S&D Oyster Company

Good oysters at great price. Homely place. Not fancy. You have no idea where Oysters are from. You just order «oysters.» The peeled boiled shrimp is not much different than a shrimp cocktail. Biggest drawback is that they don’t take Amex which I didn’t see indicated anywhere.

This is one of my favorite restaurants in Dallas. Ive been coming here for years! I remember my grandfather taking me and we’d share a slice of lemon meringue pie after our shrimp salads.
Years later, everything is still just as good. Some of the waiters have been as long as I can remember. The food is consistent and always hits my craving for a cool salad in the summer. The menu is the same as always– they don’t mess with perfection. Parking is easy as they have 2 lots.

This was our first time here and I’m so glad we came. The service is fantastic! If it wouldn’t have rained earlier before our arrival we would have sat in the patio area outside as it is nice. We ordered oysters on the half shell as well as gumbo, a crab salad, and a dinner sampler platter of some sort that had a little bit of everything. (I cannot recall the name.) Everything was great and filling. The server even made the sauce for our oysters for us table side. We sat in the back of the restaurant near the bar area next to the patio area and I recommend that part of the restaurant more than the front.

Service is always awesome but the food is EVEN BETTER! Get the fried shrimp plate. But for an appetizer they have a cream cheese dip that is AMAZING! Also they have homemade fresh pies daily, it’s a must.

The ambience and service are terrific. Ditto the oysters and broiled fish.
But their menu is in a Dairy Queen time warp. No vegetables except for limp iceberg lettuce and cole slaw with way too much mayo. The waiter stared at me with incredulity when I declined both the french fries and dirty rice. Horrors. And then offered another
gluten– filled dish. Seriously no.
The place is filled with the geriatric set — some with walkers. These folks have never heard of gluten free or abstenance from fried foods and other nasty stuff. And they certainly show it. Good luck with aging well.
Could we not add a few veggies to the menu? My cohorts loved their fried shrimp and french fries and sticky sweet hush puppies that taste like donuts, but they are all fat and not aging well either. I for one will not go back. That’s too much money for a simple piece of fish when there is nothing else on the menu I can eat.

This place is amazing!
As soon as you walk in you’re transported back in time to 1960s. The whole ambiance is just adorable!
We ordered half a dozen of the oysters and I loved that they make the cocktail sauce right in front of you. The oysters were amazing! It was so fresh and sweet.
I got the Crabmeat Maison sandwich — so delicious. Idk what the crab meat was mixed with but it was superb! Creamy and sweet. The capers added a good saltiness to it. The bread was toasted perfectly to give it that crunch factor to the dish.
My boyfriend got the half fried oysters and half fried shrimp. It came with fries, hush puppies, and a side of Coleslaw it was good but would probably try something different next time. I feel like it was a dish you can get everywhere else.
They have their own parking lot too so parking was relatively easy — HUGE PLUS !!
Loved the experience and we will definitely be back!

It was decent. I tried the fried oyster. I like how it was kinda still raw in the middle, so it is soft, but crunchy on the outside. I wished cocktail sauce was not too strong, and more falvorful, bit overall, it was good. Great service.

Great food
Had a dozen oysters and Combo of fried shrimps
Oysters are fresh — golf coast — creamy and very nice
Fried shrimps and oysters were excellent not greasy nice sized not too small
Oysters were fried — first time trying were also awesome did not loose flavor or tenderness with frying
The missing star was because I couldn’t pay with Amex (really ???) and they accepted only visa mc and cash.
Will be back. (With cash)

Incredible seafood, great service and a beautiful patio. The lump crab cocktail is very fresh and has huge pieces of crab. The oysters on the half shell, fried shrimp and hush puppies did not disappoint. The highlight of the meal was the freshly made cocktail sauce mixed table side with the oysters on the half shell.

Great seafood place!!! I’ve been coming here for many years — never a bad meal or service. Same menu which is quite successful.
Great shrimp dip, fried shrimp, Cole slaw, hushpuppies. Oysters are super fresh. Excellent service!!! Pepe is a wonderful server.
Parking can be a challenge so get there early at lunch/​dinner.

