Turtleheads Raw Bar

This place is always busy, so we tried it. First off, this place has a general decor and atmosphere, which is really neat. I mean really neat. The owner is exceptionally nice and fun to talk to. Now, the Cajun food....not gonna be your top notch traditional Cajun food. Gumbo needs more seasoning and better shrimp. But hey, we're in Joplin Mo...(not) in the heart of Louisiana. Overall, I really enjoyed the place. And it's such a comfortable place to eat or have a cocktail!

The first time I ever went here was a fantastic experience! Same with every time since. The owner is friendly and does a great job of checking in with every patron, of course he hangs out with his regulars a bit more but so would anybody given the choice. He manages to keep the atmosphere friendly and engaging while simultaneously allowing you privacy to eat, which is difficult to do even for the most seasoned managers/owners. While the fried food is not the best, it's good, great even. What really shines (and what you actually judge a seafood place for) is there fresh seafood. My absolute favorite menu item is their 'Louisiana Pan Roast', which is second to none. I've been to dozens of places in several southern states and quite a few places in N'awlens (New Orleans). Turtleheads does Cajun seafood justice!Ignore the high maintenance bad apples, Turtleheads is a real treat!

I've always liked Turtleheads. It was kind of a dive/biker place when I first started going years ago. Still liked it with its pool tables and cold beer and fresh oysters. Loved going for the AYCE snow crab legs. In the last few years the Owner has really cleaned the place up to where it can no longer be called a dive bar. It now has the feel of a locally owned, gulf coast seafood restaurant complete with all the usual tasty dishes. It reminds me of any of the cool small restaurants that one can find along the coast from Texas to Florida.

Turtleheads has been a very popular local dive for as long as I can remember. Lots of live music, fried food, and a real party vibe at all times of the day. There is an audience for that, of course, which is great. However, the lack of customer service is appalling. First things first: the food. I had curly fries, which were fine. You can't really screw up fries, although these had no color on them, as if they weren't cooked long enough (but they weren't raw). Just okay. The jalapeño hush puppies were good though. Not spicy, so not Intensely "jalapeño." Served with a creole mustard/maple syrup mix, which sounds weird but it was pretty tasty.Gator bites (breaded alligator tail) were fine. Served with the same sauce. And the stuffed shrimp was okay. They were stuffed with cream cheese and jalapeño and deep fried. Sounded better on paper though.Basically we ate a big batch of fried food. Was it freshly made or frozen from a box? Not sure - leaning toward frozen though, as nothing seemed crafted by hand. So while the food was just okay, the customer service was absolutely atrocious. We were there for a birthday party held in the back where the live music played. We had reserved tables; there were a bunch of us. The owner was livid we were taking all the tables that "belonged" to his regulars. What? So if I'm not a regular, my business isn't appreciated? That's what it felt like. We weren't just "taking up tables" - every single one of us was a paying customer - we all ate, we all had drinks.So believe the reviews from everyone on here who complained about the owner. And the responses from the owner are laughable. And fake. Oozing with condescension. For real, if you are not a regular, you are not important.

All around worth it, ordered 1 dz oysters ,shrimp tacos and crabcakes. Fried Green beans

We go here for crab legs. The sides are average tasting but the crab is so good. You cannot beat it for the price. Perfection!

Waited a total of 1 hour for appetizer and an extra 20 minutes for our food. What came out wasn't ever what we ordered. Crab was over cooked & fish over seasoned. Not impressed. Went to Taco Bell after we left.

If I could give the owner a HALF of a star, I gladly would! He might be the most rude person I've ever met in my life, much less in a bar that I'm willing to spend my money in. He cursed at us in a way that was aggressive and made us feel like we were a burden. He will NEVER get another red cent from me and my friends.

Food was unseasoned and plain as hell. Do not recommend whatsoever, got crab cakes that tasted like vegetable oil, crab that was way over cooked, shrimp that was just under cooked, and gator bites that were RAW. Owner ate off of one of our plates, when we said the food wasn't good.... instant red flag. They forgot our corn and potatoes with all three boils we ordered and owner seemed to be annoyed with us after he ATE off one of the plates we had. Only offered a refund on the crab cakes as he sat with us and tried to say they tasted fine. Not to forget the crawfish were not cleaned correctly (we live in the Midwest and understand how they should taste) and they tasted like dirt.

It doesn't look like much walking in but the minute you hit door the Turtlehead magic begins! Loved the atmosphere & the people were incredibly friendly! Great happy hour drinks and the food was delish!!!! No desserts but who needs them after all of that food!