Best Oyster Bar in Every State

Overlooking the Alabama River and downtown Montgomery, the Capitol Oyster Bar features a lineup of live music to accompany its menu of seafood and other delicacies. Not into oysters? Dig into Southern favorites like catfish and yes, even frog legs.

Chef Kevin Lane opened The Cookery in 2015 and has built his menu around the bounty the state offers. The restaurant is stocked with homeground Alaska oysters daily as well as meats and produce sourced from the Kenai Peninsula. You can wash down your meal with wines from around the world, too.

Casey Moore’s Oyster House is really an Irish pub that serves up fresh oysters and seafood. Located in Old Town Tempe, the pub stocks a wide assortment of draught beers, bottled beer, whiskey, and spirits. On the menu are different preparations of oysters, including oysters Rockefeller, raw oysters on the half shell, fried oysters, and oysters bathed in pepper vodka and cocktail sauce.

Want your oysters with a little Cajun flair? Try the Oyster Bar in Little Rock, Arkansas. Housed in what was once a grocery store, the restaurant serves up not only oysters, but crab, fried catfish, and the Southern staple – the oyster po’boy.

Swan Oyster Depot has been a San Francisco institution since 1912. It has only 18 seats, so wait times are long. The late chef and traveler Anthony Bourdain visited the place, raising its profile and popularity. Fresh oysters are served on ice with a sprinkling of mignonette sauce, hot chili sauce, cocktail, and horseradish.

Clark’s Oyster Bar has a wide selection of oysters shipped from Washington, Maine, and Prince Edward Island. However, since you’re in Colorado, you may see restaurants offering Rocky Mountain oysters. Don’t be fooled by the name. Rocky Mountain oysters are far from seafood. They are actually bull testicles, usually deep fried. But if you are adventurous, give them a try, too.

Oyster Club takes advantage of its view of the Mystic River with its Treehouse dining venue. There are always at least three or four varieties of Connecticut or Rhode Island oysters at the raw bar, and on the menu are oysters Rockefeller made with creamed spinach, Finback Cheese, and sourdough breadcrumbs. For a spicier take, order the roasted oysters with kimchi, ginger, and scallions.

Starboard Raw merges its distinctive Dewey Beach style with a Baltimore raw oyster experience. You can order an assortment of rotating varieties of raw or steamed oysters along with a selection of craft beers.

Launched 15 years ago, the River Oyster Bar sources local seaford when available, including fresh oysters. It takes the same philosophy when ordering chickens, beef, and vegetables from local farms.

Oysters in the Deep South? Yes, at Fontaine’s Oyster House you can order raw oysters or the shellfish baked in various styles, including oysters Rockefeller, crab and bacon oysters, or NOLA oysters smothered in parmesan cheese and garlic butter.

Every day between 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. it’s Oyster Hour at Herringbone, where you can get a “$3 buck shuck,” or $3 for each oyster. Served on the half shell, the oysters are bathed in kimchi mignonette, chili pepper water, and wasabi cocktail sauce. Wash the oyster down with a selection of cocktails and follow them with some small-plate offerings.

In 2020, chef Cal Elliott returned to his native Boise after a culinary career in New York City to open the Little Pearl Oyster Bar. Although oysters play a prominent role on the menu, his place offers a selection of seaford as well as a Kobe beef burger and roasted chicken.

Calling itself a modern seafood eatery and drinkery, GT Fish & Oyster offers coastal cuisine in an urban setting. Besides oysters, seafood plates include mussels, crab, octopus, lobster, and caviar. To get the full experience of the restaurant, pair the oysters with a glass of champagne.

The Oyster Bar has a long history, beginning in 1888 when it was a favorite saloon among locals. It changed hands many times over the years. In 1954, owner Hughie Johnson introduced oysters at what was known as Hughie’s Tap. In 1963, Neal Barille purchased Hughie’s Tap and changed the name to “Neal’s Oyster Bar.” Alan Huffman and Alex Laguna purchased Neal’s Oyster Bar in 1975 and shortened the name to Oyster Bar. Then in 1987, current owners Steven and Brenda Gard took over and established a microbrewery along with a raw oyster bar at the site.

Being in a landlocked state hasn’t stopped the Splash Seafood Bar & Grill from offering an appetizing selection of seafood, including oysters. Billing itself as Iowa’s “First and Only Oyster Bar,” the restaurant also specializes in surf & turf plates that pair lobster and crab with beef.

