Deckhand Oyster Bar & seafood Reviews

This location of Deckhand is a new one, I believe, and looks it -- a spacious dining room, fresh decor, and a genuine sense of enthusiasm on the part of the staff. Madame and I stopped in on a Sunday evening and found the place about three-quarters full of what looked like quite happy diners. Seafood is on offer in all the usual forms, with some Asian twists visible in parts of the menu too. There's also a full bar. Service was cheerful and relatively quick, given the crowd on hand. And the eats... I had oysters -- six were promised, seven arrived, all good -- followed by mussels vin blanc, a surprisingly (and pleasantly) spicy variation on the classic moules offering. Madame's fried crawfish tails were plentiful (more than enough to share) and delicious. The whole effect was of really fresh seafood, expertly stored and handled, and then cooked to order by people who clearly know how to find their way around a clam strip. Prices were happy-making too; Deckhand is more informal (and louder) than Red Lobstah, but also puts a really nice plate of fish on your table for a little bit less. We like both places, but will make a real point of returning to Deckhand to range freely through the menu --

Oysters are sweet, the deckhand sause is fabulously served with everything especially the jumpers. Beer is cold ,the music and service are superior to any place we have been. Crawfish and Calimari are so fresh they craw right to your heart.

Had lunch here. 3 people. Service was very good and friendly. Attentive. Place is clean. We ordered oysters la fontera and it was so deliscious and fresh! It was baked with cheese on top. 1 dozen is not enough,it was soooo good! I could have eaten a dozen by myself. Since it is craw fish season, my son ordered a pound of crawfish Again, it was fresh and the sauce was spicy enough but not too much. He enjoyed it. I ordered pad see eew with beef and love that the wide noodles still had a bite to it. Best i've had really!

Food was great!!! Staff was friendly and helpful!!! Highly recommend the Thai cake for dessert. Also would get food to share family style.

Had the Shrimp Diablos for an appetizer and though OK the shrimp were overcooked. Ordered the Longhorn Stuffed Catfish and ordered it blackened and even though it didn't looked grilled it tasted OK. Once I added their green sauce and some Louisiana Chef hot sauce then it was the bomb! Had I realized the size I wouldn't have ordered the appetizer. Will pop in there again and give them another try.

Met with business colleagues for dinner. The LaFrontera Oysters are great! But, I highly recommend the calamari! The snapper cubion was not so great. The fish was sliced paper thin, a bit bland, and the etoufee was definitely not etoufee (Idk what it was). Overall experience was great (dispite the fish catastrophe). The wait staff friendly, the atmosphere a bit loud, but not so much that we couldn't carry on a conversation.

The service from the minute we walked through the door until we left was horrible. The door greeter was rude, the waiter messed up our order, more than once, and when I said something to the manager. He could care less. I live 5 minutes away, but will never go back!!!

A restaurant that will remind you of a gulf coast family restaurant. Friendly staff, efficient service. Had oysters on the half shell and crawfish. Both wonderful.

This was our second visit to this location and we love it! Both times there was no waiting for a table. The service was good. We enjoyed a dozen raw oyster's and ordered their fried catfish plate with very generous portions. There was quite a good selection of beer and wine also.

My wife and I recently had dinner at this location for the first time. We are seafood lovers and this was pretty close to being in to a perfect evening. We started with oysters on the half shell. The oysters were very large and tasty. We then had a grill and a fried season food meal. Both were cooked to perfection. We also had a glass of wine and 20 oz. beer. The house wine was $4 and the tall beer was $5.50 the menu items were also very reasonable. This is a typical casual Austin type of location. Overall very pleased we are planning on coming back when we visit Austin. This is a family owned business. The owner and his wife were both present during our visit on a Sunday evening.

I love this place. Finally a place in South Austin, Texas for good seafood at a reasonable price. Great drinks too!

