The Best Seafood Restaurants In America

While the oceans of the world are amazing places to visit, what makes them more than just a cool place to take a dip in on a sweltering summer day is the amount of fantastic food that comes from their salty depths. All over the world, fishermen work their hands to the bone, catching huge amounts of sea dwellers that eventually make their way to restaurants and supermarkets. We have no idea just how physically difficult and tiring the process of getting one filet of tuna from the sea to our dinner plate is. However, we know the end result is absolutely delicious.

Seafood fanatics are always on the hunt for the next best cut of fish or delicate crustacean to add to their bucket lists of ocean cuisine. That's why they often stay away from the generic selections offered at local supermarkets. Instead, they head to restaurants helmed by chefs who work with seafood purveyors to get the unique stuff you'll never see sold on shelves. There are enough seafood restaurants in America to make your head spin, but that doesn't mean every single one is worth your time or your money. Seafood is a special kind of cuisine, so you always want to ensure you're seeking out the highest quality food. Grab your scuba gear and prepare to take a deep dive into the best seafood restaurants in America.

When it comes to price points, seafood is far from the cheapest kind of food you can buy. The labor that goes into obtaining it makes it much more expensive than your basic chicken or beef. However, any seafood-phile knows that splurging on lobster every once in a while results in a far more satisfying meal than a basic burger. If splurging on astounding seafood is your thing, you have to save up and make a trip to Le Bernardin in New York City. Yes, you'll spend as much on dinner as some people's monthly rent — but the dining experience Head Chef Eric Ripert offers at this three Michelin-starred location is second to none.

For just under 300 bucks, you can treat yourself to the Chef's Tasting menu. Here, your mind is blown with dishes like Ossetra caviar on a "potato cloud" and poached lobster in a rich miso-sake broth. You can also opt for a Four-Course Prix Fixe menu that dazzles with items like scallops with black truffle slivers and green apple-horseradish vinaigrette or the shellfish medley — it comes with a dancing array of shrimp, uni, razor clam, geoduck chawanmushi (custard), all swimming in a smoked pork-dashi broth. This is one of those once-in-a-lifetime dining experiences that leaves your mind and stomach basking in the memories forever.

Nestled in the heart of Los Angeles sits Executive Chef Michael Cimarusti's fine dining establishment, Providence. The restaurant won a James Beard Award, "Gourmet" magazine ranked it as one of the "Top 50 Restaurants in the United States," and proudly represents itself as a two-star Michelin-rated destination for seafood lovers everywhere. The name of the game here is sustainability. "Seafood has inspired me in a personal way from the very start," Chef Cimarusti said. "It is my duty to staunchly support its conservation and best practices, and it's my privilege to have the opportunity to showcase it on a nightly basis." It's also the privilege of anyone who visits to enjoy incredible food.

There is a handful of small bites you can order in preparation for an epic Chef's Tasting menu. These include farm-raised caviar, salt-roasted prawns from Santa Barbara, and black winter truffles in your choice of eggs, risotto, or pasta. However, nothing compares to the journey your mouth takes as it works its way through the tasting menu, which includes items like oysters with Kaluga caviar, California box crab in an aged ham broth, and A5 Wagyu beef.

"As I ate the oysters with their strong taste of the sea and their faint metallic taste that the cold white wine washed away, leaving only the sea taste and the succulent texture, I lost the empty feeling and began to be happy and to make plans." That quote from Ernest Hemingway's novel "A Moveable Feast" boldly greets you on the homepage of Neptune Oyster, an amazing seafood joint in Boston, Mass. It serves up a whole lot more than those pearl-producing crustaceans on its menu, and that's why people keep coming back.

