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    Half Shell Dockside

    3.7 (249 reviews)
    ModerateBars, Seafood, Sandwiches
    Closed 11:00 am - 10:00 pm
    Updated 1 month ago

    Half Shell Dockside Photos

    Business Info

    HALF SHELL DOCKSIDE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Live music
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Good for groups

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    Restaurant entrance
    Diana D.

    Deliciously fresh oysters in a waterfront atmosphere. Service was great. Clean restrooms. We wanted to eat in downtown Apalachicola but couldn't find anything other than fried.

    Dinner with friends!
    Natalie W.

    Staying on St. George for the week (first timers) and this restaurant is getting family mixed reviews. I'd give them a four but family not convinced. I'll start with the positives; great view, no wait time, corn hole for the kids, and a local six-toed cat on property (yeah, not joking. My sons couldn't believe it). Negatives; no outside fans. Moved inside, waitress not happy. Mahi dip (uh, interesting), inside smelled so fishy, bathrooms primitive and the sink water was freakishly hot. And my father-in-law insists that I comment about the 25% gratuity automatically selected as the "standard" tip. I'd go back knowing what to expect. They won't.

    The triple threat oyster tray
    Marguerite P.

    I walked my way down to this restaurant and 1/2 a mile from downtown. Since Apalachicola is known for its oysters I thought I'd give that a try. Unassuming place. Nice hostess, perfect waiter, and I ordered the smorgasbord of their flavored oysters. Dockside, Rockefeller and Bacon Jalapeño. All very good. My favorite was the Dockside, simple. I didn't need the lemon, or sauces, it was better than I expected. The view was beautiful and every once in awhile a pelican would fly by. It was relaxing.

    Donna B.

    Been here twice now while traveling. Great view of the water, good service and good food. Will probably eat here again next time I'm in the area. It has a local feel to the place even though I'm sure because of the location there are plenty of tourists. Glad they didn't get damaged by the last hurricane that hit the area.

    Oysters

    Always a great night on our vacation. The oysters and side of hush puppies were great appetizers. Service was amazing. Maryssa was the best! She went above and beyond.

    Raw oysters from eight mile were a good size and brawny. Loved them. Had the mahi Reuben. Not overly large but the taste was great. Nice and melted. Key lime pie was just ok. Kinda gritty. Not tart enough. Pretty $$ too.

    Jason P.

    Half Shell Dockside. Great waterfront restaurant. I loved the oyster stew, and the shrimp gumbo was decent, but if I had to choose between the two, the stew would have won. Excellent fried green tomato appetizer, the oyster po-boy is heavily seasoned (salty) but it think it is the breading not the oysters themselves. Very good Bloody Mary.

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    2 years ago

    Had an awesome Black & Blue Salad here. Delicious, fresh and plentiful. Sat at the bar and had awesome service. Will be back!

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    2 years ago

    Great food and good service. Give it a try, sit outside and watch the boats go by. Drinks are good too!

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    Welp after a long day fishing. Great atmosphere good food excellent music. Ask for Matt he keeps them cold and keeps them coming.

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    Page 2 of 7

    Half Shell Dockside Reviews in Other Languages

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    Hole In The Wall Seafood

    Hole In The Wall Seafood

    4.1
    (394 reviews)
    0.5 mi
    $$

    Strap yourselves in, this is gonna be a long one…read more I was hoping to have a couple end of year reviews that were outstanding, so here goes. We had been camping at Torreya State Park but unfortunately, my ankle wasn't living up to expectations. Rather than put ourselves in a precarious situation, my wife got us reservations in Apalachicola and we drove down. We almost went to a little more upscale place, but as soon as I saw Hole in the Wall seafood, I changed my mind. Yes, it's a hole in the wall, but the best kind. Inviting, homie, Kitchie, and down to earth. The decor consists of hats donated by patrons. There are several wooden tables, including some large ones and a good sized bar. We opted for the bar. Cliff, the owner, is a former molecular biology professor and a fellow Hoosier. We noticed the oysters being shucked and they looked fresh and massive. We started off with a dozen raw oysters, a pound of their Cajun peel and eat boiled shrimp, and two grouper and oyster combo baskets with fries and hush puppies. Everything was outstanding. We ended up getting another dozen oysters. They were plump, sweet, and undeniably fresh. The peel and eat shrimp were amazing. They weren't just the typical throw some old bay on and dump a ton of butter in variety. The flavor was unique and rich. I joked with Cliff that I thought about drinking the juice and he said he had people order bread just to sop it up with. The fried grouper and oysters were outstanding. Big, flaky chunks of grouper, perfectly breaded and fried. The breading was just right. Light and crisp. Not heavy or greasy and the least. Ryan, the young man shucking the oysters, is obviously an expert, and each oyster was perfectly shucked. The beer selection is small, but excellent. I recommend the Oyster City Hooter Brown Ale and the Estrella Jalisco if you're in the mood for something a bit lighter. I can't say enough good things about this place. We'll be back... tomorrow.

