- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Movies |
- All
Wintzell's Oyster House
Rating Details »
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good for:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
16 reviews for Wintzell's Oyster House
3.5 stars...
per every Mobile site this was "it" for oysters and since I *heart* oysters... this seemed like a natural fit for me. Decent walk from the Renaissance Hotel, strange thing was it felt like I was walking through a ghost town with remnants of the recent Mardi Gras festivals. Then you come upon the only lively place for many blocks... (it was 5:30 pm on a Thursday, so maybe that is why) - Wintzells
I wasn't sure where to go as I was a solo diner, but headed to the main restaurant. Got a booth and waited for my server. She came and took my drink order then kept passing by saying "be right with you." Hmm, that took a little while. I wanted a small order of crab claws and the oyster sampler.. but before dropping that kind of cash I wanted to know just how much food we were talking. After all I can't eat THAT much in one sitting. As much as I wish I did, I don't have a hollow leg.
She assured me it was no big thing and made it seem like no big deal to order both. So shortly after this, out came the crab claws... fried... yum! Loved the sauce they have at the table. The tea refills were a plenty and she even gave me a to-go cup at the end of my meal.
Then came the sampler... DEAR LORD... all of that for one person?! Bad bad bad, my stomach was already screaming... "i can't hang man." I ate about 9 of the 16 and was feeling pretty full. The sampler includes - Rockefeller, Monterey, Bienville and grilled. I don't even want to know how mad my heart and arteries are after that feast.
She asked me if I wanted to take it home but seeing I am in a hotel and didn't want to be tempted to eat more just for the heck of it I said no thanks. HA, she asked if I had room for their bread pudding. I WISH.
I did like the sampler, but maybe offer a halfer? Sigh, I should have gone for the raw oysters... would have made me feel a little less like I had indulged.
You think the best gumbo is in LoozyAnna? Well it ain't.. It's right here at Wintzell's.. Place is amazing. If all they served was that gumbo and everything else was made from rabbit turds, this place would still be 5 stars.. It's perfection.
Good food at a pretty fair value. Service was friendly and attentive. Fried oysters were quite good, while the oyster stew was disappointingly bland. The cream of shrimp soup stole the show.
My husband and I were passing through Mobile and ended up having dinner here. I decided to give the fried pickles a try as I had never had those before. It was so tasty! My husband had the dozen raw oysters which were half price seeing that it was happy hour. He loved them. We also took advantage of the 1$ beers. The ingredients in my crab and shrimp salad all seemed very fresh. My husband was somewhat disappointed with the Po Boy. It wasn't bad. It just wasn't great. The interior was well suited for the kind of food on offer at this place. I liked the oyster-eating competition information on the walls. I can't imagine anyone eating 200+ oysters! I'm glad we stopped here.
I made this a road stop on the way to Florida and had a delightful lunch. The service was very friendly and the place was fun to be in with its ten million signs.
I had the Oyster Po-boy. I liked the taste of the oysters o.k., but I thought the way they put it together with the veggies really killed the enjoyability of the Oysters. Their house hot sauce is pretty tasty. It was good, but not the best Po-boy I've had. Definitely a nice place to stop if you're passing through though. Downtown Mobile is very picturesque as is this restaurant.
This downtown restaurant is worth finding for lunch. The outdoor seating on the sidewalk is limited, but at lunch on a Tuesday, there was no wait. When we arrived, we waited several moments to be greeted, which left us wondering if we had walked in the correct door. The ladies bathroom is extremely small, so be mindful you may have a wait if the restaurant is busy. We ordered the raw oysters, which were fabulous, and the gumbo, which is a signature dish that delighted our taste buds. Our waiter was a bit slow servicing us and he mistakenly assumed we each only wanted a cup of gumbo instead of a bowl. He quickly offered to correct the situation, however we declined. We added the fried green tomatoes to our order and we were pleased we did so. This was a quick lunch, about 45 minutes from start to finish and reasonably priced. There are other Wintzell locations in Mobile (airport road, gulf) but this is supposed to be the original one and worth the visit for the indoor bumper sticker decor.
This is a simple restaurant that does what it does well. Being on the gulf coast I went for raw oysters on the half shell with a few beers and never looked back.
I went here with a group of people, after a day of meetings. As soon as I stepped into the place, I noticed the smell, something smelled bad. I don't know what it was, but if you stay in there long enough you get used to the smell. But we were there at a special time, happy hour. And man were the oysters good, a dozen raw oysters for $3!!! There was also cheap beer!! How can you beat that. While there, I also got the gumbo cause I've read about how good it was in yelp. It was good. I also recommend the bread pudding for dessert, that was really good (hey I have a thing for bread pudding, even though I was getting made fun of by my coworkers, it was happy hour after all). I did try a couple of other things since we had a big group, but I already talked about what stood out the most to me. Didn't have any entrees though.
Fried, stewed...........or nude - that has always been Wintzell's motto for oysters! And although they have historically been known for their oysters - all their seafood is fresh and local.
