleans, seafood bisque, sweet potato creme brûlée, Cajun potatoes, seafood pasta, seafood pot pie....... everything is always amazing. The atmosphere is awesome. The bartenders and waiters are all really cool and knowledgeable. *sob* I love you guys. read more

This is my favorite seafood restaurant in Biloxi. I took out-of-town visitors there the last time, and we all enjoyed our dinners immensely. I had grouper topped with crab meat and paired with a Cabernet Sauvignon Blanc. I told the server that I am hypersensitive to fresh-ground pepper; she returned a few minutes later to assure me that not only was the chef not using pepper in grilling my fish, he was modifying the seasonings in the two sides to be sure that I would not be exposed to pepper! read more

This is the type of restaurant in downtown Biloxi in which my mother and I have been to before. While planning for going out to lunch, we were going to Lookout Steakhouse in downtown Gulfport, but the huge parade on MLK Day made downtown too busy to travel, so I chose Half Shell for the first time. That was a successful pick. When we went for lunch, we stuck with lunch specials, in which my mom had Seafood Pot Pie, which tasted spot on, and my Pasta Half Shell being beyond compare! Even the jalapeno hush puppies, sweet potato creme brulee, and bread pudding tasted great! The quality of the server we had has been great throughout our experience. For a $35 lunch, it's definitely worth coming back again. Would have rated this a 6, but besides, I rate this 5 stars! read more

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Thoroughly enjoyed our meal here. We had a large party and the service was great! Started with Drinks from the bar, the Sangria was very tasty and refreshing. The Oyster Sampler was amazing! My favorite were the chargrilled. Simple, yet delicious! The salad was good, the dressings are mostly made in house. The Filet was the best part of my meal! Tender, cooked perfectly, the sauce was spicy, and added a great amount of flavor to the dish! We were too full for dessert! But I am sure that would've been delicious too! Only negative, they didn't have an elevator. However, they did set up a table for us downstairs. Overall a great meal with great service! Enjoy! read more

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Came here on our first evening in Biloxi. Oddly there is a location in Hard Rock which is the one we went to and there is another one directly across the street in the old town Biloxi area. We started with the fried green tomatoes and crab cakes which were so yummy. Then we shared the seafood sampler. All very good and fresh. Plenty of food for 2 to share. Had the potatoes and the grits. Potatoes were good, grits not so much. read more

One of our favorite places when we vacation in Biloxi. Great drinks, food and service. Oysters are so good as is everything else on the menu. Try the Carmel apple martini for a delicious drink. Great atmosphere read more

The problem tonight was the service. It's usually super crowded. Tonight, we waited an extremely long time at the bar to get a pre-dinner drink. The bartender never made eye contact. Finally got a seat and were left to sit. We had to go in search of our own silverware and water. We had to go find the bartender to get a glass of wine. The waitress said she couldn't bring our water because she didn't have a tray. Seriously?! It's two glasses. Finally received our food 1 and 1/2 hours after we arrived. It was cold and the greens and portobellos were super tough. *edit* I have to give the manager props for listening to our concerns and doing her best to make it right. I wasn't the only one to complain about the portobellos, so she knew said she needed to visit with the kitchen. Also, we were the third table to have issues with that one server. Maybe an off night or perhaps a training gap. read more

Half Shell Oyster House - Seafood stuffed portobellos. - Seafood Near Me - Biloxi, Mississippi

Went here for my birthday, like I did last year and other birthdays, and I was expecting the same experience. I understand that there can be off nights, but this was the only worse experience I have had here . The food wasn't like it normally was with the shrimp and grits not looking like they normally do. A member of my party ordered a Cesar salad that had brown and bad lettuce mixed into the newer lettuce. The waitress forgot to put in the order for gumbo and brought out a cup, when it was said twice that we would like a bowl of gumbo. I got my usual of blacked snapper that was a bit over cooked and just felt like I was eating rubber. After having this experience at a place I enjoy going to and brag about, I don't think what we ordered was worth the money that was spent on our meals. Will probably not be returning anytime soon or even at all. read more

