Half Shell

HIghly surprised and overjoyed with the dinner we had here.
Was not expecting much when we rolled in. Service and front of house staff was a disaster. Pretty unprofessional and either not able or not choosing to take the time to answer a couple of questions we had about the menu. Oysters were delicious as was the cocktail. However the oysters were «warm» when served to us. Seemed as though they had been warm water thawed, which is never good for raw proteins. We all noticed this as we ate, but chose to risk it as we were starving after our 5 hour drive.
I will say that I and another in my party ordered the special; Seabass, and it was cooked as perfectly as fish can possibly be prepared. The fish alone is the reason for the 4 star review.

Being from Louisiana I defiantly know my seafood, & this place is one of the best I have ever been too! Prices were great, staff was friendly, service was quick & the flavors of the food was awesome & it all tasted very fresh! I would also recommend the charbroiled oysters for an appetizer!

The food tastes good, but it is all farm raised. :(I really wanted to give this place 4 stars. If you don’t care about your seafood being farmed raised, then I would suggest this place.

I don’t come here often but today I was not impressed. I ordered the Rubin and fries. The Rubin was soggy and the fries were barely done. My bill had both an 18% added tip and a 18% service charge. There were 7 of us. They ONLY charged me the service charge??? I paid with a $ 20 and the bill was $ 14:88 but the waitress only brought me 5 $ 1 bills for change. I realize it’s only 12 cents I guess they just assume that they can do whatever they want on the bill end. Anyway I was not impressed with the meal or the way the bill

Ordered appetizer of Lobster and Shrimp Bruschetta that was outstanding! Bacon cheeseburger was great. Tasted like it was cooked on my backyard grill. Rueben sandwich was tasty and very good. Grouper sandwich was delicious. Food was prepared quick and arrived the table for 5 all together and was piping hot. Have been eating here for years and have never really had anything that I didn’t like. Server was cordial and attentive. Will definitely be back again!

OMG! I so forgot about this place. This was one of my favorite go-to’s when I moved here. The hotel desk clerk recommended this place when I came to home-​hunt; she encouraged my mom and me to get anything voodoo.
I’ve had the voodoo shrimp, catfish Pauline-​Louisiana style, shrimp & grits, crawfish sliders (seasonal special), and coastal jumbo stuffed shrimp. I would recommend all of these — so tasty.
Well the other day, I ended up here with 2 of my visiting colleagues. I have a rule to not eat at franchises when out of town so I was really happy when they were open to dining here. It was a hit – both ordered crab bisque and loved it. For entrees they ordered shrimp & grits and jumbo stuffed shrimp– SCORE; I’m the best hostess.
They also got dessert– key lime pie and brownie.
Oh and I love their stuffed potatoes — best side for sure.

Awesome food. Recommended by hotel reps and it was the bomb. We had crab legs, shrimp voodoo, and royals tilapia. All good.
The one piece I would recommend is to get more wait staff. They were so busy for a Monday night that the staff was running around and we got overlooked a couple times.
It was nice on the inside. I would not recommend sitting 4 large adults in a booth. Table is the best.

Love this place! Great bartenders & great drinks. Oysters are amazing but there is something to eat for everyone. Definitely somewhere you should visit while in Memphis!

It had been awhile since we have been to this location. First of all the interior hasn’t been updated in years. We had good service and they made sure we where taken care of. I ordered the Fat boy po’boy
The blackens shrimp looked like salad shrimp and the oysters (the two on the sandwich) where dry and over done. The crawfish tails where all batter. The steak fries where good. My daughter got the bacon burger which was nice size and tasty.
This place has the potential to be really good they just need to invest in their ingredients. It is good for what it is but could be a lot better.

I like Half Shell… It’s good and consistent whenever I go. I like to get the Egg Rolls, crab bisque, and the crab cakes. The atmosphere is okay… There’s never anywhere to sit lol. We had to sit right in front of the kitchen last night and it was horrible. Also, there’s this one hostess… She is the rudest little twit I have ever met! She should not be a hostess! Rolling her eyes, on her phone, and doesn’t even speak! I ignore her and look for the nice one, since there are usually two at the door. Overall, it’s a nice experience.

I ordered the coconut shrimp but it was nearly burnt. So it was ok) not better than Outback) and the apricot dipping sauce was a little to sweet. I asked for another dipping sauce option but there was none however she offered cocktail and tartar which was not a viable choice… not a great option for coconut. So I doubt I’ll return since I love seafood. I feel as if I just wasted money.

Nice place, the seafood is very good. The service was excellent.

They must be doing something right as they have been around now forms long time. I’ve had some good meals and some not so good through the years but the original location leans more towards the good side. Had the fish tacos tonight and they were surprisingly good. I will absolutely go back and have them again. Service was good as usual and the prices are fair. If everything was as good as the tacos I’d give them four stars.

I went again recently & had a great server! She was really busy but very pleasant. The oysters were awesome. The Caesar salad was a bit too drenched with dressing or I would give 5 stars. The lobster bisque was great

The Half Shell brunch burger is one the best things to eat in Memphis.
Charcoal flavored burger
with jalapeño bacon
served on toasted English muffins
covered with Hollandaise sauce.
Service was excellent.
Price was great,
4 brunches
for a total of $ 60
including drinks and tip.

