Amazing food with exceptional friendly staff. Recommend the grilled oysters and crab patties. Dylan was an awesome server. read more

Wintzell's Oyster House - Chargrilled oysters. Yummy. - Seafood Near Me - Mobile, Alabama

We had dinner at Wintzell's Oyster House on Dauphin Street in downtown Mobile. I enjoyed it. I love oysters and I'm glad we went. This is an old, well-worn, local institution. According to the menu, the restaurant originally opened in 1938 during the Great Depression. The fact that this place is still open after all these years tells you all you need to know. We showed up with a group of eight on a Friday around 8pm. There was a wait and unfortunately, we had to be split up into two separate tables. We saw two open tables that they could have combined for us, but they didn't for some reason. That was disappointing. We got beer on tap at the bar while we waited. Cold and refreshing. When we were finally seated, service was a bit slow. That was disappointing too. Our server was fine, though. You can get oysters several different ways here, from Rockefeller to Monterey, and raw or fried in a po' boy. I prefer raw oysters so ordered one dozen wild-caught and one dozen farm-raised. Turned out they were out of farm-raised so I had only wild-caught. The oysters were fresh and delicious. They tasted clean and I had several with and without lemon juice, cocktail sauce, and horseradish. The horseradish was nice and strong. Yum. Some of the oysters had shell fragments, which was annoying, but I'm not too surprised with that at a casual, volume establishment like this. Now if this were a fancier place like the Hummingbird Way Oyster Bar, I might be pickier about it. I also had a side salad while my tablemates chowed down on dishes like Wintzell's award-winning seafood gumbo ($8.99 per bowl) and the "special" crab hushpuppies basket ($9.99). I could tell this place was popular with both locals and visitors. read more

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A Mobile staple! Wintzell's has always been a must-go when we visit Mobile. You can't beat their dozen raw oysters, award-winning gumbo, and of course the fresh catch of the day- loved the red snapper! Have a giggle with friends as you read the punny sayings all across the walls and enjoy watching oysters shucked on the spot. Good food, great culture, the best of times- welcome to Mobile, welcome to Wintzell's! read more

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Historical oyster place , famous to locals and visitors. We were greeted with smiles and Marvin was very helpful and friendly. He made our first stop in Alabama really memorable. So for the oyster sampler , we got 4 each of Rockefeller, chargrilled, and something else that had parmesan cheese on it . Then i ordered half a dozen fresh wild caught oyster . Then ordered another half dozen. They tasted so fresh ! The teen had cajun pasta which was also good and they came in the good size for lunch. I will be back. read more

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My last night in Mobile and I needed some good oysters... One of my Uber drivers suggested Wintzell's earlier in the week so I felt the need to follow thru. I'm enough of an oyster snob that I felt the need to belly up to the oyster bar and do it right. Amazing HUGE wild oysters (young dude shocking suggested the wild) but I've had some of the farm-raised in the area so I got 6/6. So flipping good and SO huge I didn't need much for dinner and these were more than plenty! Young man's Dad was also at the bar and had a nice chat with both. Great young man and it's clear where his character came from. Next time I'm in Mobile I'll be back and bring others with... read more

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Wintzell's Oyster House on Dauphin Street never disappoints. This wasn't our first visit, so we came in expecting a bit of a wait--and that was fair. The staff was down two servers, and the hostess was truly doing it all, from greeting guests to busing tables, just to keep things moving. Major kudos to her for hustling and keeping the crowd flowing with a great attitude. As for the food, you must get the seafood gumbo. Do yourself a favor and pay the extra $2 for the bowl. Worth. Every. Penny. Rich and flavorful, the way gumbo should be. We stuck with the lunch menu and were really impressed by the prices for the quality of food. The red beans with chicken and sausage were absolutely amazing. Despite being short-staffed, the experience was good, the food was excellent. A little disappointed on the wait between the gumbo and the food. That isn't the standard that you expect. We'll definitely be back... and yes, ordering the gumbo again. read more

