Amazing that they’re “temporary closed for renovations” but they haven’t had trash or dumpster service for over two months. Seems like if you were renovating people would be inside working, and you’d need a dumpster. This place is permanently closed. I’m not buying the temporarily closed shenanigans. Update: The grass and weeds at this place are so high it’s a neighborhood eyesore. Apparently they quit landscaping as well. Also there is a homeless guy that now lives on their porch.
Gbpeachmom
Dined alone lunchtime on a Monday. Ordered the Seafood Pot Pie.. I ADORE pot pies so I was excited when the ( newly trained )waiter said it was very good and large… It came to my table and I asked,” what is that”?There was a rectangle on a dish of was pot pie innards .. Plopped on top was supposedly, “ the crust”. Oh my…If you are not going to make a decent pot pie , dont for gosh sake put it on the menu! The seafood inside was barely edible… Hope my next visit to The Half Shell in Pelham will be mucho better.
Kelvin Cash
New to town and using TripAdvisor to find places to eat that were locally owned. It was late for dining … at least according to the hours posted for many Birmingham restaurants … but they didn’t blink when we showed up 48 minutes before closing. The food was very good and the portion sizes perfect. Not being a seafood fan, I appreciated the various land-based options. The chicken Alfredo was excellent! Service was very good; they were attentive but didn’t hover, answered questions thoroughly without blinking an eye, and anticipated our every need.
Shawn S.
Service was a little slow , but food was great!! My gf got the crab stuffed mushrooms, which she loved and I had a sample platter.
James B.
Food was ok. They were short staffed and it took a few hours to get finished. Our server did her best and we don't blame her.
Joni S
The food was very good and the portion sizes perfect. Not being a seafood fan, I appreciated the various land-based options. The chicken Alfredo was excellent! Service was very good; they were attentive but didn’t hover, answered questions thoroughly without blinking an eye, and anticipated our every need. Highly recommend this place!
Jerry H.
Food was very good. Not very busy. Prompt service. Ate there two nights in a row on this trip.
Darrell O.
During Christmas time my wife and I were hungry and stopped by Half Shell for something to eat. As it was Christmas Eve it wasn't packed so the food came out really fast. I ordered the blackened fish, sweet potato creme brulee & loaded mash potatoes. My wife had the fried shrimp, cup of gumbo and a side salad. We've been to the one in Biloxi several times so we were very familiar with the food and this location didn't disappoint either. The fish was really good and my fork went through it like butter and I'm obsessed with the sweet potato creme brulee(ugh..so good)! We had a good time and left full. Next time I come back home I'll definitely stop by for round 2, LOL!
Ellie W.
My girl friend and I came here for a somewhat casual fun post-work dinner on a Wednesday night. There were maybe 8 other people eating here when we arrived. We got seated, and ordered a bottle of white wine. Our server took about 20 min to get us our wine when she only had like 3 other tables to take care of. Anyways, we ordered a filet to share because we weren't that hungry, and we ordered the filet Medium..WHEN I TELL YOU THAT STEAK CAME OUT BLOODY GIRL.......I mean it was sitting in a pool of blood. We asked our server to send it back and then they brought back our Same cut up steak, and it was still so bloody. They did comp the steak from our meal, but now we're leaving hungry. Overall really weird vibes and bad food. 2/10 don't recommend. The Half Shell in Tuscaloosa is way better.
Marie S.
We chose Half Shell to celebrate my birthday, and we had a party of five. The good about this restaurant is impeccable, but the bad, enough to keep me from returning. We arrived at about 5:30, and although it was populated, it was light. We were told a 30 to 45 minute wait for 1 table. Someone was already occupying the table, but there were other options available that were not offered to us. The vibe that I was getting from the hostess I will not say, other than it was not friendly to my family (including the looks she was giving us when she thought we were not paying attention). We remained pleasant. 25 minutes into waiting someone from the kitchen came out saying that due to shift change (at almost 6 pm ) orders would be 20 minutes or more. 20 mins later we got our table. Ordering and recieving the food was a better experience, although there were a few issues. The waitress was sweet and deserving of the maximum recommended tip. The lettuce in the caesar salad was a little brown and the toppings seemed overpowering to cover that up, but the waitress exchanged it easily and with no complaint or hesitation. The crab cake seemed little more than a salmon croquette patted out very thinly and fried lightly and placed under the steak. A bit disapointing for 40.00. Everything else was very much on point. The ambiance was nice, the background music relaxing. In all honesty, there is enough to make me return, but the initial contact had me feeling profiled, and I do not wish to endure that again. I feel as if the hostess could have left us sitting there she would have. It is a little costly to have led off with that experience. If not for that, I would return.
