Muddy Waters Oyster Bar

Came for Sunday brunch-​amazing food, still need to work out some kinks in service…
Upon arriving around 1pm the host asked us if we had reservations. Caught off guard (who requires brunch reservations in Pittsburgh?) my sister and I replied no. The host informed us that they were booked but we could try to get a seat at the bar. Holding out hope, my sister and I only had to wait about 10 minutes for a couple to leave the bar to grab seats. So glad we were not swayed by the host’s pessimistic outlook and decided to wait it out.
Everything on the menu looked great but I chose the shrimp and grits and my sister chose the bananas foster French toast. The shrimp and grits was delicious-​3 huge whole prawns in a delicious BBQ sauce with rich grits and andouille. I tried my sisters French toast which was great-​not overly sweet.
I will definitely be back to try the dinner menu but perhaps give them some time to work out the service kinks. The kitchen was on point with turning out great food in a timely fashion-​the servers and hosts just need to catch up.

This place has a great atmosphere. The servers and the cooks were extremely nice. We took advantage of the bloody Mary bar even though we got there a little after two and it was supposed to close at two. We thought this was pretty nice of the bartender for letting us try it out.
We ordered oysters and lobster, and both were so tasty and fresh. I ordered some type of lobster that came in a jar and there is a remoulade sauce that was out-​of-​this-​world-​to-​die-​for. Honestly, I could have just eaten it with a spoon. My husband particularly enjoyed one type of oyster from Maine, which I think was called the Bayloon oyster (? that’s probably wrong, though), which are only available one month out of the year. They were enormous and extremely fresh my house. My husband thought they were the best tasting oysters he ever had. We also met the owners at one point, who were very friendly.
The most challenging part about eating here was, (besides knowing when to stop eating), was finding parking. In fact, this is the main reason we missed out on brunch (it ended at 2pm). However, now we just have another reason to come back!

Happy Hour Oysters were awesome! I would suggest east coast but that’s just my preference! Everything was awesome!

I’ve been looking forward to visiting Adam Kucenic’s new place since the Post Gazette gave them a preview back in June of 2015. I have been waiting a long time to find a place for oysters au naturel this far away from the coasts – Muddy Waters Oyster Bar is here, and it was worth the wait.
Tonight I was looking for simplicity, and after Adam talked me through the four eastern offerings and the two westerners, I chose the full range with a chef’s selection of 12. This gave me two of each, and ample number to share with my two other companions. Neither of them had ever sampled a raw bar, and this was a fine first experience. The oysters, served on ice, were just the right temperature. Not too cold to attenuate the flavors, but yet cool enough to help support a nice clean edge. The flavors were clear and bright, the subtle notes of limestone minerality, tangy brine, elemental flavors of the living ocean mixing and swirling with each other. All the liquors were clear and limpid with just the right weight on the tongue, supporting the firmer texture of the oyster itself. A well balanced range of flavors: assertive and sharp, comfortable and gentle, sweet and flavors of melon. Fortunately, no heavy cocktail sauce in evidence, just fresh lemon and a well crafted mignonette. Well done – these fellows had been well treated from oyster bed to bed of ice. Not easy to do, and not done without appropriate expense. Adam and his suppliers are to be complimented.
The only suggestion I would make would concern presentation – a bit more visual flair would be helpful. A touch of green, perhaps dill sprig, parsley, cilantro – a bit of contrast. And, with a more abstract arrangement – think of the flair of the best Neopolitan pizza makers – let’s just not circle the shells on the perimeter.
Tonight I only sampled one more item from the menu, the pimento mac & cheese. A solid offering, set off with crumbs well browned and mixed with bits of bacon, Just a tad too long in the oven – a bit more flow to the cheese matrix would have made it a 10.
And, of course, there was the Abita Purple Haze. Would not have thought of a Pilsner with a touch of raspberries at first, but it worked! And, from NOLA – what’s not to like!
A great evening! Congrats Adam! Will be back soon!