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One star for the hush puppies. One star for our friendly server. Sadly, I can only give two stars to Wintzell's House in Mobile, Alabama. I should've listened to all of the advice from the locals on Reddit, who warned me that this place has fallen on harder times. The char grilled oysters were funky. I ate them but worried as I ate them. The hush puppies earned a star. They were pretty tasty. The were my favorite thing on the table. However, we asked for butter, and our server gave us packets of butter substitute. Doesn't this restaurant have real butter? The gumbo was fairly tasteless and also, they had chopped up whatever seafood was in there so finely that it all just turned into mush. If there was any seafood in there, I sure didn't taste it. The West Indies crab salad was a shocking disappointment. It was a scoop of crab meat, which they ruined by mixing it up with mayo. That's it. An ice cream scoop of canned crab meat mixed with heavy mayo. It's like they didn't even try. The bread pudding left very little impression. It was a little rectangular square. Our server misunderstood us when we said we wanted it topped with ice cream, and served the bread pudding alongside a bowl of five scoops of vanilla ice cream with chocolate syrup and whipped cream. It was a very odd dessert situation, but we worked our way through it. Our server was an amusing fella. He kinda/sorta made the evening. Overall, I'm glad I went so I could know for myself. However, I do wish that I had listened to the locals on Reddit. read more

We travel from Fort Worth, TX to Pensacola at least twice a year and we always kick off our Gulf of America vacation with a stop at Wintzell's for raw oysters. Wintzell's is old school oyster bar ambiance greatness located in middle of Mobile's historic Dauphin Street district. We always sit at the oyster bar which in 2018 was dedicated to Willie Brown, the legendary shucker who presided over the bar for 47 years. Reggie now carries Willie's mantle as master shucker extraordinaire here at Willie's Oyster Bar. Reggie knows my petite wife loves humongous oysters while I prefer smaller ones and he fills the trays accordingly. A couple of visits ago another shucker waited on us and Reggie explained to him, "The lady like the large ones and the gentleman the smaller". LOL. This is just such an enjoyable way to begin our visit to the Gulf Coast. We enjoyed yesterday an unusual second visit to Wintzell's this trip. We drove to Mobile from Pensacola to dine at one of the city's most famous restaurants. Unfortunately our fish dishes were so unhappy as to warrant a return to the kitchen. We had finished an appetizer and had a nice bottle of wine so we decided not to reorder or try another entree. 'You know where we're going now?", I said. "To see Reggie...". And we did. read more

Wintzell's Oyster House - Reggie at the bar. - Seafood Near Me - Mobile, Alabama

Oysters were actually good. But the service was terrible. Very slow and it took over 25 minutes after ordering to get the oysters. The restaurant was pretty empty too as it was a weekday afternoon, all the servers were just standing around chatting with each other. The chargrilled oysters did come out sizzling hot though so at least they served them pretty immediately after the kitchen finally decided to cook them. They tasted great but it was weird that they didn't include bread for dipping. I would've ordered more but it was so slow. Also a waitress walked by and spilled her entire tray including used cups of water that splashed on us, hardly an apology. Also had to wait around quite a while for the check. I wish the service was better because I thought the oysters were actually pretty good. read more

Wintzell's Oyster House - Half dozen chargrilled - Seafood Near Me - Mobile, Alabama

Great service and a fine meal. We started off with crab claws - half fried, half sauteed, very tasty indeed. Next we had gumbo again, tasty as always. Then we all had the catch of the day (red snapper), 2 grilled and I had blackened, all were cooked perfectly. The sides were also tasty. Our server did a great job throughout. It was pretty quiet on a thursday night at 6ish. We will be back. read more

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Really enjoyed this place while traveling. Ambiance was casual and open. Very large with several rooms. TVs here and there. Bar area. The food was very good (Redfish Bienville and Cajun seafood pasta), and the wait staff were prompt, friendly, and funny. But the highlight of the entire experience for me was the bread pudding. It was so good, I had to come back for a second visit before my 5-day visit to Mobile was over. Yes, it was that good. I wish I could have taken a platter of it home with me. Amazingly tasty. read more

Wintzell's Oyster House - Delectable bread pudding - Seafood Near Me - Mobile, Alabama

We enjoyed the chargrilled oysters, a cup of gumbo, and a fried oyster basket. Yah Yah was our excellent server! She made the experience fun! read more

