Half Shell Oyster House, Pelham — Restaurant in Pelham

We were on our way through Birmingham from a work trip and remembered that we had been wanting to try Half Shell at the recommendation of my little sister.

The location is very convenient and the ambience walking into the restaurant is very inviting.

We both are seafood lovers so diving right into the raw oysters was certainly on the agenda. They prepared them very well. There was no grit and each oyster was meaty. Michi may have eaten 7 or 8 to my 5 or 4 - but that happens.

I chose the Tuna Esplanade. They prepared it to perfection (the way I asked for it). It was garnished with jalapeno lime hollandaise topped with fried artichoke hearts, red onions and Parmesan cheese. *Side note - I had never tried fried artichoke hearts and now I wonder where they have been my entire life. I am also not sure why this isn't an appetizer or regular side on anyone's menu.

Speaking of side dishes - It was recommended that I try the sweet potato creme brulee and 🤯 - it was probably the first time I had ever wanted seconds of a side and I wish I had ordered some for later. This side complemented everything on the table.

Michi enjoyed the redfish with a side of turnip greens and garnished with jalapeno hush puppies. Now, before I talk about the meal we are the harshest judges on hush puppies (because you've never had my mom's) but Half Shell didn't halfway make these hush puppies - they were great. They were not dry nor were they overly pumped full of jalapenos. The fish was perfectly seasoned, the turnip greens were given 2 thumbs up because she was eating and making noises and the remoulade was prepared to perfection.

Now, after all of this we didn't necessarily need a dessert but my sister was constantly texting asking about the meal and told me I could not leave without trying the BLUEBERRY MASCARPONE CHEESECAKE - 🤯🤯🤯🤯

The first bite sent me into another dimension and I may have had an outer body experience. This dessert is usually a limited time selection so keep that in mind. I took the pleasure of taking a picture of the menu to give you the details.

I'm glad we didn't have to sing after eating here because it would have been nearly impossible.

Our server (and I told her I would probably mess her name up) Mareena was exceptional - she was not only serving us but other tables and knowing that I was going to do a review I wanted to see how she was keeping up with her section. She never seemed pressured, stressed or rushed - and she was always available to answer questions or give suggestions.

The manager - Heather, to the Asst Mgr Yessie and our server Mareena - thank you for an amazing experience and helping us find our new favorite seafood restaurant.

If you are 90 miles from Pelham, Al you'll want to...

It took 30 minutes for me to get what was supposed to be a quart of tuna dip to go. Go home and it was less than 16 ozs including the containers they came in. Was quoted $40.00 for a quart, was charged $45.00 for less than 16 ozs.

So I picked up the phone and call asking for a manager. The woman got on the phone and told me my order was correct. I was on hold for 14 min and 57 seconds!!!!! I’m headed there right now! It’s gonna be a show going on in about 10 minutes if anyone wants to come watch!

UPDATE to the pathetic response from The Half Shell! While my mother and I were driving back up to The Half Shell and being on hold for 15 minutes….. I walked in (with my mother beside me). Emptied the bag of crackers on the bar, pulled out the scales I brought from home and put the 2 containers of tuna dip on the scales to show them that I did not get what I ordered. Now mind you when the manager finally picked up the phone yesterday, she told me that my order was correct because she fixed it herself. I asked her how many ounces were in a quart ……. She admitted she didn’t know. Remember…. She said she gave me 2 pint size containers of tuna dip. I explained to her that they were not full. She again said that the order was correct.

The response below is hilarious! Yes, when I went back in, they told me that she did make a mistake. They offered me the full quart that I’d paid for. I simply said NO, I’d like my money back. NO GIFT CARD WAS OFFERED AT ALL!!! It’s so funny that me nor my mother standing right beside me heard a word about a gift card. Even if you had offered that, I would have declined it! The fact that they wrote that is hilarious. They did refund the $45.00 for the tuna dip. Then they said, we still have to charge you for the glass of Prosecco!!!!!!

When I went back in yesterday, I informed her that there were 32 ounces in a quart. She said, yes, I know that now. I asked someone.

You claim to have offered what I actually paid for … good for you, then claim to have offered a gift card , which you didn’t …. All the while you still wanted to charge me for a $7.00 glass of Prosecco! You (manger) not only didn’t know how many ounces are in a quart, you attempted to cheat me and you lie!

This place is seriously on...

First and last time to visit. I'll start with the positives. Atmosphere was great, service was good, drinks were amazing and that's where it ends. I'm not sure how they have reviews above a 4. We began with fried green tomatoes and crab cakes. Tomatoes were almost non-existent beneath the thick over cooked batter. The small crab cakes I believe were either imitation or very poor crab meat, no lump at all. Cakes were slightly fishy as well and good crab is typically sweet. The sauce however was very tangy and I assume came from a bag they cut open and warm up. My wife ordered the encrusted mahi with crab not knowing at the time the crab was disgusting. Her sweet potatoes were ok and we both had fried okra...a southern staple. Okra was frozen which is ok in the winter but it wasn't seasoned at all. I had the stuffed portobellos and you guessed it, with crab! Mushrooms actually had an ok flavor and again a good sauce over them. So we spent $123 which includes a tip which we don't mind spending on good food. We waited 45 minutes for a table which is fine if the food is worth it, which it wasn't. So disappointing but so much potential. Great concept but very poor execution. I can't believe in this day and age that the owners and management actually believe that food is good and worth what they charge for it. Honestly Captain D's is better on a good day! I hope the management takes this to heart and that they look at their food quality and maybe consider a professional chef or cooks. Also the sweet potatoes were advertised as creme brulee sweet potatoes..... There was no...