Wintzell’s Oyster House

I just came back from this restaurant — it was so delicious. If you like seafood, I strongly recommend that you try this place!

My husband and I try to stop here on our drive from Texas to Florida. Lunch or dinner it is all good. Enjoyed for lunch seafood gumbo and charbroiled oysters.
Staff always courteous and friendly.

good food and good service. The fried oysters are very tasty and they have great sweet tea

Just beat the parade crowd, grilled oysters a hit for the entire table. Red beans and rice, fried oysters, shrimp and cheese grits, and low and behold Karla likes Fish Tacos. We had a good meal, price reasonable and the service good. Glad we stopped by.

All fried everything.
I don’t mind this place overall. It does provide a fun atmosphere… sort of. If you like ‘flair’.
If you want to eat anything aside from oysters, you’re options include all things that can come from a fryer… and maybe some mediocre fish covered in Tony Chachere’s for 20 bucks.
Beer selection is pretty disappointing, and doesn’t seem to ever change.
The wait staff can be hit or miss. Sometimes bad, sometimes really goobertastic, sometimes annoyingly frequent with table visits, and sometimes pretty good.

If you like oysters and you’re in Mobile, this place is iconic.

Awesome place to eat. Please stop here on your way through Mobile, AL for some good fresh seafood. You will not regret it. Thanks to our sever Kim!

I just stopped in here for a drink and a snack, but based on my short experience I’d definitely come back. I sat at the bar to watch the big-​screen TV and check out the list of beers. Wintzell’s is aboard the local craft beer bandwagon, in a good way — they even indicate on the menu which beers are from Alabama. When I asked my bartender for his favorite local brew, he recommended Good People Brown Ale, which turned out to be a hearty, nutty, satisfying draft beer from Birmingham. It was great for washing down a half dozen delicious char-​grilled oysters, which were topped with a thin layer of tangy (Parmesan?) melted cheese.
Funny and clever one-​liners cover every wall in the place, making for some good shared laughs while you’re waiting for your food. My favorite: «Opportunity only knocks… Temptation kicks the door down.»

My wife and I decided to drive from Dallas to Orlando for the holidays. On our return trip, we stopped for the night in Mobile. We got in around 9pm, and were tired and hungry. We decided we wanted seafood, and Wintzell’s was within walking distance of our hotel, so off we went. By the time we left, we couldn’t imagine there was a better choice!
Our server, Ally, was awesome! She helped my wife find a beer she liked and gave us some direction for ordering. On her suggestion, we each tried a cup of the gumbo. LAWD, was it good! That set the stage for what would be several courses of deliciousness. We ordered a half dozen chargrilled oysters for an appetizer, and were practically licking the shells clean when she took the plate away! Even the salad was great!
For dinner, I had the Broiled J.O. Platter, and my wife had the Redfish Bienville. Both were amazing. The J.O. Platter had fish, more chargrilled oysters (SWEET!!), shrimp, and scallops. I was in heaven. And Ally even brought us a few more oysters that were cooked by mistake!
Neither one of us had much room for dessert, but Ally talked up the bread pudding with butter rum sauce… droooool…and we had to try it. Besides, we were on foot, so we figured we could split one and walk it off on the way back to our hotel. Dear God, that sauce was good! We each had about half a beer left when we finished, and Ally informed us that we could take them with us, bringing us plastic cups to make it all legal.
What could have been a quick meal that we practically slept through, was a wonderful introduction to a city we want to go back and visit again. I can’t say enough good things about Ally! She was great, and we had a great time talking with her, learning a lot about the history of the city in the process. We will be back to Mobile, and you can bet your sweet a$$ we will return to Wintzell’s!

Me and 4 of my friends got the oysters. Thought they were great… Until the food poisoning kicked in for all of us.

Honestly I thought walking in here it was gonna be a super commercial touristy style seafood oyster house.
I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the oysters they were big and meaty and briny and not off at all.
The bloody Mary was one of the Best bloody Mary’s I’ve had in a while and those pickled green beans were outstanding.
It’s an easy choice if you don’t feel like over researching every restaurant in town it’s very casual and very easy meal.