If you like to step back in time and eat at a cute five star restaurant this is it. They played old Jazz in background little Frank to this place has the high ceiling with historical structure. Surrounded by 100 year old oak trees. The food is amazing. Best grits around. The waiter Brice said they are grit cakes and the sauce in top perfected. Fried shrimp is seasoned and cooked well. Fried green tomatoes 5 starts and not to salty like a lot of places. Brice thanks for giving us 5 star service to go along with our meal. read more

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Very disappointed- we were told an hour wait, when we went back to check after 50 min, we were told it would be another hour. The hostess was rude and unapologetic. We will not be back. read more

If you like oysters your in for a treat. Get the roasted oysters, the best I've ever had. Cool people, great food. read more

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Went here to dinner last night we had phenomenal oyster sampler that was to die for a great bottle of Pinot Noir La Creme the crabmeat lobster and corn bisque was loaded with crab lobster & corn it was creamy and delicious also the Portabella seafood stuffed mushrooms were fabulous the atmosphere is awesome the staff are extremely helpful and pleasant our waitress Sarah was extremely friendly and I'd also like to thank the female manager that was on duty our eight-year-old little girl was not feeling well when she arrived she was courteous professional and Johnny on the spot thank you very much that's what a manager should be, you guys are truly a hidden gem on the Gulf Coast!! Warmwst regards, Mrs. Robinson read more

Stopped in for lunch. Ordered a dozen oysters and then shrimp and grits. Oysters were good and fresh. I was just surprised that I could buy the same oysters in Phoenix for the same price. I would have thought being right on the water where the oysters come from the price would be a little less. Not complaining here, just making an observation. The shrimp and grits were very good. The serve grit cakes versus your standard grits. I was thinking the grit cakes would come out overly firm but they we just firm enough to hold them together. In any event the grits were good, the shrimp were ok but the sauces/gravy that came with the dish were very good. Overall far better than I expected. read more

Holy mackerel was this place good. I went with two of my colleagues and we all left raving. They both had the raw oysters to start and loved them. I had the seafood platter with cheese grits and asparagus with Roquefort butter. YUMMY!!!! I highly recommend this place. The shrimp were very fresh. The portions were large and i can't wait to go back here. read more

Half Shell Oyster House - Seafood platter - Seafood Near Me - Biloxi, Mississippi

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Royal reds are absolutely delicious especially with the Cajun butter. Friendly and helpful servers

Solid 5* experience. Reservations are a good idea. We had a 30 min wait for 2 at 745pm on a Saturday night. Ended up at the bah, and we loved it! Meredith and Evan gave us such personal, attentive service and even showed me, one who does not eat seafood regularly, how to peel the shell off of shrimp. The royal reds were the highlight of our experience. They are meaty shrimp that taste just like lobster. Seriously! And I loved the sweet potato creme brule. A side dish and dessert in one....perfect. oysters were also wonderful. I would skip the hush puppies and fried green tomatoes with crab cake appetizer next time to save room for the royal reds. Meredith made a nice skinny margarita for me. I also tried the pink pearl martini. It was sweet without being overbearing. Yum! The southern pecan beer is a nice nut brown ale. Thank you Meredith, Evan, and the kitchen for making our first dining experience in Mississippi so memorable! We will be back. Yum. read more

Half Shell Oyster House - Nola feel, dim romantic lighting - Seafood Near Me - Biloxi, Mississippi

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I stepped off the beach and into the French Quarter, or at least it felt that way. The decor, the service, and the food were every bit top-quality French Quarter Cajun restaurant. My family used to enjoy McElroy's. The legend lives on, but today's players just do it better. I would put Half Shell up against any New Orleans restaurant. That is how good this place is. I highly recommend: -Royal Reds -Fried Green Tomatoes -Sweet Potato Creme Brulee -Shrimp & Grits -Banana's Foster anything. -Going here over and over again. read more

Half Shell Oyster House - Gorgeous mural - Seafood Near Me - Biloxi, Mississippi

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First time here and it won't be the last! I brought my wife and and we seriously had a great time. We sat in the bar area and watched the shuckers go at it. They were kind enough to give us some free oysters to try! You know you're in a good place if the crew takes pride in their work. Everything was perfect. The food is amazzzzing here. We are definitely coming back soon. Thank you restaurant crew! What we had: Oyster sampler Gumbo soup Reds read more

