Oysters, Nashville Wings, And... Matcha? Here's What's New At Tucker's Shuckers

Since opening in 2015, Tucker’s Shuckers on the Bagnell Dam Strip has stood as a reliably excellent choice for lunch or dinner. The second restaurant at the Lake opened by local restauranteur George Tucker, Tucker’s Shuckers’ atmosphere and menu quality helped create the Tucker standard — you find it at every place he’s built.

The latter half of the name reveals the restaurant’s claim to fame — oysters — and Tucker’s has them in spades. But the menu reaches far beyond oysters, and General Manager Tommy Taylor is regularly adding new items, sometimes taking his cues from the kinds of food and drink that are trending on social media.

So if you haven’t been to Tucker’s in a minute, there’s almost certainly something on the menu you’ve never had the chance to enjoy!

When you go, here are a few new entrees and drinks to look for…

Find Tucker’s Shuckers at 1339 Bagnell Dam Blvd., Lake Ozark — right next to Malted Monkey

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New Menu Picks At Tucker’s

Rigatoni Alla Vodka

Menu description: Big rigatoni in a spicy Calabrian pepper vodka sauce, topped with burrata, toasted Italian breadcrumbs, and Parmesan

Tasting notes: A rich, flavor-packed dish, the pasta is cooked just right (al dente) and the breadcrumb topping adds a bit of crunch. The result is an entree elevated well above your run-of-the-mill pasta dish.

Tommy’s notes: “We make the vodka sauce in-house, and the thick-cut rigatoni gives it a really nice texture.”

Nashville Wings

Menu description: Crispy wings tossed in our Nashville inspired spices. Topped with dill pickles and comeback sauce. Served with ranch or bleu cheese

Tasting notes: Photographer Michelle Kitchen sat down to enjoy some of these after snapping her photos. “I don’t even like spicy, and I love these!” she exclaimed. She pointed out Tucker’s won Wingfest with these several years ago and she sampled the wings that day. Since then, she has often asked when they planned to put the Nashville Wings on the menu.

Now they’re here.

If you’ve had Tucker’s Nashville Chicken Sandwich (and if you haven’t, you must), the wings are coated in that same house-special Nashville spice. They’ve got plenty of heat, but not burn-it-down heat. And I’d put the flavor up against any Nashville spice I’ve had anywhere — and I love to order Nashville chicken.

Tommy’s notes: “You have to have the pickles with them, or it’s not the same.”

Chili Crisp Oysters

Menu description: Freshly shucked oysters cooked over an open flame. Chargrilled, and cooked with chili crisp butter

Tasting notes: An excellent option for oyster newbies, since they’re baked rather than raw. These are flavorful, with a nice amount of chili crisp. I didn’t find them to be spicy at all.

Not being a huge raw-oyster fan myself, I’d definitely order these if we were headed to Tucker’s for some shuckers.

Tommy’s notes: “These are ‘trending’ right now. We make the chili crisp in-house, put it on top, and then bake the oysters. It’s not crazy spicy, but it’s got a little bit of heat.”

The Drinks At Tucker’s

Dubai Chocolate Martini

An outstanding twist on the dessert martini that somehow tastes even better than it looks.

The glass is rimmed with phyllo dough and pistachio cream to give what Tommy calls an Instagram-ready look.

What’s In It:

Grey Goose® Vodka | Baileys Chocolate Liqueur | chocolate syrup | Dekuyper® Crème de Cacao | rimmed with pistachio cream and phyllo

Lavender Cloud Matcha

This one is built around the matcha trend. The gin-based drink is poured over ice and topped with house-made lavender foam.

A bold, unorthodox drink, this one is probably not for everybody: if you love the matcha craze, this is the one to try!

What’s In It:

Hendrick's Another | lavender cold foam with iced matcha

Blueberry Lemonade

It’s been on Tucker’s menu for years and continues to be a best-seller. Made with freshly squeezed lemons, blueberry vodka, and house-made blueberry simple syrup, this one is appropriately garnished with a few blueberries.

The flavor? Wonderfully refreshing and easy to enjoy! It’s blueberry lemonade with a twist — just like you’d expect. Maybe that’s why people keep coming back for it.

What’s In It: