FOLEY — Half Shell Oyster House officially opened its doors in downtown Foley on Wednesday, June 24.

Located at 118 W. Laurel St., the seafood chain first opened in Gulfport in 2008 and has expanded across the Gulf and South, including opening six locations within Alabama at Spanish Fort, Mobile, Cullman, Pelham, Trussville and Tuscaloosa.

Prior to opening on Wednesday, select guests, including Gulf Coast Media, were invited earlier in the week to try out the food. As someone who previously lived in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, and used to go to the location in Biloxi, I was intrigued by the prospect of a restaurant I was already familiar with opening in the heart of downtown Foley. It did not disappoint.

With a name like Half Shell, there are plenty of types of oysters to enjoy, ranging from raw to grilled with different flavors such as Oysters Orleans, Chef's Special, Oyster Bienville, Rockefeller oysters and charbroiled. My favorite was the Rockefeller oysters, topped with spinach, cream cheese, herbs and Pernod and baked in parmesan cheese.

If you are a seafood addict in general, Half Shell has a full menu of seafood to indulge in, including seafood pasta, shrimp and grits, poboys, redfish, mahi and a seafood sampler with choices such as shrimp, crawfish, catfish, oysters or crabcakes.

If seafood happens to not be your thing, don't worry; there are other options. We tried the almond-encrusted chicken topped with roasted red pepper aioli, chicken alfredo and a ribeye.

To finish off the meal, we were served cinnamon roll bread pudding with a warm spiced rum sauce drizzled on top. I'm not a huge bread pudding guy, but it was a nice way to end a delicious meal.

If this sounds like it's right up your alley, Half Shell in Foley is open from Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.