You may know - Mr. Wintzell died many years ago and the great old restaurant on Dauphin Strett sat unused for a long time. I was pleased to see when it reopened that - although it wasn't EXACTLY the same (it was MUCH cleaner) - they did leave most of the memorabilia that I have fond memories of as a child.
As Mobile seafood goes - it is on par with the Original Oyster House - Blue Gill - etc. In other words - nothing fancy - just really good fried seafood. If for no other reason - go to Wintzell's for the ambiance and history. Read as many of the wall signs as you can. Some of them are sexist and I guess they don't reflect the opinions of today's society - but they are HILARIOUS. Mr. Wintzell was never known for being politically correct! They are exactly the same signs that were on those walls 40 years ago when I was a little girl. I've never been able to appreciate the alternate locations Wintzell's has opened (Airport Blvd). As another reviewer said - "there are so many good seafood places" - the reason to go to Wintzell's downtown is the food - but more importantly - the history.
And don't forget to check out the list of champion oyster eaters at the oyster bar. I mean - I love a good raw oyster - what self respecting Mobilian doesn't. But thinking about eating THAT many - can make me a little green! I take my hat off to those folks!
Gumbo is awesome and the happy hour specials on oysters are well worth it. The rest of the seafood is good but nothing exceptional.
You just can't beat this Mobile classic. The old main street feel of the exterior leads to walls covered in funny sayings. And you just can't make up an awesome server like Kita. Cute as a button and oh so happy to be there. My first night home I headed straight here for fried crab claws, crab cakes, and of course gumbo. Don't expect anything fancy from the wine list. Do expect good sweet tea, super friendly (not super fast, super friendly) service, and fantastic seafood. TIP: if the menu item says market price, ask first. Don't bother when it's not in season.
Wintzell's is an excellent destination for oysters. Do not expect to be wowed by the redneck decor, but stay for the food. Oysters Rockefeller and Oysters Bienville are superb. This is a GREAT place to do the all-you-can-eat routine, but rest assured, it can get pretty expensive...
yes. it is a Mobile classic. good seafood. good gumbo. I wouldn't get so excited about it because there are so many good seafood places in Mobile. Po Boys are good but not as good as other places.
Main thing about Wintzill's is that they have a great happy hour. Cheap beer and cheap raw oysters. Life is good. Oh, the crab cakes are good too. Too bad there's no real outdoor seating. Right now the weather is perfect.
Mobiliens seem to like this thing called Oyster stew, but it is gross. Oysters in a bowl with milk, butter, seasoning, scallions, then microwaved till hot. Not good. Do not order this dish.
I just returned to my hotel room after a wonderful experience at Wintzell's. The food was delicious and just what I hoped it would be. I came in with eyes bigger than my stomach, but since I was alone I was barely able to scratch the surface of what I wanted to try on the menu. It would have been great if I was there with a group and could have had a bit of this and a taste of that, but that was not the case, so there were decisions to be made. I had the fried green tomatoes with crawfish sauce on the side and it was absolutely delish! I ate it all, leaving nothing left. I also tried the fried pickles as I had heard that they were a local "must-try" item and they were indeed very tasty. The order was perfect for a party of 6 but for me, I was only able to get through a few, but perfectly fried they were and I was glad that I finally had the chance to try this interesting treat. I also had the West Indies crab salad which I'd also heard was something I should check out, and I must say it was nice and refreshing to have oil & vinegar marinated crab after two fried items, and I was grateful that a small portion was available. I also tasted the cream of crab soup which was rich and decadent and filled with chunks real crab.
But while the food was delicious, it was the positive experience I had with the employees that I'll remember. My server Gina was an absolute delight, full of tips and thoughts on the menu, wonderfully personable with an extremely sweet demeanor. I walked to the restaurant from my hotel several blocks away but by the time I was leaving a tropical downpour had erupted and I was standing there with my to-go box and suede and wool handbag thinking, oh no, oh my. So Gina kindly went out to her car in the pouring rain to get me an extra umbrella she had which she generously said I could keep, but which I said I would return the next day. Then the hostess Mallory (named after THE Mallory of Family Ties fame) chimed in and said that she was about to go home, and would drop me off at my hotel. Wow.
Call me a jaded Californian (and I'm not dissing my state as I love it) but the genuine warmth and hospitality that I've experienced on my trip here has warmed my heart and renewed my faith in humanity. Considering the state of the world these days, this was just what the Dr. ordered.
Thank you Gina and Mallory for being such lovely young women and for making my day!!!
Other than Red Lobster, this is the worst seafood in Mobile! Service is always slow, the prices aren't bad but the food is mediocre at best. The atmosphere is fun and laid back. A good place to go if you have kids, it's loud enough that no one will care! A mobile land mark, but not a fav of the locals.
I agree, a great Mobile classic. Great place to take visitors. Some of the best gumbo in town. Plan for an hour for lunch even when it's not crowded.