It had been a number of years since I had eaten at the Half-​Shell, so my wife and I decided we would go back. Boy, am I glad we did! I had a FABULOUS chicken sandwich.
I decided to try the «Spicy Smokehouse Chicken Sandwich». Wow! Talk about an explosion of spicy flavor — it was the «slow smoked jalapeño bacon» that caught my eye, but it was the full compliment of all of the good and spicy flavors that held my attention — and my taste buds. Shoot, this sandwich was so spicy it would still be «hot» if it got «cold». Didn’t happen — I ate it all before it could get «cold».
My wife had the Voodoo Shrimp, and it was equally good — and the same «hot”/“cold» held true for her dish too. She truly enjoyed the shrimp stuffing that had shrimp in it too. The shrimp was seasoned perfectly and the stuffing merely enhanced the experience.
Bottom line, don’t do like we did — don’t overlook this Memphis Classic — plan a great meal at the Half-​Shell in your near future! We will be going back — there are too many other dishes I didn’t get to try.

What can I say The Half shell is a Memphis institution has been consistently good for over 30 years, there are not many restaurants that you can say that about. The food is always spot on, I have never had a bad meal here, Lunch, Dinner or Brunch. I urge everyone to try the Brunch just once and you will be hooked (cheap mimosas). The cheese burger sliders are so good, the perfect combination of cheesy, beefy and a little kick! The Pain Perdue is amazing, I almost felt like I was in New Orleans (almost).
The Lunch Specials during the week are very reasonable and tasty. Fresh veggies as sides and the Homemade rolls are Yummy! The Patio Salad with grilled shrimp is one of my favorite salads anywhere (I actually crave one right now). Mixed greens, dried cranberries, spiced walnuts, blue cheese and balsamic vinegar dressing.

Tonight my family and I visited The Half Shell for the first time, on Valentine’s Day. I’m glad we made reservations for an early dinner time (5pm), because by the time we left at 7pm, the wait looked really long!
I wasn’t sure what to expect atmosphere wise based on other Unilocaler’s pictures… I was afraid it would look too much like a bar type atmosphere on the inside… but it’s actually nicely decorated. Dark woods, candles. Classy enough without being overly fancy. The only thing that seemed out of place was the classic rock music playing throughout the night. I would have preferred something a little more laid back for the type of setting.
We started off with an order of the Baja Seafood Nachos. It was maybe the priciest appetizer I’ve ever paid for, at almost $ 16. And sadly, it wasn’t that good at all… in fact, I might go as far as to say it was terrible. It may have been better without the Tilapia they put on it… the Tilapia had a really off taste… almost like a dirty, muddy taste. It ruined the flavor of the nachos for both my wife and I. I do not recommend this appetizer at all.
My wife and I both ordered a full order (1.5 lbs) of King Crab Legs. They were pricey at $ 38 a plate, but hey, it’s Valentine’s Day. The king crab was absolutely delicious! I think it’s pretty hard on average to screw up crab legs though (although Red Lobster has managed to do it on occasion). And in case you were wondering, despite there only being 4 crab legs in a full order, it WILL fill you up. I’m a big guy, and even I was struggling towards the end to finish them. There is tons of meat in these suckers!
We both had a stuffed baked potato as our side, and sadly, it was pretty dry and tasteless in my opinion. The dinner was also served with a fairly decent yeast roll.
My son ordered the kids chicken tenders, and unfortunately he did not even eat them after one bite. My wife took a bite of his, and stated they were extremely dry.
Service was pretty inattentive too, especially for the kind of money I was dropping. It took a long time for the waiter to notice we needed refills, and we just didn’t see him as often as I would have liked.
If I ever have the desire for king crab legs, I certainly know where to go, but this isn’t a place I’ll be in a big hurry to rush back to anytime soon.

Whoa!!! That’s exactly the thought I had in the middle of my meal here. I tried one of the specials — a cider seafood stew that hat was simply delightful! The broth was light and sweet, which was nice compliment to the various seafood items mixed in with it. I don’t know that I’ve ever had a better seafood soup/​stew type of meal! It was perfectly cooked, appropriately seasoned and filled with unexpected flavor — a must try if you visit in the near future (I do believe it’s a seasonal item). I also got a boat load of oysters! Perfectly cut from the shell, these oysters were fresh and delicious!
The Half Shell is a pretty casual place but not too casual, so it’s a good option when you’re in jeans and also a good option for an after work snack! The service was also good. Our waiter visited frequently enough to have all of our needs met, but not so much that it was overbearing. He also let us take our time, which was nice.
As a seafood lover — I HIGHLY recommend checking this place out. Wide variety, delicious seafood, and some unique menu items.

…what a cool local place in Memphis. I love this area, the Belmont, ½ Shell, Gus’ Fried chicken. You cant go wrong. Best not eat too much so you can have dessert at Gibson’s Donuts !!