The best food in crystal river. Good service, short wait time. Being one of the last original local restaurants. Don't miss it! If you're in the area. read more

I LOVE this place. It is cozy and gives "down home" vibes. As soon as our group walked in, we were warmly greeted by the staff. We traveled to Crystal River to hang with friends during my son's spring break. Our group of 8 was hosted by our beloved locals, Oma (grandma) and Opa (grandpa). Our table ordered everything from clam chowder and jambalaya to a burger to seafood alfredo and then me ordering the pick four platter because I literally wanted a taste of all of the seafood. Everything was fresh, piping hot and tasty. Crab cake, oysters, grouper and shrimp. Sooooo good! To top off our visit, Mr. Bunch himself, came from the kitchen to greet all of his guests. Whenever I return to the area, I will always check-in here. It feels like home. Cheers! read more

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First time there. It reminded me of old Florida and a local place. We were excited to try it. We traveled because hubby loves oysters and restaurants are hard to find. The inside was clean and cozy. There were 4 other tables occupied. Waitress greeted us quickly and gave us menus. We ordered . My hubby wanted the large serving of fried oysters, we had no problem with the market charge for the oysters . Food came out quickly but my husband said something about the amount of fried oysters. They were cut up and fried in very small pieces . They were the size of popcorn shrimp. Hubby ate them. My salad was great! Service was good. Couldn't ask for better. It was a disappointing visit for $45.00 before tip. read more

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"The food is always excellent, as is the service. If you're hungry, this is the place to go."

Was just there for dinner. As ALWAYS the Fried Chicken, Chopped Steak Dinner and Oysters on the half shell, Outstanding.Even brought Me.Bunchs chicken home for later. Service was great as usual also. Love homemade food!! read more

Food okay, service very good, ambience rustic. Worth a try. We will return. Quite a variety.

Oysters located on US Hwy. 19 in Crystal River has been in business since 1962 and known for their fresh seafood and delicious fried chicken. The epidemic has hit this family owned business hard and unfortunately it has shown in their food. The exterior appearance hasn't changed one bit since we moved here in 2005 and the interior definitely needs an update. Mismatched chairs at tables and the walls need a good paint job. Hopefully their business will pick up soon so they can get back on their feet and do some improvements. I had called prior to going to see if they had a Friday special of AUCE fish (which is quite popular in Citrus County) and their waitress told me yes. After we were seated and ordered our drinks, our waiter came over to take our order. We said we wanted the AUCE fish fry and he seemed confused. I explained I called ahead to verify that they had that special. So he went into the kitchen and came back and said no they didn't have it - that the person who answered the phone made a mistake! Not wanting to leave and find another place especially after ordering our drinks we decided to stay. We started with their appetizer of fried gator tail. We love gator tail and was interested in seeing how their gator measured up to our favorite seafood restaurant in town. Oyster's gator tail is delicious. Prepared well, the small chunks were very tender and not greasy- the ONLY disappointment was the size of the portion for the price. Definitely overpriced. We both ordered their blackened fish which came with two side dishes. I chose a side salad with blue cheese dressing and collard greens. We were told that the size of the fish was as long as the waiter's forearm to appease us because of the snafu of the misinformation of the Friday special. Our fish came out a decent size, cooked just the way we like and the blackening seasoning was really nice. Not too blackened or too spicy, I would definitely order it again. However, my sides were under par. My salad came out and it was basically just plain iceberg lettuce in big chunks with one little carrot shred on top just teasing me! No other vegetables- a lot more carrot, a couple of cucumber slices and a few wedges of fresh tomato would have went a long way. My lettuce wasn't even fresh because I was served several brown pieces! Sad that they would serve it that way. My blue cheese dressing was okay, I could tell it was store bought and an inferior one at that! Oysters should buy a better quality or add some fresh blue cheese crumbles to dress up that bland dressing. A few croutons wouldn't hurt either. My second choice of a side was collard greens. Again, a major disappointment. From a can and bland to boot - salt and pepper added some flavor but some hot sauce or pickled pepper vinegar would have improved it somewhat. No bread, rolls or biscuits just two little overly brown hush puppies were offered with our meals. I never eat or enjoy hush puppies. They're usually extremely greasy and dry. Better to have a different bread option! For a Southern style restaurant I would have expected a huge pot of homemade collards cooking on the stove in their kitchen! Many farms around here sell them real cheap and since their business was slow- only a few other tables I think they had plenty of time to do little things to improve their food. Make a gallon of homemade salad dressing, prep a fresher and better salad, homemade vegetables and baked bread or biscuits. We have been supporting family owned restaurants whenever we can because of their situation from our pandemic. I truly hope this lapse in quality and quantity of food is temporary and they get back on track so they last many more years to come! read more

