My wife and I have eaten there numerous times over the last few years. A few months ago the service was so bad we said we'd never go back. We decided to give it another try recently and have been back three times. They have righted the ship big time. The service the last three times has been exceptional. From the friendly greets and goodbyes at the front door to the food we couldn't be happier. Tonight Emma took great care of us. She was super attentive and pleasant and her demeanor was fantastic. The previous two visits felt the same. We even met the new GM and to say she has completely changed the vibe would be an understatement. The food has always been great and now the service is equally as good. I have over thirty years in the restaurant industry and I can honestly say these guys are amazing. read more

Starting off i have been here quite a few times. And each time I have absolutely loved it and what this amazing dining restaurant brings to Pelham. I was able to come to have a team meeting and I was able to enjoy a dish of Voodoo Shrimp to start out and finish up with the Shrimp and Grits/Bacon. The staff and service was amazing and checked on us multiple times. Cannot say enough about them. The restaurant was also super clean and tidy so I really appreciate that when I walked in. The restaurant is in what used to be an Old Elementary School Building and they transformed it into a fully unique experience. The music in the background was soft and the bar and tables looked so nice. I would recommend this place to anyone traveling to or visiting Pelham to eat! read more

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Met 2 friends here for dinner after work. We were able to catch Happy Hour where the drinks are $2 off. Our wait staff Chelsea was very kind and attentive but not bothersome. I got the sampler with 2 picks of fried catfish and grilled shrimp... this comes with fries, hushpuppies, a boudin ball, French bread and a side. So much food for a great price. Overall we enjoyed the food, drinks and service. read more

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My wife and I met some friends here for dinner this evening and enjoyed some fantastic service and delicious food. Aubrey did a great job making sure our visit was very good. Ask for her area to sit in. I enjoyed a half order of Oysters Orleans and a bowl of red beans and rice. I did miss having a little andouille sausage in the serving but it tasted very good. My wife had the shrimp and grits. All the food was outstanding. We finished off with some cinnamon roll bread pudding. Highly recommend. read more

Half Shell Oyster House - Smoky bacon shrimp and grits - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Pelham, Alabama

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This is the 3rd time I've eaten at this place. We normally go when we are in Mobile but they now have a location in Birmingham! It's aerially in an old elementary school. It's a very neat set up. Anyways- to the food.... We love the fried crab claws and crab and shrimp au gratin. For the main- I love the crab cake. I just tried the Redfish Orleans and it was really good. For desert- I had the bread pudding and cheesecake. You can't go wrong with anything here. The restaurants is beautifully decorated and has nice music. There is a huge bar. Our waitress was beyond wonderful. We were greeted by a very polite hostess as we walked through the door. I love being able to have this restaurant closer than Mobile! I know Mobile was the original Half Shell but this one is no different! read more

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My fish was over cooked and over priced. I hate the 85 character requirement for this Yelp reviews. Is that enough characters Yelp?

Upon entering, I was greeted by a charming open-space ambiance that was well-lit and inviting. I want to take a moment to mention that our host was one of the nicest and friendliest people I've encountered in a long time. If you're in the Pelham, Alabama area, make sure to stop by and see Andrea. She was exceptionally courteous and offered some great suggestions. She definitely knows how to time the appetizers, which were delicious, and the entrées came out at just the right pace. I was pleasantly surprised by the steak; it was tender, flavorful, and cooked perfectly definitely not overdone. The chef really knows what they're doing there. For my side, I had asparagus with sweet potato brûlée, and it was fantastic. Overall, I would rate the entire meal a perfect 10 out of 10. The seafood platter was also really good, with everything freshly cooked. The burger had an excellent flavor, too. Although I didn't have dessert this time, I definitely plan to go back soon to try some of the dessert options. read more

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Great food and drinks. Perfect place for date night even if one of you don't eat seafood.

