Since 2009 Oyster House Brewing Company has been serving up great food and thousands of pints of their iconic beers at their brewpub on the corner of Haywood Road and Dorchester Avenue. We are frequent visitors and this is definitely one of our favorite places for dinner and to meet up with friends. Along with beers, they have a full bar, cocktails, and NA options.
Their flagship beer is an unique Oyster Stout, which is dark, creamy, and delicious. Their classic Oyster House Moonstone NITRO Oyster Stout is usually about 5.2% APV, and they often have XX or Imperial versions available. Along with the stout, they brew excellent IPA, blonde, pale ale, English dark mild, lager,and mai bock styles. Visit their website or check out the chalkboard for currently brews. We are partial to the oyster stout during fall and winter months, but have enjoyed all the styles over the years.
Oyster House Brewing is unique in another way – they are full-service with a full kitchen. All the other breweries in West Asheville are counter service with food truck or bring in support for meals. Perhaps it is better so say Oyster House is a restaurant that brews beer. In either case, the seafood forward menu is a favorite.
They of course serve freshly shucked oysters on the half-shell (see chalkboard for daily selection and pricing) and include oysters in many of their dishes. In our household we are partial to the BOLT: A Classic BLT with Half Dozen Fried Oysters on Grilled Sourdough and the Shrimp Roll. They are known for their Po Boys, Fish-n-Chips, Red Beans and Rice with Grilled Andouille Sausage, Etouffee, and New England Clam Chowder. Check the specials chalkboard for dishes featuring ingredients, such as soft shell crabs, that are in season for very limited times.
Oyster Happy Hours: Monday-Friday 3-6
Oyster House offers indoor and outdoor seating. Indoor you can choose from the bar (with embedded oyster shells), tables, or a lounge area. Outside features large round tables and small two-tops against the building. Outdoor seating is next to Haywood Road, but with the large grasses surrounding the space it doesn’t feel like you are sitting in traffic, rather it gives a front row view to people and car watching. Regulars know when the bubble craft car will go by, wave to bicycle riders and joggers they know, and are familiar with the lawn mover decorated as a peace tank. You gotta be there, it is too hard to explain.
Outside seating is also one of the places along Haywood Road where you can see the sunset.
Parking
There is a dedicated, free, parking lot behind Oyster House accessible from Dorchester Avenue along with a couple street parking spots immediately next to the brewpub. Street parking down Dorchester Avenue and other neighborhood streets is also free, or there is a large paid lot across the street next to Pet Supplies Plus.
Map Cover
The 2017 cover of our West Asheville Map featured the children of the Oyster House owner. Actually, unable to get both of them in one photo that we liked, but having multiple individual photos, we split production and had two covers that year so each child was represented. They continue to be two of our favorites.
