Booking your next Gulf Shores vacation rental isn’t just about great accommodations and services, it’s also about proximity, and whether you’re staying close to some of the best restaurants and dive bars that serve local cuisine, including locally sourced oysters. Oyster bars in Orange Beach and Gulf Shores are plentiful with many of them being seaside and serving up a view that adds just as much to the experience as the seafood and freshly harvested oysters. Here are 5 local restaurants serving up some of the best oysters you’ll find while on vacation in the Orange Beach or Gulf Shores areas.
- Original Oyster House Boardwalk – Located on Gulf Shores Parkway, this location sits on the edge of Little Lagoon and serves up Cajun specialties and classic seafood platters, as well as fresh oysters with options like Oysters Rockefeller, Parmesan Garlic Oysters, and a Shell-Shocked Oyster Sampler that allows you to try it all.
- Acme Oyster House – This New Orleans-inspired restaurant serves up more than a million oysters a year for returning guests, including a few famous faces that come to dine whenever they visit. They are also known for their Cajun-creole classics, gumbo, and po’boys.
- Sea N Suds – Sitting on the Gulf of Mexico, this family-owned restaurant Sea N Suds is a legendary hotspot you don’t want to miss. Whether you’re looking for some freshly shucked oysters, a seafood platter of the day, or a dish from the kid’s meal, Sea N Suds has something for everyone. They are also one of the few who take part in the Alabama Oyster Shell Recycling Program, a program that works hard to build new reefs along the coast by recycling oyster shells and placing them back in the ocean to create habitats for shrimp, oysters, and fish.
- The Tin Top Restaurant & Oyster Bar – This award-winning restaurant hiding away in Bon Secour is known for some of the best steak and seafood in Alabama. Even though you’ll experience more casual dining at Tin Top, they take their food pretty seriously. They have a large variety of specials, oysters, steaks and mouthwatering appetizers.
- Lunas Eat and Drink – Combining southern comfort food with eclectic seafood dishes, Lunas is somewhere you gather to have a good time. You get two choices when it comes to oysters, raw, and Southern parmesan, as well as other delicious menu options like Crab Artichoke Melt and Creole BBQ Gulf Shrimp. Happy Hour is from 3-5 every day and their extensive drink menu will have you staying for the night.
Locally Sourced Oysters:
The Alabama Shore has made it a priority to start farming their own oyster’s thanks in large part to higher demand from tourists in recent years. Restaurants and organizations are starting to take part in projects that seek to create oyster farms that not only meet the rising demand for oysters but that also benefit the local reefs and wildlife that rely on oysters to keep the waters clean. Not many people know that oysters are nature’s own water filtration system. They filter about 30 gallons of water a day by removing excess nitrogen from the water that they then incorporate into their own shells and tissues. You can learn more about what oysters do and how they’ve been locally farmed by researching the Alabama Oyster Shell Recycling Program and by visiting Shellbank Selects Oyster Farm, where you’ll be taken through the process of oyster farming and harvesting. This year, while you’re browsing for your summer Orange Beach Vacation rental, make sure you add one of these delicious oyster bars to your itinerary, as well reserving some time one afternoon to learn all about the Sea to Table oyster farming experience in Alabama.