YAAAAASSSS!
The food is wonderful and the waitstaff is absolutely fantastic. I was so impressed start to finish by this place– I’ll definitely be back.
It was really cool to find out that the menu hasn’t changed in years because there’s this cool old school vibe. The patio is so charming and beautiful, I felt right at home. I ordered the sampler and a dozen oysters. Past the fresh oysters, my favorites were the fried fish, fried shrimp, and fried oyster. There’s something about how they fry that is just SO good. Can’t you tell I’m having trouble picking just one favorite? Lol.

Service is old school here. The waiters and waitresses will aid you in preparing cocktail sauce, bring fresh bread and butter. Cocktails are potent and a variety of selection of bottled brew. Since it’s seafood a light beer or pilsner works best. Fried shrimp is a must. Oysters by the dozen is the way to go any less and you street cred drops. Overall a casual experience at an old school long time establishment. I recommend friends and family if your in the mood of classic down to earth seafood.
!Check cannot be split by the way! Bring cash or credit card hat draw.

[Out-​of-​Towner Review]
I don’t even eat oysters…
…but the crew I was with does. Now that I cleared the air, I can give a proper review — for everything, but their oysters.
From what I do know about oysters and my friends, the two dozen they ordered looked great, were huge, and consumed happily by the table. They were all excited to try Gulf Oysters versus what we’re used to in California. It was nice to have our server make the cocktail sauce right in front of us. It was like table side guac, but not (guac obviously)!
Again, I don’t feel that Texas is known for their seafood, so I was a little skeptical on what to order. After some sole (haha) searching, I decided to go with the Crab Maison Loaf and a side of crispy french fries, all washed down with the house Cab Sav.
The sandwich was delicious, the bread was warm, toasted and complimented the crab Maison (I had to ask the server what this was, I had no clue). The capers in the Crab Maison mix were a little much for me and it had a little kick, but I enjoyed every single bite of my lunch. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the crab and shouldn’t be so short sided to think that Gulf seafood (duh, I’ve been to Nola plenty of times) would disappoint me!
I guess the vibe they are going for is Louisiana style. It was a really odd, beautiful sunny day in January so we opted to sit outside. The inside was nice and huge, but seriously lacked some diversity (not that the restaurant decided who eats at their establishment). The outside was a very cute courtyard and I even mentioned to the group, it reminded me of Pat O’Brien’s a bit.
Everything was enjoyable about all of our first experiences here. Everyone enjoyed the food that was served and we all were able to find an adult beverage that satisfied us. Our server was great, helpful, and even funny at times. I think we all thought the prices were a little much, but we were on vacation so it’s expected.
We needed seafood, so we could give the meat sweats a break!

Fantastic seafood house! I’m so grateful they’re nearby — right on McKinney! The new addition in the back feels just like a New Orleans courtyard — we love it! The new bar (ask to go to the back bar) is full-​service, and the staff is always friendly. Our typical order includes oysters on the half shell (perfectly shucked, every time), an oyster loaf (one of the best oyster po-​boys I’ve ever had), and a half fried shrimp/​half fried oyster combo (Hubs loves it).
I’m an oyster fiend, and this place is just as good as some of the best seafood joints in south Louisiana. Seafood lovers should RUN to S&D!

I’ve been reading Unilocal reviews for this location for years but some reason never had the time to hit it up. Man was I missing out. I truly felt like I had good Louisiana cooking. Loved their gumbo and oysters. It is kinda pricey, but I’m cool with it if it is that good… and it really is.

We ordered LOTS of food since there were a lot of people in our party but I will have to say that the only thing that I enjoyed here were their fresh oysters and french fries. We got mixed platters, fried oysters, fresh oysters, cheeseburgers, and a couple of their «loafs» which are basically po’boys. The cheeseburger patties were not made in house, the seafood platter was not enough food for the price, their fried oysters were teeny tiny and a bit disappointing, and their fresh oysters were ok. Our server was an older gentleman and he was quite rude. When we asked for something he would be very sarcastic and condescending. When my sister asked him for the check so that she could take care of the tab for everyone (because she wanted to buy the family dinner in discretion) he told her to «go have a seat.» There was no «oh, ok I will have it right to your table», or «I’ll have it right out» .
Moving on. the pricing is not cheap for and the service was just slow … even when it came to the timeliness of the food being brought out to our table. The restaurant was not even ½ full so that was a bit surprising. They serve you little pieces of butter in the beginning so I asked if there was some kind of bread and he said «no» so then I asked what the butter was for. Our server pointed at the saltine crackers on the table and said «crackers.» phew~ What a way to make your customer feel like a dumby! Anyways. we got some kind of spicy shrimp spread that was on the appetizer menu and that also did not come with bread so don’t ask or else you will be made to look very very silly!
Parking is limited and their restroom was not super clean. They do accept major credit cards and if you really crave some raw oysters then this is your place to go if you don’t mind all of the stated negatives above.