Did I hear $ 1 oyster happy hour? Yes, it’s true! So I had to stop in, even if it was just for the oysters. And that’s exactly what we did. It’s actually $ 1 for East Coast and $ 2 for West Coast from 4:30pm-6:30pm. Can’t get much better than that! Note: you must order a minimum of six.
Upon entering the restaurant, you’ll feel like you’ve transported to Louisiana. The music really sets the tone but so does the rustic feel of the décor. It was rustic, yet modern. The size is a bit small with a long bar to the left as soon as you walk in and a small dining area of tables in the back. You can even watch them shuck the oysters at the bar if you so choose, given those seats are available.
The service was quick. I mean, we did only just get the raw oysters. But the waiter was patient and attentive. We ordered 12 East Coast oysters and they were great. I particularly liked the unique sauce they served with it. It was like a peppery vinegar of some sort that complemented the oysters quite well; although I still preferred just lemon. They also bring out a basket with hot sauce and crackers to go along with the oysters. However, they didn’t bring out cocktail sauce so that’s something you have to ask for if that’s a condiment you enjoy with your oysters.
Oysters are my absolute favorite and I’m so glad to see an oyster bar pop up in Pittsburgh. I will definitely be back for not only more oysters, but to try out other items from the menu!

What a tragic experience that could’ve been avoided. I made reservations to celebrate my birthday with friends last Saturday, or so I thought, upon arriving to my reservation, I was told that there was a mistake and my reservation was put in their system for NEXT Saturday. I made the reservation myself, and know that I clearly stated the purpose and the date of my visit. The staff, including the manager on site was not only unapologetic to me and the slew of friends that I brought to eat and drink in their ephemeral restaurant, they were downright rude to me, and others in my party who tried to figure out a reasonable solution. That being said, we walked next door to Livermore, and they were more than happy to accommodate my party, and we even invited a few more friends to join because the experience next door was so nice. At the end of the day, its all about service, and I will never step foot in this place again because of the rude, unapologetic, and immature behavior of the staff. The oysters could be made of pure gold, and this place will not survive with a staff like that.

We had a great experience in the restaurant, came for happy hour and happily consumed 3 dozen oysters (East Coast)… but fast forward a few hours and at home, my husband is violently throwing up and basically living in the bathroom. He also got severe abdominal pains and had chills and I stayed up all night with abated breath to see if he was developing a fever — in which case I’d have rushed him to the hospital because it might be vibrio.
Please, if you’re going to be a high end restaurant serving raw oysters (and charging an arm and a leg for it), you need to get your shit together and make sure the oysters are good! Needless to say, we will not be coming back in here again.

Great people. I’ve had the fried branzino and the west coast oysters. Delicious. The bar staff is great and drinks are prepared quickly and with great skill. Will be back soon for happy hour!

Had an amazing brunch here. Bloody Mary bar with shrimp was a great way to start and the lobster roll was perfect (felt justified spending 20 bucks on it). I’ve had some disappointing brunches recently but this was a very pleasant surprise. Service was quick too although it wasn’t exceptionally busy when we had our visit. I can’t comment on the oysters but will have to go back to give them a try.

I am in love with this place.
My friend and I came in Saturday evening and sat at the cute bar area that’s first-​come, first-​serve.
We ordered the East-​West Coast chef’s tasting oysters. These change regularly (daily?) and we were excited to try all of them. The oysters tasted fresh and delicious, and the sparkling wine we got paired beautifully with them. My favorites were the Pickering Pass, James River, and Wellfleet, but we generally enjoyed all of them.
We also split a cup of the chicken and sausage gumbo. The gumbo tasted so rich and smoky. People often talk about depth of flavor, and this gumbo had it. The sausage and the spice were quite nice also. I felt like the chicken could be a bit. more moist (?), but overall, I loved this gumbo.
I also tried their deviled eggs. It definitely tasted smoky as described and was pretty delicious. A little more pickling in all the other ingredients than maybe I would have liked, but I still loved it.
Muddy Waters seems trendy in a good way; the service is friendly, already knowledgeable (surprising given how new this place is!), and attentive; the food seems great and there are soooo many other items I want to try (shrimp and grits! lobster roll!!! mac & cheese!!!).
I have a feeling that I’m going to be a regular here. :D

