Half Shell Seafood House

We had good service, the appetizer was so good. We order fried green tomatoes with crab cake. So yummy, must order if you get here. I order half a dozen of the Rockefeller oyster and half a dozen of New Orlean. They both taste so good. But my favorite is the New Orleans. My husband order the Valentine’s Day special which was the 6oz filet with lobster meat with parmesan fried shredded potatoes. Dessert was Rum cinnamon bread pudding. Amazing meal. Will definitely come back. The only complaint when we got there at 5:15. The dining room was so hot and warm it was uncomfortable for me & my husband. Maybe their catering to the older crowd that was there. Hope it’s not that warm again when we try it the second time or we just won’t go back.

I enjoyed my visit to Half Shell Seafood.
The ambiance is very nice. Mostly chandelier lit, with wonderful jazz accents spread throughout the entire space, this venue is perfect for happy hour or a family dinner alike.
I had a server named Mel, who is also a bartender here. He was polite, very attentive, and on point with everything I requested.
The food was very good. I ordered a half dozen Oysters, of the Cajun and whatever the mixed seafood topping variety was. I requested oil-​cooked rather than butter, as I’m a pretty dairy free type of guy. 5 of 6 of these oysters came butter free… the sixth was buttery, but I caught it before eating the whole thing, thus averting disaster.
I also ordered the nightly special: A tuna Tartare. It came on a bed of Butter Avocado, and with a side of corn chips. It was fresh and tasty, and not watery or overwhelming in the slightest.
Overall, the experience was good and I will happily return. The prices were very fair, the service good, the food well portioned, well plated, and well cooked.

We’ve been to this restaurant too many times to count and have never had anything but a delicious meal! The oysters are always superb, the waiters are friendly and helpful (and will get you practicing how to write your name upside down on the paper sheeting covering the linen table cloths)! We have taken guests many times and they’ve always enjoyed it! Too many favorite s to list here! Try them all. And the specials are always delicious! Call ahead and let them know you are in the way, you may have to wait a while to be seated as this popular place is always packed!

Had the raw fish tonight. If I wanted sushi I would have gone to the sushi bar down the street.
I sent the fish back thinking they would flush down the toilet and perhaps it could continue to swim up stream. But that’s not what happened they just threw my raw fish back on the grill finished cooking it and gave it back to me.
After eating the undercooked raw fish I was done eating fish for the night.
There was no manager to apologize for the raw fish, I felt as though they wanted to make sure it didn’t come off the bill.
I would have thought Dino would have better quality control over his food and perhaps cared a little more about customer experience. I guess his outback days are long gone.
I won’t be returning!!!

Crowded &fantastic Saturday night! We ordered ‘Royal Red’, Orlean oyster a dozen, and special crab cakes. It’s a perfect combination for 2 to share! Spot on. *though I’d prefer more Cajun on Royal red.
Servers were as friendly as usual.

Always a great time here. Dino, the owner, picked the staff perfectly. I can’t recall a meal there that I didn’t love! These guys know how to treat customers. Nikki, Sean F, Brendon F., Marcus… well just everyone! We have eaten as much as three times in one week there… yeah it’s that awesome. There is nothing on the menu that isn’t fantastic however I can guarantee if it has «Orleans» sauce on it you might pass out from deliciousness… that’s right I said deliciousness… so be prepared and freaking enjoy!

Admittedly, we just had oysters, but we had them 5 different way! And all we’re outstanding in oyster quality and preparation– and we have eaten oysters all over the country so we know of what we speak.
It was «lobster Tuesday», and so most of the folks were ordering that — a great price for a decent sized lobster. But we get Maine lobsters up north all the time, so we reluctantly passed on that deal to go more local.
The seafood gumbo was almost as good as New Orleans, though not as spicey understandably.

I wandered into this place because the sushi house next door looked like it was ran by the sanitation department. I was extremely surprised at how good this food was and I will definitely come back here bring friends.

I’ve wanted to try this place but it’s always packed at night! I ordered Stuffed Portabella and cup of Lobster Chowder! Both are very good. Ann ordered Lobster Mac, she said the Lobster is very good the Gouda cheese is not over powering. She would order again so it’s a thumbs up all around.

A favorite place to meet friends & visit! Live music on Sunday Brunch! Always enjoy the Charbroiled oysters! Goes great with the Bloody Mary bar!

I came here specifically for the royal red shrimp & they did not let me down! They had a great flavor to them. I got the app & ordered a salad. That was plenty to fill me up. My friend had the shrimp New Orleans & didn’t care for it, she said it was too spicy. I will definitely come back for some more royal reds!