Ate here when they first opened. Not impressed. A couple months later and huge improvements. Oysters large and fresh. Whole fried catfish the best! Blackened flounder super. Can't wait to go back!

Small family owned Oyster Bar with a Thai twist in South Austin. They moved into the old Out Back Steakhouse location on S Lamar. Great Oysters with the shuckers right at the bar. Cold Beer on tap and some wine for now, but Liquor license in the application process. Staff is great! TV's usually with some sports on and music playing. Love it! My new favorite spot.

Went on Friday, 4/7, with my Aunt. First thing was that their beer menu, which was extensive, was incorrect. Apparently it was created before the place opened. There weren't but like a dozen beers, but I found one I liked. A positive note here, they allow you to sample before buying, and they offer 2 sizes. Go big or go home. The waitress was very pleasant and friendly (it didn't hurt that she was really pretty also). I won't go into great detail what food we ate, but it was a lot of food, and all pretty good. If you want seafood, but not sure what, get the Drunken Sailor. The bill was a little high, I thought, but overall it was nice night out. Close to South Lamar and Ben White where the old Outback Steakhouse used to be. I don't know if I'll go back, but it's worth trying.

We went here on a rainy Thursday night. The restaurant is pretty and festive inside. Service was friendly. We'd heard there were great Thai dishes off menu, so we ordered some raw oysters and a cup of gumbo - both very good, and went off menu for dinner. We split a bowl of mussels with white wine, ginger, garlic, curry, etc. They were excellent, perfectly cooked and perfectly spiced. The dish comes with garlic bread for dipping, and you'll want to get every bit of the liquid they are cooked in. It was plenty big for 2 of us to split. the other dish we tried was garlic shrimp, also excellent, plump, juicy shrimp with a buttery sauce full of garlic. They also make their own thai style sauce that would be good on everything. I really wanted to put the bottle in my purse - green chilies, garlic, cilantro, etc. Not too hot but full of flavor. For dessert we ordered the mango with sticky rice. Spot on. This is one of our favorite Thai desserts and it was delicious. We'd planned to go back the next day for lunch but head to leave town early. Already looking for our next excuse to go to Austin so we can eat here again.

We've visited Deckhand a few times. I love the seafood gumbo and their peel-n-eat shrimp. It's a great place for a meal, drink or snacks.

Went here for Sunday dinner with a friend. He got garlic fried shrimp and I got broiled snapper filet. Unlike another seafood restaurant in south Austin, this one had healthy options. With my snapper came broccoli, carrots, and rice. Also garlic toast. The fillet was huge and the price decent. It tasted really good. They put spices on top. The rice was also good and I usually don’t like rice. My friend thought the shrimp was excellent but didn’t like the rice. The margarita tasted salty even though I asked for no salt. Family friendly, bright, friendly waitress. Easy to get to location, construction going on in area but still open.

I'm from Louisiana and I love boiled crawfish: it's something we cajuns don't always get access to.. I came here in 2017 and had amazing boiled crawfish.. I couldn't wait to bring my family and friends. We went last night and it was horrible. Small, fishy tasting, not spicy and not worth serving. Don't go here for crawfish folks..

This is an interesting little place; the atmosphere was more like a neighborhood restaurant, and was quite pleasant. The service was excellent and that seemed to be the norm among all diners. They looked like they had a busy bar, and although we don't drink, the mugs of beer looked very good. I had a fried seafood platter, and my companion had a Thai steak dish. The food was cooked properly in terms of being done, and the Thai steak was better than my fried seafood. The fried seafood was very bland, and I had to put much lemon on shrimp, oysters, and catfish to make it even palatable. The French fries actually had more flavor. The red sauce was even worse than the fish; not sure what the problem was there. I can do better than that at home with Louisiana Seafood Batter. It could be that they like to serve oysters raw more than fried; I noticed several tables had oysters on the half shell. We will try it again one day.

