This is a list of notable oyster bars. An

oyster bar An oyster bar, also known as an oyster saloon, oyster house or a raw bar service, is a restaurant specializing in serving oysters, or a section of a restaurant which serves oysters buffet-style. Oysters have been consumed since ancient times and w ...

is a

restaurant A restaurant is an establishment that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and Delivery (commerce), food delivery services. Restaurants ...

specializing in serving

oyster Oyster is the common name for a number of different families of salt-water bivalve molluscs that live in marine or brackish habitats. In some species, the valves are highly calcified, and many are somewhat irregular in shape. Many, but no ...

s, or a section of a restaurant which serves oysters

buffet A buffet is a system of serving meals in which food is placed in a public area where the diners serve themselves. A form of '' service à la française'', buffets are offered at various places including hotels, restaurants, and many social eve ...

-style. In France, the oyster bar is known as ''bar à huîtres''. 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 Loch Fyne Restaurants was the name of a chain of seafood restaurants in the United Kingdom owned and operated by Greene King plc. History The company took its name from Loch Fyne, a sea loch on the west coast of Scotland. The business start ...

– a

chain A chain is a serial assembly of connected pieces, called links, typically made of metal, with an overall character similar to that of a rope in that it is flexible and curved in compression but linear, rigid, and load-bearing in tension. A ...

of 25

seafood Seafood is any form of Marine life, sea life regarded as food by humans, prominently including Fish as food, fish and shellfish. Shellfish include various species of Mollusca, molluscs (e.g., bivalve molluscs such as clams, oysters, and mussel ...

restaurants in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

England

* Bentley's Oyster Bar and Grill * Sinclair's Oyster Bar – Cathedral Gates, Millennium Quarter,

Shambles Square Shambles Square is a square in Manchester, England. It was created in 1999, when The Old Wellington Inn and Sinclair's Oyster Bar were rebuilt there, having been moved from the Old Shambles nearby as part of major building works in the city f ...

Manchester city centre Manchester city centre is the central business district of Manchester, England, within the confines of Great Ancoats Street, A6042 Trinity Way, and A57(M) Mancunian Way, which collectively form an inner ring road. The City Centre ward had a ...

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

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. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, and

Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city (United States), independent city in Northern Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of Washington, D.C., D.C. The city's population of 159,467 at the 2020 ...

Old Ebbitt Grill Old Ebbitt Grill is a historic bar (establishment), bar and restaurant located at 675 15th Street NW in Washington, D.C., in the United States. It is Washington's oldest Bar (establishment), bar and restaurant, and is owned by Clyde's Restaurant ...

– a historic

bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar ** Chocolate bar * Protein bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a laye ...

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 Hollywood is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. It is a suburb in the Miami metropolitan area. The population of Hollywood was 153,067 as of 2020, making it the Broward County#Communities, third-largest city in Broward County, th ...

Louisiana

Arnaud's Arnaud's is a restaurant in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana, specializing in Louisiana Creole cuisine. Established in 1918, it is one of the older and more famous restaurants in the city. The restaurant also houses a museum of the ...

Classic eats for dining in New Orleans, Louisiana , Experience Food & Wine
/ref> – the largest restaurant in

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

Massachusetts

Union Oyster House Union Oyster House is a restaurant at 41–43 Union Street in Downtown Boston, Massachusetts. Open to diners since 1826, it is among the oldest operating restaurants in the United States and the oldest known to have been continuously operating. ...

, in

Boston, Massachusetts Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

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

New York

Grand Central Oyster Bar & Restaurant The Grand Central Oyster Bar & Restaurant is a seafood restaurant on the lower level of Grand Central Terminal at 42nd Street and Park Avenue in Manhattan, New York City. History The restaurant space was first opened as the Grand Central Termin ...

, a seafood restaurant located on the lower level of

Grand Central Terminal Grand Central Terminal (GCT; also referred to as Grand Central Station or simply as Grand Central) is a commuter rail terminal station, terminal located at 42nd Street (Manhattan), 42nd Street and Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York Ci ...

at 42nd Street and

Vanderbilt Avenue Vanderbilt Avenue is the name of three thoroughfares in the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Staten Island. They were named after Cornelius Vanderbilt (1794–1877), the builder of Grand Central Terminal in Midtown Manhattan. ...