    Stopped by at the end of the day for bowl of gumbos and some fried oysters. By far the best meal…read morethat we had in apalachicola. Great atmosphere and a very friendly staff. Definitely recommend and will be back the next time we get back in town

    Photos
    Hole In The Wall Seafood
    Hole In The Wall Seafood
    Hole In The Wall Seafood

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    The Franklin Café

    The Franklin Café

    3.5
    (103 reviews)
    0.6 mi

    While sitting a the bar having a drink and was told about there special, BBQ Chicken over a bed of…read moreMac & Cheese. Service was spot on the bartenders are attentive and ready to provide a refill on whatever you are drinking. As stated before these bartenders are spot on with giving good food advice. They're special, not only looks good but actually taste extremely good, the barbecue chicken is superb. The mac & cheese is beyond expectations, creamy, not overdone. Something to look forward to the next time I'm here. The bar area is beautiful old Florida style great place to come and enjoy.

    Closed out the Apalachicola weekend with Brunch at the Franklin Cafe inside the Gibson Inn hotel…read moreand it was a lovely experience. First - the coffee was pretty delicious. Always important to me. I am particular about my morning coffee! I had the chicken and waffles and was absolutely blown away. The chicken was perfectly cooked and breaded and wasn't overly greasy. It's tough to get that just right! The flavors were warmed up and greatly enhanced by the spicy Tupelo honey butter. The heat didn't overwhelm the other flavors by any means. The waffle was really good but not great. I would for sure eat this again. My co-eaters got the bananas foster French toast and the Creole eggs Benedict with cheese grits. I tasted the French toast and it was just way too sweet for my liking. If you love sweet I imagine you'd like this. The person who ate it does like sweets though and still felt it was a bit much but did like it. She traded some of it away for the cheese grits. The person who ordered the cheese grits thought they were just okay but very much enjoyed the creole eggs Benedict. Some of the best they've had! I did not taste test - I can't eat eggs ‍ I will close out by saying the service was top tier. Our server and everyone in the restaurant was super nice and also knowledgeable about the town and area and answered all our tourist questions (or found the answers). I'm not sure I will be traveling thru Apalachicola again any time soon, but if I do I will certainly stop here to grab a bite!

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    Dining Room
    Dining Room
    Bananas Foster French Toast
    Bananas Foster French Toast
    Bar

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    Bar
    Red Pirate Family Grill & Oyster Bar

    Red Pirate Family Grill & Oyster Bar

    3.9
    (278 reviews)
    6.0 mi
    $$

    Food was served quickly and tasted great! The kids had an amazing time and Susan, our waitress, was…read morethe best!!