Went there from friends recommendation and did not disappoint. The price is not very expensive and the food is tasty. The steamed fish is a great choice. Would recommend this gem in South Austin for seafood

First off this is in regard to the ORGINAL, IN ROUND ROCK. For some reason, it is not listed on TripAdvisor. They had the original and then moved to a new, bigger, better, location just a few blocks away. I'm embarrassed to say I haven't been to the new place since they moved, about 2 years ago. We went this evening for Father's Day and it was pretty crowded. They told us 45 minute wait but were seated in about 15. The waitstaff was very friendly. She took our drink order and then food. We were really surprised how fast the food came out, considering how busy it was. The food, I had blackened Flounder, was very good. The portions were good, and all & all the prices were still pretty good. The interior was a lot better and more thought out than their original location a few blocks away. They also have a much better beer selection. We will be back.

Great food for Austin. Love seafood in all shapes and sizes. Have had better seafood but that was when closer to an ocean. Staff here are great. Waitress coming by to refill drinks. Actually may have order too much

Our waitress was incredibly amazing and friendly. Loved all the food except the gumbo, which just seemed to have prawns and fish with white rice added at the top, which was odd. The calamari was very delicious though. I would definitely go back if I visit Austin again

I have been here over 10 times i decided its time to review. Great food very reasonable prices. Tarzan is bar manager i have been served by him for over 25 years. Great food good location great experience.

Had a really nice meal at this surprisingly good restaurant in a shopping center. We had the La Fontera Oysters which were suggested by our waiter. They were rich and savory and really fresh. We also sampled the fried fisherman's platter the shrimp were so tastey! We will certainly make a return trip which is a 30 minute trip from where we live but worth the drive.

Having eaten at the North location for the last 6 years, I was looking forward to the opening of the South location, and was not disappointed. Same menu, but more spacious. Plenty of parking, great seafood selections. Really good oysters!

For two entrees, two beers, and a dessert... it was only 45.00. Wow! Amazing value for a delicious meal. We also had the privilege to listen to great live music while we ate. The waitress was amazing. Great service. We will come back again.

The best thing I can say about this joint is there is hot water to wash your hands in the restroom. The restroom was not clean but the water was hot. The place was packed and the food is better at any fast food place. They brought our food our piecemeal so we weren’t all eating together. We waited a long time for all of our food. I ordered a crawfish po’boy. Not sure what I got but the pieces of crawfish?? were smaller than a dime and overcooked. Everything was too salty. And we couldn’t carry on a conversation for the decibel level. Our waiter was sweet and attentive. But……. We won’t be back

Asian fusion. Fried shrimp. Lots of fries. The Vietnam twist doesn't distinguish this place beyond run-of-the-mill. OK, if that's all the time and budget you have. I'll bet you won't remember to go back.

Deckhand is a great place to get wonderful seafood dishes, prepared right, served timely, and reasonably priced. I love it! The steamed fish, prepared as a soup, is my absolute favorite dish (possibly in all of Austin!).

Tried this place as a suggestion from my daughter for her 30th birthday, and glad we did. A very unassuming place on the outside, but very colorful and simple on the inside. Was able to feed 4 people, 3 appetizers, 4 main entrees and a shared dessert for less than $30/person. They have a wide and varied menu with many Thai based or Thai inspired recipes. There are a few pork dishes, but not enough to satisfy a carnivore, in keeping with the seafood theme. Make sure to ask your wait staff about off menu items. We were going to have the calamari appetizer listed on the menu when our waiter suggested we try the Salt and Pepper Calamari. Are we glad we did. Calamari in a light peppery batter that almost melts in your mouth. Clam strips which are more than just batter like you get at other "seafood" restaurants. A freshly ground horseradish that comes with the oysters that is light on the nose, but has a bite on the tongue where it counts. We all had the "Drunken Sailor" entree, which hurt our waiter's feelings as he was an ex-marine, followed up by a shared big slice of "Royal Thai" cake, a confection so light it almost floats.

