Hey New Yorkers - Favorite Oyster Bar?
 

Hi there,

I'm planning a 35th bday dinner for my boyfriend and am looking for a top-notch and fun oyster bar. I have been asking around and nothing seems to fit the bill...
Have considered Blue Water Grill (jazz room - is it too loud to talk?), City Crab (the crab shack atmosphere seemed good, but the reviews are abysmal)...

I am at a loss. We will be a group of 8 and I want the atmosphere to be fun, not stodgy or too fancy. Of course the oysters need to be first rate! Is there some hidden gem I'm missing?

We've already been to Grand Central so I don't want to repeat that.

Any ideas?
His bday coming up in early Jan so I need to find a place pretty soon...

Thanks all and happy new year!

-Amy

Pearl Oyster Bar on Barrow is supposed to be intimate & very good.

Here's a pretty complete list of oyster "bars."

http://www.nycpulse.com/newyorkcity/restaurants/02.htm

Here's another

http://newyork.citysearch.com/bestof...s/2005/seafood

I think Aquagrill would be considered the best.

Balthazar has great raw platters. Good place for a celebration, but many of the places on those lists would be good too. Ocean Grill and Atlantic Grill are good, fun neighborhood places that would also work.

I really miss the oyster bar at the plaza!

AquaGrill or Blue Ribbon.

I agree with Michelle.

Blue Water Grill has a delicious raw bar and if I remember correctly, is festive and bustling, but not too noisy.

Pearl Oyster Bar has delicious seafood in general, but I don't recall the raw bar one way or the other. It's also quite small and doesn't take reservations so a group of 8 may be stuck standing out in the cold for a good hour.

Shaffer City Oyster Bar & Grill I've heard has a wide selection of oysters and is delicious. I haven't tried it yet though.

hey everyone,
thanks for all the tips. in the end I have booked a reservation at Blue Water Grill and Fish... hoping to stop by both this week to check out the atmosphere and make a final choice.
No one here has mentioned Fish yet, and I only came across it today... seems to be well reviewed and have more of a "shack" atmosphere, which is what I think my bf will prefer (he loves good oysters but hates pretense)...I think Pearl would have been great but the fact that they don't take reservations makes it impossible...

Let me know if anyone's eaten at Fish!
Thanks,
Amy

I think you will get better food and better atmosphere at Aquagrill. Also you can try City Hall on Duane Street. Or Fresh. All three of these are downtown. Where is Fish?

Never mind..I see it is on Bleecker Street. Sorry I have never heard of Fish.

Have you considered Mermaid Inn? They now take reservations. Great beach house atmosphere, amazing food. http://www.themermaidnyc.com/mermaid.html

I love Pearl, but would never consider it for a group of 8 - the no rezzie policy would make it a nightmare.

There is no pretense at Blue Ribbon -- just great oysters. Very fun place.

Without a doubt, the best place for oysters in Manhattan is Jay Shaffer's <b>Shaffer City Oyster Bar &amp; Grill</b>. Jay is a great host and a true connoisseur.

I forgot to mention the new bar/restaurant, STOUT, that also has an excellent selection of oysters.

www.stoutnyc.com

Hi all,

Just wanted to report back from FISH. It was a fantastic night and exactly what I was looking for. The atmostphere is great - vibrant but intimate, it is a nice small W. Village space. The oysters were fantastic, as was everything else we ate - clams, scallops, sea bass, lobsters (in every form they are served), even the burger (we had one non-seafood eater in the group). We were there for three hours or so... ate and drank til we were utterly sated, and the tab for 8 people was only 480$ including the service charge (though we tipped on top)! What a deal. The service was friendly and attentive. My hope was that this place would become our new favorite seafood joint, and it has!

A side note - one of our friends has bought seafood retail here - snow crab to be specific. He wanted to order them as a special surprise for his wife. The owner ordered them, but refused to sell them to my friend when he saw that they were not up to par. He re-ordered to make sure he only had top quality crab. This place takes fresh seafood seriously.

Anyway, I really appreciate everyone's advice and look forward to trying all of the other recommendations.
Happy oyster eating,
Amy