Best Seafood Restaurants – It’s a common question: How do you choose the best with many high-profile seafood eateries? Here, we’ll look at some of the best restaurants to eat seafood.
Major inland cities now have raw bars, crudos, and ceviches to rival those found on the coast, expanding the availability of high-quality seafood far beyond coastal areas.
Also, seafood is not the least expensive option when shopping for groceries. Compared to cheaper proteins like chicken or beef, it’s prohibitively expensive because of the time and effort required to procure it.
On the other hand, any seafood lover can attest that every once in a while, it’s worth it to splurge on lobster instead of a burger.
Now, without further ado, below is the comprehensive, updated, detailed list of the best seafood restaurants.
Best Seafood Restaurants
1/15 Hudson’s Seafood House On The Docks, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
Hudson’s Seafood House on the Docks is located at the water’s edge of Port Royal Sound on picturesque Hilton Head Island. Hudson’s has been a staple of Hilton Head since its inception as an oyster factory in 1912.
The popular Lowcountry seafood restaurant is expanding its menu to include shrimp and crab caught that morning and served for brunch, lunch, and dinner.
The sunset views at Hudson’s are some of the nicest on the island. Keep your eyes peeled for dolphins in the water. Avoid becoming hooked on the hushpuppies, and reserve room for the incredible Mud Pie.
Cappuccino ice cream, chocolate fudge, and an Oreo cookie crumb crust make up this popular treat, much more than its name suggests.
The restaurant collaborates with Charleston, Georgia, and northern Florida fishermen to get fresh black sea bass, grouper, mahi-mahi, swordfish, tilefish, triggerfish, and vermilion snapper.
2/15 Le Bernardin, New York City, New York
Le Bernardin in New York City is also one of the best restaurants to visit if you want to splurge on exquisite seafood.
The meals at Head Chef Eric Ripert’s three Michelin-starred restaurants may cost as much as some people’s monthly rent, but the quality of the food and service is well worth the price.
The Chef’s Tasting Menu is available for a little under $300. Ossetra caviar on a “potato cloud” and poached lobster in a deep miso-sake broth are just two delicacies that will blow your mind at this restaurant.
You may also get the shellfish medley, which features shrimp, uni, razor clam, and geoduck chawanmushi (custard) swimming in a smoked pork-dashi broth scallop with black truffle slivers and green apple-horseradish vinaigrette, both of which are available on the Four-Course Prix Fixe menu.
3/15 The Lobster Trap, Bourne, Massachusetts
The Lobster Trap is a quintessential New England seafood shack, and it can be found near Cape Cod on the Back River in Bourne. The lobster rolls and clam chowder at this old restaurant on the waterfront are legendary.
Established in 1969 as a convenience store, this long-standing seafood favorite offers fresh, sustainably fished and prepared seafood such as cod, grey sole, sea scallops, shellfish, haddock, and flounder.
4/15 Neptune Oyster, Boston, Massachusetts
A must-try when in Boston is Neptune Oyster. Most people return because it offers various dishes, not just pearl-making crabs.
If you’re in the mood for crustaceans, this spot has a wide variety of creative condiments to pair with your seafood pals. For instance, the oyster “piggybacks” feature Berkshire pulled pork, blueberry mostarda, and maple butter.
In one taste, you get sweet, savory, oceanic, and everything else. The Neptune burger, loaded with fried oysters, cheddar cheese, garlic mayo, and lobster roll, is another good option.
You can’t look away from entrees like Whole Rockport Mackerel, Nantucket Bluefin Tuna, or Grass-Fed Ribeye with urchin butter. There are various specials like Lobster Tacos and Black Ink Risotto every night of the week.
5/15 White Pillars, Biloxi, Mississippi
White Pillars in Biloxi serves local seafood, steak, and hand-crafted pasta. Chef Austin Sumrall and his wife Tresse run the business; Tresse also manages the front desk and plans special events.
Both have Mississippi roots, and their refined farm-to-table eatery exudes warm Southern friendliness.
Against incredible competition throughout the country, Chef Sumrall was awarded King of American Seafood at last year’s Great American Seafood Cook-off.
While the cuisine at White Pillar evolves daily to reflect the availability of seasonal produce and other products from nearby farms, diners can always count on fresh seafood from the Gulf of Mexico.