More than 25 years ago a buddy of mine and I shucked oysters together at a bar called "Captain's". My buddy would frequently remind me that " people think the Captain run the boat, but the Deckhand really run the boat. Someday I have my own oyster bar and call it "Deckhand". Guess what?! HE DID IT!! His name is Tarzan and now he has the best oyster bar in Austin ! Great gumbo, Tom yum soup, papaya salad, salt and pepper shrimp and/or calamari, garlic shrimp, etouffee, fried and broiled catfish, snapper, flounder, shrimp, oysters , poboys, -- oh, and fresh sweet plump oysters on the half shell , or broiled in a number of ways -- all delicious! Well crafted drinks that will set you free, nice wines and BIG COLD BEERS !! Feels like family -- only better!!! Karaoke on Thursday nights !

This is a seafood restaurant that captures the best of Texas coastal seafood; it's not a tourist and money trap; it's not glitzy. Deckhand Oyster Bar & Seafood is really great place for well prepared food served in an easy going atmosphere. None of the negative reviews have any relevance. Study the menu online prior to going. There are many choices ranging from standard items like fried and broiled seafood to Thai seafood based items. We had the dozen on a half shell and the oysters were incredibly fresh and well presented. After that did the fried shrimp and oysters. The shrimp were fresh cleaned and butterflied fried in a light layer of what may be rice flour. No frozen prefab here. Oysters were also well fried without being greasy. The fries and hush puppies were generous and perfectly cooked. The hush puppies in particular are really special - not the typical greasy corn bread morsels. Wait service was excellent and attentive. A nearby table was doing a large bowl of gumbo that looked really good. Fusion? Yes, an Asian family owns these restaurants with gulf shrimping roots. On the menu are some whole fish options I want to try: a whole broiled flounder. Atmosphere is South Austin casual. If you want overpriced glitz and glamour go elsewhere. "D" was our server and did well by us; very professional service. Music track was good ole rock and roll. Best items this visit: all of it - oysters on half shell and fried shrimp and fried oysters. Comparable places: The Catch in Waco and the Black Diamond Oyster Bar in Corpus Christi. There is a large bar with about 30 tables for 4. Located in the shopping center with Strait Music and Target.

This place does not dissapoint the food was fresh and i am from Galveston Tx so i know lunch has great deals poboy comes with gumbo 899 boudin 5.99 so delish. they had crawfish but it was too pricey 8.00 lb i can eat 5 lbs so 45 is too rich for my blood for lunch but check this place out.

Okay, When I walk into a restaurant I like to be greeted not ignored. Saying that I had to find the hostess (who would not Crack a smile. and for some reason looked flustered when the restaurant was half full an I needed a table for 2.) The print on on the menus looked like they were put together a hurry, for example the text was so small it was hard to read. The menus had no color and looked like I was reading a novel not ordering food. The decor was not of a fish restauran, more like a very poorly put together sports bar. I was looking forward to dessert because the food was mediocre at best, but the we're sold out of have ptheir very limited dessert menu. This was a Friday night date night for my wife and I and do not feel like this restaurant was up fo the task for any thing close. They need better management or the owners need to educated them selves of running a fun freshrestaurant. If the owners are obviously not up to the task the need to hire someone who knows how to run a restaurant.

Lots of seafood entrees, lots of Cajun entrees, and some with an Asian-Thai twist. Good beer selection, wine, great place to eat and relax. Fine Crawfish etouffee.

This was my second visit to this restaurant. They were very busy so there was no indoor dining seats available. We did enjoy sitting outside. The food we ordered was delicious and plentiful. As busy as they were our server Robert was attentive and delivered our food promptly. I would definitely return to this restaurant on my next trip to Austin!

I drove by the deckhand on S Lamar several times wondering how it was. After a friend recommended the original one in round rock I went for lunch today. The food was excellent I had the catfish lunch special for $8.99. It included a good size cup of seafood gumbo three large catfish fillets that were tender and flaky n hot on the inside n covered with a tasty crust. It also came with french fries and hush puppies. I can’t wait to go back and try some of their other specialties.