The raw bar at Mass St. Fish House & Raw Bar features not only a rotating blend of boutique oysters, but shrimp, lobster tail, and snow crab, too. The seafood theme continues on the entrée menu with shrimp bucatini pasta and swordfish bolognese.

Touted as Louisville’s premier riverfront dining destination, River House Restaurant & Raw Bar is the brainchild of award-winning chef and restaurateur John Varanese. Its oysters on the half shelf are sourced from Chesapeake Bay, in addition to the east and the west coasts.

Founded in 1919 by Italian immigrant Joe Casamento, this restaurant remains a family-owned business with Joe’s grandson CJ; his wife, Linda; and their two daughters now running the show. Patrons can chow down on raw oysters on the half shell, charbroiled oysters, or oyster stew. Given its long history in New Orleans, Casamento’s has been a popular stop for celebrities and has even shown up in a few TV shows, movies, and commercials.

Eventide Oyster Bar offers 12 species of oysters from Maine and two “from away.” If you’re not in Portland, you can find the same delicious menu of seafood including New England clam chowder at Eventide in Boston.

Oyster hour at Ryleigh’s Oyster is all day Monday and 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesday through Friday. The bivalves are $1 each, and you can pair them with wine, beer, or small plates – a steal.

Located in Boston’s South End, B&G Oysters blends urban dining with a neighborhood setting. It brings in its oysters from both coasts. But its oysters aren’t the restaurant’s only speciality. It’s also known for its lobster roll, a New England favorite. A review in Condé Nast Traveler said the “bivalves here never disappoint.”

The Silver Pig would seem to be a more appropriate name for a barbecue restaurant than an oyster bar, but it does indeed serve oysters. In fact, its menu includes two shellfish towers featuring large amounts of oyster, crab, and shrimp to satisfy your seafood craving.

Located in Minneapolis’s Uptown neighborhood, Stella’s Fish Café & Prestige Oyster Bar gives patrons the chance to enjoy luscious oysters and other seafood delicacies at its rooftop bar – weather permitting. Each item on the menu is either a fish or seafood, including a healthy selection of sushi.

Saltine Restaurant cooks up oysters with a Southern twist. Its oysters Lafitte pairs crawfish tails, bacon, parmesan, and hot sauce with the bivalves. Another option is oysters smothered with Alabama white BBQ sauce.

For 35 years, Broadway Oyster Bar has given Midwesterners a taste of New Orleans with Cajun and Creole dishes. Housed in a 170-year-old historic building, the restaurant serves up sustainable seafood including Gulf and Blue Point oysters, Louisiana crawfish and shrimp, and Prince Edward Island mussels, scallops, and crabs.

Wild Ginger Japanese Steak House, Sushi Bar, Oyster Bar & Lounge specializes in Asian cuisine. But its oyster bar is what draws customers in with a seafood platter for two packed with shrimp, mussels, and oysters. Want a little kick with your oysters? Try a single shooter oyster in a shot glass with tequila or vodka.

Every Tuesday is Anchors & Oysters day at Plank Seafood. Oysters are a $1 off and you can get Anchor Steam draft beer for $4 – an offer no bivalve lover can pass up

A native of Thailand, chef Ekasit Jarukasem, aka “Chef Jack,” has combined a full-service oyster bar and grill with a luxurious Vegas strip restaurant. Don’t be dissuaded by the location or upscale ambiance. You can get a fried oyster plate for an affordable $10.

Since opening in 2015, The Franklin has dedicated itself to building a diverse, ever-changing, and sustainable menu based on local ingredients. Ten types of oysters are offered at the raw bar. Three varieties of grilled oysters are also available, including the Garden, with grilled corn salsa. Really hungry? Try the Shucker’s Selection, featuring mounds of oysters.

Located in historic Convention Hall along the boardwalk, Asbury Park Oyster Bar is yet another sign of the beach town’s revival. Every week, the oceanfront venue serves up a selection of oysters from Delaware Bay up to Nova Scotia, allowing guests to taste the sea while enjoying sea breezes.

Mariscos El Buchon brings a Mexican flair to seafood, with offerings of coconut shrimp, fried fish, and shrimp ceviche. But oysters take center stage with plates of a dozen or half dozen on the half shell. Or you can order one oyster in special house juices for $5.

The Grand Central Oyster Bar is baked into New York City’s history. Nestled in the city’s Grand Central Terminal, the site was said to have been selected by railroad tycoon Cornelius Vanderbilt. Opened in 1913, the restaurant has weathered some downturns, including a fire in 1997. Whether for fine dining or a bite before hopping on train, however, it remains a go-to place for enjoying clams and oysters on the half shell, along with a large choice of other seafood.

