The Oyster Shack

I’m usually not someone to write a review about a place especially not a bad one but I feel like our experience shouldn’t go unshared as it could be used to inform others. I want to first give this restaurant compliments, the atmosphere is really nice. It makes you feel like you’re on a ship or an old ocean tavern, the bathroom especially elevates that. The food tastes really good and they know what they’re doing with some exceptions which I’ll get to. Our server, Aidyl was attentive towards us and also sweet props to her and she was doing her best, it showed. Now for some issues we experienced. I reserved a table 4 hours in advance for our party on a Monday. When we arrived we were seated close to the bar on stools, having two women with us along with the stools being uncomfortable and not to our liking we asked if there was another option with chairs instead. We were promptly moved by our server to a table near the back mind you this table had very little space, once again our server helped with a lot of issues we had like a strong fan blowing against us (very loud) at that new table, blaring music since we were located in the back of the restaurant and accommodating us with another chair for our party. I just wish we didn’t have these bumps occur and it could’ve been more smooth since I did place a reservation and online it was Monday’s aren’t usually busy. Once these issues were resolved we ordered food and appetizers. The house lemonade is good, our appetizers were also good. The biggest issue occurred was with our entrees. The owner who is a really sweet man came over and he gave us recommendations 2/5 of our table wanted to get crab and he told us which ones to get, talking about how tasty and what great choices they had. It was to our disappoint to find they actually didn’t have any crab so they had to pick their options again. Our table ordered two Octopus tentacles, The Marinated octopus plate, the lobster tail, and the lobster roll. We were here from 8-10:30, the majority of the time we spent there was waiting. We were celebrating a birthday and the birthday girl was the last to receive her food and by a large margin. I’m talking about 30 minutes from everyone’s food to her’s. We were told it was being plated then 15 minutes later we were told they are still making it because the kitchen was backed up, but It didn’t feel really busy in the restaurant and it was a Monday which as I mentioned earlier is one of their lesser busy days according to online. Once the food came out it was extremely rough to the point where even using hands it was hard to pull apart. I’m not over exaggerating when I say the octopus was less rubbery than the lobster. It is a $42 dish and the fact it came out like that after so much time it was just a serious let down, especially since it was for the person’s birthday. She had to wait the longest and she tried our entree’s while waiting and said she got the worst one. We believe that maybe the food was left near heat and forgotten about then brought. For compensation of the time the owner gave the birthday girl a free drink, we also got a free shot in general as that’s something they do for birthdays. The lobster roll had no garnish on it as opposed to other pictures I’ve seen in other reviews, the lobster roll tasted good but it did feel it could be lacking and I understand now why. I provided two photos below of my lobster roll and a different person’s. Maybe I missed that it could be added but as far as I know that wasn’t an option. I believe in mistakes being made and that things do come up and happen but I also believe I should share this experience. I want to give the kitchen the benefit of the doubt but my frustration should be expressed, I hope to return and give them another attempt maybe next time we’re in PR. Atmosphere 3/5 for reasons mentioned regarding where we were sat. Food 2/5 it was enjoyable but a lot of bumps we ran into and time related issues Service 2/5 our Server was great it’s just service from restaurant as a whole.

We visited about a month ago and were beyond impressed. On our last day in Condado, we took a walk to find good seafood for lunch. We stopped to look at the menu and the Hostess did such a wonderful job explaining the menu that we decided to give it a try. So glad we did! Food, service, and the atmosphere (decorated festively for Christmas) was impeccable! Our bill was just about $200 for the two of us, but we did order SIX dishes to try a variety of things. All were fresh and flavorful. If/when we go back to Condado, we’ll visit again. 😊

Phenomenal spot!!! Every time we come to Puerto Rico, this place is a must visit before we head back home! We had the pleasure of meeting the owner, who was super welcoming and kind. We ordered passion fruit mojitos and an old fashioned for drinks amazing! Their oysters are delicious and everything is incredibly fresh. For our main course, we had: Fresh Clams Casserole Lobster Tail Lobster Roll Everything was outstanding. Highly recommend 5 stars all around!

This place is a whole vibe. You'll leave your troubles at the door when the friendly staff welcome you like friends. Whether dining solo, on a date, or with friends and family, you'll feel right at home! We four friends began with refreshing cocktails and a variety of incredibly fresh raw oysters from both the East Coast and British Columbia/Washington. The fresh oysters don't need anything added, but the homemade pique is a great option. Psst - ask for a small bottle to go. We followed up with ceviche, lobster escargot, sushi grade blue fin tuna & cod crudo, razor clams, plus seared scallops. Fresh delicious food combined with friendly service is clearly their love language. We topped off the fun vibes with Puerto Rican Basque cheesecake and mini coquitos. This place could equally be your neighborhood hang or destination dining.

From the moment we were approached by the hostess, to our waiters and to the bartenders (we went two days in a row), EVERYTHING was great! They had Halloween decorations which went great with the whole crew boat vibe. The food was fresh-raw oysters, garlic buttered shrimp, clam chowder, fried octopus-if we had more days to spend in Puerto Rico, we would DEF returned. We wanted to try a lil bit of EVERYTHING!! They had live music the first day we went-weekends they have live music-and it was GREAT as well. Such a wonderful experience and so glad we decided to visit.