Locals and foodies, what restaurant(s) would you recommend for getting the best raw oysters in and around Portland? We head out on Thursday and look forward to some enjoyable eating!!!

Are they even in season?

The rule of thumb is that you don't get oysters in months that don't have an "r" in them. Summer is not oyster time, especially for wild oysters. They're better when taken from cold water and summer is spawning season.

I don't do oysters, but the Dan and Louis Oyster Bar is very popular with locals. It has been around for generations.

Oysters are simply not a 'summer thing'. They are available but they are 'out of season' so not as tasty or plump.

Have your oysters at a different time of year on a different trip . . .

We always get delicious ousters in New Wngland suring the summer. Most are farm raised now.

Thanks for the comments. Months with "r" in them is when they are typically harvested locally here in Maryland too. However, the restaurants always seem to have them available with many coming down from Canada. Unfortunately, I don't know that we will be back anytime soon for eating during the "in season" months. We will check out the suggested restaurants.

Try Jake’s Famous Crawfish, a Portland institution. Just checked their menu online and they have a large selection of oysters on their fresh sheet for today. Enjoy!

JKCR-Dinner.pdf

Thanks, Tracilee, will look into it too!!

When we were in Portland last fall, we had many recommendations to go to Jake's for seafood. Unfortunately, I am not a seafood person so we did not go.

Dan and Louis was so very old fashioned--I've been a long time ago. I'm not a fan of raw oysters although I do like them fried, and their actual oysters were good. Maybe they have reinvented themselves, but I was just too turned off by the rest of it to go back--and I would say my own taste was set to a far lower bar. The sides weren't a lot better than what you'd get from a box of KFC and the captain's chairs and decor just didn't do it for me. Jake's is still a venerable institution type restaurant but definitely a step up from Dan and Louis; other food is much better, including the many other choices of fresh fish.

Honestly, though, if you are serious enough about food to ask head of time, you probably shouldn't choose either of them. So many better places to try. I have at least one family member who really doesn't care for anything seafood so I rarely get to the all-seafood restaurants... but here are the ones you should check out: Eat: An Oyster Bar, or Flying Fish Oyster Bar, Corbett Fish House or Southpark Seafood Grill. And you can't go wrong with any restaurant by Vitaly Paley and I think the Heathman Hotel's restaurant now does a lot with seafood including some adventurous stuff. I have been to The Fishwife a few times. It used to be great, but the last time 2 people's food was overcooked, so I can't recommend it.

Your options for good food reviews include Oregonlive.com (The Oregonian) and especially Portland Monthly Magazine (make sure you get Oregon and not Maine).

If you want to try something different for a main--but still seafood--look for fresh wild-caught salmon or steelhead. Truthfully, I don't pay attention much to the season. I just buy when on sale. Pretty sure we buy on Father's Day for grilling. Also, the Dungeness Crab would have been better earlier in the year but I believe are still in season (officially until July?) They are very different than East Coast crab.