If it is crustaceans you're seeking, this place has a bunch of unique toppings that complement your shelled amigos. For example, the oyster "piggybacks" come with Berkshire pulled pork, blueberry mostarda, and maple butter. Sweet, savory, oceanic, and everything else you want in one bite. If you're looking for your meal bookended in bread, grab the Neptune burger with fried oysters, cheddar cheese, and garlic mayo, or an always-delicious lobster roll. Entrees like Whole Rockport Mackerel, Nantucket Bluefin Tuna, and Grass-Fed Ribeye with urchin butter are impossible to ignore, and every night of the week there's a different special, like Lobster Tacos and Black Ink Risotto.

The word "depot" might not put a very sexy image in your head, and that's why you might hesitate a bit when someone tells you they're taking you to Swan Oyster Depot for food. However, you should try to shrug off that hesitation quickly because this place actually has an amazing selection of seafood. It flips the word "depot" on its head in the most delicious way possible. According to the website, this place is "seafood heaven." What makes this place extra enticing is that it's also a market, so you can purchase their products to enjoy after you leave.

Keep in mind this place is just a lunch spot, so don't head here in the evening if you're hungry. There's a large selection of salads that have your choice of crab, prawns, or shrimp (or order a combination salad to get all three), and they have smoked fish plates with salmon and trout that come with capers, onions, and cracked pepper. Also, don't be fooled by the menu item called, "Dozen Eggs." They're not eggs at all, but thinly sliced scallops with ponzu sauce, sriracha, and cayenne pepper. After you eat, head to the fish market and scoop up some ahi tuna, king salmon, or prawns to bring home and impress your friends.

The flavors that surge through Coni'Seafood are all thanks to a man named Vicente "Chente" Cossio, who made it his mission to bring the vibrant flavors of Nayarit, Mexico, to California. He originally opened a restaurant called Mariscos Chente that eventually became Coni'Seafood. To ensure diners actually experience the authentic flavors of Nayarit, all of the shrimp, fish, and other products are imported from two cities in Mexico, Sinaloa and Nayarit. Thanks to this dedication to authenticity, Coni'Seafood has flavors you'd be hard-pressed to find in the States.

Shrimp and fish are the stars of the show when it comes to the menu. There's a large selection of appetizers that wake your tongue up with bright flavors, like the five types of ceviche, including one option with raw shrimp (Orden de Ceviche). The most intriguing perhaps is the Tostaditos: five miniature tostadas with marlin pate topped with shrimp and octopus ceviche. There's an enormous selection of shrimp dishes to choose from, and each one has a different sauce that elevates the sweet morsels of ocean meat. If you're looking for seafood flavors that whisk you away to our neighbors down south, look no further.

It's easy to assume that the chef of any restaurant knew from an early age they wanted to do something with food. However, sometimes that assumption is so far from the actual truth — and the head chef of Miami's Mignonette, Daniel Serfer, is a prime example. His initial life goal was to serve as a criminal defense attorney, but during the grueling hours he spent studying for the LSATs, he realized his life was pointed in the wrong direction. It was then that he decided to traverse the culinary landscape instead.

From the looks of the menu, you would never know the head chef initially was traveling down an avenue that didn't deal with food whatsoever. Seeing as Mignonette is an oyster bar, the shelled delights are obviously super popular. However, there are also appetizers like seared scallops with andouille, foie gras, and polenta or lobster deviled eggs to snack on before an entrée. Entrées include succulent dishes like South African lobster tails, crispy skin snapper, and black cod with a romesco sauce. The only criminal action Chef Serfer needs to defend is why he ever thought to venture down a different career path years ago.

On any list of cities that have a ton of great seafood, New Orleans is always a staple. Now that doesn't necessarily mean you can just stroll into just any New Orleans seafood restaurant and expect next-level quality. When your hunger for ocean flavors kicks in after pursuing the streets of The Big Easy, you have to head to Peche Seafood Grill. Not every restaurant can proudly boast of a skilled staff that earned a coveted James Beard Award, but Peche can, and for good reason.