It took awhile to get seated... others were seated in front of us that arrived later! I had to tell them my name twice!! Nice variety of seafood, and Thai! Gumbo average at best!

Had lunch here several times and they are consistently serving great seafood. Fried shrimp is very tasty, good sized portions. Gumbo is very good and spicy. I think my favorite dish is the fried flounder filet. Nice size, just enough batter and lightly fried. All types of sides are available. Rice and steamed vegetables are the norm. I usually opt for the salad and fries. Also ask for the deckhand sauce, its good on everything. Oysters in season are good, I haven't had any this summer though. Definitely recommend this place if you like seafood. Full bar if you need a drink with your fish. Prices are reasonable, staff is great and very friendly.

I met up with a bunch of friends for drinks and food on a Friday night. The place is easy to find off of Lamar in a parking lot shared with my workout supplement shop, Nutrishop. Upon entering, it was a cool little restaurant bar. There is a full bar to the right and seating to the left. Since we were meeting a larger group of people, we all sat in the half booth table area. Deckhand has great drink specials for beer to include pitchers. Due to my barley allergy, I try not to drink beer so I got a few bottles of Angry Orchard to enjoy. Which I was always given a frosty mug to pour into. I hope they will expand a little in the cider area and maybe get Austin Eastcider in the future. I recommend that to any place. I had been told to get swamp curry by many people but I ended up getting the Tom Yum seafood soup due to not being super hungry. The Tom yum seafood soup is served in a bowl or cup. I opted for the bowl and was a little surprised on the size to price ratio. It was flavorful but not my first choice. My husband had ordered the off menu swamp curry. Whoa, now that is the dish everyone should get. It was all the right flavors and I got to enjoy later on that evening since my husband had took his leftovers home. Overall, a good place for food and drinks.

been here several times in past 3 months and never disappointed. Portions are very generous and I love that not everything is fried. Their grilled fish plates much better than most high end restaurants i've been to. Gumbo is also amazing. The place is pretty casual, but food is great!

The Deckhand is very good. Let's start there. They do have oysters, both raw, and cooked a number of ways, and they are fresh and delicious. With that being said, this is more of a Southeast Asian food restaurant than it is a seafood restaurant. I think this is one of the reasons to consider dining here. There aren't too many places where you can get Pad Kee Mao, raw oysters and crawfish etoufee, all in one meal.

In a word dissappointing. Cold vegetables, overcooked fish. Seaford stuffed flounder is actually bad cornbread dressing with 2 tiny shrimps. $50 for 2 for lunch. Terrible.

We were looking for a place for happy hour and I called and I was told only the beer was on happy hour price but we were in the mood for seafood and a quick glance at the online menu indicated that the prices were reasonable and as we were only four minutes away we took a chance. I am very glad we did as the food and service turned out to be great. Mario helped with our selections in suggesting an off the menu order of frog legs. They cost a bit more but are worth it. The oysters were sweet and large, the mussels vin blanc were awesome. Can't wait to go back try the other three styles of mussels. Glad we stopped as we plan to make the Deckhand a regular stop when we are in town.

Food was good but we were very disappointed with below average tarter and cocktail sauces. Also we like 'malt vinegar' which we were told they didn't even offer?

We had the drunken sailor and garlic shrimp. It was delicious and we were pleasantly surprised by the generous portions. Very affordable as well. We definitely add to our rotation. Lunch specials looked like a bargain. Will definitely be back!

Always great food, fresh shellfish and fish, plus the incredible THAI influence with the curries and sauces. Great Oysters and Shrimp. Full bar, good Happy Hour specials. Servers, especially Silver and Mila, are super attentive and pleasant.