Cute place and busy. We arrived after 7 and it was still packed. Award winning seafood gumbo - different flavors and not as thick as what I had outside of Alabama but the flavor was surprisingly good. It's got a little kick, aka spicy. We had plenty of gumbos on our RTJ trails trip and this is probably the best. Raw oysters (wild caught) - raw, the best way to enjoy good and fresh oysters. The right size too. So so good. Mahi Mahi salad - fish and shrimps were overcooked and dried Shrimp & Grits - it was ok. I wished there were more sauce. And those shrimps were tiny. Cajun seafood pasta - flavor was ok. Scallops were overcooked and tough. Redfish Bienville - fish and shrimps were overcooked. Sad And not sure if it was the way our waitress carried the trays or something but the plating looked sloppy. read more

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I have eaten here several times, and have had fairly good service on every occasion. This is a comfortable restaurant with very friendly vibes, especially at the bar. It is somewhat quirky and touristy with its overall decorations. The food is routinely very good, the only issues consistency. I'm my last visit for lunch. I got the seafood plate and the fish and shrimp were fantastic. Unfortunately the oysters were fried to death. They were so bad, that the server said they were going to have them re-fired when he delivered the plate. My question is, why even plate them if they look that terrible. They did make good and re-fire those oysters and they were delivered a nice golden brown. Taking in prior experiences and food quality, I would firmly rate at 3 1/2 stars if we could do so. read more

Wintzell's Oyster House - Lunch menu - Seafood Near Me - Mobile, Alabama

Had a wonderful lunch while driving back to New Orleans. We love this Wintzell's location. Our bartender, Ben S, was super quick and friendly. I had the best Sangrias! If it was Louisiana, I would have gotten one to go. We had cold boiled peel & eat shrimp, and a dozen Monterey oysters. So good. My husband had Red Beans, chicken and sausage. I had a shrimp BLT. We both had sides of boiled corn on the Cobb. It came with 2 each! We had a great meal and good time. read more

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We have eaten at various Wintzell's and always enjoy the oysters. We stopped in for happy hour and they were $1each from 4-6pm. We a shared 3 dozen and they were delicious. Service was quick and efficient. We sat at the bar and it was a great place to chat with the locals. read more

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Super sad. This restaurant had great reviews and honestly, what's up with people? From the start this places smelled like sewer. I expected fish not sewer. I got hit so bad everything became a blur Service was ok. He did ask if we needed anything but as usual at the most inconvenient serve time possible so I kept not getting my water refilled. The eyes for detail were out of stock when it was his turn to get them. Food was over priced and $20 for a dozen oysters during their season? I could be wrong but that's high as that's what I usually pay (a little less at some places) year round at a restaurant back at home. This felt like Marbella flashbacks from Mexico . I expected $.50 or so a piece. Am I dreaming of a white Christmas? I literally came here for the oysters. I'm so glad I asked what the "market" price was . I'm a foodie and one thing I will not overpay for is food. Specially mediocre food. Nope. I ended up having meh food. The fact the place has been there since the 1930's blows my mind. I come to find out it's a chain? Good for them honestly but I won't be back to any of them if I have a say . I'm happy I did not get sick so moving on... Anyway, there were some good in the visit so here we go, the baked oyster that I had (Parmesan something) was very good. Kids had a blast with the captain Morgan statue (even though I kept telling them it's not a park) and I made a mistake I learned from. That's it. Moving to the next, I ordered the Po-boy and the sampler plate. The bread on the Po-Boy was hard, gooey and flaky all at the same time. Not my favorite. The shrimp was ok but fresh. The hush puppies were good. The plater is sad, two baked oysters, two shrimps and half of a fish filet. Fries were served on a cup. Like the tiny fries box in the McD happy meal... more like a sad meal. I think my Barbie's had more fries on their toy fries , even this emoji has more fries, ha! Overall... nah for me. read more

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Casual seafood restaurant. Service was very nice! Their garlic bread is always perfection. We enjoyed the entrees we got, but the sides were very par. BUT their bread pudding was phenomenal Cajun Seafood Pasta - I was surprised how good this was Shrimp and scallops seasoned with Creole herbs and spices. Tossed in a creamy alfredo sauce. Shrimp & Grits A southern favorite! Topped with crawfish sauce. Sides: Okra: too much breading for me. Made it where I felt like I was eating just a ball of fried, barely tasted the okra Cajun rice: very bland and dry read more

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My wife and I came here with some friends back in May and this was a nice meal overall. Jay was our waiter and he was great, providing excellent suggestions, great conversation, and great customer service. Our drinks were delicious and a tasty way to start out the meal. The food overall was very good and we particularly liked the chargrilled oysters. The shrimp po'boy was also good, but the crab claws weren't the best. Overall it was a great place for dinner and we all enjoyed our meal. read more

