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    Half Shell Dockside

    3.6 (252 reviews)
    ModerateBars, Seafood, Sandwiches
    Open 11:00 am - 10:00 pm
    Updated 3 months ago

    Half Shell Dockside Photos

    Business Info

    HALF SHELL DOCKSIDE ATMOSPHERE

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

    Recommended Reviews - Half Shell Dockside

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    Reviews With Photos

    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.

    Service was amazing and food was delicious. Ahi tune tacos and blacked grouper dinner. Seriously one of our favorite meals. Proud prices but understandable for the level of deliciousness. Only thing is grouper size was pretty small for the portion/price.

    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.

    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.

    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.

    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.

    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.

    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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    4 years ago

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    1 year ago

    We sat outside for lunch and the view was beautiful. The service, food, and beer were all great. Highly recommended.

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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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    Page 2 of 7

    Half Shell Dockside Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Half Shell Dockside

    Up To No Good Tavern

    Up To No Good Tavern

    3.6
    (66 reviews)
    0.4 mi

    Not sure why there are bad reviews, the drinks that we had were very well made and strong enough to…read moreget us tipsy quickly without being too strong to drink. Granted we didn't order much food other than some desserts from the display case

    Arrived in historic Apalach only to be greeted by a lot of very early closures of restaurants. It…read morewas a weekday evening, but it's also August, and it is supposedly a tourist focused town, so I'm not sure why they shut down restaurants at 8 and 9 pm. Anyway, Up to no good was still open at sunset and there seemed to be a handful of patrons so we dropped in to get a bite and a beer. Sat at the bar and ordered a decent draft of a locally brewed blonde ale. That was the highlight, and it slid downhill from there. I don't enjoy giving negative critique of personnel, but as they are an integral aspect of the experience, it's altogether necessary to do so. Two girls working the front of the house...both seemed a bit disappointed that anyone would want to order food at the horrific hour of half past 8. We chose the 16" gourmet specialty pizza on the nights specials board. The Greco. Olive oil, olive tampanade, feta, banana peppers, PLUS your choice of chicken or shrimp. I asked if we could get half chicken and half shrimp but was told flatly...no. Seemed like a rational request, and I'm sure the cook EASILY could have managed the chore, but I wasn't gonna get into it with her. She was definitely eyeing the clock already, and giving off a vibe so it wasn't going to be a productive back and forth. I wrote it off to her probably just having a bad day. EXCEPT, when she was interacting with another table that were clearly locals and acquaintances, she was amazingly friendly, sociable, and jovial. Her disdain was obviously reserved for strangers and out of towners. Oh well. Now, the pizza. Clearly they over reached on this. It came out looking ok, but it just didn't hit the mark. The crust and the toppings seemed to be two entirely different entities, to the point that when you picked up a slice, the toppings would just slide right off. Almost as if the crust was pre-cooked. It was edible, but underwhelming. We were pretty much finished with the whole scene, so we asked for a box and a check, as they clearly were anxious for us to leave, so that they could also. So, the pizza was listed on the board for 27 bucks. But then , insult to injury, there was a 4 dollar add on for the chicken! lol. Why didn't they just LIST the pie at the 31.00 up front!? Petty, but deceptive practice. I brought it to the attention of the waitress, but my explanation was beyond her ability to process. But she had no problem processing my cc for the 31.00, plus 2 beers, and tax. 50+ dollar pizza dinner for two! And mediocre at that. With attitude. We won't be back.

    Photos
    Bar
    Bar
    Chicken and pasta
    Chicken and pasta
    View from the patio

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    View from the patio
    Red Pirate Family Grill & Oyster Bar

    Red Pirate Family Grill & Oyster Bar

    3.9
    (281 reviews)
    6.0 mi
    $$

    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.

    We first visited this restaurant in April 2025 and it was absolutely amazing - great beer…read moreselection, incredible food, fair prices, and excellent service. We were so impressed that we recommended this place to multiple people and were genuinely excited to come back last Sunday. Unfortunately, this visit was a complete disappointment from start to finish. The service was noticeably worse, the beer selection was extremely limited compared to before, and the food was honestly some of the worst seafood we've had in years. We ordered the fried calamari and the mixed grilled seafood plate. The calamari was chewy, flavorless, and the batter had an unpleasant texture. The mixed seafood plate was even worse - the oysters looked, smelled, and tasted awful, and the fish, shrimp, stuffed crab and scallops were completely bland. Even the fried okra, which should be an easy Southern staple, was disappointing. We left wondering if they changed chefs or management because the difference from our first experience was shocking. Even my mom, who is far from a picky eater, could barely eat her food. It's genuinely upsetting because this used to be a place we loved and enthusiastically recommended to others. Sadly, after this experience, we won't be returning.

    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

    Half Shell Dockside - bars - Updated August 2026

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