When visiting family on the holidays, I always drive by this restaurant and it's been calling my name for years! Lucky for me, my dad was ready to try something new so we stopped by for lunch. This establishment is large and open, it felt like I was back in New Orleans with its decor of iron fences, and lots of dark red brick. We started with an appetizer of oysters on the half shell which were so fresh and some of the best oysters I've had in a while (I live in Florida on the Atlantic and know fresh oyster) Next, we tried the soup. We had a cup of gumbo and a cup of the corn and Seafood bisque. We inhale them! They both held such flavor and were filled with ingredients. Some of the better soups I've had at any Seafood restaurant. We also shared some of the fried oysters which were battered and fried to perfection. Very tasty. The service was accommodating, helpful, and we were never left to need. A perfect visit with a perfect menu. Go try half shell oyster House in Pelham if you haven't. read more

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It was a 100% hit. Went to celebrate my birthday for the first time. It's everything great restaurants used to be. To start the whole restaurant is decorated to create a fun lively atmosphere. Comfortable seating, tablecloths & cloth napkins. Service from the time you walk in is 5 star. They exceed expectations & are more like a Michelin star restaurant. Table service was the same. We thoroughly enjoyed being served by Cassie & Jennifer. They were on top of every thing as well as great to talk to. The food also gets an A+. There's so many interesting things to choose from it would take a year to try them all. We started with meaty crab claws with the perfect breading, then the crawfish, crab & corn bisque was so good with chunks of fresh seafood. Next was shrimp & grits in a rich cheesy cream sauce. I love shrimp & grits as long as it's not cover in red sauce. They made it just right. My husband enjoyed the snapper in Orleans a sauce. The only thing missing was a basket of bread but I wouldn't have anywhere to put it anyway. Can't wait to go back ! read more

Fast service and cool ambiance, as this New Orleans themed restaurant is inside of an old elementary school. The red snapper in orleans sauce was extremely flavorful and delicious. The sides of grits and mashed potatoes with everything on top was also excellent. Highly recommend the Key Lime Margarita, a summer special read more

Half Shell Oyster House - Grits, potatoes, and Red Snapper in Orleans sauce - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Pelham, Alabama

The service was so incredibly slow. Over an hour wait for our food. When I got my Caesar salad the lettuce was wilted, like it had been made from the day before. There wasn't one fresh piece of lettuce. The fish was over cooked and dry. Our server wasn't very apologetic for the delay, it seemed as she thought it was our fault. Drink orders were forgotten, and water refills neglected. It wasn't busy at all. There may have been 6 other patrons in the restaurant. Not very impressed. read more

Had lunch on a quiet Friday with my husband and 3 month old baby. We ordered the seafood pasta, shrimp and grits, and a cup of gumbo. The seafood pasta was very rich in flavor with lumps of crab meat on top but tiny salad shrimps. The shrimp and grits was very nicely cooked and served but with only three shrimps. The cup of gumbo was legit. Server was attentive and if you pay cash, you get a 3% discount. WARNING FOR MOMS: you have to leave the restaurant to go to the bathroom down the hallway of the warehouse building and there is no changing station when your baby has a blowout in the middle of the meal. read more

Enjoyed the food very much. Fairly priced and well prepared. Food was brought out hot which is always key. our server,Becky, was outstanding. Very attentive to our needs. Will definitely be back. Ed read more

We had Half Shells brunch and was pleasantly surprised with how amazing the banana Foster French toast was not super heavy and breaded. It was a little light and delicious and not overly sweet. We also had a crabcake . The light jazz in the background was nice and The service was amazing best service we have had there in a long Emma was cheerful, prompt , and even handle a problem with gift professional ..and efficient.the one negative is the bar . Every time the bar is to slow getting drinks to table this time food came out before food .Seems to be an ongoing issue.other than that food was amazing. And service . Thanks Emma read more

Half Shell Oyster House - Punch ! Ummm - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Pelham, Alabama

I went to Half Shell for a Halentines dinner and had a lovely time. I ordered the seafood stuffed mushrooms which were great and got broccoli and sweet potatoes on the side. Such a fun environment and a great time hanging with my friends! read more

Half Shell Oyster House - Seafood Stuffed Mushrooms Sweet Potatoes - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Pelham, Alabama

Had a great lunch meeting. Service was exceptional as well as the food. Great ambience and good value. We'll be back soon.

