Oyster Price Reality in 2025

Shooting a picture in MAR of 2014, I never guess back then that I’d be running across it eleven years later and shaking my head upon seeing the numbers. Pretty sure I shot this at King Neptune’s Seafood in Gulf Shores. In those days, you could score a dozen raw oysters on the half shell for ten bucks or less at a lot of places. Today, ten bucks won’t even get you half a dozen.

Just for grins, I spot check prices for a dozen raw on the half shell at a few restaurants around the area. Market pricing is volatile and changes on short notice. Complicating it further is the fact that oysters come in different varieties and sizes. But this at least gives an idea of how sharply prices for oysters (and so many items) have risen in the past decade. Oysters can be particularly vulnerable to price changes due to fluctuations in supply and demand. Variations in temperature, salinity and nutrients affect oyster harvests. One Fairhope restaurant owner says his experience selling oysters over the years is that size and quality decrease as summer ramps up and water temperatures rise. From one restaurant to another, size and variety of oysters vary. Point of origin and whether considered a ‘house’ or ‘boutique’ oyster makes a difference; if you opt for one type of oyster at one spot, be prepared to shell out $50 for a dozen.

As much as I enjoy oysters, I have to admit that current prices make ordering them more of a once-in-a-while treat as opposed to a more frequent choice. And that leads me to wonder: With the costs and work involved, what incentive is there for people trying to raise and sell oysters if the market softens with fewer people buying?

Here’s hoping the effort to restore oyster growth in Mobile Bay as well as other parts of the Gulf coast meet with success.

At the moment during these inflationary times, a dozen raw on the half shell (as of the end of MAY 2025) will cost you:

　Acme Oyster House (Gulf Shores) – $21.99
　Felix’s Fish Camp (Spanish Fort) – $20
　The Original Oyster House (Spanish Fort) – $20
　Papa Rocco’s (Gulf Shores) – $21.75
　King Neptune’s Seafood Restaurant (Gulf Shores) – $22
　Tamara’s Downtown (Fairhope) – $22
　Gambino’s Italian Grill (Fairhope) – $24
　Jesse’s Restaurant (Magnolia Springs) – $24
　The Tin Top Restaurant (Bon Secour) – $26
　The Blind Tiger (Fairhope) – $30
　DeSoto’s (Gulf Shores) – $20.99
　Pearl (Fairhope) – $36 (TX oysters, $44; Canada oysters, $50)

Average price for a dozen: $24.06 or $2 per oyster

Here’s hoping the effort to restore oyster growth in Mobile Bay as well as other parts of the Gulf coast meet with success.

I can’t help but think that–on that day back in 2014–if you had told me that I’d be paying 175% more for a dozen raw on the half shell eleven years later, I would have said, you’ve got to be out of your oyster shuckin’ mind!

𝑀𝑦 𝑏𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑜𝑦𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑒𝑥𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒:

Ed’s Seafood Shed in 2016, when it was on the Causeway. $19 for a dozen which, back then, was a shocker to me. But I went for it and was glad I did…