The Bywater

I wanted specifically, to try their fried chicken. It was good. Not great but good. Nice and crispy. Maybe a tad overcooked. We had the Shells and cheese, otherwise known as mac and cheese, lol. Again good, not the best I've had. They let me swap coleslaw for red beans and rice. That was very good. One person had the smash burger and said it was good. Another friend had The Peacekeeper, which was a fried oyster and shrimp cowboy and said it was good. The beignets were good and good coffee. Almost forgot, we also tried the hush puppies which were outstanding served with hot honey.

Service and atmosphere are good, and if you're just coming in for drinks - ignore this review and do go! BUT if it's food you're after - almost every dish, except for the dhrikoo, was mediocre to simply not edible. And I'm not setting the bar at restaurant level or the prices they ask - even if this was $10 street food, I wouldn't return. And I do like fried food, St Louis style etc etc. But they just don't know how to make decent food. Their signature fried chicken - OK crispy crust, but bland and tasteless on the inside. The ribs - don't "fall off the bone" even if you pry them off. In fact we had to return them because they were so chewy. The sides like potatoes or asparagus - sticky and heavy. Fried tomatoes - way too much crust can barely taste the tomatoes. And the list goes on. I di

Tasty enough food and drinks, but a bit pricey for what it is. Surprise 4% surcharge a deal breaker for 5*’s. Hurricane was good but a fair bit of ice. Fried chicken was fine, but nothing stood out from KFC. Gumbo my wife got was good. I now recall why we visit infrequently.

We absolutely loved our meal at The Bywater. We had high hopes and were still blown away by everything. Our favorite was definitely the shrimp po boy, but the hush puppies and gumbo were both delicious as well. Will for sure be back!

Met up with family while i was in the area. They love this place. I’m glad they told me about this place. Will definitely be coming back. Had the hush puppies as an app. The fried oyster Po boy sandwich was delicious. Also had a couple of cocktails. Service was great.