Can an oyster bar in Pittsburgh really be that good? Yes, yes it is! Muddy Waters Oyster Bar is one of the best new places in Pittsburgh. The drink menu is well executed and the Ramos gin fizz was prepared well by the bartender, with lots of delicious foam, just as it should be. But those oysters, oh so tasty! I tried the east coast selection of belon and james river. Looking forward to trying the rest of the east coast and west coast offerings. The mignonette for the oysters added just the right accompaniment. The owner and staff were absolutely the nicest people to talk with! I’m already ready for another visit to try more of their dishes and drinks!

I was in Pittsburg for three weeks, the first week I spent on visiting all the most popular restaurants and I can definitely say that the best place to eat, to drink, watch the game and communicate with nice people is Muddy Waters Oyster Bar, so the rest two weeks I went only there, as every time when I made a decision «where to go «I realized that I didn’t want to go anywhere else.
My favorites: west coast oysters, shrimp cocktail, lobster roll, shargrilled oysters, BBQ shrimp and grits and of course pecan pie as a dessert (it’s awesome!) and Rye Marple Fizz cocktail (best ever!)

Stopped here with my happy hour group. We were lucky enough to to get 8 seats surrounding the oyster bar.
Others who for oysters (some are $ 1 ea during happy hour!) said they were awesome. I got the burger… Oh my god. It had 2 parties, bacon, a fried green tomato, a fried egg, pickles, spicy mayo, and who knows what else on some kind of bangin bun (challah maybe?). SO GOOD. Cocktails were also good. No beers on tap and no happy hour drink specials were not so good. It was obvious that the staff was new– getting a drink was a major challenge at times.
We’ll be back, hopefully to report equally delicious food and better service.

Stopped in here for dinner on New Year’s Eve and I couldn’t be more excited to have an oyster bar in the city! We ordered the large seafood tower which was perfectly shared between Lee and I. Fresh chunks of lobster meat, a variety of oysters from the raw bar, and head on/​tail on cajun shrimp that I’m still raving about! The sauces that come with the oysters are fantastic, my favorite was the aioli-​esque one that was pinkish in color (helpful, I know). I don’t know what was in it but it was sooo good. The one downside to the seafood tower was that we were seated at one of the high top tables along the wall and it was kind of hard to fit the tower, two plates, beverages, and condiments on the table. I’d definitely request one of the booths or larger tables if you plan on ordering more than a few snacks.
I was hoping to see a seafood pasta, like a Spaghetti ai Frutti di Mare or seafood alfredo on the dinner menu, but no dice :(So to round out our meal, we decided to share an order of Oysters Rockefeller which were rather good and served with crusty bread, and the beef tartare which was amazing. For dessert we ordered the beignets. Next time I’m here I definitely want to sit right at the raw bar, I love watching the manpower that goes into preparing the perfect plate of oysters. I think my favorite thing about our meal was that I walked out the door feeling satisfied, not like I had overindulged or consumed anything terribly, uncomfortably filling. It was a delicious, fresh & quick meal that I look forward to having again soon. They even have $ 1 oyster happy hour Monday through Friday!