Wintzell’s is a local favorite and for good reason. You can’t get fresher seafood anywhere in Mobile. They are famous for their oysters– fried, stewed, or nude! Anytime I am craving a little local flair, I always stop in the downtown area on Art Walk nights for a delicious bowl of their famous bread pudding and a scoop of ice cream! I love getting their catch of the day with the cajun rice. It is my absolute favorite.
If you love bloody marys, make sure to get one here! My husband loves the sky high garnish they put in each cup. It is a giant skewer with sausage, bacon, shrimp, and celery.
The atmosphere has that Bourbon street feel with sayings covering the walls and ceiling. It is a relaxed setting with excellent staff who really know their stuff. The bartenders are so sweet and always know how to make my favorite drinks.
If you are looking for the freshest seafood in a relaxed, local place-​try Wintzell’s! There is a reason they have more than one location!

Love eating here. The service is always top notch and the food is amazing! Tonight I am having the fried green tomatoes, a bowl of gumbo, and the oven grilled platter with fried okra and collard greens. Can’t go wrong with any of these!

Wintzell’s Oyster House is a historic landmark in Downtown Mobile. This original location has been in operation and has served the «freshest Gulf Coast seafood’ for over 75 years. The restaurant is particularly known for their «Oysters — fried, stewed or nude» slogan.
So of course, whenever I bring a visitor to Mobile, I usually try to bring them here to eat. In this way, they can get a taste of typical Gulf Coast cuisine that includes extremely fresh seafood.
Atmosphere: The atmosphere is very casual and «old timey». There have been no updates (only maintenance) in probably 30 — 40 years, but I think that is part of the appeal of the restaurant. The walls are covered with J. Oliver Wintzell’s (the founder) witty sayings inscribed or carved on flat drift wood, metal pieces, paper, license plates, etc.
Service: The server was friendly and the service was prompt, but relaxed. Our server was wonderful in that she allayed my anxiety at knocking over an entire 20 oz. glass of water. She spouted, «Child, pleeeeze! Don’t feel bad. We drop stuff around here everyday. The day is not complete unless someone drops a tray of drinks or food. I’m tellin’ you. Don’t worry about this little olé’ water!» Then, not 10 minutes later, a server came out of the kitchen and dropped a tray full of drinks. Our server just happened to be walking by our table and she said, «See what I mean.» We all laughed and I felt much better. There is just something good about the relaxed, down-​home and welcoming feel of the service at this restaurant.
Food: The food was absolutely delicious and flavorful! We did not order an appetizer because we knew that the portion sizes of our entrees would be huge, as is the custom in some family-​friendly southern restaurants. I had the Red Beans & Rice (RB&R) with Chicken and Conecuh sausage. Conecuh sausage is a hickory smoked sausage with a slight pepper kick. I always try to eat some RB&R when i visit home or any restaurant along the Gulf Coast because that is the only region that really knows how to cook and season them correctly. Once again, I was not disappointed.
One of my companions claimed that the restaurant would not need to wash her plate because she planned to lick it clean. This sentiment is an indication of the tastiness of the food. I decided to stuff myself and have a dessert. The daily cobbler was blackberry served with vanilla bean ice cream and it was my choice. Once again, I was not disappointed. I can’t truly relay the deliciousness of this warm blackberry not-​to-​sweet cobbler with ice cream atop.
We left the restaurant «full as a tick» (my southern similes are coming out) and quite satisfied. Definitely, I will return again.

I love «local places» and Wintzell’s is one of those. In business for 70+ years they get it. A very simple seafood based menu. There was 6 of us and the orders were varied, everything from raw oysters to shrimp & grits. The portions were well proportioned. My choice was fish tacos & cheese grits. Hands down some of the best fish tacos, huge lightly battered chucks of fish blanketed with purple cabbage and sauce. If you’re a cheese grits fan, don’t pass these up, tasty cheese in every bite.
A solid beer selection, including many local choices.
Dinner for 6, $ 130.00, including drinks & appetizers.