Eggplant Josephine, a seafood tower from the Gulf, and a Korean BBQ pig belly are all excellent options.
The cocktails served in The WP Lounge, a chic bar area, are made with fresh, local ingredients, including fruit juices and syrups prepared by the bartenders.
There are a variety of bourbons and wines available, in addition to hand-crafted specialty drinks. Snuggle up at the stylish walnut bar, previously part of the decor at the Chicago Blackstone Hotel, the oldest bar in Biloxi.
6/15 Coni’Seafood, Inglewood, California
Vicente “Chente” Cossio, the man responsible for the explosion of flavors at Coni’Seafood, made it his life’s work to introduce the exotic cuisine of Nayarit, Mexico, to the Golden State.
Once called Mariscos Chente, the restaurant he founded would later be rebranded as Coni’Seafood.
All the seafood and other ingredients are imported from the Mexican states of Sinaloa and Nayarit, so diners can rest assured they’re getting the real deal when it comes to the tastes of Nayarit.
The unique flavors at Coni’Seafood are something you won’t easily find in the United States. The restaurant’s menu revolves mostly around two seafood staples: shrimp and fish.
A wide variety of appetizers, including five varieties of ceviche, one of which has raw shrimp (Orden de Ceviche), are available because of their energizing, fresh flavors.
Tostaditos, five little tostadas topped with shrimp and octopus ceviche, might be the most intriguing.
One can pick from a plethora of shrimp dishes, each of which features a unique sauce that complements the delicate sweetness of the seafood.
7/15 Da Poke Shack, Kailua-Kona, Hawaii
The poke bowls at Da Poke Shack on the Big Island of Hawaii’s Kona region are legendary. Poke (pronounced: poh-keh) is the Hawaiian term for cut, cubed, or sliced.
These delectable bowls use fresh, raw yellowfin tuna, or ahi, as it is known in Hawaii. They are seasoned with Hawaiian salt and garnished with limu kohu (seaweed), sesame oil and seeds, and aiolis, among other things.
Located in a condo complex, the modest Hawaiian shack known as “Da Poke Shack” serves poke bowls just like “Pele’s Kiss,” which features fresh, never frozen fish tossed with hot Hawaiian chili pepper sauce.
This poke is a must-try, gluten-free and packed with flavor from Hawaiian chili pepper, garlic, and sesame seeds.
Those who show up early usually have more options. Get some takeout and eat it along the neighboring beach or the small garden at the condo’s back. Surfers and turtles both need your attention, so be vigilant.
8/15 Mignonette, Miami, Florida
One might reasonably suppose that every chef in every restaurant started with a firm conviction that they will one day work with food professionally.
But sometimes, that impression is so far from the truth, like Daniel Serfer, the head chef at Mignonette in Miami.
At first, he wanted to be a criminal defense attorney, but after countless hours of preparing for the LSATs, he concluded that was not his path. He then sought to see the world through its cuisines.
You’d never realize the head chef started on a path that had nothing to do with food based only on the appearance of the menu items.
Due to the nature of Mignonette as an oyster bar, its molluscan offerings are consistently busy. To tide you over until your main course, you can dine on lobster deviled eggs or seared scallops with andouille, foie gras, and polenta.
Tempting options like South African lobster tails, crispy skin snapper, and black cod in a romesco sauce may be found among the entrées.
Chef Serfer has only himself to blame for the crime of trying a new line of work all those years ago.
9/15 G & M Restaurant, Linthicum Heights, Maryland
G & M Restaurant is located in the lovely Anne Arundel County town of Linthicum Heights, Maryland, just north of BWI-Marshall Airport.
This laid-back cafe dishes up seafood, steak, and pasta and is best known for its lump crab cakes.
But you needn’t go as far north as Baltimore to enjoy some of the state’s finest crab cakes. Thanks to G & M’s overnight shipping to all 50 states, you can get your crab fix whenever the mood strikes.
10/15 Peche Seafood Grill, New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a must-have on any list of top destinations for delicious seafood. Now, this doesn’t imply that you can anticipate next-level quality at each seafood restaurant in New Orleans.
After exploring the streets of New Orleans, if you’re craving seafood, your only option is Peche Seafood Grill. Peche is one of the few eateries whose personnel can justifiably boast of winning a James Beard Award.
At Peche, you can expect a simple menu. Since there aren’t many choices available in each grouping, placing an order is a breeze.