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What a pleasant surprise! The service was prompt and attentive. The receptionist was welcoming and complimentary of the food! The ambiance is nice standard oyster house decor. The food was delicious. The oysters were very good. We had the oyster Rockefeller and the sampler. Worth the trip! The fried green tomatoes were next level and The main course was plentiful and fried to perfection! The gumbo was traditional and had the right amount of rue to make it thick versus runny! When in Mobile...give them a try! read more

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Sat at the Bar near some locals and that told me the fish Tia is are the best they have ever had. Plus they were $5 on Tuesdays. Pretty good endorsement so I decided start with their suggestion. On their weekend drink menu they had homemade sangria so that's where I started. Great flavor in the drink! Had to drink at least a second. The fish taco arrived hot with jalapeño, purple cabbage slaw with a lime. Both tacos were loaded with the white fish that was seasoned and crispy! I agree with the locals on the fish tacos and for $5 on Tuesday if I lived here, this would be my Tuesday spot! I can't come to an oyster place and not try the oysters. I went with the beinville oysters (shrimp, crab meat and Parmesan cheese) as my second course. Sipping my second sangria while waiting for my oysters...... The oysters were outstanding. She gave me crackers so I ate the shrimp cheese and oysters on the crackers which hit the spot. The cheese on top was roasted. The lemon salt and pepper was all thy needed. Round three I ordered the sautéed crab claws. They are served with hush puppies so I am excited to try. This will probably be it for me tonight. Waiting patiently...... The crab claws were a special treat that I only have ordered one other place in all my travels. They were fresh and tasty and were a huge portion. The hush puppies were as good or better than anticipated. I recommend Wintzell's for anyone who enjoys great food, in an energetic atmosphere with great service. You can't go wrong here. Cheers! read more

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A diner style seafood and oyster house that sadly is not as delicious as it is charming. You'll have fun reading all of the handwritten Southern-isms on the walls, which was the most exciting thing about our experience. The oysters were no nonsense and clean, with no grit. The chilled boiled shrimp were overcooked. The crab claws were good if very small. They gave you a lot of them, which was nice considering their size, but for $32 I would have preferred half the amount for half the price and without the overcooked hush puppies. My wife got the mahi-mahi and shrimp cobb salad, the protein of which was over cooked and over seasoned. The shrimp were also obviously cocktail shrimp, which is never acceptable for an entree salad. Being so close to the Gulf, mediocre seafood is always disappointing. Considering the number of reviews (and positive ones) it's obvious this place is popular. Maybe it was an off night, but I wish we would have had a better overall experience. read more

This place is consistently packed but I think that's just because it speaks about how good the food is. Service is also just as great. Ideally speaking, you should probably go to the back bar and have a couple of oystershooters while you wait for your tables to get cleaned up. It's a friendly crowd and everything is moving pretty quickly in and around this place. Two large dining rooms with two bars. Probably best bet to get an idea of what you're going to order at home before you sit down and order. You don't feel hurried at all at this place but you're going to finish your food in a hurry and going to be full just as fast. read more

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Had a craving for oysters, so hit up Wintzell's for lunch. Ordered the sampler. Waitress brought samples of the Gumbo, which was very tasty, and soft buttered bread. I enjoyed the variety of oyster treatments enough to go back the next day for dinner. Gotta say, once is enough. Dined at the bar the second night and the ambiance - bright and busy - which worked well at lunch did not carry over into the evening. Would repeat. read more

This was our first visit to Winslow's Oyster House, and unfortunately, it will be our last. Our waitress, Lindsay Green, provided the worst service we've experienced in a long time. As a family with a child who has special needs and a visible difference, we left feeling deeply hurt by the way we were treated. During our visit, her behavior toward our daughter came across as dismissive and unkind, making us feel unwelcome and uncomfortable. Every customer deserves to be treated with kindness and respect, regardless of their appearance or abilities. We expected compassion and professionalism, but that was not our experience. I hope management takes this feedback seriously. No family should leave a restaurant feeling the way we did. read more

This experience started when I had to wait about 7 minutes before my server even acknowledged me. I ordered the broiled red snapper, baked potato, and a coke to drink. After waiting 25 minutes for my food, the snapper was so tough I literally could not put my fork in it. I told my server and he apologized. After another 25 minutes I finally received my second dish. This one was cooked perfectly. When my server gave me my bill, I had to ask if I could get a partial discount because of the time it took to receive my food and that my first dish had to be returned to the kitchen. He took my bill and after another 10 minutes he came back and said that they had comped my dinner and all I had to do was pay for my coke. I left the server $12.00 and went to the ladies room. **For a restaurant that big they need more restrooms.** read more

Pretty good food. Had a group of 40 people. Service was ok. Mixed up a few orders but overall the team had a good time.

