Acme Oyster House has been shucking oysters and cooking Cajun food in New Orleans for more than a century. Now with a location in Destin, this eatery brings great-tasting seafood and authentic Louisiana cooking to one of the most popular locations in Florida.
Oysters are literally the headline feature at Acme Oyster House, with a hall of fame for people who eat at least 15 dozen. The hall currently has only 21 members, so don’t underestimate the difficulty of the task. If you succeed, though, you too could go down in oyster-slurping history. The current record stands at 42 dozen, which was accomplished way back in 2003.
While the wall might be only for raw oysters, you don’t have to eat these shellfish uncooked. The menu also lists Chargrilled Oysters, Oyster Rockefeller Soup, and several fried oyster dishes (a salad, PO-boy, and platter).
If you aren’t into the whole oyster thing, there are still plenty of great options at Acme Oyster House including both seafood and non-fishy items. Salads, New Orleans Specialties (including two types of gumbo), Po-Boys, Fried Platters, and Grilled Plates come with shrimp, fish, crab, chicken, beef, and other options.
Rounding out the menu from Acme Oyster House, a full selection of desserts demands attention from everyone who isn’t going for the oyster-slurping hall of fame (in which case you’ll need all the stomach room you have). A couple of the highlights are a Pecan Cobbler and New Orleans Bread Pudding, but there are many good selections.
All of this is served in a fun atmosphere where there’s plenty of space. The large restaurant is able to accommodate large parties, and even during the busiest times tables open up quite frequently because there’s so much seating.
Prices at Acme Oyster House aren’t the cheapest in town, but they also aren’t unreasonable. Oysters run $15.99 per dozen, and Po-Boys are mostly in the $10 to $15 range. Larger entrees tend to cost anywhere from $15 to $25, with a few being more or less.
If you love oysters, Acme Oyster has as many as you can eat. Even if you don’t, this is still a great New Orleans-style seafood establishment.
A few of our menu favorites at Acme Oyster House include:
Raw Oysters
An order of Raw Oysters comes with 6 or 12 freshly shucked half-shells served on ice. Douse them with lemon and spicy cocktail sauce, or slurp them plain. Either way, you’ll likely want the full dozen because they’re so good.
New Orleans Medley
A smattering of staples from The Big Easy, the New Orleans Medly comes with gumbo, jambalaya, rice and beans, and rice and smoked sausage. Taste each of the items, and you’ll see why New Orleans is such a foodie’s city.
Fried Peace Maker Po-Boy
A sub roll is laden with perfectly fried oysters and shrimp, and it all gets slathered with Tabasco mayonnaise. The Acme Oyster House Fried Peace Maker Po-Boy was voted among the Top Ten Sandwiches in the area.
Acme 10 Napkin Roast Beef
This slow-heated chuck roast is classic roast beef. It comes hot and is served debris-style, which means you get all those good, messy extra bits. You’ll almost certainly use all of the napkins that come with the Acme 10 Napkin Roast beef — and could need even more.
Pecan Cobbler
The Pecan Cobbler at Acme Oyster House does away with extraneous pie crust and leaves only the gooey filling and sweet topping that make this a classic across the South. It comes a la mode for some extra deliciousness.
Insider Tips:
– If you do need to wait for a table when you visit, get a drink at the bar until you’re able to be seated. Not only will you enjoy a great cocktail, but you’ll also have a chance to watch the bartenders shuck oysters. They halve shells very fast.
-While this Acme Oyster House isn’t exactly in Destin, it’s only a short way away in Miramar Beach.