Some dishes you may have at the raw bar include seafood salad, gulf shrimp, steak tartare with oyster sauce, and a mixed seafood platter.
Catfish, fish sticks, grilled chicken, spicy ground shrimp and noodles are a few examples of the small meals on offer.
The “entrée” area of the menu is where you’ll discover items like jumbo shrimp, hanger steak, grilled tuna, and delicate baked drum. You’ll see that exotic ingredients aren’t required to make excellent recipes here.
11/15 Scoma’s Restaurant, San Francisco, California
Contrary to what the Rice-A-Roni people may think, we think seafood is the real San Francisco specialty. The best seafood in the Bay Area is that offered at Scoma’s Restaurant.
This large waterfront eatery on Pier 47 in Fisherman’s Wharf is known for its catch-of-the-day seafood served straight off the boat.
The garlic-roasted whole Dungeness crab, the wonderful warm sourdough bread, and the mind-blowing cioppino are some of the best foods served there. If you’re planning on driving, valet parking is free.
12/15 Shaw’s Crab House, Chicago, Illinois
Some visitors to Chicago get so giddy over pizza that they neglect to try the city’s many other excellent cuisines, such as its seafood. After you’ve satisfied your pizza desire, it’s time to visit Shaw’s Crab House for some excellent seafood.
The restaurant has been open since 1984 and has established strong relationships with local fishermen and farmers, enabling them to source the freshest and most flavorful foods.
When a restaurant builds trusting relationships with its suppliers, it can provide the kind of attention to detail that elevates even the most ordinary ingredients to the level of culinary art.
Once seated, you’ll have to make tough choices from the extensive menu, but don’t worry; there are no bad options, only delicious ones.
The Grand Shellfish Platter is a great starter for a big group. A wide variety of seafood, including oysters, shrimp, stone crab claws, Maine lobster tails, and tuna tartare, is available.
You can choose from various entrees, such as the Mustard Char-Glazed Costa Rican Mahi-Mahi or the Filet Mignon with thick bearnaise sauce.
On top of that, they offer a wide variety of sushi. Sushi rolls, combination sushi platters, and poke bowls using sushi-grade tuna, salmon, or yellowtail are all on the menu.
13/15 Walt’s Fish Market Restaurant, Sarasota, Florida
Walt’s Fish Market Restaurant, a longtime Sarasota staple, boasts that it is one of just a handful of all Florida establishments selling fish caught that very day.
Fillets, whole fish, and other shellfish and crabs are available at this market.
While you wait for a table, stop by the tiki bar and have a drink. Walt’s is known for its smoked white fish spread, a combination of mullet and tartar sauce served on crackers in place of bread and butter.
Visit when stone crabs are plentiful or on days when the triple tail is the catch of the day, and you will be rewarded with a delicious meal.
Chef Rigo uses the day’s catch in whatever he’s preparing as the nightly supper special. Fish can be prepared in various ways, including flame broiling, blackening, chargrilling, frying, and panko coating.
14/15 Bob’s Clam Hut, Kittery, Maine
It would be best if you went for a seafood joint with a simple name and a busy atmosphere.
It’s true that a catchy name like “Bob’s Clam Hut” will attract more customers than a more complicated one would, but the former is more likely to stick in people’s minds.
The restaurant’s roots go back to 1956, when it first began serving delicious seafood to the people of Kittery, Maine.
Since then, it has been recognized by the likes of USA Today’s “Great American Lobster Destinations,” and Thrillist’s “50 Essential Restaurants Every American Should Visit.”
Golden fried clam strips, haddock, scallops, shrimp, calamari, oysters, crab cakes, and chicken tenders are all available by the basketful.
Sandwiches and rolls stuffed with fried seafood are available for those who prefer to have their bread with their meal.
Also, if you don’t feel like going out on the water, they offer a variety of burgers and hotdogs.
15/15 167 Raw Oyster Bar, Charleston, South Carolina
Located on King Street in the center of old downtown Charleston, 167 Raw Oyster Bar is trendy and modern in the New England tradition.
This tiny restaurant specializes in east coast seafood, and while the menu is always changing, staples like oysters, lobster rolls, and fish tacos are always available.
The oysters at the raw bar are organized by type, size, and saltiness. There is no way to reserve a table in advance, so expect a long wait during busy hours.
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