St. Roch Fine Oysters + Bar

Made reservation at 5. They sat us at one of the window walkway tables which was fine until they sat a birthday party outside the window, facing us. The entire meal I felt on display as I was on a platform directly in front of them. The happy hour 6 oysters for $9 tasted great. We got 6 dozen! I don’t care for fried saltines but the mignonette was perfect. Our waiter was wonderful; she recommended a delicious cocktail, was very personable, and knowledgeable about the fare. The gumbo, I felt, was incredibly small for $14 and tasted more like a meat stew.

I made a reservation for Sunday night for two people with Resy. They do require a credit card and will charge a no show fee of $25 per person. We were seated promptly once arriving. The food and drinks were so good. I got the Harvest mule to drink. I really liked the pumpkin spice and ginger flavors in the drink. We started with the boudin arancini and wow! I didn't expect it to be one giant arancini, but it was delicious. It had a nice kick and was like nothing I've had before. For my main entree, I got the calabash platter with fried shrimp. I don't like fried pickles and they let me get an extra hush puppy instead. The fried shrimp and fries were both great. I liked the aioli with the fries. The one miss for me was the hush puppies. They were kind of dry and didn't have a lot of flavor. Service was fantastic. Our main waitress came around often enough, and other staff came around to clear things/check on things too. All around this is a great place and I will definitely be back to try more!

Michelin Recommended did not disappoint. From the ambiance, vibes, music, service, and obviously food all around distinct. Shuckers Choice (for us Herring Shoal) Oysters on happy hour for $1.50 from 5-6pm. Most places don’t openly advertise their happy hour specials but they did! Very cold, clean, plump, and slightly briney. Loved the in house hot sauce and the mignonette. Hush puppies were dense and flavorful but not dry. The butter it came with was rather salty altogether. Gumbo was AMAZING. The depth of flavor from savory, salty, with the added potato salad to help mute/combine flavors. A touch of salmon roe on top was interesting. Wish you could order a larger meal sized portion! Pork Belly was delicious. Insanely soft and braised down, but super crunchy on top. The sauce it came with really pulled together the umami with some sweetness. Perfectly seasoned all the way through. Shrimp remoulade was well poached and not overcooked. Definitely expensive for just 7 (probably size 21/30). Remoulade sauce was good and refreshing touch compared to cocktail. Beignets were the bomb. 5 huge fluffy pastry dough style with a bourbon caramel glaze pour over or to dip. Enough for 3-4 people honestly.

My husband and I have visited twice, one with a reservation and one without where we sat at the bar. We agree with the other reviews that it's a bit over priced. However, the food is excellent. That califlower Cesar is yummy and they can make an proper whiskey sour, which is hard to find! One of the main downsides is the location of this place next to the sketchy bus station. If you park in the parking lot closest to the location you need to walk through the bus station and it always feels very unsafe. I would park further away to avoid the walk through that area, especially at night.

After referring to Eater for places to go for food, I just knew I had to stop by this place! I learned while waiting they had a official Michelin recommendation which is such a great feat! If you’re a peach lover, I highly recommend the Stonefruit Mule. Perfect to sip on while waiting for food or even to wrap up the evening. I can’t say I’m an expert on oysters by any means. This being said, these oysters were phenomenal. Each one I tried had a bit of a different flavor and tasted phenomenal. Side note: I even heard a few customers found pearls in their oysters which is something I’ve never seen at an oyster joint before. Last, but surely not least, the beignets. Their smell alone had me drooling and the taste had me wanting more. (Shout out to a local who recommended I try them!) Highly recommend stopping by for drinks, oysters, or an entire meal!

I have nothing but great things to say about St. Roch! The quality of the oysters were top tier and the service was unmatched. My husband and I were searching for a good oyster happy hour and landed here. $9 for a half dozen during happy hour was great, we ordered 2 dozen of their raw NC oysters and also had the roasted garlic butter ones as well. We will be returning, tomorrow for a round 2 and to explore more of the menu.

Firstly, I have to give a note of appreciation to Megan Nichols and the team at "NC Eat & Play". It is because of their "Brunch Guide to the NC Triangle" that I even knew about St. Roch. I’m not exaggerating when I say this was one of the finest dinning experiences I’ve had in a long time. My aunt and I came here for brunch on a Saturday morning at 11am. From walking in through the arched vestibule to sitting at a back booth our expectations were only on the rise. My Meal Frenchman’s Punch Hama Hama Oysters (raw) Carolina Calabash w/ Fried Catfish Aunties Meal Irish Coffee Carolina Calabash w/ Fried Shrimp Side of Grits Beignets w/ Bourbon Caramel Sauce (shared) We were greeted by a handful of wait staff with friendly smiles and a southern greeting. We were waited on promptly by a very hospitable man who said cheers every time we ordered or he checked on us. They take the entire order at the very beginning and course everything out in the kitchen. Every detail is thought out to the letter! They even used cut pieces of paper from outdated menus as a barrier between the dish the food came in and the plate it was on. Resourceful and deliberate in every choice they make. And the food. Oh, the food! In a word, exquisite. The Frenchman’s Punch was very light and refreshing. A complexity of flavors that felt very southern and well balanced. The oysters were very fresh and buttery. We both ordered the Calabash and neither of us were able to finish all of it. About 15 min into the meal I realized that my fish was still steaming hot! Sometimes catfish can be oily, wet, gamy or some combination. This fish was none of those things. The breading was crispy and light while the fish was gently cooked and flavorful. The Calabash also comes with pomme frites and hushpuppies. Both were of excellent quality and perfectly cooked. The shrimp was very nice, nothing extravagant, but perfectly cooked, breading was thin and crispy (also had a little taste of paprika). These came with aioli and a buttermilk dressing, both of which were also wonderful. I think the star of the meal was the grits. These were not your ordinary grits. They’re high-quality, course, stone ground grits made with a béchamel sauce. I have never thought of adding béchamel to grits, but that is the only way I’ll make them going forward! Closing the meal with Beignets was also phenomenal. So perfectly made with a delicious sauce (really all of the sauces were fantastic), and we savored every drop. I cannot stop thinking about this amazing meal, service and restaurant. This will now be a regular stop every time I’m in Raleigh! Thank you for a perfect meal.