Ate dinner here 22 Oct 2015 & the food was divine! My husband did a combo platter of oysters & I enjoyed the almond encrusted chicken. EXCELLENT! The restaurant was well managed, Funky décor, and full of smiling patrons. I’d give it 5 stars but our waitress was a bit scatter brained — very sweet temperament, just needed more training. We plan to go back for another dinner & have already recommended it to others.

I’d give this amateur restaurant a zero review if I could
Last night I Ordered lobster tails that must have been frozen for who knows how long, nuked and then who knows what they did after that. For lobster tail it was tasteless and of highly questionable texture.
Ironically I ordered it figuring how could they ruin tails
I’d never go back there again

I went for lunch and let me say this place is way overpriced. I had the lunch portion of the lobster mac & cheese and while it was pretty good and had big chucks of lobster in it. Their $ 17 lunch portion was really small. I have been to plenty of restaurants and have had lunch portion meals lots of places but this was disappointing for that price. But all in all it was a tasty meal in a pretty nice place… but definitely overpriced for the size and and for good but not great food.

Great food! Second visit and everything was great. The rib eye was delicious, especially with a lobster tail!

This is a lovely brunch spot. Their brunch menu is surprisingly affordable (around $ 10 a meal). The Bloody Mary is tasty and big. Everything on the brunch menu I’ve tried (benedict, lobster scramble, bananas foster) is EPIC. Even the brunch potatoes are crisp and perfectly seasoned. The specials are very good; we’ve had both grouper and coconut shrimp with a mango sauce; both highly recommend.
Their martinis are fabulous! Try the lemon drop martini. It is not too sickeningly sweet and doesn’t taste overwhelmingly like booze either.
Something is off about the atmosphere. If anyone gets this reference, it reminds me of a nice Friendly’s inside. Not sure if it’s the lighting or the booth arrangement that results in a lack of privacy? Can’t put my finger on it.
The service is always good and food is surprisingly fast. I feel bad that everyone always comments on how the servers have to learn to write their name upside down on the paper tablecloth. :)

Have been looking for charbroiled oysters since Drago’s in New Orleans and this was a runner up. They were big, delish and the burbon was a good pour. Will visit again when in Sarasota!

We stopped in for an early dinner 5pm — by 5:30 the place was almost full.
The happy hour $ 2 off drinks and $ 1 off beer was a good deal, although I was coming off a redeye flight an no sleep.
I asked the server for iced coffee — she had a fresh pot brewed for me and hooked me up.
We had to get the oysters on half shell — as a frequent indulge of oysters I was first impressed with the size. And taste was on point
I say stop in it’s worth a try

I really feel bad giving this place 3-​stars because the atmosphere, the service, & other patrons were all 5-​star. You could tell that people love Halfshell; the regulars were waiting for specific servers. And the servers were calling them «friends» and knew them by name. It was great! So why only 3-​stars…
…well the food was good but nothing extraordinary. By the prices on the menu (& they way other patrons talked it up) I assumed the food who be out of this world but I was underwhelmed. Don’t get me wrong, it was good & yes I will return but I wouldn’t take friends there if I was trying to impress them.
I ordered the crab cake & fried green tomatoes which was only half good. The fried green tomatoes were fabulous but I’ve had better crab cakes at home. I’ll never order their crab cake again. Hopefully, they’ll allow me to order the appetizer with all green tomatoes next time. Then for my entrée I had the seafood pot pie w/​fried okra & corn on the cob. Orka, perfect! Corn on the cob, great! Seafood pot pie, decent! I was disappointed that I was not allowed to customize the pie (because I don’t like peas) but I wanted to try it anyway. I was slightly disgusted that the shrimp were miniatures (we poop still attached). Personally, I would have appreciated 3 large clean shrimp over a bunch of little turds. With all that stated, the pot pie was still decent.
I’ll probably try a po’ boy next time & see how that fairs. Oh and wait Javier our server was very nice & personable (not overly chatty but just attentive enough… just like we prefer… more eating less talking… LOL).

If you love oysters then you’ve been here.
I’d like to tell you about everything else we tried but I can’t get past the oysters — all delish. Delish. We had the appetizer sampler — three oysters each of four recipes — all fantastic. Fantastic. Get it. I can’t wait to go back and have it again. I could have gone right back the next nights.
The dinners we all had were each group, from a dinner salad to a fish special — nothing to complain about. However, I’ll miss those oysters until I get back to Sarasota. If you love oysters but just don’t love a raw bar you have already been here. You have a favorite chair here. And if you don’t stop reading this review and get yourself down there.