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Looked past the older reviews and glad we did. There has been a change in management. Fried chicken and Shrimp platter was super good. About the best chicken I've had in Florida. Service was quick though we never felt rushed. You can go to the "named" local place and pay more for less. read more

This is an old restaurant in crystal river with the best fried chicken. It is freshly cooked to order within 25 minutes. It's crispy and moist. The mashed potatoes are good and we got extra gravy. Place could use updating. read more

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Great restaurant, southern food and it's finest and it's host Mr. William Bunch greeted us during our meal. It was nice to see the concern of an owner will definitely be back to the food was fabulous. read more

We were looking for some place new to try and based on the reviews tried here. I believe in its hey day it probably was a great restaurant but... maybe it was the time of day we were there? Late in the afternoon or day? Sunday? It was just ok. We both had the seafood gumbo- which had good flavor but was missing the rice of a gumbo. Next were seafood platters; shrimp, oysters, and fish ( grouper) with mashed potatoes and what was advertised as collard greens. The oysters and grouper were good. The shrimp was tolerable- tasted like Sysco shrimp not fresh. However - what was advertised as collards were mustard greens and I could not eat them. There is a difference! All greens are not created equal!! All the reviews went on about the fried chicken and while we were there the owners were dining with friends family style. They were having chicken! In a place called oysters one would think you wouldn't order fried chicken to get the best food. Also it looks like the building is up for sale so they may be looking to retire as it has been around for a long time. If you go I suggest ordering the chicken and know that the greens will most likely be mustard. Also I would give it 3 1/2 stars but you can't. It's not a 4 star restaurant but not really a 3 star either. read more

The fried chicken was fabulous, the girls who took care of us were terrific, and the owner stopped over to see how we were enjoying and doing. Highly recommend this great place. read more

I was camping in Dunnellon and needed to go to the Verizon store, saw this little hole in the wall and the word oysters and thought.... yep. So glad I did. My friend and I had a delicious meal and the prices were so reasonable. He had a salad and clam chowder.... he said it was great, I thought he was nuts to get a salad. The clam chowder was really good though, a tad salty. That may just be me, I think everything is salty. I had the fisherman's platter with 3 fish. Shrimp, scallops and Grouper. For my sides I got fries and Collards. Oh and it came with two of the best Hush Puppies I've ever had in my life, and I lived in SC. Oh, an the condiments!! Best tartar sauce, and cocktail sauce ever. The waitress was terrific...... I was patting myself on the back for taking a chance on Oysters. Especially since we went early and there were like two cars on the lot..... when we left there were no empty tables. The views were fun, saw a guy riding along on a unicycle and a monster truck on a trailer on 19/98 read more

Oysters Restaurant - Seafood Near Me - Crystal River, Florida

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Our food group" until we eat again " had our weekly dinner at oysters after a small mishap at a birthday dinner party. The owner made good on it and went over and above on customer satisfaction. We decided to thank him by bringing our dinner group to his restaurant. Our group is 13 people and the waitress and hostess both were wonderful and attentive we ran her pretty good. I had a few of the apps coconut shrimp, oysters Rockefeller, and the French onion soup. All very very good. For the main coarse my girlfriend and I shared the country fried steak. This too was very good real homemade mashed potatoes, collard greens and a very refreshing tea. The food was good comfort food and I enjoyed the meal . I feel I speak for our whole group when I say wonderful meal, full belly, and a smile. I left satisfied read more

Food was great and portions were generous. Fair prices. Good service as well. Clean, simple mom and pop type of business. Have tried their fried chicken, collard greens, fried shrimp, fried fish - it was all yummy....have lived in this area for years, who knew I was missing out??? Will be eating hear more regularly! read more

Best fried chicken around. Food is fresh and Willie is amazing fish fry is awesome. Service is good. Ambiance nothing special just down home good country cooking. read more

Great friend chicken and everything else. I've been eating at William's Oysters restaurant for years 28 and have never been disappointed. The prices are good and the food is wonderful as is the service. read more

Small, quaint hometown vibe - we visited Crystal River and wanted to stop for something quick on the way home. The clam chowder was delicious! We got the blackened seafood platter, which was good but smaller than expected. We did see the fried chicken come out and while we didn't get it, that portion looked much bigger! Would consider coming back for the clam chowder if in town! read more