Very good restaurant. Convenient location. I and my group have been regular customers there for about two years, mostly every Wednesday evening around four pm. The main reason we chose this place for our weekly meetings was the excellent service we received from one of your staff in particular. She is Rebecca. Becky provides excellent service - and goes over and above what is to be expected. She is quite personable, remembers our names, remembers our drink preferences, and treats us as "family." The food is excellent. Service is timely. Food is served hot. Menu items are fresh and expertly preared. The background music is tasteful and yes, it is "background" allowing enjoyment without our having to talk over elevated decibels. read more

Yelp! The aesthetics of Pelham is Amazing! Drew your service was amazing too. Thank you. Now on to this food that is not as Amazing. We are a party of 10 celebrating Leiah, Birthday and Nursing school. We gots everything. Starters were Oysters and Voodoo wings. Everybody raved! For main dishes, not so much. Catfish, really popular grilled and fried both delicious. But these sides suck! Greens, terrible. Sweet potato brûlée, yuck. So soupy you can drink it. Red beans and rice, tasty. Fried green tomatoes, good. Salads, good. Grits, decent. Chicken Alfredo and seafood Alfredo, both were bland. It needed more sauce, seasoning and cheese. Then there was the burnt steak. Rubber! Yall already know, I can't come back with this food. read more

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Stop in for lunch and had a great meal. The atmosphere is very relaxing with comfortable seating. Service was attentive. We tried two different lunch specials and they were both excellent. Will be back again. read more

Oh Half Shell please work on it! Dinner with friends tonight on what appeared to be a slow night for them ....i counted six tables seated and we were the only one with over two people. Waited about ten minutes for server to take drink orders and we put in for a half dozen grilled oysters. Almost 35 minutes later our oysters came to us. They were delicious and hot although a bit smaller than usual. Dinner was fine for most of us . One couple split the seafood pot pie and said it was good. I had a small seafood pasta and while warm it definitely was not hot. Hubs had the shrimp and crab chowder and a side of sweet potato brûlée. His chowder was not warm and we never saw the sweet potatoes. There is no reason it should take almost 50 minutes to get food on a not busy night. read more

Delicious and beautiful food! Crab and corn bisque is a must! Very New Orleans inspired ambiance and menu! Love that brunch has different options! Service is amazing! read more

After trying the Half Shell Oyster House in Mobile, I finally had the opportunity to dine at this location. Very easy to find, right off 31, this HSOH has plenty of parking, no outdoor seating but plenty of indoor seating. It looks like they're in an abandoned warehouse because it's so large and spacious. We were quickly seated and our server, Becky, arrived soon after. Tammy got a blackberry margarita which she enjoyed. Matthew tried a coco runner which was tasted like a thick pina colada to me. We tried the crab & shrimp dip as an appetizer. It wasn't bad. For entrees, Matthew go the seafood pasta. With shrimp, crawfish and mushrooms tossed with linguini in an alfredo sauce and parmesan cheese, it was on par. Rachel ordered the Tuscan chicken pasta. It was also on par and delicious with it's nicely seasoned grilled chicken. Tammy sampled the seafood stuffed portabellas. The mushrooms were stuffed with crabmeat, shrimp, peppers and spinach then grilled and garnished with a lemon aioli and parmesan cheese. Yom Yom Yom! This was probably our favorite. I tried the Catfish lameuse. The farm raised catfish was beautifully blackened and served over a bed of rice. Then topped with a creamy sauce and parmesan cheese, the catfish was delicious. My only complaint was that the food temperature could've been warmer. I had a small side of their gumbo and it was also delicious. We enjoyed our meal, but be prepared for the check. Our server Becky was outstanding and checked on us constantly. Half Shell Oyster House is a great special occasion restaurant, but I wouldn't run by there for a quick poboy. Thanks for a great evening HSOH. read more

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Amazing! Great food and excellent service. Eric did an amazing job serving us. Our family hit most of the items on the menu and they were all great. The did a really good job in converting the space from a former school into this amazing restaurant. read more

The wait time is never too long. Food is always AMAZING! Our favorite restaurant to eat at when we are in the area!

I love the Chef's Special oysters Lewis list the best Starfield ever! I eat at Half Shells, at least 4 times a month.

Went to the one in Pelham. Food was just ok. The oysters were gritty and not good. This was disappointing. Service was slow despite the location not being busy. I will not go back to this location. read more

Excellent food and service! Emma was a terrific server. We enjoyed the Filet Orleans and the RedFish for entrees and the fried green tomatoes appetizer. read more

I go to Half Shell Oyster House for 2 reasons: 1, I like the food and 2, A member of the Waitstaff /Bartender Becky is outstanding! Her outgoing personality is very welcoming to the patrons. She remembers my likes in food and beverage and has them ordered for me once I confirm my usual. She makes everyone feel like a friend. Bill Lewis read more

