Drunken Oyster — Restaurant in Amarillo

I can still recall the day in 2017 at the Country Club when word began spreading amongst my coworkers that our Sous Chef put in his two weeks notice. His next big adventure in life to be at some place opening up called "The Drunken Oyster". Some of us had faith, others thought "he's leaving us for a joint called The Drunken Oyster? That place'll crash and burn". All these years later, the joke is on the folks who assumed the latter. The Drunken Osyter is a force to be reckoned with, even with Chris having moved on to more personal career projects.

First off, don't drink straight from the carafes on the tables. Your server will be very disappointed in you. The floor manager may or may not turn off the jukebox when you play Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer in the middle of May. Your mileage varies with ridiculous juke box choices in general, but everyone enjoys Aqua, especially if you stray from Barby Girl and allow their other songs to shine. Also, keep your voice down if you want to share dark jokes from the 2meirl4meirl subreddit with your table when there's a live musician performing, and said musician's family is sitting right behind you. But yes, The Oyster has live music performances all the time, and they are lovely. Not enough Joni Mitchell covers, however.

The service here is impeccable. So much so that they're coveted and envied by other restaurants around town. They're managed by a manager who, in my personal experiences, will have most of his staff leaving to go with him (or at least trying) when he's moved on from a job to bigger and better things, so it stands to reason that he's doing something right, if "doing something right" means running this place like a well oiled machine.

The food here is amazing. Most restaurants, I get a drink or two, order an entree, then leave. The Drunken Oyster is the only place where I'll order an appetizer, an entree, and then dessert, and then hate myself when I see my ticket. The self hatred lasts for a moment before I decide it was all worth it, and then I do it all over again in a month or two. Dessert in particular is almost a requirement here. My last few visits, I got too silly from the vast and impressive bar selections to even remember what my dessert choices had been, but they were marvelous.

The atmosphere is cozy and dark. Coziness, I can take or leave, but as an evil creature of darkness, I love that I almost need a flash light in this place. Schedule blind dates your friends force you into to be here so you can utilize the darkness and absinthe (yeah, there's absinthe here) to ease having to look at the person if they're visually horrifying and you don't wish to be rude.

Like Mac Joe's, I'll cap this garbage review off with the insistence to only ever eat locally in Amarillo. The Drunken Oyster is another beast of a local restaurant that makes an outing at TGIchilliBees a tragically wasted dining experience that has no need or reason, save for those of budgetary nature. Good luck, Indian Oven, you're next for unwanted but positive Google Review rambling from me.

The Drunken Oyster - 5/5. They stay open...

My husband and I went here for the first time for our date night on Tuesday July 21, and, wow, it did not disappoint! We had an amazing server Ashton (sp?) who was delightful, funny, and just had a great table-side manner! He did a great job describing the special and telling us about the desserts. The beer selection was excellent and the cocktail choices are mixed with skill. The margarita I had (okay I had 2😜) was so smooth. Before I get to the food, I want you to know that I judge a place on the aesthetics as well. This place spared almost no expense when it comes to decor! It is beautifully decorated and as authentic as possible outside New Orleans. Even the bathrooms were nicely done and clean. My only issues, too minor to drop a 🌟, were the chairs. I just didn't feel like they went with the aesthetic, and for my big behind, they weren't comfortable enough to sit in for an extended period of time. But let's talk about the food! Eating out has been hard since my husband was diagnosed with a milk allergy (not lactose intolerance) later in life. Our server was extremely accommodating and informative, which made this place a very comfortable restaurant for us to eat at. My husband had oysters and I had the jambalaya, and both were excellent! The alligator bites were also cooked well and not over done, which is a true testament to the skills of the chef. As it was a Tuesday, there was no live music, and I forgot to inquire as to whether or not there was live music on the weekends because of COVID-19, but there is a stage for it. I hope to be able to come on a night with live music. I also want to say that our server Ashton was attentive but not lurking, which I like a lot. I hate eating in restaurants when I'm made to feel that turning tables is the most important thing. I LOVE DRUNKEN OYSTER and can't wait to be back! ❤️

P. S. I don't agree with the negative reviews at all. After reading some of the other reviews regarding price, it was very clear that many people might compare prices to other restaurants like popular chains that can afford to have "lower" prices because the quality is not the same. We easily spent over $100 last night, but it was worth it! 2 dozen oysters, large portions, an appetizer, plus 4 drinks, which two were cocktails made with house-made ingredients, and the atmosphere was worth every penny and not unusual. There is also a difference when you are in a restaurant that has a professional chef as opposed to just a cook. Furthermore, get to know your server, especially by name, because excellent restaurants such as this one rely on this because the servers represent the "house." Ask questions if you are unsure and make sure your bill is accurate. The menu is online so there should be no surprises...

Absolutely loved this place. Never thought we'd find quality seafood in Amarillo, Texas....or seafood served creole style....or a place that feels so much like New Orleans. This place has it all!

First off, our server Alan is a national treasure. Dude was absolutely amazing. Attentive, pleasant, on point. One of the best servers I've ever had. Drunken Oyster...whatever you're paying him, it's not enough.

Drinks...got the Cranberry Old Fashioned and Lemon Whisky Sour. Both were VERY smooth, well mixed, and tasty. Had two each.

Ordered the Seafood Tower, Crawfish Etoufee, and the Fish n Chips. Food came quickly. Presentation was fantastic. Now, I've had a rule for years to avoid seafood more than 500 miles from the ocean. Alan assured me that the oysters and clams were fresh, had been in the ocean less than 3 days ago. They definitely were.

Oysters and clams were very high quality and very fresh. Shrimp was well seasoned, but not nearly as good as the half shell treats. Was blown away by the quality.

Was slightly disappointed with the etoufee, but that was my fault. As my wife explained, cajun etoufee is the roux-based brown type and creole is more tomato-based. The tomatoes dominated the taste of the dish. Still ate the mud bug tails, but not the rest. Wife's fish and chips were amazing, full of flavor and not greasy or oily. She was super happy.

Decor in the restaurant was amazing. Loved the Haunted Mansion wallpaper with the giant mirrors. Bar was well stocked. Place was very clean.

When you buy seafood thousands of miles away from the ocean and expect it to be fresh, you'll have to pay for it. Four drinks, fresh seafood and the other items came to $178. The Tower is market price, was $90 the day of my visit. I ate everything on the Tower and wasn't full. Just be prepared to pay.

We will...