Gary's Oyster Shack

Never a bad meal at Gary's! In a town where you can get seafood in a lot of different places, Gary's is THE place to go get authentic, Gulf-fresh seafood with expert preparation and small-town friendliness.

Make sure you get the hush puppies and red beans and rice. We took my son and his family and were so impressed that we came back two nights later with a group of 11. Everyone wants to come back again.You will meet a very friendly Gary. He personally visits each table and is very proud of his fresh, never frozen, original recipe dishes.Prices are reasonable. Service is friendly. Food is outstanding.A most definite must visit!!!

Much better than many of the other more famous local oyster bars.

Great Shrimp and fried grits. Having never met Mr Gary he roamed the restaurant and visited with each table. Very nice man

Awesome! Friendly folks made us feel right at home! We had the fried scallops and grouper, along with 2 dozen oysters on the half shell - which were phenomenal... cleaned well and really clear! The service was great. If I lived closer, I would be here A LOT! So, thanks, y'all. Your visitors from Zephyrhills really enjoyed ourselves!

Great people run this place and they serve great food

Great place to get delicious local seafood. I highly recommend. The ladies that work there are the best example of southern hospitality. New building looks great and I love the Christian decor in there. Doesn’t get a whole lot better than this.

Great local spot! I had the grits topped with shrimp, greens, sausage, hush puppies, and fried red onions. ENOUGH SAID. Don't miss out on this great food.

It was amazing, the service was great and the food was perfect. I recommend the loaded wedges and the keylime cake.

Friendly, great service & darn good food!!

Perfect in every way. Great bay scallops. Highly recommend. Super service.

Had to wait but it was ok as I was not really in a hurry. Not a big fan of spicy so some of the food was not edible for me. Bay scallops and shrimp was the bomb though!!

I absolutely love this local restaurant! It’s probably in my top three fave places in all of the south! YES IT IS THAT GOOD! I usually opt for their smoked tuna dip BLT or one of their salads. Their Ahi Tuna nachos are absolutely amazing! Everything is amazing. This is one of the few places that I can honestly say, I’ve never had a bad meal here. They get very busy, so go early.

The food and service, as usual, was gr8! I love the way Mr. Gary goes to each patron to say hi and check on them. How personable is that?!4 stars instead of 5 because of the fly problem. My party and I were seated near the window and I guess the flies felt they had a personal invitation. They kept flying over the food and table area and were a huge nuisance. Maybe a fly trap or fan would help.Other than that, no complaints and I'll be back!

Best restaurant in the Panama City area, hands down. Their Oysters are the freshest and biggest. All of their seafood is extremely fresh, perfectly seasoned, and correctly cooked, no matter what it is. Staff is extremely helpful and courteous. Great casual, local atmosphere.

This place was amazing! They are still rebuilding after the hurricane but that doesn't interfere with the great service and food we had. It was so good I forgot to take pictures before we scarfed most if it! Our waitress was also the best we've had in the area since moving here in August.

Best Audi Tuna Tacos with jalapeno sauce slaw.

Outstanding Food!

Excellent food. Friendly staff. Church Christmas party was a hit due to their location, food and staff

Been here several times.. awesome food and people.. food always amazing.. Regina my server twice now very attentive .. They always aim to please......😁😀

Great local place. Friendly southern atmosphere. Plenty of seating for the 'small feel' of the restaurant. Food was great! Went with a group and everything looked fresh and there were no complaints. I got the appetizer sampler with Gumbo, Cajun Boiled Shrimp, and Shrimp Poppers which are little balls of fried heaven that are stuffed with shrimp and grits! Pic shows 4 shrimp poppers, but I ate one before I took it, so it was plenty of food : )

Service was great, and the food was fresh. The food came out quickly, and it was an awesome experience!

Food was great and so was the service. It has a good Christian atmosphere. This is the first time I've eaten here and I can guarantee I will be back

"Don't judge a book by it's cover." The food is fresh and homemade. Staff was very helpful with menu questions. Don't worry if you don't like fish or oysters, there's more! It's a southern style seafood restaurant with a Cajun twist. Loved it! Interior is air conditioned. I wondered about that many times when I drove by. Definitely a thumbs up!

A usually great place to eat. This past weekend, not so much. Obviously had someone different cooking in the kitchen. Shrimp and grits, which is usually fabulous, was mediocre at best. My friends flounder was way overdone. I can understand adding staff if you need it but I can tell you inconsistent presentation of menu items can be death to a restaurant. Hope you get your kitchen under control so we can continue to enjoy your usually fabulous menu.