I’ve ordered dozen of oysters at the bar and I found them bland, NO juce of oysters on the shell. Then I looked over to see how the Oyster Guy opens them. WELL I was kind of shocked. He opens oyster and then he is rinsing each under running water. I will never go back for oysters.

Ordered fried shrimp and calamari to go. Shrimp above average with a good crust and very fresh taste. Would have sent Calamari back if eating in. Tarter sauce boring. French fries run of the mill. Won't go back.

I have eaten at this restaurant on south lamar many times. Wide selection of entrees, and ample portions of food for an affordable price. It has a great ambience . The seafood I selected was fresh and cooked to perfection. Great service also. during the week there are lunch specials at 8.99 before three pm. The crawfish I ordered on one of the visits were a good size and served abundantly and promptly. This restaurant welcomes family and business clientele. Free and ample parking surrounding the restaurant. Bring an appetite. It is sure to please.

We took another couple with us to dine at the new location on a weekday evening. It is a casual atmosphere and a bit noisy. You will find an interesting menu with choices ranging from fried seafood to Thai dishes. We found the appetizer menu to be quite good. The oysters were fresh, albeit small, so finding a few extra on the tray was a nice surprise. We also enjoyed the shrimp Diablo and the pepper calamari. All dishes were well-presented as well as tasty. The bar choices were good as well, offering local brews as well as other standards. The entres are very generous--enough for two to share unless you are very hungry. Only complaint this visit was the poor service--it is usually quite good. We will definitely return for the good food.

This is my first time at the South Lamar location and I do declare that the outstanding customer service and the delectable delights have not changed. I was greeted with a genuine smile and firm handshake by Tarzan whom I haven't seen in months when he was at the Round Rock location. I had been fasting in order to do some lab work so I was famished. I was in the mood for the Zach Pan Seared Salmon but Tarzan told me that they were out of salmon so I settled for the Snapper Coubion, snapper topped with crawfish etoufee. I had to order extra garlic toast so I could sop up the excess etoufee gravy. It was absolutely deeeliciooooous! I am absolutely thrilled that they have opened this location since I'm now in the South Austin area and without a doubt, I will be making more frequent visits. Thanks Tarzan, Lahn, Jordan, and May!

Our family of 3 Friday night dinner at Deckhand Oyster and Seafood Bar on South Lamar. We walk in, we are sat under fast annoying blowing fan. Waiter walks up. I asked nicely if the fan could be slowed down or turned off because I don't want my food to get cold while I eat it.. He answered very sarcastically and rude, "well we're hot." Referring to himself. He said we could move but someone else would wait on us. So we moved and there he comes, he was sent to us. We of course dreaded it but we continued to be nice. The Waiter was stil being sarcastic and short. Appetizers came and they were pretty good. Then our shrimp dinner came, good, but fries were stale and hush puppies were borderline burnt. We finished, we notice my son's Blackened Red Snapper Dinner was missing. We waited thinking they'd bring it soon. So we sat there, we finally asked, "waiter, where's the snapper?" He says, "oh yeah, let me check on that." Then came to mention the fish is coming. Well my son waited one hour and half to get his meal. Waiting after my husband and I were already finished eating our meal. We waited patiently but the wait was ridiculous. We travel allover the world. Great food is not just a must but the service has to be a match. The waiter was inattentive all around. He claimed the cooks must of forgot or lost the ticket but yet we got the other orders. He did not even deserve the tip that was given. After all that the manager did not not even comp the meal, only took 6.99 off the bill. It's all about the service that makes a meal enjoyable not just the food!

I wanted to like this place. But it was genuinely terrible. We ordered a seafood dish with shrimp, oysters, crawfish and veg in it. Also a oyster Po Boy sandwich. We lived in New Orleans, this was the Worst Po boy ever. mushy oysters (2 small cut in half) on flat previously frozen bun. All the seafood was like out of a can. Nothing fresh tasting at all. Minute crawfish. the canned beer was good though. And when I told the waitress, she said "You're not in New Orleans.