List of oyster bars

This is a list of notable oyster bars. An oyster bar is a restaurant specializing in serving oysters, or a section of a restaurant which serves oysters buffet-style. In France, the oyster bar is known as bar à huîtres.^[1] Oysters have been consumed since ancient times and were common tavern food in Europe, but the oyster bar as a distinct restaurant began making an appearance in the 1700s.

United Kingdom

Loch Fyne Restaurants – a chain of 25 seafood restaurants in the United Kingdom

England

Bentley's Oyster Bar and Grill^[2]
Sinclair's Oyster Bar – Cathedral Gates, Millennium Quarter, Shambles Square, Manchester city centre, Manchester, England^[3]

United States

California

72 Market Street Oyster Bar and Grill – a former oyster bar and restaurant in Venice, California
Swan Oyster Depot – in San Francisco, California

District of Columbia

Hank's Oyster Bar – multiple locations in Washington, D.C., and Alexandria, Virginia
Old Ebbitt Grill – a historic bar and restaurant located in Washington, D.C.; holds an annual oyster eating event called Oyster Riot every November

Florida

Shuckum's Oyster Bar – a former restaurant located on Young Circle in downtown Hollywood, Florida

Louisiana

Arnaud's^[4] – the largest restaurant in New Orleans

Massachusetts

Union Oyster House, in Boston, Massachusetts, one of the oldest restaurants in America.

New York

Grand Central Oyster Bar & Restaurant, a seafood restaurant located on the lower level of Grand Central Terminal at 42nd Street and Vanderbilt Avenue in Manhattan in New York City^[5]
John Dory Oyster Bar – Manhattan, New York City^[6]^[7]^[8]
Mermaid Oyster Bar – in Greenwich Village, New York City opened by Zach Braff^[9]
Maison premiere, an oyster bar and cocktail restaurant opened in 2011, located in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The restaurant is known for its oyster selection, absinthe program, and interior inspired by nineteenth-century New Orleans. ^[10]

North Carolina

Sunny Side Inn – a historic oyster bar located at Williamston, Martin County, North Carolina

Oregon

Câche Câche
Dan and Louis Oyster Bar – a seafood restaurant in Portland, Oregon described by Fodor's as a "Portland landmark"^[11]
Eat: An Oyster Bar
Flying Fish Company
McCormick & Schmick's – an American seafood restaurant chain, based in Portland, Oregon

Pennsylvania

Old Original Bookbinder's and Bookbinder's 15th Street - old Philadelphia seafood restaurants (dating to 1893), now both closed.
The Oyster House - 2026 James Beard Foundation Award Classics: Mid-Atlantic Award winner (established in 1947)^[12]

Virginia

Old Original Bookbinder's – Richmond, Virginia - expansion from Philadelphia.

Washington

Coastal Kitchen, Seattle
Emmett Watson's Oyster Bar – located in Seattle, Washington's Pike Place Market
The Walrus and the Carpenter, Seattle

Gallery

The Loch Fyne restaurant in Reading, Berkshire, England, is in a former brewery building by the River Kennet.
Raw oysters on the half-shell served with cocktail sauce and mignonette sauce

References

↑ Williams p. 83.
↑ "The Classic: Richard Corrigan's proper shellfish cocktail". Thesundaytimes.co.uk. Retrieved August 8, 2026.
↑ Cabasin, Linda; Knight, Christina (Sep 28, 2005). "Fodor's Great Britain 2006". Fodor's Travel Publications. Retrieved August 8, 2026 – via Google Books.
↑ "Classic eats for dining in New Orleans, Louisiana | Experience Food & Wine". Usatoday.com. Retrieved August 8, 2026.
↑ The Grand Central Oyster Bar & Restaurant - New York | East 40s Restaurant Menus and Reviews
↑ Cooke, Rachel (Mar 13, 2011). "April Bloomfield: the English chef taking Manhattan by storm". The Guardian. Retrieved August 8, 2026.
↑ "Best Oyster Bars in America". Imbibe. Retrieved 19 August 2014.
↑ Fortunato, Patricia (5 November 2010). "Ace Hotel New York's John Dory Oyster Bar: Open Tonight". Conde Nast Traveler, Moveable Feast Blog. Archived from the original on March 16, 2012.
↑ Ng, Shelley (November 17, 2009). "Mermaid Oyster Bar". Pix 11 Morning News. Archived from the original on November 23, 2009.
↑ Eric Asimov (15 June 2011). "Maison Premiere in Brooklyn". The New York Times. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
↑ Dan & Louis's Oyster Bar | Portland Restaurants from Fodor's
↑ "The 2026 Restaurant and Chef America's Classics Award Winners". Jamesbeard.org. Retrieved August 8, 2026.

Bibliography

Williams, Nicola. France. London: Lonely Planet, 2009.