I went there with 3 friends for lunch, I ordered the fried Shrimp & Oyster combo $ 21.95 (lunch price). The Shrimp was just okay the Oysters were small, dry and tasteless. When I paid my bill the cashier asked how was your meal, I politely told her the above mentioned and she said; Oh well I will tell somebody? Right!
Incredibly disappointing regardless of price!

Love visiting here. The staff is so friendly and many have worked there for decades. The food is good– the menu is quiet simple but tasty. Recommend the fries shrimp and fries it’s a classic.

I love the New Orleans feel that you get at S&D. Everything from the waitstaff to the single cash register reminds you of a trip to the Big Easy. There’s a parking lot a block north that’s reserved for S&D so no need to go crazy trying to find parking in Uptown.
The oysters are good, nothing too fancy and nothing to die for. But as far as reasonably priced oysters in a landlocked city go, they’re good. The best part is easily the cocktail sauce that the waitstaff will mix for you. It’s some of the best I’ve had.
Otherwise, I hope you like fried food. The gumbo is good, and it’s the only other non-​fried thing I’ll eat there besides the oysters.

11÷15÷15: Saturday 7 pm, no wait, sat at the bar in back, nice tv to watch the game. Friendly bartenders, very quick service.
Dozen oysters on the half shell: fresh & delicious
Crab meat cocktail ($ 8.95): fresh, plenty of meat for the price (about $ 14 in Chicago).
Fried oysters & fried shrimp combo: Perfectly cooked w light breading, good cocktail & tartar sauces
Lemon pie: this was one of the best lemon ice box pies I’ve ever had, great meringue topping and crispy flavor packed crust, sweet but not too tangy. Made fresh daily in house, if you like lemon pie you must try this!
I’ve been here a few times in my travels and the food has always been great. I noticed a couple of bad reviews and can’t understand why. This place has always matched or exceeded my high expectations.

Worst service, bad pudding, cheep quality food. Try Trulucks next door.
The food wasn’t great, not even good.
This place will remind you that there’s nothing special about coleslaw. There deserts might as well be bought from Walmart. The steamed red snapper was completely flavorless. The oysters have no great taste without the sauce they pride themselves of mixing with three different sauces. this place is dead weight.

If you like seafood that is over breaded then this is the place for you!
Don’t expect fast service here, since they don’t have a POS system to ring in orders or to process your payment.
I noticed that the manager is not very nice to the employees, in fact she is quite hateful toward them. Perhaps a career change is order for her?

This has been a favorite place of mine for a very long time — more than 30 years. It’s not fancy, but it’s fresh, consistent, and very, very good. Some of the waiters who are there were there when I last had my mom in town for a visit in 1981, so it’s also a sentimental favorite.
The cole slaw is perfect; the lemon pie is as good as my homemade, and this is the only place I will order fried shrimp. The sauces are wonderful, especially the Remoulade.
I highly recommend it!

The oysters is fresh and the services is definitely 5 stars. I am recommended this place to everyone who’s like seafoods. And a little of Louisiana styles. Cole slaw, lemon pie. Gumbo… Must try
Definitely coming back $ 10-​$ 25 … 5 stars services and 5 stars foods

Fresh oyster! Nice store! I love it so much! Free cookies offered, nice place to hang out!

Great old no-​frills seafood place near downtown Dallas. Very simple menu, but very delicious.
The place looks like it hasn’t changed in 50 years, and some of the staff have probably been here since they were kids. It has a lot of charm.
Parking in the area sucks, but they do have several of their own lots in the area that are free if there’s an opening.
My wife and I get a 5 piece and a 10 piece shrimp plate and split it all to save a few dollars.

This place rocks! New Orleans vibe, reasonably priced, great food, ambiance and service. Big fat juicy oysters with table-​made cocktail sauce (divine). The BBQ shrimp was excellent, so was the oyster loaf. We will definitely be back, and I don’t say that often.

