Buster's Place Restaurant & Oyster Bar — Restaurant in Covington

We went to Buster’s on Sunday 7/3, right before the restaurant was to be closed for the following week. We were not greeted so much as being told to sit anywhere. We ordered the chargrilled and raw oysters. The chargrilled oysters were not hot and the raw oysters were not cold. We watched as our server held the oysters near her shoulder while she had a prolonged conversation with the oyster shucker, her ponytail swinging dangerously close to the oysters that we were about to consume. When the oysters finally arrived, we ordered a beer to go with the oysters. She did go get the beer right away, but her conversation with Mr. Shucker was not over. Once again, we watched her hold the beer as she continue the prolonged conversation with the shucker. He must be very interesting! When the chargrilled came, they were not bubbling hot like one might expect something coming out of a broiler might be. They were little warmer than room temperature and topped with barely melted waxy parmesan cheese and seemingly nothing else. We split the seafood platter which wasn’t terrible. Although it lacked seasoning save for the oysters which were extremely salty, it was hot and not greasy. The oysters were heavily breaded and cut into strips rather than fried whole and we did not receive the ‘corn fritters’ that come with the plate. When we asked our server, she let us know that Buster’s was closed the following week and they had run out of them. Perhaps, she should have mentioned that when we ordered? The ambiance of Buster’s and the cleanliness were okay, but it definitely felt more like a barroom than a restaurant. While it was very affordable for a seafood place, I guess you get what you pay for and I that we will not be back.

ps- lastly, we added a soft shell crab and it was the smallest crab either of us...

I've always thought of the establishment as a good, not great place for a cold beer, and decent Bloody Mary, and oysters, (raw or broiled). The oyster shucker need to learn not to leave so many broken shells in the half shella. I have been here quite a few times. I've never asked, but I'm suspect of them soaking the oysters in a salty brine before serving, or they salt the "ersters". I used to be in the seafood wholesale business. I've never had oysters this consistently salty. Im not saying it bad.... just maybe, they need to back off a little on the salt. Side note: Last visit there was a mother accompanied by (I'm guessing) her mother, a toddler, and an infant. The toddler was allowed to wander. I heard the kid cough a few times. Low and behold, the kid meanders his way to my table. The height of the tables are approximately the same height as the child's mouth. (Can you guess whats about to happen?) This unattended child walked up to my table and begins coughing all over our table. I turned to the mother who coincidentally was seated at a table near me and told her in a stern voice, "Your child just coughed all over our table". The mother had the audacity to give me a shocked look. Parents should NOT allow their children to wander around restaurants. I come to a restaurant to be bothered...yeah, bothered by a germ spreading little kid. I raised 3 kids. My children were never allowed to wander around restaurants. Its rude and inconsiderate to allow kids to wander. Ok.... im done. So.. yeah. Busters is a bit...

As I sit here still at the bar at busters writing this, I can’t help but think this is one of the best lunches I’ve had in a long long time. I started first with a half dozen chargrilled oysters. Now I’ve eaten this in every oyster joint from New Orleans to the keys and they were phenomenal! I will say the size left some to be desired as I got one good oyster and 5 very small ones. But they were delicious. Then to my main course, I ordered the shrimp poboy dressed! The shrimp tasted fresh, they were perfectly fried and crunchy! The French bread was almost perfect! I sat at the bar for this lunch time Saturday meal, the atmosphere was great, the staff friendly! Even the back of house guys that came up here were awesome! This restaurant has 2 entrances. One on the main drag on old town Covington, the other in an alley, the vibe coming in the alley entrance was great! At the end of the bar is a small oyster shucking area that is very old school and cool! I could sit here sipping beer all day long watching the shuckers at work!

The only bad thing I have to say about this place is a very limited beer selection and an even more limited list of local options. Outside of that, I won’t be making a trip to Covington in the future without stopping at Busters Place! And I suggest you give it a...