Half Shell Oyster House - Clockwise from left: Gumbo soup, off the menu oyster (super tasty), oyster sampler - Seafood Near Me - Biloxi, Mississippi

We heard about this restaurant from a friend and came to the Hard Rock location. Best waitress (Tylyn) recommended the red snapper special and the sides. Absolutely great food but most of all the service was great!!!! Thanks Ty! read more

We had crab cakes, green tomatoes, shrimp and yellowfin tuna. Everything was great and fresh. The sides, sweet potato Creme brûlée was awesome but the fried okra ... just fried okra. Service great, location cool, inside to cold. read more

I was sooo looking forward to eating here again.My wife and I had eaten here years ago and it was amazing,we ordered the oyster sampler and a dozen raw oysters.Well this time was definitely different,we ordered the oyster sampler again but this time they were small some way smaller than others.I also ordered the Redfish Orleans...sounds great when you read it on the menu, what I got was (1) side of the fish yea one fillet flooded in a sauce with 5 shrimp and some crab meat dumped in the middle.The fillet was also cooked very well done and was super thin definitely not with the $28 price tag.I hate to say it I probably won't be rushing back anytime soon...... read more

Not being oyster fans, we were looking for shrimp and crab, and we love trying restaurants away from the main drag tourist traps. This fit the bill perfectly! We were fortunate to walk in just as the dinner crowd was starting. A few minutes later and it would have been a 2 hour wait time. Our waiter Dewayne was tons of fun. When he found out we were new customers and that we weren't interested in oysters he went straight into the other delicacies they feature and suggested an appetizer of Royal Reds and his special Pink Pearl Martini. We were amazed by the sweet, deep water shrimp that fell to pieces and tasted like lobster, accompanied by possibly the best martini we've ever had. We followed that with shrimp and grits that did not disappoint, Shrimp Orleans which carried the tradition of BBQ shrimp without the overpowering pepper flavor most have, and the side that could have been dessert - sweet potato creme brulee. The only drawback was we were too full to attempt any of their mouth watering desserts! Definitely will return here to sample more. Just be sure to arrive before or after the peak crowds or there's no way you're getting in! read more

Half Shell Oyster House - Royal Reds. A delectable deep water shrimp that tastes like lobster! - Seafood Near Me - Biloxi, Mississippi

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Wow! This place was soooooo good! Not a disappointment at all! The service was fast and our food came out fast as well! My favorite was the crab claws in garlic butter and The oyster sampler. The redfish was pretty tasty. It hit the spot! read more

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we being visiting the half shell in the hard rock casino for about eight years now, for the most part the food and service were good and we enjoyed eating there! However, we were there this past Friday and I'm sorry to say ( because we truly enjoyed the food) we are not returning any time soon ! the food was horrible ( uncooked, overcooked ) some of the stuff was over cooked some undercooked! I'm still paying the price ( very sick ) since we were very hungry ( come from a distance) we ate some of the food and it was horrible! when we asked the waitress if they had changed cooks she was very rude and brought the manager who stated it is what it is and oh well!! we paid the bill on our way out we told our friend the bartender how horrible the food was she apologized but that was the only signed of respect what got from the restaurant! The manager was rude didn't care and yes said oh well paid the bill!! sorry to say ( since as I said it was one of our favorite restaurants) we will not be returning!!!! read more

I eat here weekly. I love the food and the service. The best oysters I've had.

Enjoyed a delicious dinner tonight with my husband. Besides the food the service was fantastic. Aaron ( hope I spelled this name right!) was our server and he was great. Fantastic personality and right there when we needed him . read more

Yummy! As a lifelong New Orleans resident, we really enjoyed the dining experience. The specialty martini, A Drop of Lemon, was sweet and tart, tasty! The item I wanted to try the most was the Royal Red shrimps. As brown shrimp eaters in New Orleans, they were something I hadn't heard of. The menu said they would taste like lobster, for real?? They DID! Sweet and tender! Highly recommended! read more