I was visiting Dallas and a friend of mine recommended this place. Said I wouldn’t regret having their oysters on the half shell. I was skeptical to say the least. It is hard to believe you can get good seafiod in North Texas, much less good oysters.
We arrived at S&D on a Saturday evening just over an hour before closing time. The front dining room was mildly crowded and a little dark. Mood lighting, I guess. We were asked if we wanted to sit in the rear section of the restaurant, we said yes. The back section of the restaurant was very different from the front. It was nicely lit and had a fully stocked bar. The décor was aviation and sea themed. We sat at a table for 4 next to the window. We could see through the window that they also have a patio.
Our server was excellent. I can’t remember his name, but he truly was outstanding. We ordered two dozen oysters. When they arrived our server made us a special oyster sauce… delicious. I didn’t have high expectation of North Texas oysters, boy, was I surprised when I bit into my first one. Then the second, third and so on. Every person in our party kept proclaiming these the best oysters we have ever had. We are not oyster connoisseurs, we just really like oysters.
Entrées:
Broiled snapper: a little heavy on the butter, IMO. But my GF, and our other friend, kept saying they were rationing the snapper because they didn’t want it to end. The creole rice was incredible.
Broiled Snapper: it comes whole, so don’t be embarrassed when your server asks if you need help de-​boning it. I said no the first time, then realized I had no idea what I was doing. Our server kindly accepted my request to remove the bones and in doing so made it look incredibly easy. The flounder was incredible. Not too buttery and not too fishy. If you order this keep in mind that you will still have to pick fish bones out of your mouth. Occupational hazard, I guess.
Fried shrimp: nothing special, but not terrible. The hush puppies were light and airy. They tasted great. The fries that came with this are, well, fries.
5 stars because even though we stayed until 11 (1 hour past closing), our server continued to be incredibly polite and helpful and because most of our food was delicious. Will definitely come back and will certainly ly recommend.

This place was excellent. The food was good, but what made it a solid 4 stars was the service. Our server was lightning fast, genial, and an obviously well-​seasoned pro. Also, we got a good table without a wait (got there at 6pm on Saturday so we beat the rush). Parking was convenient as they have a lot right near the restaurant (bonus points for convenient parking in Uptown on a Saturday with no valet charge).
Food:
We split a dozen oysters on the half shell. Our server made the cocktail sauce at our table and it was delicious! The oysters tasted fresh and were plump and briny. They weren’t the most amazing oysters I’ve ever had, mind you, but this is North Texas, not Boston or New York or New Orleans.
Broiled red snapper: nice and simple, not overcooked. A little heavy on the butter for our taste, but still very good. The creole rice was fine – not overly salty, which is a good thing.
Fried oysters: Sometimes fried oysters are tough and heavy, but these were very good. They were creamy, they still tasted like oysters, and they didn’t have too much breading! The french fries that came with it were mediocre but not bad.
Hush puppies: These had a good spice to them. They weren’t as light as they could have been, but they had an excellent flavor and they weren’t too greasy.
The sauces: These were all winners. The remoulade was wonderful – great depth of flavor. The «matagorda» sauce was epic – spicy and tangy. I didn’t want to obscure the taste of my oysters too much with it, but I dipped my hush puppies in it and it was amazing. The red cocktail sauce was fine but we preferred the table sauce. Finally, the tartar sauce was delicious, and I don’t even care for tartar sauce, usually.
The price: We got out of there full and happy for $ 60, which is pretty damn good for fresh seafood in Uptown.
Ambiance: the noise level is medium, definitely not bad. The place was clean, cutely decorated, and efficiently laid out.
Overall, great dining experience!

Half Shell
Every time I come in here, I get oysters. And every time they are perfect. Always Gulf oysters to my memory, which, any oyster lover can argue the merits or lack thereof, of the Gulf vs. the rest of the oyster producing waters of N. America. Me, I’m a cold water kinda oyster guy. So to compliment a gulf oyster for me is real progress :_​
Always fresh, cold, perfectly shelled and clean.
The gumbo is just about as good as any decent joint in NOLa, which is to say it’s quite satisfying.
Feels very Louisiana in looks and vibe on the inside. I think some of the waitstaff have been here for quite some time, and are always polite, respectful, and actually remember who you are. Service is quick and easy and good.
Menu is small and limited, but what is on it works well.
Easy parking in the private lot just a half block away.
A good (big?) easy no brainer kind of place when you don’t know what you feel like eating, and decide that you just want to go to one of your «safe» places. Make sense?
And the place is a good value on top of it.
Cheers!

