Closing in on 50 Years, S&D Oyster Co. Is Still Going Strong

Since its inception nearly five decades ago (1976), S&D Oyster Company has remained an Uptown fixture for seafood. From the back kitchen, a seemingly endless stream of oysters prepared every which way, along with a host of other Gulf Coast-style seafood dishes, are doled out like clockwork every day sans Sunday.

The place is a Dallas institution.

Herb Story, S&D’s original founder, owned this Dallas landmark for 47 years before striking a deal with a trio of brothers (Beau, Ryan and Sean Bellomy, who also own Rex's Seafood) roughly a calendar year ago. With a year of ownership transition in the rearview, we figured we should pop by to see if any new wrinkles have been unveiled.

In large part, S&D appears business as usual. Because if it’s not broken — don’t fix it, right? However, there has been one notable change: There’s a full bar now and a revamped cocktail menu.
Speaking of cocktails, we started our weekend lunch with a quality bloody mary ($12) from said new bar. S&D makes its mix from scratch daily. A stoutly sized bonus Gulf shrimp hangs over the glass rim.

We dig the ambiance at S&D — you can still see some of the exposed original brickwork from a building erected over 130 years ago. The familiar red-and-white-checkered tablecloths add some charm to the distinct New Orleans-esque aura. Weather permitting, be sure to take advantage of the beautiful patio out back.

As this is an oyster mecca, skipping the bivalves wasn’t an option. We started with the grilled oysters ($19.95), which come topped with a layer of charred cheese. We also had fried oyster and fried shrimp plates, each served with hush puppies, fries and a top-shelf slaw (all at the table remarked how much we liked the slaw; if there are tiers for slaw, this one exists somewhere near the top).
Snapper, flounder, trout and grouper (fried or broiled) are on the menu when available. Other dishes include New Orleans-style barbecue shrimp, jumbo lump crab cocktails, crabmeat Maison, shrimp salad (diced boiled shrimp and celery in a creamy seasoned mayo base) and seafood gumbo.

The eight-deep sandwich roster deserves some scouting. The seafood sandwiches come loaf style: there's an oyster loaf, shrimp, fish and crab Maison loaf. But don't sleep on the muffuletta and crab cake sandwich. We went with a trio of S.&.D sliders ($16.60) and chose oyster, shrimp and crab Maison (fish is also an option). We loved all three and polished them off in short order.
We didn’t save enough room for dessert, but bread pudding with whiskey sauce seems to be the preferred option here.

S&D's 50th birthday looms in 2026, but despite its age, this seafood stalwart remains firmly in its prime.
S&D Oyster Company, 2701 McKinney Ave. Monday – Saturday, 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.