    We were looking for a seafood place on our first night in Carrabelle Beach. The Red Pirate was…read morehighly recommended by several we asked and they he menu looked good so we drove over. It was quite crowded so there was a 30 minute wait. We didn't mind because there was a lot to explore and plenty of seating outside. There was a mini golf course, a gift shop and two more dining rooms. Both of those had a bar, dimmer lighting and live music plus one had outdoor seating. We didn't know they had other dining rooms so I told the hostess First Available. We ended up in the family dining room. Not complaining; just informing you that you do have a choice. You can get drinks in there but it doesn't have the atmosphere of the two bars. We were seated and ordered a Coke and a Coke Zero. I tasted mine and it had this awful muddy flavor that lingered. I looked at Jenn and she had the same look on her face. I don't know what was wrong with those drinks but they were so so bad. We told the server and she swapped both for ice tea. Sadly the tea had the same dirty disgusting taste. I don't know what's in the water there but it almost made me retch. We didn't order anything else to drink. We both ordered appetizers next- I got coconut shrimp and Jenn got the Buffalo Skins, basically loaded tater skins. Both were delicious!!! The appetizers were generous portions and quite filling. Jenn didn't want an entree after that but I ordered one - the southern fried chicken sandwich with a loaded baked potato. I should've followed Jenn's lead and skipped the entree. By the time it arrived (which wasn't an unreasonable wait) I was full, quite thirsty and ready to go. The sandwich looked very good, as did the tater but I couldn't eat it. I asked for a box and took it all back to our AirBnB. I did nibble to taste the fried chicken and it was quite good. I'm a fried chicken snob and quite picky. It was hot, not too much breading, well seasoned and the fillet was juicy. The only down side was the sauce on it. It was awful! I used a napkin to try to wipe it off. The server did ask me if I wanted it and I said yes (it was listed on the menu with the sandwich). I should've asked for it on the side. If you order the chicken sandwich you might consider asking for the special sauce on the side. I'm sure many people like it but for me it ruined the sandwich. I did bring the sandwich and baked tater back and will eat it later if I can. The baked potato looked very good, not too small and very well loaded. I didn't taste it though so I can't tell you much about it. They brought the sour cream separately too. Smart! Now I can reheat the tater. I didn't try any of the seafood except the coconut shrimp. I have to say it was excellent-large shrimps and a generous portion. I didn't need the entree at all. The place seems very popular and I will suggest giving it a try. I didn't notice anyone else complaining about the drinks so I don't know how to explain our experience with the Cokes and the tea. Neither of us could drink even one drink of them. I read reviews after we left and one even mentioned the delicious water. Maybe tuck a bottle of Aquafina in your bag or pocket, just in case.

    Photos
    Red Pirate Family Grill & Oyster Bar
    Shrimp poboy
    Shrimp poboy
    Fried Captain's Platter @tiffhuangry

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    Fried Captain's Platter @tiffhuangry
    Apalachicola Oyster Cook-Off

    Apalachicola Oyster Cook-Off

    2.0
    (2 reviews)
    0.4 mi

    Not local oysters, everything sourced out of state. Only came for the local oysters. I live by…read morecedar key. Could've stayed home and ate them here.

    So I'm going to preface some reviews I'm about to write with the following: My brother & I were on…read morea road trip from St. Petersburg, FL to Fort Worth, TX, in January of 2018. These are the places we hit along the way. They are also in my Yelp! list here: https://www.yelp.com/list/fl-to-tx-road-trip-2018-houston (also in any of the reviews written for the trip). From the event URL: "The event is held every year on the Friday and Saturday before Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in downtown Historic Apalachicola at Riverfront Park. All proceeds goes directly towards paying for the brand new fire truck they were able to purchase a few years ago, due to this sole fundraising event!" This year was the 8th Annual Oyster Cook-Off and was held January 12th and 13th, 2018. My brother and I just happened to be driving through, the day BEFORE, with a reservation the next night on Port Arthur. Not wanting to miss out, we came back the next day. I'm glad we did, but... If you ate an oyster (at the tents) at this year's festival, and thought you were eating an Apalachicola oyster, you would be mistaken. Shocker right? Bigger shock, the oysters were from Texas, my home and our destination. I would have gone 4 stars if the oysters were local, but they weren't. In fact the oysters shucking factories here are staying in business because they are trucking in oysters from Texas to keep the factories busy. Hopefully the river will recuperate and the oyster beds will recover. I forget the exact root cause, something to do with humans affecting the salinity level in in the brackish part of the river, but I think things are getting better. But the festival was fun. It allowed us to spend more time in Apalachicola, which is a cute town. There was a lot of music, and a lot of food. There were also vendors galore with all the typical festival stuff. There are many cute year=round shops, and a nice collection of restaurants too. If you're lucky enough to hit this event, it's fun. Apalachicola also has a few other fun places to visit. Hopefully I'll get them into my list. Also, hopefully next year, 2019, Apalachicola oysters will be what's being served up, on the half shell, roasted, or in some seriously delicious chowder! Bottom line: If you search, you can find Apalachicola oysters being served in the restaurants. We found ONE. PS. There is an auction and a 5.5 K run. See the URL for more info.

    Photos
    Apalachicola Oyster Cook-Off
    Apalachicola Oyster Cook-Off
    Part of the silent auction. A painted pallet and oyster shells.

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    Part of the silent auction. A painted pallet and oyster shells.

    Half Shell Dockside - bars - Updated June 2026

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