The menu at Peche is straight and to the point. There isn't a brain-melting number of options under each category, which makes ordering much less stressful. The raw bar includes seafood salad, gulf shrimp, steak tartare with oyster aioli, and a seafood platter with an array of different items. The small plates consist of catfish, fish sticks, grilled chicken, and spicy ground shrimp and noodles. Delicate baked drum, grilled tuna, juicy hanger steak, and jumbo shrimp all find themselves under the "entrée" section of the menu. The options here prove you don't need outrageous ingredients to create enticing dishes.

This name is fascinating enough to drive tons of business, let alone the fact the restaurant also serves amazing food. The Walrus and the Carpenter opened in 2010 in Seattle, Wash., and the name is based on a poem by Lewis Carroll from his book, "Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There." Alice certainly found many enticing things on her journey, and when you visit this great seafood-slingin' spot, you'll find a slew of amazing food that sends your mind down a rabbit hole of enjoyment.

The food served here is more of the appetizer variety than full entrees. There are seven different varieties of oysters to choose from, so if you're looking to slurp a taste of the ocean out of the half-shell, you'll find yourself in luck. The uni-deviled eggs are extra rich and creamy, and the albacore crudo melts on your tongue. Finally, the foie gras mousse coats your mouth with an iron-rich flavor of the land that complements the flavors of the sea. Do yourself a favor and take a long look through the looking glass that The Walrus and the Carpenter offers. You're bound to love what you discover.

Some people get so stoked on pizza when they visit Chicago that they forget it's a city filled with all kinds of other extraordinary food — including seafood. Once that craving for pizza calms down, head to Shaw's Crab House for some seriously good ocean eats. Opened in 1984, the restaurant has a close relationship with fishermen and farmers, so they're able to obtain the highest quality ingredients possible. When a restaurant develops a close bond with the purveyors of their food, every ingredient on the menu has that extra bit of care that turns great flavors into incredible ones.

The menu here is huge, which means you'll have some decision-making to do once you're seated, but fear not — there are no wrong decisions here, only mouthwatering ones. If you're with a large group, order the Grand Shellfish Platter for an appetizer. It offers a little bit of everything: oysters, shrimp, stone crab claws, Maine lobster tails, and tuna tartare. The entrées range from zesty Mustard Char-Glazed Costa Rican Mahi-Mahi to a hearty Filet Mignon with rich bearnaise sauce. Plus, they have a large selection of sushi! You can either order up some sushi rolls, sushi combination platters, or even a poke bowl with your choice of sushi-grade tuna, salmon, or yellowtail.

How great would it be if Hawaii wasn't so far from the rest of the country? Every picture of The Aloha State looks like something out of a dream. Perfect weather, amazing scenery, and a laid-back vibe that seems to escape the stress of the world. Unfortunately, it's not a hop, skip, and jump away, but if you're a serious foodie who's made it a goal to eat at the greatest seafood spots in America, then it's imperative you board a flight to visit Mama's Fish House in Paia. There, the energy is amazing, but the food is even better.

The dishes on the menu truly embody the island lifestyle, and you can't help but feel the stress of the day melt away as you take each bite. Start your feast with ahi tuna with coconut milk and a refreshing spritz of Tahitian lime, or delicate slices of seared Maui octopus. Help the stress melt off even more with an entrée, like the steamed Antarctic toothfish topped with sizzling Macadamia nut oil or the Big Island Kanpachi stuffed with lobster and baked in a Macadamia nut crust. Of course, you could make the trip to Hawaii more than worth it with Mama's Bouillabaisse: mahi-mahi, swordfish, Onaga, shrimp, and scallops, all simmered in a saffron fish broth. When you come to Hawaii to eat, just remember that Mama knows best.

Simple name, popular place — that's what you want in a seafood restaurant. A fancy name might give a certain type of allure to an establishment, but something as easy to remember as Bob's Clam Hut hits all the right chords. Its history reaches all the way back to 1956 when the place started serving great seafood to the locals of Kittery, Maine. Since then, it's been featured on "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives," and has landed itself on lists like USA Today's "Great American Lobster Destinations" and Thrillist's "50 Essential Restaurants Every American Should Visit."