My boyfriend and I had dinner at wintzells. We started with a dragon drink and a blueberry moon– both drinks were great– lets just say they were not stingy with the liquor ;)
He ordered the oyster sampler and I ordered the Redfish bienville– and both dishes were AWESOME! The oysters were prepared four different ways. He loved the variety and thought they were all delicious!
My fish and shrimp were seasoned perfectly– it was a great meal!
Our waitress Carly was extremely nice! She was prompt to sit us and checked on us regularly :) the food and service were both great!

No, I don’t look like that guy in The Hangover. I am not Mr. Chow. Really? You want a picture of my family? What? You don’t want my autograph?
Wintzell’s Oyster House was one of the best restaurants we went to during our 2 week vacation. I decided to take the family here after checking the Unilocal reviews. Unilocal reviews were spot on with the food. Wintzell’s is located on historic district of Dauphin Street. They are the only wooden clapboard structure for commercial use that is located on Dauphin Street. They were easy to find on my GPS. They had a big parking lot across the street from their restaurant.
We were seated immediately after walking in. The waitress gave us a few minutes to look over the menu before ordering. My wife decided to get the Cajun Seafood Pasta. My daughter ordered their Fried Shrimp. Since this place was famous for their «Oysters — Fried, Stewed, or Nude», I had their oysters. Grilled was what the waitress suggested.
While waiting for the food, I couldn’t help but notice the signs on the walls. It was all a good read while waiting for the food. I took photos of some of the more interesting signs. Then I noticed their Oyster Eating Championship sign which had the rule for their contest and the names of previous winners. 32 ½ dozen oysters in one hour was the current record. For beating the record, you get a check for $ 25. Sorry, I wouldn’t attempt to eat 421 oysters in a month.
Then it happened. An older man volunteered to take photos of my family using my camera. He told us that he saw me taking photos and he felt that he could help us. We couldn’t say no to him, even though I didn’t think the photos would come out too good. He took a couple of photos of us and returned my camera back to me when our lunch came.
Lunch was great! The grilled oysters were cooked perfectly. It had cheese and some other special ingredients in it. They were delicious. The Cajun Seafood Pasta was full of scallops and shrimp in a spicy Cajun sauce. Both my wife and I liked it. The fried shrimp was a winner with my daughter. She ate every crumb of it.
As we were finishing our lunch, the man came over to us again and told us he needed one more photo before he left. I was ready to give him my camera, but, he declined and said that he would use his cell phone. What!!! After he took our photo and left, we asked the employees if the knew the man. We thought he was the owner. The employees did not know the man.
Service was great. They kept on checking up on us. When we told the server that we were looking for souvenirs from Mobile, they went into the back to check what they could get for us. They offered to give us some glasses that had their name on it. They even offered to give us a few coasters.
Wintzell’s is a nice restaurant in Mobile. They have great food and great service. I’d go back if I went to Mobile again. Just beware of people who want to take a photo of you. What are you doing my my picture!!!
Toodaloo motha F}#&@s!

Great location, fun atmosphere, good customer service & outstanding food.
If your not sure about eating oysters, this place will convert you quick!
Will return!

This place was easy to find, and plenty parking in the rear. We were created promptly and seated within minutes during dinner rush. Service was great and waitress was willing to make menu recommendations as we were first time visitors.
We had fried green tomatoes and onion rings as appetizers. Those tomatoes are AMAZING! They were topped with shrimp and a sauce that would have been great by itself!
Dinner special was Red Snapper with crab meat topping, Mac N Cheese, Collards. My wife had the pan seared and lightly breaded Catfish topped with corn and sausage, over rice special. Both were perfectly cooked but the crabmeat topping was skimpy…
Bread pudding was great, and ice cream is old fashioned dutch style!
Well worth the stop, but next time its for OYSTERS!!!

The final mary from our recent trip to Mobile comes from Wintzell’s Oyster House, and is quite possibly the tallest bloody we’ve seen to date.
It’s a full 23 ounces of Whiskey Willy’s original mix and vodka garnished with a skewer of gulf shrimp, Conecuh sausage, tomatoes and beans. It goes by the name of «The Weekender» Oh, and it’s good.