Half Shell Oyster House Madison — Restaurant in Madison

we came in around 1 so it was after the lunch rush, there was only two of us and we planned to have drinks so we chose to sit at the bar since it was empty besides one lone guy that was already eating. bar was full of empty glasses, no big deal they were just busy and ive been a server for 10 years so i understand. we sit, clear our space and wait at least 10 mins before one of the bartenders asked for our drinks. we order and also put in an appetizer. by the time we get our first drink, which we had started to think she just forgot about us, 2 other couples and a guy ordering togo have come to the bar, all got their drinks before us. after our frist drink was served we waited almost 30 minutes before she spoke to us again and our appetizer still hadnt arrived. by this time the other two couples had gotten their food before we even got to order our entrée or our second drinks. we order hoping things will speed up since most the tables had cleared and she had taken care of every one else at the bar dispite us being there first. when the appetizer arrived it was not good compared to the other times we had ordered it, after waiting another 15 minutes to finally get our second drink, about an hour into this experience i told her to just give us the check for what we had received, she insisted the food was almost ready, and i told her we didnt want it wejust wanted to pay and leave. she walks away, comes back with our food in togo containers and the check with 30% discount, although we told her we didnt want it any more. we paid, just over it by then. we get home, open the food, and see that one of the items we had ordered and paid for wasnt even included and the food looked like it had been sitting in the window for a while before beig put in togo containers . im usually super understanding of things going wrong in a restaurant but it was quite obvious the bartender couldnt handle her job, and the other employees did nothing to help make sure things were taken care of....

I thought hard about this rating, but I just can't give it four or more stars. I won't knock them for the long wait, they were upfront with that and we chose to wait. An immediate issue noticed once seated was the lack of waiters and waitresses working. Our waitress was constantly running around being stretched thin which caused a dip in our service. The food didn't exactly feel up to par either. The grits were pretty runny, I would not recommend them. And that's them being cheesy. Definitely not stone ground. My filet was cooked correctly, but had some fatty bits. I get the filet to really avoid that, I don't like chewing on fat. My jalapeño hushpuppies were great, they are just warmed up though. I had also ordered a side of fried green tomatoes. I expected them to put some sauce on top like the Flowood location had done, but instead just got some plain fried disks. Two of my party weren't impressed with their meal either. I think one dish was the seafood pot pie. They just put a piece of toasted bread on top. It wasn't made like an actual pot pie with flaky pie crust, etc. Not worth the price when my friend could have made something better at home. For dessert we shared a couple of the bananas foster cheesecakes. They aren't bad, but you can tell they just take the cheesecake out of the freezer as needed and put some bland sauce on top to make it seem special. They really try to sell up the dessert description with their HOMEMADE sauce though, when that's not the most important part. Overall, for the money spent there, my group of four expected more. I can't see myself coming back anytime soon. And if I do, I would prefer the Flowood Half Shell, they have their...

I needed a break. After dealing with the untimely passing of loved one while celebrating the high school commencement of another, I was depleted emotionally and needed seafood, my favorite. I grew up in this area and always loved this place but after living in Tennessee for the past six years, I couldn't remember the last time I patronized Halfshell. After walking in and being seated in what I figured was a closed section for my partner and I were excluded from other guests, which actually worked perfectly due to my low energy, we were greeted promptly and energetically by our sweet server Heidi. Heidi made our night. She listened carefully as I told her that my partner wasn't a wine drinker but wanted to try a fruit forward wine to pair with her entree. Heidi introduced three "tastes" of red wine which ultimately led to my partner choosing and finally finding her "signature wine choice" for future references. Overall, the food was exceptional as I once remembered. I opted out of my normal choosing of oysters only and ordered the seafood stuffed portobello mushrooms. Omg...absolutely delicious especially when Heidi bought me some balsamic to drizzle over the top for an extra pop! My seafood allergic partner received a carefully prepared chicken alfredo which was rich and portioned perfectly.

My night turned from a sad one to a fantastic one after spending three hours enjoying the ambiance while sweet Heidi took exceptional care of us. This is why I love the industry. You all have no idea of what your food and service can do to uplift a grieving heart..

I will be back everytime I visit home! God...