I’m not sure, but I think my family has been coming here for over 25 years. This place has been as consistently excellent as you could expect over that time frame.
The décor reminds you of a classic New Orleans restaurant. It’s housed in a refurbished historical building on McKinney street right in the middle of the Uptown area. The tables are covered with red and white checkered tablecloths and the waiters were white shirts with black bow-​ties and red aprons.
The service is excellent — prompt and courteous. The waiters will offer to make your cocktail sauce if you like and I learned how to make it by watching them throw it together. It is not unusual to find a line snaking out the door onto the street, so get there early if you want to avoid the line.
But let’s not forget that the food is the main draw. The menu is simple and hasn’t changed much at all in the time I’ve been coming here. I’ve tried most of it, from the oysters on the half shell, cocktail shrimp & seafood gumbo, to the fried shrimp, oysters, trout, broiled snapper & New Orleans Bar-​B-​Que shrimp. I think their fried seafood is as good as it gets. Great batter, never overcooked. You’ll never look at a typical piece of fried catfish the same after you’ve tried one of S&D’s fried trout filets. The coleslaw and the hushpuppies are above average as well. The broiled seafood is great as well (whenever I’m in diet mode). The only two things here I think are average are the Bar-​B-​Que shrimp and the french fries.
Finish your meal with serving of homemade bread pudding with whiskey sauce and you’ll be thinking about when you can come back to visit.

A rare piece for old world charm in the uptown area. Everything from the mosaic tile flooring, to the bow-​tied wait staff and jazz soundtrack is a throw back to traditional, southern cooking in a boisterous, casual setting.
It was about $ 15 for a dozen oysters on the half shell, all medium sized, and about $ 9 for a 6″ oyster po’boy. Both items were fresh and authentically executed, but not the greatest value per dollar.
The restaurant itself is easy to see from the McKinney St., but their private parking lot is hidden a little ways down Boll St.

Every single one of my half a dozen oysters was the best oyster I had ever had.
Fat and briny, juicy and plump, salty and full of the ocean, on perfectly clean and glistening white half-​shells nestled in crushed ice, they were each perfection.
While the server prepared our sauce at the table — squeeze two lemon wedges, add horseradish, ketchup, Worcestershire, and Tabasco — my mouth literally watered in anticipation.
I dress each oyster meticulously — sliding it atop a Saltine, add a spoonful of cocktail sauce, another drizzle of lemon and its own dash of Tabasco and *muah*. Each oyster is one bite, and each bite is perfect.
On a weekend dinner service especially, be prepared to wait. The fame of S&D is widespread and well-​deserved. They’ve apparently had the same oyster supplier for 30 years, to whom they give credit to their high quality.
Honorable mentions go to their plump, piping hot and amazing fried shrimp, tasty natural cut fries and crisp, fresh slaw.
The bow-​tied servers are gentlemen and experts at their craft. Be prepared to dine on a cramped, wooden, red-​checkered clothed table and be rather sandwiched close to neighboring diners. They are making the best of their space and I believe are soon expanding to meet demand. The building, the food and the company have a rich history and it’s a place that really belongs on everyone’s map of Dallas eateries.
Happy hour specials run as late as 10:00, as well.
You can’t beat S&D Oyster Company.

Great seafood restaurant. The fried oysters were big and delicious. The fried shrimp are great with its non cornmeal batter but if you tend to favor oysters get those instead. Waitperson was very nice and attentive. Prices have gone up since the last time I was there but worth it.

3 years ago I swore off oyster poor boys, because I could no longer find one with decent bread — I’m back on them. They call theirs an oyster loaf and they come pretty naked, but knowing that, I asked for lettuce and tomato on mine and they happily obliged. It’s the perfect bread for the sandwich.
Raw oysters were fresh, clean, and cold.
Fries are wonderful and do not have even the slightest trace of oil, although they depend on your salting skills — no problem, everyone’s different.
Fried shrimp were large and excellent.
Cole slaw — not too sweet, not too vinegary, not slammed with mayo — just a light tasty salad to pair with seafood. Is that a hint of ground celery seed mixed in or what?
Service was professional and included table-​side cocktail sauce preparation.
Can be crowded and a little loud during the lunch rush, but an arrival at 1:30 will provide a peaceful dining experience,
Sometime in the last 38 years, S&D really figured it out.