Acme Oyster House

By Michelle Farnham
May 2, 2022

SEASCAPE – Acme Oyster House offers diners the taste of New Orleans, right here at the beautiful beaches of South Walton. Founded in the Big Easy all the way back in 1910, Acme’s Miramar Beach location is one of six found along the Gulf Coast.

Front-and-center on the restaurant’s menu is their specialty, that beautiful brackish bivalve: oysters on the half shell. Served raw with lemon and cocktail sauce, chargrilled with herb butter and cheese, or for the truly adventurous, as a shooter with cocktail sauce and vodka, Acme has the goods, all shucked-to-order.

“Everything comes out of Louisiana, but at times from Texas when the Louisiana beds are closed,” explained Mac Carroll, Acme’s Southeast regional director of operations. “We’re based out of Louisiana and try to keep that consistent.”

Make your mark on Acme by participating in the 15 Dozen Club, a challenge that asks guests to put down at least 180 raw oysters on the clock.

“At our location, we’ve got about 20-plus people who have completed the challenge. That’s eaten in one sitting in one hour, or you can extend beyond that and try to go for the house record, which here is 42 dozen,” Carroll said with a laugh. “There are some parameters; we need to make sure we’re staffed with additional shuckers and such. You get a shirt and some goodies when you reach that milestone!”

More than mollusks

Carroll was quick to point out the menu’s cuisine extends beyond oysters.

“We have a really great seafood étoufée, and the key is to add fried crawfish tails. It makes it much mo’ betta!” he admitted, with more than a hint of Cajun affect in his voice.

The New Orleans Medley gives you a little taste of everything, from jambalaya, to red beans and rice, to a cup of gumbo.

“You can choose between our seafood gumbo, or for those who aren’t a seafood eater, we have our chicken and andouille sausage gumbo,” he said.

A catering menu is also offered, available take-out style, or the Acme team can set up a shucking station at golf tournaments or other off-site events.

A toast to the coast

Acme also boasts a full bar, where you can face the wrath of the Hurricane, with its flavored rums and juices, wine, or one of their beers on tap.

“The Acme Sunset (Don Q Cristal, Hiram Walker Creme de Banana, grenadine, pineapple, orange and cranberry juices) is a specialty and we do a Patron Perfect Margarita (Patron Silver, Patron Citronge, Gran Gala, Zing Zang Sour Mix, lime and orange juices), which is a really big seller,” Carroll said. “The Voodoo Mary is a signature morning after or anytime of day drink.”

Although reservations are not accepted, Carroll assures any wait for a table you might experience is a pleasant one.

“We’ve got a seating system so that once you get on the list, it texts you to let you know your table’s ready,” he explained. “We’ve got the arcade right next door or you can get cocktails at the bar and go out by the lake around back, so there’s activity while you wait and before you know it, your table’s ready.”

Speaking of activity, Game Day is a big deal at Acme, which boasts about a dozen and a half big screen TVs.

“We track down and find whatever games are available to us through the cable. If you request a certain game, if it’s somewhere we can find it, we’ll sure put it on for ya,” Carroll said. “Come on down and see us and have some oysters and a good ol’ cold beer!”

Acme Oyster House is located at 90 Seascape Drive in Miramar Beach and is available by phone at 850-460-7773 or on the web at www.acmeoyster.com. Current business hours are 11:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. seven days a week, but Carroll urged diners to call the restaurant to see if they’re holding extended hours during the season.

Photos by Romney Caruso