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Half Shell, Seattle, WA

Half Shell

4.7
4.7
91 Reviews
$31 to $50
Seafood

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 11 times today
Experiences are available.

About this restaurant

  • Great for happy hour
  • Good for business meals
  • Good for special occasions
Oysters | Steak | Sea Bar | Martinis

Nestled just north of the Pike Place Market, we focus on serving seafood fresh from the Pacific Northwest waters with West Coast flavors.
Our menu includes oysters, crab, salmon, fresh local catch plus steaks and a really great burger.
Icy martinis, bubbles and spritzes center the Pearl Bar.

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    Seafood, Oyster Bar, Steak
  • Hours of operation
    Mon–Wed 3:00 pm–9:00 pm Thu, Fri 12:00 pm–9:00 pm Sat, Sun 10:00 am–9:00 pm
  • Phone number
    (206) 829-7535
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Executive chef
    Chef Chris Schwarz
  • Neighborhood
    Belltown / Pike Place Market
  • Cross street
    Western and Virginia
  • Parking details
    Public Lot
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Vegan, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Experiences

  • Blini Brunch

    $35.00 per person

    Multiple dates available
    Family-style brunch experience featuring freshly griddled kennebec potato blini, bristol bay salmon lox, trout roe on ice with capers and sour cream, scrambled eggs with chives, crispy smashed potatoes, and gem lettuce salad
    Blini Brunch Photo

What 91 people are saying

Half Shell reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.7
4.7 based on recent ratings
  • 4.6Food
  • 4.7Service
  • 4.6Ambience
  • 4.3Value

NoiseModerate

Loved For

  • Seattle

    Seafood

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Half Shell delights with "amazing oysters" and "fantastic food." The "friendly staff" and "great atmosphere" enhance the experience. Guests enjoy a diverse menu, including standout options like the halibut and scallop crudo. Happy Hour is a hit with "excellent deals." It's a "gem" for seafood enthusiasts in Seattle.

91 Reviews
  1. Pamela VIP

    Seattle59 reviews

    5.0

    Dined today

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Half Shell is quickly turning into one of our favorite restaurants to go to. We typically go at Happy Hour, order a dozen oysters and their fabulous thick cut French fries. Yesterday, we also ordered the Gem salad and the roasted brussel sprouts and were not disappointed. At this time of day, the restaurant is not crowded, service is excellent, and the food is great.

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  2. Bobberton

    Los Angeles8 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 1 day ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Had the crab roll, gem salad, and black cod and everything was delicious. Service was great and our server made our family feel extremely welcome. A little pricy but more than worth it if you are looking for an upscale meal near the market.

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  3. Merle

    Seattle19 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on March 1, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    A + food, service and ambience. Pacific Northwest seafood highlighted. Delicious food prepared in creative ways yet keeps in mind the taste and body of truly fresh seafood. There are other delicious items other than seafood on the menu as well.

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  4. Rafael

    London3 reviews

    3.0

    Dined on February 24, 2025

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 3
    Nice service, but the seafood is nothing special and very expensive

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  5. Janet

    Boise16 reviews

    3.0

    Dined on February 22, 2025

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 5
    The crab rolls were excellent, hanger steak hash was very good, crab Benedict had a too thin smattering of crab, eggs were perfectly cooked. All four dishes were 50% to 80% potatoes, one form or another of deep fried hand cut potatoes or hand made potato patties. I expected something a lot more interesting for the price. Half the plate is potatoes… Really? Maybe at a burger joint, but here? Service overall was very good, but both server and restaurant were less certain about the presence of gluten than many PNW restaurants are these days.

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  6. Bruce VIP

    Seattle34 reviews

    4.0

    Dined on February 18, 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    We went on Monday evening, President's Day. The restaurant was almost empty. I had been there 3 times previously and now found that the menu was skimpy and devoid of many items. Our server was first rate. but my steamed claims, although tasty, were few in number and served upon a huge bed of bread. I have seen this with other restaurants and sense the smell of impending closure.

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  7. Elaine VIP

    Seattle60 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on February 17, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Food was awesome. Host Chris was the best!!! Seating & the view of the street…. Everything was more than I have experienced from another Tom Douglas restaurants. We will be back.

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  8. Michele VIP

    Seattle40 reviews

    4.0

    Dined on February 16, 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 3
    Excellent happy hour menu. Very good fries. Service efficient and friendly.

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  9. OpenTable Diner VIP

    Kansas City9 reviews

    2.0

    Dined on February 16, 2025

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 4
    Food was decent but server wasn’t very attentive. The host had to keep jumping in to help when she forgot something for our order which we appreciated. Not good enough to go back though.

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  10. Erik

    Seattle1 review

    5.0

    Dined on February 15, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    Very good service with ecellent food, just a little bit pricey

    Is this helpful?

FAQs

Half Shell is rated 4.7 stars by 91 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 11 times today
Experiences are available.
Google Map for Half Shell

2020 Western Ave, Seattle, WA 98121-2109

Additional information

  • Cross street
    Western and Virginia
  • Neighborhood
    Belltown / Pike Place Market
  • Hours of operation
    Mon–Wed 3:00 pm–9:00 pm Thu, Fri 12:00 pm–9:00 pm Sat, Sun 10:00 am–9:00 pm
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    Seafood, Oyster Bar, Steak
  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking details
    Public Lot
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive chef
    Chef Chris Schwarz
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Vegan, Wheelchair Access, Wine
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