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

in New York CityThe Grand Central Oyster Bar & Restaurant - New York , East 40s Restaurant Menus and Reviews
/ref> * John Dory Oyster Bar –

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

* Mermaid Oyster Bar – in

Greenwich Village Greenwich Village, or simply the Village, is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street (Manhattan), 14th Street to the north, Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the s ...

, New York City opened by Zach Braff

North Carolina

Sunny Side Inn Sunny Side Inn, also known as the Sunny Side Oyster Bar, is a historic oyster bar located at Williamston, Martin County, North Carolina. The original section was built in 1929 as a one-story, gable front frame building housing the Sanitary Servi ...

– a historic oyster bar located at Williamston, Martin County,

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

Oregon

* Câche Câche *

Dan and Louis Oyster Bar Dan & Louis Oyster Bar is a seafood restaurant in Portland, Oregon described by Fodor's as a "Portland landmark". As its name implies, it specializes in oysters — from Yaquina Bay and beyond — served raw and in an oyster stew the restaurant ...

– a

seafood restaurant A seafood restaurant is a restaurant that specializes in seafood cuisine and seafood dishes, such as fish and shellfish. Dishes may include freshwater fish. The concept may focus upon the preparation and service of fresh seafood, (as opposed to ...

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

described by

Fodor's Fodor's is a producer of English-language travel guides and online tourism information. It was founded by Hungarian Eugene Fodor, who created his first travel guide, ''1936...on the Continent'', with the intention of improving upon the directo ...

as a "Portland landmark"Dan & Louis's Oyster Bar , Portland Restaurants
from

* Eat: An Oyster Bar * Flying Fish Company *

McCormick & Schmick's McCormick & Schmick's Seafood Restaurants Inc. is an American seafood restaurant chain, formerly based in Portland, Oregon. As of December 2024, the company operates 20 locations & 1 catering service in the United States and 4 Canadian locations ...

– an American seafood restaurant chain, based in Portland, Oregon

Pennsylvania

Old Original Bookbinder's Old Original Bookbinder's was a seafood restaurant at 125 Walnut Street in Philadelphia. It was known for its lobsters and its Bookbinder's soup. The restaurant was decorated with bas-reliefs of U.S. Presidents on its stained-glass façade a ...

and

Bookbinder's 15th Street Old Original Bookbinder's was a seafood restaurant at 125 Walnut Street in Philadelphia. It was known for its lobsters and its Bookbinder's soup. The restaurant was decorated with bas-reliefs of U.S. Presidents on its stained-glass façade an ...

- old, iconic Philadelphia seafood restaurants (Original dates to 1893), now both closed.

Virginia

–

Richmond, Virginia Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...

- expansion from Philadelphia.

Washington

Coastal Kitchen Coastal Kitchen was a restaurant on Seattle's Capitol Hill, in the U.S. state of Washington. It closed in late February 2024. Description Coastal Kitchen was a New American and seafood restaurant with a rotating menu on Capitol Hill. Accordin ...

, Seattle * Emmett Watson's Oyster Bar – located in

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is the List of municipalities in Washington, most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the List of Unit ...

Pike Place Market Pike Place Market is a Marketplaces#Types, public market in Seattle, Washington, United States. It opened on August 17, 1907, and is one of the oldest continuously operated public farmers' markets in the United States. Overlooking the Elliott B ...

The Walrus and the Carpenter "The Walrus and the Carpenter" is a narrative poem by Lewis Carroll that appears in his book ''Through the Looking-Glass'', published in December 1871. The poem is recited in chapter four, by Tweedledum and Tweedledee to Alice. Summary The ...

, Seattle

Gallery

File:County Lock in flood, Reading.jpg, The Loch Fyne restaurant in

Reading, Berkshire Reading ( ) is a town and borough in Berkshire, England, and the county town of Berkshire. It is the United Kingdom's largest town, with a combined population of 355,596. Most of Reading built-up area, its built-up area lies within the Borough ...

, England, is in a former brewery building by the

River Kennet The Kennet is a tributary of the River Thames in Southern England. Most of the river is straddled by the North Wessex Downs AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty). The lower reaches have been made navigable as the Kennet Navigation, which � ...

. File:Oysters with mignonette sauce and cocktail sauce.jpg, Raw

s on the half-shell served with

cocktail sauce Cocktail sauce, also known as seafood sauce, is one of several types of cold or room temperature sauces often served as part of a dish referred to as a seafood cocktail or as a condiment with other seafoods. The sauce, and the dish for which it i ...

and mignonette sauce

References

Bibliography

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