Stopped after a long day on the road. Service was incredibly friendly. Wait wasn't bad, but I received several apologies. FOOD WAS AWESOME! I had been on the gulf coast for a week & this was the best seafood I had. Super fresh & sweet seafood all across our table! Wish we had room for pie! It looked stellar as well. If I'm ever close enough again, WE WILL BE BACK! THANK YOU FOR A TRIP SAVING DINNER!!!

Great seafood and family atmosphere.Very attentive staff and management as well.

Nice, friendly staff in a clean, well decorated environment. We enjoyed our food. Not a ton of non-seafood options though if that's you concern

Great place to eat. Glad we ran across it. Service was great the food was amazing. Owner came out and introduced himself, very nice guy.

Great place for lunch. Quality food fast. Reasonable prices and Christian radio on in the background.

Food was excellent and served quickly! Service was amazing! Definitely a good place to go!

I called in and the guy on the phone with sweet but when I got to the restaurant I was overlooked by the waitress. I said there for 10 minutes this group of 8 people walked in and she went to waited on them before she come to me so I left. This is poor customer service.

This is a 4 star restaurant, it is not a formal dining experience. They charge average prices for seafood in this area, (not overpriced). The food is as good as any other local seafood restaurant. I like that they do not serve alcohol, don't have to hear loud mouths who have had to many. I have eat here many times and have yet to have anything not cooked correctly. I can honestly recommend this restaurant.

Garys Oyster Shack specializes in local seafood and has a daily Seafood deal for lunch. I have been there several times now and have dubbed this one of my go to places. The hostess will greet you with a smile and find you a seat right away. The waitress will be there in a flash to get your drinks and orders. A little place with a big positive attitude and plenty of choices on the menu. Always get two hush puppies on your dinner plate. Pictures Below are of the Blackened Grouper sandwich and the Crab Cakes with fried Ship.

Friendly service and good food. If they ever add baked oysters to the menu I might increase to 5 stars, just 4 for now. They are working on adding a covered patio at the moment. That will add some seating, a grill, and an outdoor low country boil area. If they get some grilled oysters on the menu, definitely 5 stars.

Small portions, over priced. Food ok.

Very nice & our waitress, Regina, was top notch! The food was great, reasonably priced, and came out quick. Will definitely be back to Gary's!

Warning: No beer or alcohol available at all, which is very strange, since oysters and beer go together like peas and carrots. Otherwise it's a nice restaurant with Oyster in the name.Friendly staff and homestyle food at reasonable prices. You won't leave hungry and your pockets won't be empty. Recommend to order the fish, that way your oysters won't be missing their best friend.

Wonderful little joint, friendly staff, waitress was top of the line and the grilled shrimp was the best I ever had!

Stumbled across this space 1 night while visiting family. Not bad

What a find! Now I know a secret that locals in the area know. My first impression upon entering the restaurant and using the restroom was how clean this establishment is. I was set immediately at ease. The staff were very friendly and helpful. I had the Mahi tacos, and they were delicious. This place has a great atmosphere and it's fun to experience.

Great service, fried oysters awesome!! Recomend fish tacos.Call to check for business hours

A little pricy but shrimp and grits was good

Great food, great prices and amazing staff

Great food. Very friendly staff.

So glad Garys is reopened. Had my favorite the Shack Stack! It's amazing but only served as a special!

Amazing service from the time walked in the door. The Shrimp Popper were outstanding. The Shrimp Po Boy was best I have ever had

Fresh, local seafood. Friendly staff. Reasonable prices. Best seafood on Eastside of Panama City. Can't wait to try his new steakhouse.

If you want good home cooked breakfast and friendly service come on in to Gary's breakfast restaurant right in front of the oyster shack it's called the waffle shoppe just opened 2 weeks ago same owner. Gary and his wife are always here to greet you with a smile and his wife Debbie bakes all the cakes and sweet treats with love they are Christian people who love to serve people good conversation and fantastic food. Come on in and give this local restaurant a try. You'll be glad you did.

We were away from home staying just before the holidays and wanted local seafood. Gary's was a perfect local seafood lunch. Their lunch ($9-13) specials allowed you to choose 2 different specialties and a side. Each lunch meal comes with 2 fresh hush puppies. Our server was happy to recommend her favorites - the fried scallops and shrimp - but everyone in our group had a different combination and each one of us loved what we had. The freshly made tartar sauce and cocktail sauce were delicious and we will certainly return to Gary's the next time we are in the area! It was yummy, priced right, and worth the short drive.