I read wonderful and delightful things about this place, from their Facebook page that I randomly found while looking for a local restaurant to dine in. I travel to Mobile for business often and I am a fan of their local dining scene. Before this gets misconstrued, please understand that I have no problem paying any amount in order to have an evening of great food and an enjoyable dining experience. In the case of Socu Oyster House however, that was not the case. To start, the pictures of the restaurant are not even closely related to the website, which portrays Socu Oyster as a swanky cozy beautiful place, full of class. When I walked in I had to ask if I was in the right building. The decor is cold, uninviting and obviously cheap. An obvious attempt to look classy on a dollar store budget. They did not skimp on the number of photos of the supposed celebrity chef (who can not have actually been trained anywhere other than a soup kitchen, because she walked throughout the kitchen, bossing her staff around with an air of superiority and arrogance, yet couldn't pull her hair out of her face WHILE PREPARING FOOD. Even McDonald's employees manage to have better food service training). I should have left when I saw that.
Unfortunately I thought I was being too judgemental. After an inexcusable wait time- far too long for the amount of actual diners inside, I literally paid for a plate of salt with a few inedible oysters, that had a pungent and sulfuric smell. This "restaurant" claims they use local seafood, and I must say, the local fisherman probably don't need to find out. I have had fresh local seafood in the city multiple times, and it has never been anything except delicious. This wasn't it. I politely let the server know that I thought the oysters were bad (I don't know how she couldn't smell the plate when she dropped it off) and she actually argued with me about it. In order to not cause any issues, I finally had to calmly let her know that I would just like her to take the plate from the table.
Apparently the manager was at the bar, which was visible from my table. He was busy on his phone, and seemed completely disinterested in the actual restaurant at all, and then I realized it was due to the fact he was drinking. At that point I realized I had already wasted too much time in this "establishment" and asked for my check. Not only would they remove the entree I never even received from my check because the server claimed it had already been put into the computer and started, she also never removed the spoiled oysters from my bill.
I was extremely hungry at this point, and just wanted to find food that was actually edible so I did not continue arguing about the bill. I paid the entire bill so I could get out as quickly as possible, and even tipped the server, since I'm sure she needed it if this is her typical style of service. Not only did I pay for an entire entree I never saw, spoiled food that would make a stray dog I'll, but the next day, they had double charged my account. In case you're wondering, it's been a few weeks, and I'm still waiting on that refund. No one with any self respect could ever consider this place a better choice than captain d's. They have lied about every aspect of the business, from the dollar general decor, to the quality of their food and service. And possibly the credentials of the "famous chef" owner, and then steal from their guests. Everyone that has ever had to work for the money they would spend in that disgusting sham of a restaurant should be spared from making such a horrible decision.
SOCU Southern Kitchen and Oyster Bar Reviews
I read wonderful and delightful things about this place, from their Facebook page that I randomly found while looking for a local restaurant to dine in. I travel to Mobile for business often and I am a fan of their local dining scene. Before this gets misconstrued, please understand that I have no problem paying any amount in order to have an evening of great food and an enjoyable dining experience. In the case of Socu Oyster House however, that was not the case. To start, the pictures of the restaurant are not even closely related to the website, which portrays Socu Oyster as a swanky cozy beautiful place, full of class. When I walked in I had to ask if I was in the right building. The decor is cold, uninviting and obviously cheap. An obvious attempt to look classy on a dollar store budget. They did not skimp on the number of photos of the supposed celebrity chef (who can not have actually been trained anywhere other than a soup kitchen, because she walked throughout the kitchen, bossing her staff around with an air of superiority and arrogance, yet couldn't pull her hair out of her face WHILE PREPARING FOOD. Even McDonald's employees manage to have better food service training). I should have left when I saw that.
Unfortunately I thought I was being too judgemental. After an inexcusable wait time- far too long for the amount of actual diners inside, I literally paid for a plate of salt with a few inedible oysters, that had a pungent and sulfuric smell. This "restaurant" claims they use local seafood, and I must say, the local fisherman probably don't need to find out. I have had fresh local seafood in the city multiple times, and it has never been anything except delicious. This wasn't it. I politely let the server know that I thought the oysters were bad (I don't know how she couldn't smell the plate when she dropped it off) and she actually argued with me about it. In order to not cause any issues, I finally had to calmly let her know that I would just like her to take the plate from the table.
Apparently the manager was at the bar, which was visible from my table. He was busy on his phone, and seemed completely disinterested in the actual restaurant at all, and then I realized it was due to the fact he was drinking. At that point I realized I had already wasted too much time in this "establishment" and asked for my check. Not only would they remove the entree I never even received from my check because the server claimed it had already been put into the computer and started, she also never removed the spoiled oysters from my bill.
I was extremely hungry at this point, and just wanted to find food that was actually edible so I did not continue arguing about the bill. I paid the entire bill so I could get out as quickly as possible, and even tipped the server, since I'm sure she needed it if this is her typical style of service. Not only did I pay for an entire entree I never saw, spoiled food that would make a stray dog I'll, but the next day, they had double charged my account. In case you're wondering, it's been a few weeks, and I'm still waiting on that refund. No one with any self respect could ever consider this place a better choice than captain d's. They have lied about every aspect of the business, from the dollar general decor, to the quality of their food and service. And possibly the credentials of the "famous chef" owner, and then steal from their guests. Everyone that has ever had to work for the money they would spend in that disgusting sham of a restaurant should be spared from making such a horrible decision.