Give us delicious raw seafood and a fully-stocked bar and we’re the happiest girl in the world.
Simply put, the term raw bar is a combination of our two favorite things.
Disclaimer: We know decadent seafood towers don’t come with alcohol, but there’s no rule saying you can’t have white wine with your lobster.
Or oyster shooters and a bloody mary with jumbo shrimp and bacon.
See Also: NYC Bars That Make You Feel Like You're On An Island
(Raw) bar hop around New York City and treat yourself to the most extravagant seafood on the island.
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298 Bedford Ave, Brooklyn/Website
Brooklyn’s most-celebrated oyster bar is the premier(e) of all things seafood. We don’t typically like to go over the bridge either, but the melt-in-your-mouth raw bar is totally worth the Uber bill. When we die, bury us at Maison Premiere’s Shellfish Happy Hour. Oh, and make sure our last meal is the Chilled Half-Lobster with zesty tarragon aioli and the most luscious lobster roe.
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155 Grand St, Manhattan/Website
Ed, we would like to personally thank you from the bottom of our hearts for everything you have done. You have managed to make a seafood joint that has a beachy lobster shack feel smack in the middle of downtown Manhattan. Plus, we can go here in our sweatpants and a messy bun and it’s totally acceptable. The atmosphere is super casual and laid-back, but the food tastes—and is—expensive. It’s illegal to come here and not get the Maine Lobster rolls, the tuna tartare, and the oyster shooters.
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142 Mercer St, Manhattan/Website
The name of this yachtlike seafood restaurant immediately captivated our attention. You literally need to be able to own a yacht to dine here. Or at least know somebody who knows’s somebody who owns a yacht. Not only is the raw bar out of this world, but the world-class sushi selection is absolutely delightful. You can lure us to get off our couch with the Grand Shellfish Plateaux that comes with 12 oysters, 8 clams, 8 crab claws, Alaskan king crab, lobster, scallop crudo, tuna tartare, mussels, and seafood salad.
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89 Macdougal St, Manhattan/Website
Calling all Mermaid Inn Lovers! The critically-acclaimed seafood joint has an even better oyster bar in Greenwich Village. Rest assured, you never have to go on a Caribbean vacation again, because the world’s most delicious raw bar is located in your backyard. Trust us, your bank account will thank you later. The downtown eatery offers mouth-watering tuna crudo, jump shrimp, clams, ceviche, and of course, oysters. You’ll probably want seconds, thirds, and maybe fourths, so maybe your wallet will actually be a little lighter than usual.
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172 Waverly Pl, Manhattan/Website
Don’t get us wrong, we love the bagel platter for two as much as the Lexi’s and Jessie’s of the world, but we’re in it for the raw bar. West Village’s honorary hungover spot serves some of the best seafood in downtown Manhattan. The raw bar is #phat and features oysters, shrimp cocktail, 1/2 LB king crab, littleneck clams, smoked mussels, and lobster salad. There are no prices on this part of the menu, so that’s when you know it must be good.
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Pier 25 Hudson River Park, Manhattan/Website
Most people come here for Instagrammable views, but we come here for the salty oysters and cold, crisp Rosé. The oyster selection is so large and vast, it could probably feed the entire Kardashians family two times over. I’m sure our babe Stormi loves the Montauk Pearl—she loves anything shiny and expensive. If you’re here for a good time and a long time, order the Grand Banks Pan-American oyster experience with every type of oyster imaginable. And then some.
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80 Spring St, Manhattan/Website
We don’t typically associate French cuisine with a raw bar, but New York City’s most-coveted French Bistro is home to the most exquisite seafood tower in all of Manhattan. Just because Balthazar doesn’t refer to their sky-high seafood tower as a raw bar, doesn’t mean it can't compete with the city's best. The lobster tails, clams, shrimp, and oysters, are so fresh, they taste like you’re eating them underwater in the Atlantic Ocean. Or maybe the Pacific, we're not very good at geography.
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89 E 4nd, Manhattan/Website
If eating oysters in the middle of a train station is wrong, we don't want to be right. Serving fresh seafood since 1913, this iconic New York City eatery knows a thing or two about raw fish. Grand Central Oyster Bar is so engrained in our city's history, it may as well be called the Seafood of Liberty. Although everything on the menu is worth trying once in your life, we recommend Marinated Dutch Herring, Fried Oysters with tartar sauce, Broiled Bluepoint Oysters with anchovy butter, and the Cajun Fried Popcorn Shrimp with Creole Remoulade.
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1 Delancey St, Manhattan/Website
Sel Rrose is often associated with the underground spot Montauk influencers go to piss away money on champagne bottles and dance on tables. Yes, the East End hotspot is cool, but nothing beats the raw bar the rustic-chic oyster bar on the corner of Bowery and Delancey. We are frequent regulars of the Two Dollar Oyster Happy Hour which is quite possibly the best steal in New York City. Find us lining up outside this LES establishment at exactly 4 PM, and staying until our sober friends tell us it’s time to go to bed.
Photography by: Bruce Chapman
