Oarhouse Restaurant & Lounge

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  I had been eating here for lunch since I work on Dauphin Island and don't have many other choices (go to Barnacle Bill's instead!). I could tolerate the poor service because their sandwiches aren't half bad. However, after going here many times I was getting sick of eating sandwiches. So I became wildly adventurous and ordered the crawfish, thinking I was going to get some fresh seafood on a bed of rice. Instead, the server plopped down a tall, greasy pile of crawfish meat with not even a piece of parsley as a garnish. I was sickened by the sight and never ordered another thing from this disgusting place again. If you do go here, stick to beer and liquor and don't expect prompt service.

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  Posted on 09.10.11 Chris H.

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  After reading other reviews for this place I was hesitant  to go here.  My gf and I decided to give it the ol' college try.  We didn't order any food, but we did have plenty of drinks.  The service was great and the drinks were moderately priced.  It was a sunday night and they were getting ready to close when we came in.  After chatting with the bartender and another lady, Paula,  who worked there we felt very welcome.  They stayed open later and gave us drinks till we were content.  There's a jukebox loaded up with good country songs and they have a really cool outside dining area that's perfect on a slightly breezy night.

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  Posted on 03.14.11 Joanie O.

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  I had heard that they had good food but bad service and it was true! The steak was pretty good but the waitresses have zero clue on serving food. The management serves all food except steak in or on plastic plates. The salad was served with the entree and the cocktails were in plastic cups. Hire a damn dishwasher and serve the food on plates if you're going to serve food!  There are NO restaurants on D Is that are worth a damn and this place falls in step with the rest because of their lack of food service knowledge! Get it together and I may come back. Until then I'll just be cooking at Dauphin Island!

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  Posted on 08.09.10 Chris O.

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  Avoid this place at all costs!  We stopped here for Sunday lunch before heading to the beach and were sorely disappointed in all aspects of this restaurant.  
  
  First, the service was abominable.  There were only a few people there when we arrived, but we still waited some time before anyone took our drink orders.  The server who did was not our waitress and said she would relay the order to our waitress, whom we had not yet seen or met.  When our waitress brought our drinks, she simply set them down and said "I don't know who all had what" and was about to walk away.  I stopped her and asked which of the two teas she brought was unsweet and she replied something like, "Beats me, just don't have a diabetic taste test them" and walked off.  She didn't clean our table, reset silverware, offer menus, or welcome us to the restaurant.  We should have left right then and there, but hindsight is always 20/20.  
  
  We continued to wait while I drained my unsweet tea and finally scrounged up a menu from a nearby chair.  Just then, our waitress came back and gave us some menus, but not enough for the entire party (again, restaurant was nearly empty, surely plenty of menus available).  Our waitress, whose name I would mention if she had ever told it to us (she's the blond, hefty one with a cell phone addiction), whipped out her ringing cell phone while still standing at our table, loudly proclaimed that she doesn't answer blocked numbers, and then walked off.  She did not offer to refill my tea or provide any silverware.
  
  We scanned the menu and, finding a few things that sounded good, ordered an appetizer and meals when our waitress returned.  The food did appear to be overpriced, but that's true for beach fare just about anywhere.  Again, our waitress still didn't offer to refill my drink and walked off before I could ask.
  
  We waited and waited for our food and drink refills until I finally went up to the bar to ask for a refill.  Our waitress, who was just getting our food on a tray, said she'd bring it over.  When she came over to our table, she gave us our appetizer along with our meals, brought the wrong salad dressing for the Greek salad (ranch?), still didn't bring silverware, and didn't bring my ice tea.  We asked for the right salad dressing, but when our waitress returned with the tea, she didn't bring the dressing.  She also didn't bring silverware and never offered to refill anyone else's glasses.  We asked for silverware, which she brought, but still no dressing.  So I had to go back up to the bar to ask for the right salad dressing.
  
  As for the food, it was terrible at best.  The fried pickle chips were ok and my one friend's Greek salad was good, featuring real feta and kalamata olives, but my red beans and rice with sausage was bland and very light on rice.  The sausage was ok.  My other friend's cheeseburger was disgusting.  The meat was inferior quality and was slathered with mayo even though that wasn't listed on the menu as one of the condiments.  My friend finished her Greek salad, but the other two of us barely choked down half of our meals.  We took home leftovers only to feed them to the dog as we couldn't stand eating any more of that unpalatable food.  Considering how horrible the food was, the prices were entirely out of line even for a beach restaurant.
  
  Our waitress never came back to check on us (though we could see her chatting with her fellow servers at the bar nearly the whole time), refill our drinks, or inquire about the food.  On the way past us after checking on another customer, she yelled across the restaurant to ask if we needed anything.  She so didn't care, that we had to yell back at her to ask for the check and takeout boxes as she had already turned and moved away without waiting for our response.  When she brought the check, she forgot the boxes and had to go back for them, but did bring them in the end.  We loaded up our dog-worthy leftovers, left her a pitiful tip (we always leave 20%, but this time left about 10%), and left, never to return again.  That night, I had some of the worst gas and bowel issues (pepto-bismol, anyone?) I've ever had.  I know the Oarhouse was the cause as I hadn't eaten much of anything else that day.
  
  While the decor is interesting and the restaurant has the potential for charm, the incredibly poor service and horrible food make this a place you shouldn't try even if you're starving.  You'd do better getting food at a gas station than eating here.  Be warned, stay away!!!

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  Posted on 06.01.10 Anne K.

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  Kind of a cool little spot. The menu is your typical southeast fried seafood stuff. But their gumbo us different - a dark rue with a smoky taste, a little reminiscent of red beans and rice flavor.

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  Posted on 01.17.10 Charity M.

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