You now have to pay to park in their parking lot. Won't be going back there. More characters? Don't get me started

Had an amazing dinner here. The chargrilled oysters were delicious. Our salads were crisp and fresh. The grilled salmon with lemon basil sauce was moist and flavorful, the fried okra crispy. The JO Seafood Platter my husband had was fried, very tasty and not greasy at all. No wait at 4:45pm on a Monday, fast service and Dylan our server was the best. Highly recommend if you're in Mobile. read more

CJ was the greatest server I've ever had anywhere. Snapper was great. Beer was cold. Good vibes inside. read more

Wintzell's Oyster House - Oyster Bar - Seafood Near Me - Mobile, Alabama

Was a recommendation from the hotel. Will not return. Food was mediocre and restaurant was extremely dirty.

This place was recommended by FL friends who lived in Mobile for a time. We stopped by on a Sunday evening. For a casual-dining seafood restaurant, Wintzell's punches well above its weight class. The quality of the food and the creative twists in the preps are noteworthy--and the prices are reasonable in my estimation. We sampled some apps (don't pass on the jalapeño hush puppies!), an excellent baked oyster sampler, a main, and a dessert. Everything was delicious and on-point, and our server, YaYa, was super kind and fun to talk with. Highly recommended! read more

Been eating here for years, not the same!must have brought the Montgomery management to Mobile. The orders were wrong, ordered fried then brought out grilled, ordered gumbo for appetizer...it was brought when asked for check. The water traps should be cleaned...the smell is horrible read more

Wait to be seated was too long (30 min and no crowd). Wait for food order to be taken was too long (another 30 min). Wait for food was too long (40 min, yes 40 min). Accuracy of order was fair. Food quality was fair. Not worth the wait nor the money. read more

Actually, really open until 10PM!!! Staff was friendly, service was exceptional, food was "hot, brown, and there was lots of it"!

It's been about 14 years since we've been in Mobile, Stopped in yesterday for oysters, got the baked sample platter, 16 oysters, 4 each of 4 styles, and of course raw also. We also ordered the West Indies salad. A few drafts to top it off. Kasandra was out server, and she was excellent. read more

We got a recommendation to come here and whew am I glad we did! There is plenty of seating in the restaurant and I loved all the signs they had on the wall. Even though it was busy our server made sure to check in on us and answer all of our questions. We started off the the oysters and they were delicious, we got the beinvue. The sauce was perfect! Each of us loved our entrees. I got the shrimp and grits since I've been craving it and they didn't skimp on the shrimp at all. Definitely worth it to check out if you're in town! read more

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I've been going to Winchell's for 60 years and it's been delicious every time except the last time and that was probably my last time because it was not good. The gumbo is not good. The service was really bad with no training so my last time. read more

The food was great, excellent price for the portions and amazing flavors as well. The bartender Amanda was super friendly and hospitable. I will definitely return here next time I am in town! read more

Wintzell's Oyster House - Seafood Near Me - Mobile, Alabama

Walking into this place felt like stepping into a time capsule decorated by someone who never met a "quirky wall sign" they didn't love. Some might call it charming. I call it a visual headache. Service? Pretty solid. Food? A culinary crime scene. The bread was the only thing worth eating, and trust me--I clung to that basket like it was a life raft. My shrimp and grits? Picture rubber erasers tossed onto a pile of lumpy, bland paste. I managed a few bites before my taste buds staged a protest. My husband's oyster platter was even worse: four styles, one result--dry, overcooked oysters that deserved a much kinder fate. The Rockefellers were so bad they should've been served with a warning label. Final verdict: this place is where good seafood goes to die. Don't waste your time, your money, or your appetite. BTDTNA (Been there done that never again) read more