BEST SEAFOOD IN CRYSTAL RIVER! Thank you, Mr. Bunch and staff for the excellent service and amazing food tonight! We had a big rowdy bunch and your staff took care of our every need with a smile! I think we tasted it all! From the apps of gator tail, coconut shrimp and mozzarella sticks to the main entrees of your famous fried chicken, shrimp, grouper and oysters....if I could give you 10 stars I would! Thank you! We made some fun memories at Oysters! read more

Oysters Restaurant - Family from Williston, FL, Pennsylvania, Texas and Canada! - Seafood Near Me - Crystal River, Florida

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The food is wonderful here. We have the best fried chicken in Crystal River. The service is great. The restaurant is old you can see how much where it has but it is very clean. read more

Everything we had was delicious. The blackened Fisherman's Platter was incredible. The scallops were perfectly cooked and seasoned. My wife loved the crab cake. She said it was one of the best she ever had. The hushpuppies were great, too. They were crispy and moist. The prices were extremely reasonable. Everyone that works there was AWESOME. The servers were very attentive. The owner came out at the end to see how we liked everything. read more

the best grief fish i've ever had! We loved this Little restuarent. Wish i had their récéile for the fish and gumbo. Péacán pie was excellent also! read more

After waiting 15 minutes to place an order the waitress decides to take orders from the new people walking in the door? We walked out. Won't be back! read more

The Food was excellent. We had the Coconut shrimp & Fried Chicken... highly recommend. Bernadette was a great waitress one thing wasn't on the menu and she made another great suggestion. The pace of the town is slower and old fashioned. read more

Oysters Restaurant - a fish on a brick wall - Seafood Near Me - Crystal River, Florida

My wife and I stopped in on our way back to Tampa from a camping trip, since Oysters got good reviews. I wouldn't say I'm a big "atmosphere" guy as long as the food is good, but the first impression is that the place looked pretty out of date with a mish-mash of unmatching tables and chairs, etc. Also kind of an unusual odor in the place that makes me wonder about cleanliness. The food - I'd say was edible but that's about it. Shrimp was just ok. Fries were just ok. Same for the hush puppies. The mashed potatoes had no gravy and were pretty bland. My wife's oysters were pretty tiny and were more breading than oyster. Prices and portions were fair ($14 for the large shrimp dinner on the lunch menu - higher for dinner? I'm not sure.) I didn't leave hungry and the service was fast and friendly enough. I know it was about 3pm Friday afternoon, so not exactly the dinner rush, but we were literally the only customers in the place. Not sure that's the sign of a local favorite... The cherry on top is, like another reviewer, I had to stop and find a restroom about 45 minutes later before making it all the way back to Tampa................ read more

The food here was very tasty. I ordered the chicken fried steak. It came with two sides, both of which were delicious (collard greens and baked potato). Another person at my table ordered the catfish, and another ordered fried chicken, both of which were very good. The service was not the best. We arrived around 45 minutes to close which is not ideal, but also not insanely late. We asked if it was ok to eat in and we were told yes. The chef (?) came and took our orders and she did not seem very happy to serve us. I felt very pressured & annoying when asking a question :( We got our food and I received the wrong entree and she seemed very upset to have to take it back, no apology. She quickly remade the food though, and it tasted very good. She seemed to warm up after that and she was much more friendly and she checked on me to make sure I liked my food. I feel like maybe she was just having a bad day. I would recommend their restaurant because of how good the food was, though maybe the service is a bit rocky. read more

Nice friendly people. They have a nice buffet with desserts and drinks are included. The food is pretty good. Service is excellent. read more

Oysters Restaurant - Mahi mahi - Seafood Near Me - Crystal River, Florida

I love a good hole in the wall restaurant, sadly this was not even remotely good. Ordered the Buffalo shrimp and a side of fries. Both tasted fresh out of a microwave. Not at all impressed!! Restaurant could definitely use a through cleaning. The door was grimy, floors dirty, etc.... read more

Vacationing in the area, this place was recommended by a local. We had raw oysters, French onion soup and spicy gumbo. All of it was delicious. And then....the key lime pie. Best I've ever had. We were waited on quickly and the staff seemed to look after one other and help each other out when needed. The owner even came over and asked how everything was. It was buffet Sunday, even though we didn't get that it looked pretty good to me. read more

Restaurant was empty when we arrived for lunch. Server popped out of kitchen to state sit anywhere. Found a table, there a dirty table near us from a previous customer, another couple of people came in to eat as well. But, that table stayed dirty until Server brought out our food approximately 15 minutes later. Food wasn't that good. Atmosphere is very dated. Got home 30 - 45 minutes later with an upset stomach and diarrhea. Definitely won't be going back. read more

