By: Lindsay Garbacik By: Lindsay Garbacik | August 8, 2022 | Food & Drink, Community,
Oysters are a tasty bivalve, natural aphrodisiac, and refreshingly salty seafood. We’ve rounded up the seven very best restaurants for fresh, quality oysters in Orange County. The world is truly your oyster, try something unexpected today!
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619 Sleepy Hollow Lane, Laguna Beach / Website
For an oceanfront seafood experience, head to Driftwood Kitchen. The coastal spot serves oysters on the half shell for lunch, treating guests to selections from both the East and West Coasts. They are available by the half dozen or the full dozen and served with classic mignonette sauce. For dinner, oysters are available in a seafood tower with Maine lobster tail, king crab legs, poached jumbo Mexican shrimp, Spanish octopus ceviche, and tuna tartare. Reservations can be made here.
2304 W Oceanfront, Newport Beach / Website
Enjoy a tasty selection of fresh Pacific oysters from this classic oyster bar. This joint shucks their oysters in-house daily and serves them with lemon slices and a raspberry mignonette sauce. Try the Pacific oyster shooters for an added kick. They’re made with pepper-infused vodka or agave tequila. Order enough raw bar selections to satisfy your whole table with the cold seafood platter, loaded with king crab, shrimp cocktail, and oysters. Swing by from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Friday for discounted oysters at happy hour.
34499 Golden Lantern Street, Dana Point / Website
This seafood grill is known for its creative takes on seafood dishes. For oysters, enjoy flavorful fried oysters, served with spicy cornichon tartar sauce. Or, stick to a classic and slurp up oysters on the half shell, served with diced horseradish and spicy cocktail sauce. Reservations can be made here.
Multiple Locations / Website
For a regularly large selection of oyster varieties, check out one of King’s Fish House’s locations around Orange County. Each spot has a varying selection of fresh oysters sourced from around North America and the menu is organized by oysters from the Pacific Ocean and oysters from the East Coast. Order oysters by the half dozen, dozen, or in a shellfish platter accompanied by an array of clams, scallops, mussels, shrimp, and more. Reservations can be made here.
109 S Glassell Street, Orange / Website
Try this new seafood spot for local, sustainably-sourced seafood. Enjoy oysters on the half shell from Washington, Mexico, and other varying locations, each served with Thai red curry cocktail sauce, yuzu mignonette, and a tajin lime. For a warm oyster fish, try the grilled oysters, served with black garlic miso butter. Reservations can be made here.
3010 Lafayette Avenue, Newport Beach / Website
The Cannery is an iconic seafood restaurant in Orange County and their oysters only bolster that reputation. Served on the half shell, enjoy fresh oysters served with rose mignonette sauce, shallot and herb gremolata, and pink peppercorns. Oysters are available for brunch, lunch, and dinner. Order them by the half dozen or in a seafood tower with other raw bar delicacies. Reservations can be made here.
3300 Bristol Street, Costa Mesa / Website
This classic Orange County seafood spot serves up decadent oysters Rockefeller, complete with fennel, baby spinach, and parmesan cheese. In the sushi section of the menu, find the Honeymoon Oyster, served with uni roe, tobiko, ikura and quail egg. Stick to the classics and check out the restaurant’s lengthy raw bar menu featuring oysters on the half shell with multiple varieties from both the Pacific Ocean and the East Coast. Try multiple with the oyster sampler platter. Reservations can be made here.
So whether you prefer your oysters cooked, fried, raw, or somewhere in between, Orange County has a top-tier array of restaurants serving up tasty, fresh oysters.
Photography by: ASMR / Getty Images