Great new place right around the corner. Oysters were amazing. Looking forward to many more trips in here

Out for the night and decided to grab a quick bite at muddy waters. If you’ve ever been to New Orleans, Lake Charles or even Shreveport Louisiana for that matter you won’t like the food you will love the food at Muddy Waters. The chef has a very good take on the coastal influence of Louisiana cuisine. Fresh oysters, po boys, gumbo and lots yummy strong drinks.
We had the pork rind appetizer that was a good blend of salty zesty and just plain guilty fun. We also enjoyed a shrimp Po boy in Cajun fries just enough heat to let it linger and makes you want to drink all the water in your glass. Do not miss the Two ton Feather so smooth it could be dangerous. Will be returning for that awesome looking gumbo and steak.

Went here for lunch after a bad oyster experience downtown and was very pleased to find good fresh oysters in Pittsburgh! We got to sit outside in their restaurant front bar. No alcohol allowed outside yet but they are working on getting a license. Full bar it seemed otherwise. They have a dinner menu which they serve during lunch, a brunch menu for weekends, and a raw bar/​shellfish menu.
Shared the east/​west coast raw oyster chef sampler ($ 36 for 12), which had 6 oysters from VA, 3 from MD, and 3 from British Columbia. They were all delicious and fresh. The menu seems to change every day based on what they get shipped in. Unfortunately I can’t splurge like this every day, but they have happy hour 4:30 — 6:30 M-​F with $ 1 east coast oysters and $ 2 west coast oysters, so I can’t wait to return for that.
Also got the chargrilled oysters (5 for $ 15), rich, delicious and garlicky. I personally prefer the raw oysters but these were well done. We also had a side of Cajun fries ($ 4) which were great.
The only reason I’m not giving 5 stars is the service was super nice and friendly, but slow. In particular the kitchen, think we waited 45 minutes between getting our raw oysters and our hot food. Understandable as they just opened, and got a bunch of togo orders while we were sitting there. I’ll be returning for sure and will upgrade to 5 stars as their kitchen fine tunes!

Wedged between Spoon and the new Twisted Frenchman, Muddy Waters is themed as a New Orleans style bistro. The menu reflects this although I’m not sure that adding greens and grits actually makes you southern.
Understand that we were there something like 8 — 10 days after opening, so there are some kinks to work out.
Good news … bad news! The good news is the oysters were varied and fresh. I particularly liked the West Coast offering but that’s a preference for Pacific salt. Our dining companion had an assortment of the East Coast choices and reported them to very good as well (although I seldom see so much horseradish scooped on a half shell). We also ordered the chargrilled oysters … OK unless you’ve actually been to the Acme in NO. Other starters were predictable but the head-​on shrimp were generous in size, quantity and quality.
Now the bad news. Staff is friendly enough but still undertrained … e.g., wasn’t sure about wine and bourbon offerings or source of oysters. Drink pours are precise, stingy, and a bit pricey.
Most problematic: our chicken entrée came out dangerously undercooked (bloody at the bone) and, while they dropped from tab, staff «rationalized» in uncomfortable ways.
Group consensus: we’ll give Muddy Waters another chance in a month or so … cherry-​picking menu options … and hoping kitchen and wait staff are a bit more prepared.

Great drink menu, great service, and really good oysters. Welcome to the neighborhood!

I managed to get a little sneak preview of Muddy Waters last night, and am so excited for this place to officially open.
The interior is nicely decorated, lots of industrial metals are used to create a clean, contemporary atmosphere. It is trendy, but not overly pretentious.
At the corner of the bar, there was a mountain of ice and a big selection of oysters. At the time I was there — 2 different West Coast species, and 4 different East Coast. I loved all but one of the East Coast. I do quite like oysters, but unfortunately am not enough of an expert to give an expert review. I’ll just say that they were some of the best I’ve ever had.
As for drinks, there was a nice little cocktail selection, including a couple New Orleans classics like the French 75 and the Sazerac. I thought the champagne of the French 75 paired nicely with the oysters.
I’m looking forward to coming back to try some of the food from the kitchen! The po-​boy looks especially exciting, and can also be made vegetarian.
Its always nice to be able to have a place to drop in and have a half-​dozen oysters when I’m not super hungry.