Thorny Oyster
Bay St. Louis, MS
An upscale Gulf seafood and raw bar restaurant below the Pearl Hotel in Bay St. Louis, with grilled oysters, seafood towers, and craft cocktails.
Atmosphere
Thorny Oyster sits on the ground floor of the Pearl Hotel, one block from the Bay St. Louis waterfront, and it is the dressed-up option on a beach boulevard full of flip-flop places. One local food writer described the room as cool, airy, and open, with marble and cluster-style light fixtures, and the open kitchen gives it a little theater. The restaurant describes its own style as sophisticated tastes with an undone, comfortable flare, and that fits. Nobody will look at you sideways for wearing shorts, but the plating and the cocktail list are a step up from the area's usual fried-basket fare. The bar is a good perch for a solo diner or a couple splitting a tower.
What to Order
The raw bar is the point. The menu lists local oysters, ceviche, snow crab, and seafood plateaus in half and full tiers, and a food writer reviewing the full tower in summer singled out the hot buttered royal red shrimp as its best part. Grilled Gulf oysters are the other one to order, along with blackened scallops and a crab cake from the small plates. For a bigger appetite, the menu has bouillabaisse, red snapper amandine, shrimp and grits, and a filet mignon. If you want something lighter, there is a lobster roll and a burger. The dessert list includes key lime pie, bread pudding, and a campfire s'mores plate.
Good to Know
Thorny Oyster takes reservations through Resy and online orders through Toast. Published hours are closed Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday from 5 to 10 p.m., Thursday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., but hours can change, so confirm before you drive over. Because it sits in the hotel, the address is North Beach Boulevard, and you can park in the downtown lots and street spaces and walk over. The seafood tower is meant for sharing, and pricing runs higher than the casual spots up and down the boulevard, so plan accordingly.
Our Take
If you are only in Bay St. Louis for one nice meal, this is the one that feels like an occasion without being stuffy. Order the seafood tower for two at the bar, add an order of grilled oysters, and let the afternoon go long. Book through Resy for a weekend evening, and if you are here on a Sunday, check the 10 to 2 hours first.
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Details last verified September 2026. Always confirm current hours and menu directly with the restaurant.