We had a nice dinner here tonight. It's a big place but they don't take reservations. We put our names in and went next door for a drink and an app till our table was ready. They have a nice drink menu and also serve beer and wine. I got a berry martini. It was pretty good. Hubby got some watermelon drink that he really liked. For dinner I got the redfish Orleans. It had shrimp and crabmeat on top. The appearance of this didn't thrill me as it was swimming in a greasy sauce on the bottom. I tried to eat it without that. Overall the fish was pretty good. It was a little overcooked in my opinion. I liked that you could pick two sides to go with your fish and they had a wide variety of sides to pick from. I chose hush puppies and cheese grits. Both of these could have been hotter. Grits tasted okay just were not hot enough so they were a little congealed. The hush puppies were fine just not sweet the way I like them. Service was decent. Food came out pretty quick and our server was nice enough. I don't know that I would rush to come back her based on tonight's meal but I would be willing to try again. read more

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Half Shell 9.6/10 Best seafood around! We love coming here for date night or birthdays. It's not super fancy but it's there's something about it that's a touch on the elegant side. We've dined at both Pelham and Trussville locations and love both. This time I got Royal reds and they come with drawn butter but I asked for cocktail sauce with extra horseradish and that made them divine. If you do ONE THING, get the asparagus with Gorgonzola! I promise the $1 is well worth it. This is all is a puddle of butter. House salad was good. I appreciate all the green lettuce and that's it's not solely iceberg. Crab cakes were good. Not incredibly fluffy, like I like mine. But can't complain too much. Notice the asparagus with Gorgonzola. Chicken Alfredo is good and creamy if you're not into seafood. Also notice the asparagus with Gorgonzola - we like what we like. My only complaint is that the Pelham location doesn't offer joining the waitlist online, so expect a wait. This is such a top tier, convenient feature. Hope to see that added soon! read more

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Excellent, outstanding and well worth the price. Food was delicious and the service was top notch. 5 stars

I ordered the New Orleans red fish, a dish i had eaten at other restaurants. I asked for it to be 'very lightly' blackened. When it came it was heavily blackened and literally drowning in greasy, spicy oil. Part of the fish was over cooked and the few pieces of topping were overpowered by the greasy oil. i didn't return it because I was with a group. Since it only came with 1 small side, I basically paid about $30. for a side. read more

There are only a few restaurants of this caliber in this area. When we walked in, I was pleasantly surprised. The decor was appealing with a New Orleans ambiance. They were very busy, but this didn't seem to affect service, much. We started at the bar for our wait and enjoyed some libations. The wait was long, but worth it. There were six in our group and everyone enjoyed their meals. From seafood pasta, pecan crusted red fish, to shrimp n grits, no complaints! Everything was cooked right and tasted wonderful. We will definitely be back! read more

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Excellent seafood, oysters come in many different ways. Good customer service and very attentive.

Food is always on point rather and the staff are amazing. By far my favorite place to eat. You will not be disappointed no matter what you order. read more

The sangria was awesome. The redfish Orleans was super spicy for me but definitely would make a great seafood boil sauce. I'm going to stick with the seafood pasta. Also. The house salad with the feta( way too soft and creamy) was a tad bit off putting. Can't put my finger on it but I won't be ordering that again. Overall ok experience but looking for great. read more

Half Shell Oyster House - Sangria - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Pelham, Alabama

The service in the beginning was not the best. We waited 10-15 minutes to be greeted while at the table. There were servers walking around us but not acknowledging us until we got up and said something. Personally, I wouldn't return, however the food was decent. Once we were waited on the server apologized and he was kind throughout our dining experience. We ordered a CoCo Runner and Watermelon Splash for our alcoholic beverages. They were both pretty tasty. For our starter, we got the crab cakes. I enjoyed them, however my boyfriend did not. We both got a poboy for our entree. The sandwich was stuffed with the fillings. They were both fulfilling. The venue looked pretty upscale and it was quieter than a usual restaurant. I would recommend this place to try at least once though. read more

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Josh was our extremely attentive server and our food was cooked to perfection! We loved the big band music adding a nod to the New Orleans flavors and the decor was lovely! Pelham's best kept secret is Half Shell Oyster House! read more

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Ordered a dozen of the Oysters Orleans. Delicious, except the fact that I got hard pieces of shell in almost every single oyster. Did not have this issue at another location recently. read more

Half Shell Oyster House - Menu - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Pelham, Alabama

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