Wintzell's Oyster House — Restaurant in Guntersville

First, let me say I had eaten many times at the Mobile location back in t the 1980s. Great food and great service there, back then. This was my first time at the Montgomery location. The food was okay, especially the oysters, thus the 2 stars, but the service is awful. We waited 1 hr and 15 minutes before being seated. Granted, I was told there was an hour wait, but after 1.25 hrs, I noticed later arrivals were being seated ahead of us and upon asking learned we had been missed. I later learned that the manager was the person who was seating people ahead of us. The hostess pointed it out to her after I complained. This seemed to anger the manager, but she seated us - rudely, with a scowl and without a word of apology, but she seated us. I don't understand how one can misread a simple list, and I doubt she did, but okay. After being seated, it took 15 minutes for the server to come to our table and then another 45 minutes to get our food. And they weren't busy. Our server brought our drinks and appetizers, but no silverware - I had to chase someone down to get it. Our server never refilled our drinks - again, I had to chase someone down to get refills. We finally got the food, part was piping hot, other parts just warm, then never saw the server again. We ordered some take-home food, but the server forgot that, so we canceled it. I noticed that patrons who arrived much later than we were eating while we were still waiting. Again, they were not busy at all. Before leaving, I asked to speak to the manager. This is when I learned it was the same person from earlier. I explained my concerns but didn't expect much based on my earlier interaction, and I was right. Nothing but rudeness and contempt. It became clear the reason for the problems here - management. A staff reflects the values, behavior, and actions of their supervisors. The problem here is management or at least this particular manager. It seems these people are more concerned with taking care of their friends and acquaintances than the other customers. And it seems this place is more a hang out for groups of these friends and acquaintances than a family restaurant. The old Wintzell family would never tolerate this type of service or atmosphere associated with their name, but I doubt they have anything to do with it anymore. It's a shame. If the owners want a bar or night club or hang out, open that. If they want a restaurant, then teach the management about customer service. If they can't, replace them. I saw several people leave, and maybe I should have as well. But I really wanted to eat here bc of the fond memories I have of eating at the Mobile location many years ago. My wife keeps reminding me that things aren't like they used to be, and to be sure, they are not. Customer...

We held our son’s Rehearsal Dinner on the patio, and our experience was nothing short of amazing! The entire staff took care of us like family. We just showed up that night and enjoyed ourselves.

In the planning stages, Cecilia (CeCe) worked with me to set a budget. I took pictures of the patio for a friend of mine that was going to decorate, and it was a fun time. I ultimately chose to go with a limited menu. Cecilia picked a wide variety of dishes and created an impressive menu for each guest that was on the table when we came in. She included gluten free choices at my request. Jamie, who is awesome, was assigned as our personal server for the evening. My friend’s decor elevated the already gorgeous waterfront patio to look like we just entered the Ritz. Water with lemon was on the tables and appetizers were coming out like clockwork. It was beautiful!

Jamie began taking orders as soon as everyone was seated. She checked with me a few times just to make sure everything was as I wanted it, and it was. She worked hard to make sure everyone’s glass stayed filled, and took care of every need. Jamie also served the cake my friend had brought from another bakery. It was a beautiful dinner, and very relaxing for a stressed Mother of the Groom.

I have to mention that Brittany was very helpful when I called with questions or requests. Chef Joseph offered to prepare some specialties, as well.

The staff at Wintzell’s went above and beyond to do everything they could to make this the perfect evening for my family. I will definitely give them more business...

1. Great food. Great experience. Was so preoccupied with having a nice time that I forgot to take pictures or review.

2)After the beautiful Easter day drive, surprisingly, they're open! Not only that, everyone on their staff was pleasant and eager to serve their guests! We must have arrived just before their shift change, and which explains why there was abundance of staff, but I'm serious that everyone was very friendly, on the clock or not.

This was my second time here, ever, and I'm still impressed. I ordered the Low Country Boil (which has a gluten free option, with no seasoning), and he got the Shrimp Sampler and some Gumbo. Both of these platters are very filling! The Gumbo comes in two sizes, and is very dark and rich in flavor. My man lived in Louisiana, and said that at most places gumbo aren't tended to long, but the dark ones are.

I trade off a bite of my Conecuh, in hopes that he will indulge me in his bacon wrapped shrimp (which are cooked to perfection!)

If you have room for dessert, opt for a blackberry cobbler, or slice of key lime pie.

Wait staff is great. Food is fabulous. Prices are very well worth what you are getting. And yes, they're open on Easter, so you have a much better sit-down option than plain fast food!

3. First time bringing my grown daughter with us. Everything was great, except my sad, sad lemonade. My husband got the halibut, catch of the day. And we all sat on the patio for a gentle breeze and...