Our food order was taken and we were completely neglected and abandoned by our waitress. After well over an hour, we had to call for our waitress, wanted to order another round of drinks because our food wasn’t forthcoming, only to be told that the bar has just closed without the waitress or anyone ever coming to announce the bar closure, or a last call. She also said they don’t usually come around to customers to announce bar closure or last call for drinks. We demanded and spoke to the manager who appeared with the closed bar ledger, appeared and acted like he was going to do something about it, but disappeared never to be seen again. After about 90 minutes of waiting, the food was brought, terribly prepared and cold with the plates very warm. We barely ate, demanded our check, paid and left with the most horrifying restaurant experience we have all individually had. They have no business operating as a full restaurant, their services stop after the first round of drinks and appetizers.
Beatrice V.
Solid dinner spot if you're in the area. Lots of seating inside. They serve drinks too, but their cocktails are quite sweet.Drinks: I ordered the Watermelon Splash. The waiter said this was one of his favorites and it tastes like a watermelon jolly rancher. That is spot on, it tastes exactly like that. My boyfriend got the Blackberry Margarita which was the other recommendation from our waiter. Slightly more spirit forward, but still sweet. Oyster Sampler: A nice variety of their specialty oysters. We enjoyed trying them, but overall realized raw oysters were our preference. Redfish Orleans: We loved this dish! Redfish with some shrimp. It's spiced really nicely with the cajun sauce. This was my favorite dish out of the meal.Seafood Stuffed Portabellas: Comes with three decently sized mushrooms stuffed with a variety of seafood and veggies. These were also tasty but the standout was the redfish.In terms of sides, I didn't love their hushpuppies, I thought they were dry. I liked the broccoli and the half shell salad was good.
Brittany J.
We went on a "slow" night-a Monday. I felt I needed to give grace because of this but honestly they don't give a "sorry it's a slow night and our service and food reflects this" price. The server was pushy to begin with and had a hard time listening instead of talking over me. He was vastly unhelpful, could not tell me what was on tap, then brought me a very light IPA when I asked for the darkest they have. Everything was not cold, but barely warm, even with that the taste was ok- besides the oysters which were so disappointing I would never go out of my way again. When it came to desserts they were not defrosted Nothing like their location in Biloxi
Dawn B.
My husband and I came here on Christmas Eve. Many places were closed or closed early. I was surprised when I saw that Birmingham had a Half Shell restaurant located here. I have been to the wonderful one in Gulfport, MS and enjoyed myself immensely. On this day, the crowd was minimal. Including us, there were 6-7 people seated at the bar and only 2-3 tables occupied. My husband ordered a spicy shrimp appetizer (I can't remember the name). Since I don't do spicy things, I passed but he seemed to enjoy it. I ordered a Rum Punch. The one I had in Gulfport was definitely stronger but it was okay. I also ordered the fried shrimp with a cup of gumbo and cesar salad as my sides. They brought the salad and gumbo out early as if it were an appetizer so when my shrimp was finished, it was all I had to eat. I wish I had the option of all my items coming out together so I felt as if I had a complete meal. My food was excellent. I almost ordered another bowl of gumbo but I think my brain was bigger than my stomach.
LaToya Frazier
I'm late posting this but I just had to make a review... the night we had dinner was nothing but amazing. Even though there was literally one waiter, he did an AMAZING job. He was very attentive and didn't mess up our order. He was very apologetic for the wait but it wasn't a need because he did an amazing job. Also I can't forget the manager whom made his way around to check on each guest. We will definitely become regulars here. And last but not least the food was the best I've had in a long time. We had the New Orleans oysters and catfish. Thank you for exceptional service.