Oysters Restaurant - Mozzarella sticks not cooked properly, we're cool, not hot. - Seafood Near Me - Crystal River, Florida

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Tried this place for the first time today. Thought I ordered the special of two pieces of fried chicken and shrimp but the waitress brought the more expensive order of four pieces of chicken instead. My husband ordered the chopped steak with onions and mushrooms and was not informed of the upcharge of $4.00 (which is quite high) for the onions and mushrooms. They charge a fee if you pay by credit card which was also not mentioned. While the food was good, I was disappointed that we weren't informed of the upcharge and the service charge. The waitress also should have confirmed my order of chicken and then I would have gotten the two piece and shrimp instead of the four piece. I don't think we will be back anytime soon. read more

While working in the area of Crystal River we took a take out order at this clean family restaurant where we were greeted with a warm smile that was felt through the mask . The chicken is said to be the best this side of the world and I can definitely agree. I have to also brag about their gator bites and crab cakes, and my first time ever having frog legs was delicious. I recommend you come by have a meal rather you dine in or take out you won't be disappointed. Definitely will be coming back here again. read more

Oysters is a very unique business and is worth a trip just for the experience. As I understand it, the husband in the operation is the chef, and the wife is the server. That is about it, and I believe it as during my two visits I've only seen one server, and the food is kind of slow to come out even with few tables. However, slow food is always worth it if it's good. I have gotten chicken parmesan both times (so sue me) and although the portion is kind of small for the price they do it quite well. Even though Oysters is obviously a seafood restaurant, I think both times I've been everybody has gotten a poultry dish because numerous fried chicken varietals are their specialty. I haven't had it, but the fried chicken dinner is huge, hunking portions of appetizing looking chicken. The inside is definitely kitschy, but it is certainly one of the better dining options in Crystal River. read more

Oysters Restaurant - Chicken Parmesan - Seafood Near Me - Crystal River, Florida

Haven't been here in many years, and it's gone downhill since then. Based on the things we ate, on a scale of 1-5, here you go: Fried shrimp: 5 Fried oysters: 2 Fried scallops: 2 Fried grouper: 3 Hush puppies: 5 Mashed potatoes: 1 Clam chowder: 1 Chicken & rice soup: 4 But, the service was good, and if you are looking for a place to meet really loud old ladies, this is your spot! read more

By far the worst experience I've had in Florida. Long story short we paid $20 for 10 shrimp, 12 pieces of broccoli and the most bland grits either of us have ever had. If I didn't know better I would say we were pranked and they made our platters like this as a joke. The owner refused to refund us because he said his time and effort making those 10 shrimp were well worth over $20. I'm still laughing. Which brings me to where the owner was extremely rude and kept telling me to "look at our menu. It states that's what you'll get" however when we ordered online it literally states "a generous amount of shrimp in our shrimp platter".... That is a joke. Is 5 shrimp in each box generous? I'm disgusted at how we were treated, and refused a refund. The owner cared more about $20 than getting return customers, or satisfied customers for that matter. Because I'm extremely dissatisfied and honestly still heated about the money we just wasted when there's all you can eat shrimp 5 minutes away for a better price... This place is a scam and their owner is a crook. **I'm a restaurant manager.* This is NOT how you do business. Now I understand the other bad reviews. Would NOT recommend!!!!! read more

Oysters Restaurant - Seafood Near Me - Crystal River, Florida

Really tasty oysters Rockefeller, delicious fried chicken that's not greasy. Nice staff too, lots of local eat here and I know why!!! Support local!!!!! read more

We had a great brunch at Oysters! From the moment we arrived until we left - the service was phenomenal! The food was scrumptious! Thank you Chef William for stopping by at our table to make sure everything was good. Definitely coming back! read more

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Excellent food and service! Shared the gator bites (tender and flavorful) and Willie's fried chicken with fried shrimp (both awesome!!). Service was friendly and informative. Place was full so we waited a bit for food but was worth it. Glad we finely stopped in and we will definitely be back. read more

Best crab cakes anywhere in the world. The oysters were very fresh and we looooved the unique honey-glazed fried shrimp. The service was 1st rate and it was a very welcoming environment. I HIGHLY recommend this place to anyone who loves great, fresh, unique seafood. read more

Stopped in for lunch on a Thursday at 12:30. To my surprise there was not many people. I ordered the blackened grouper sandwich with a cup of gumbo. The gumbo was very good although it was quite different from what I remember gumbo is. The last time I had gumbo though was in New Orleans. Which isn't fair to compare though. The total lunch cost $11.25. So the blackened grouper was great!! Bread was a little soggy on the bottom but the flavor definitely made up for it. read more

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