St. Roch Fine Oysters sources its bivalves from local shores and as far away as Washington state. Every Wednesday, those West Coast oysters are 50% off. Roasted oysters are another house speciality.

Don’t let Deep Blue Seafood’s modest exterior in a strip mall fool you. A casual eating place attached to a top-flight seafood market, Deep Blue brings in an ever-changing selection of fresh oysters, clams, and mussels. Among other menu offerings are Mako shark bites and gator meat.

Overlooking the Cuyahoga River, Alley Cat Oyster Bar fuses New England comfort-food style with a California flair. In addition to oysters brought in from Maine and Long Island, you can order a small plate of stuffed oysters.

Blending Creole, Southwest, Asian, and Mediterranean touches in its fresh seafood, Pearl’s Oyster Bar plates up fresh shucked oysters from the Gulf of Mexico as well as three types of roasted oysters, including oysters Rockefeller and bivalves cooked with bacon and parmesan cheese and with Worcestershire garlic butter.

Located in the Historic Taft District of this Oregon coastal city, Shucker’s Oyster Bar has a full menu of oysters, from raw oysters on the half shell (with or without a shot of liquor) to small plate presentations. The big draw is the oyster dinner platter, featuring 12 raw and booze-infused oysters, six of them pan-fried, and six sautéed.

At the Oyster House, you can not only eat oysters, but learn how to shuck them. The restaurant schedules oyster shucking lessons every Tuesday afternoon. It sources its oysters from Maine, Canada, and the Jersey Shore.

Want to know more about where your favorite shellfish comes from? Matunuck Oyster Bar sponsors a tour of its Matunuck Oyster Farm in Potter Pond. During the 60-minute class, you’ll get acquainted with the different species of oysters and how they grow and are harvested. The restaurant serves not only its own bivalves but a selection of others from the region.

Building on products from the waters of the South Carolina Lowcountry, Nico Oysters gives a French twist to its menu. Raw oysters on the half shell are featured prominently, but you can also slurp a tipsy oyster drenched in vodka. You can also get private lessons in oyster shucking and farming methods.

The supposedly haunted Fairmont Hotel in this historic Wild-West town has long been the home of a bar called Oyster Bay. A North Dakota’s pizza favorite recently moved into the space, and it’s now known as Oyster Bay and A&B Pizza – but it still features fresh Blue Point oysters and “Ron’s World Famous Oyster Shooter,” made with “a zesty blend of beer, spices, and hot sauces.”

The Southern Steak & Oysters features a rotating selection of oysters for brunch and dinner. As you’d expect for a restaurant in downtown Nashville, burgers, steak, and chicken make an appearance on the menu.

Clark’s Oyster Bar brings in its oysters all the way from eastern Canada, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. Its cold bar features a “dressed” oyster gussied up with cucumber and honey vinaigrette, mint, and crispy shallots.

At Current Fish & Oyster, you can begin your dinner with a sampling of East and West Coast oysters. Or you can have your bivalves grilled. Then you can move onto the main course, chosen from a generous selection of seafood and fish as well as chicken and steak.

Seafood isn’t only available at shoreline restaurants. You can savor your favorite fish and seafood in the mountains, too. Part of the Spruce Peak recreation area’s dining options, Tipsy Trout has a daily menu of East Coast oysters. But its menu is also stocked with classic dishes like fish & chips, seafood pasta, and fisherman’s stew.

The Atlantic on Pacific bills itself as a combo oyster bar/craft cocktail joint. Sourcing its oysters from local and regional fishermen, the beach town restaurant pairs its raw and baked oysters with a specialty drink menu including rosé sangria and Mango Tango, a concoction of tequila, Aperol, lime, lemon, mango, and ginger beer.

Opened in 1975, Elliott’s Oyster House sits along a historic pier in Seattle. With their sea view, patrons can choose from 26 varieties of oysters sourced from the state or from neighboring British Columbia.

West Virginia’s entry into the best oyster bar list is Just in Time Seafood, where an assortment of raw and fried oysters are available along with things like crab and shrimp.

With fresh oysters daily, Tempest Oyster Bar offers Upper Midwesterns a taste of the sea. Oysters can be ordered on the half shell, fried, or oysters Rockefeller style.

Don’t be fooled by the name. Oysters and seafood figure prominently on FireRock Steakhouse’s menu. You can get your oysters on the half shell, fried, or grilled.