Amazing that they’re “temporary closed for renovations” but they haven’t had trash or dumpster service for over two months. Seems like if you were renovating people would be inside working, and you’d need a dumpster. This place is permanently closed. I’m not buying the temporarily closed shenanigans. Update: The grass and weeds at this place are so high it’s a neighborhood eyesore. Apparently they quit landscaping as well. Also there is a homeless guy that now lives on their porch.
Dined alone lunchtime on a Monday. Ordered the Seafood Pot Pie.. I ADORE pot pies so I was excited when the ( newly trained )waiter said it was very good and large… It came to my table and I asked,” what is that”?There was a rectangle on a dish of was pot pie innards .. Plopped on top was supposedly, “ the crust”. Oh my…If you are not going to make a decent pot pie , dont for gosh sake put it on the menu! The seafood inside was barely edible… Hope my next visit to The Half Shell in Pelham will be mucho better.
New to town and using TripAdvisor to find places to eat that were locally owned. It was late for dining … at least according to the hours posted for many Birmingham restaurants … but they didn’t blink when we showed up 48 minutes before closing. The food was very good and the portion sizes perfect. Not being a seafood fan, I appreciated the various land-based options. The chicken Alfredo was excellent! Service was very good; they were attentive but didn’t hover, answered questions thoroughly without blinking an eye, and anticipated our every need.
Service was a little slow , but food was great!! My gf got the crab stuffed mushrooms, which she loved and I had a sample platter.
Food was ok. They were short staffed and it took a few hours to get finished. Our server did her best and we don't blame her.
The food was very good and the portion sizes perfect. Not being a seafood fan, I appreciated the various land-based options. The chicken Alfredo was excellent! Service was very good; they were attentive but didn’t hover, answered questions thoroughly without blinking an eye, and anticipated our every need. Highly recommend this place!
Food was very good. Not very busy. Prompt service. Ate there two nights in a row on this trip.
During Christmas time my wife and I were hungry and stopped by Half Shell for something to eat. As it was Christmas Eve it wasn't packed so the food came out really fast. I ordered the blackened fish, sweet potato creme brulee & loaded mash potatoes. My wife had the fried shrimp, cup of gumbo and a side salad. We've been to the one in Biloxi several times so we were very familiar with the food and this location didn't disappoint either. The fish was really good and my fork went through it like butter and I'm obsessed with the sweet potato creme brulee(ugh..so good)! We had a good time and left full. Next time I come back home I'll definitely stop by for round 2, LOL!
My girl friend and I came here for a somewhat casual fun post-work dinner on a Wednesday night. There were maybe 8 other people eating here when we arrived. We got seated, and ordered a bottle of white wine. Our server took about 20 min to get us our wine when she only had like 3 other tables to take care of. Anyways, we ordered a filet to share because we weren't that hungry, and we ordered the filet Medium..WHEN I TELL YOU THAT STEAK CAME OUT BLOODY GIRL.......I mean it was sitting in a pool of blood. We asked our server to send it back and then they brought back our Same cut up steak, and it was still so bloody. They did comp the steak from our meal, but now we're leaving hungry. Overall really weird vibes and bad food. 2/10 don't recommend. The Half Shell in Tuscaloosa is way better.
We chose Half Shell to celebrate my birthday, and we had a party of five. The good about this restaurant is impeccable, but the bad, enough to keep me from returning. We arrived at about 5:30, and although it was populated, it was light. We were told a 30 to 45 minute wait for 1 table. Someone was already occupying the table, but there were other options available that were not offered to us. The vibe that I was getting from the hostess I will not say, other than it was not friendly to my family (including the looks she was giving us when she thought we were not paying attention). We remained pleasant. 25 minutes into waiting someone from the kitchen came out saying that due to shift change (at almost 6 pm ) orders would be 20 minutes or more. 20 mins later we got our table. Ordering and recieving the food was a better experience, although there were a few issues. The waitress was sweet and deserving of the maximum recommended tip. The lettuce in the caesar salad was a little brown and the toppings seemed overpowering to cover that up, but the waitress exchanged it easily and with no complaint or hesitation. The crab cake seemed little more than a salmon croquette patted out very thinly and fried lightly and placed under the steak. A bit disapointing for 40.00. Everything else was very much on point. The ambiance was nice, the background music relaxing. In all honesty, there is enough to make me return, but the initial contact had me feeling profiled, and I do not wish to endure that again. I feel as if the hostess could have left us sitting there she would have. It is a little costly to have led off with that experience. If not for that, I would return.
Restaurantji Recommends
Our food order was taken and we were completely neglected and abandoned by our waitress. After well over an hour, we had to call for our waitress, wanted to order another round of drinks because our food wasn’t forthcoming, only to be told that the bar has just closed without the waitress or anyone ever coming to announce the bar closure, or a last call. She also said they don’t usually come around to customers to announce bar closure or last call for drinks. We demanded and spoke to the manager who appeared with the closed bar ledger, appeared and acted like he was going to do something about it, but disappeared never to be seen again. After about 90 minutes of waiting, the food was brought, terribly prepared and cold with the plates very warm. We barely ate, demanded our check, paid and left with the most horrifying restaurant experience we have all individually had. They have no business operating as a full restaurant, their services stop after the first round of drinks and appetizers.
Solid dinner spot if you're in the area. Lots of seating inside. They serve drinks too, but their cocktails are quite sweet.Drinks: I ordered the Watermelon Splash. The waiter said this was one of his favorites and it tastes like a watermelon jolly rancher. That is spot on, it tastes exactly like that. My boyfriend got the Blackberry Margarita which was the other recommendation from our waiter. Slightly more spirit forward, but still sweet. Oyster Sampler: A nice variety of their specialty oysters. We enjoyed trying them, but overall realized raw oysters were our preference. Redfish Orleans: We loved this dish! Redfish with some shrimp. It's spiced really nicely with the cajun sauce. This was my favorite dish out of the meal.Seafood Stuffed Portabellas: Comes with three decently sized mushrooms stuffed with a variety of seafood and veggies. These were also tasty but the standout was the redfish.In terms of sides, I didn't love their hushpuppies, I thought they were dry. I liked the broccoli and the half shell salad was good.
We went on a "slow" night-a Monday. I felt I needed to give grace because of this but honestly they don't give a "sorry it's a slow night and our service and food reflects this" price. The server was pushy to begin with and had a hard time listening instead of talking over me. He was vastly unhelpful, could not tell me what was on tap, then brought me a very light IPA when I asked for the darkest they have. Everything was not cold, but barely warm, even with that the taste was ok- besides the oysters which were so disappointing I would never go out of my way again. When it came to desserts they were not defrosted Nothing like their location in Biloxi
My husband and I came here on Christmas Eve. Many places were closed or closed early. I was surprised when I saw that Birmingham had a Half Shell restaurant located here. I have been to the wonderful one in Gulfport, MS and enjoyed myself immensely. On this day, the crowd was minimal. Including us, there were 6-7 people seated at the bar and only 2-3 tables occupied. My husband ordered a spicy shrimp appetizer (I can't remember the name). Since I don't do spicy things, I passed but he seemed to enjoy it. I ordered a Rum Punch. The one I had in Gulfport was definitely stronger but it was okay. I also ordered the fried shrimp with a cup of gumbo and cesar salad as my sides. They brought the salad and gumbo out early as if it were an appetizer so when my shrimp was finished, it was all I had to eat. I wish I had the option of all my items coming out together so I felt as if I had a complete meal. My food was excellent. I almost ordered another bowl of gumbo but I think my brain was bigger than my stomach.
I'm late posting this but I just had to make a review... the night we had dinner was nothing but amazing. Even though there was literally one waiter, he did an AMAZING job. He was very attentive and didn't mess up our order. He was very apologetic for the wait but it wasn't a need because he did an amazing job. Also I can't forget the manager whom made his way around to check on each guest. We will definitely become regulars here. And last but not least the food was the best I've had in a long time. We had the New Orleans oysters and catfish. Thank you for exceptional service.