The restaurant's website proudly states the place is "corny yet gourmet," but nothing about the menu seems corny; it's just chock-full of delicious ocean treats. You can get a basket full of golden fried clam strips, haddock, scallops, shrimp, calamari, oysters, crab cakes, or chicken tenders. If you want some bread with your meal, you can get your crispy fried seafood inside a sandwich or on a roll. They even have a selection of burgers and hotdogs if you don't feel like exploring the sea.

The 167 Hospitality group is doing all the right things in Charleston, S.C. They have two different locations, one called 167 Raw Oyster Bar and 167 Sushi Bar. Even though sushi is definitely seafood (and you might wonder why they don't serve everything at one location), the differences in the menus mean only one thing: after you visit one spot and enjoy great food, you have to visit the other one as well. Smart move, 167.

The oyster bar has great raw options, like littleneck clams, oyster shooters, and a daily selection of caviar. If you're thinking outside the raw, you can order lobster tostadas, scallop po'boys, tuna burgers, and pastrami'd swordfish — you really can't go wrong here. If it's the sushi bar you choose to visit, you can't go wrong, either. There's a daily selection of delicately sliced nigiri, fried chicken and katsu curry fish bao, and rich tonkatsu ramen that coats your mouth and warms your soul the way ramen should. Plus, there are two sashimi omakase options, the Lil 'Kase and the Big 'Kase.

It's best not to get those little two-pincered crustaceans ticked off when you take a dip into the ocean. One crab's snap at your toes and your beach day ends quickly. When it comes to living the restaurant life, though, you don't have to worry about your experience ending in startling pain at The Angry Crab in Chicago. In fact, when you dine here, you can't even imagine feeling anything but the opposite of angry, and that's why you need to save up an appetite and go.

There's a lot to take in on the menu, so prepare yourself to do some serious investigating before you lock in that final order with your server. Even though a hotdog seems like the wrong move to make at a seafood restaurant, this menu offers enticing options, like a crawfish dog, and even an alligator dog! There are plenty of massive combination feasts that offer mixes of shrimp, snow crab legs, lobster tails, and a variety of mollusks so you get to dabble in a little of everything.

If you're going to open an oyster bar, it certainly helps if you have a background in all things oysters, and that's exactly what the owner of Rhode Island's Matunuck Oyster Bar has. From an early age, Perry Raso learned how to harvest shellfish, trap eels, and bullrake clams. Before opening the restaurant in 2009, he ran an oyster farm and consulted on several agricultural operations in developing countries. This guy has a passion for the sea, and it shows in the menu his restaurant offers guests.

As you can imagine, the menu is nothing short of awesome. The raw bar has a plethora of amazing stuff like scallop crudo and caviar with crème fraiche and blinis. They have a lobster pizza with fresh juicy chunks of lobster meat, mascarpone, arugula, prosciutto, gouda, and mozzarella cheese, all drizzled in white truffle oil. Entrées include a yellowfin tuna poke bowl with a ton of fixings, lobster filled with a shrimp, scallop, and seafood stuffing, and an orange and almond glazed duck confit.

According to the Hogfish Bar and Grill website, the Stock Island, Fla., spot prides itself on being a "true 'locals' spot that avoids the pretension and hype of more touristy areas." For this reason alone, a lot of people may find it appealing. The massive flocks of tourists in certain areas are a real turn-off, and when you're on vacation, you want to find those hidden dining gems the travel guides might not mention. The main draw of Hogfish Bar and Grill isn't the lack of bustling tourists — it's the food!

If you're dining with the locals, you better order from the menu like one, and one way to do that is to order up their World Famous Killer Tuna Nachos with fried wontons (instead of tortilla chips), seaweed, scallions, and sesame seeds, all drizzled in zesty tamarind glaze and wasabi cream. Then, you can't pass up the house specialty: the "killer" hogfish sandwich with Swiss cheese, onions, and mushrooms on fresh-baked Cuban bread. Don't forget to look to the other house specials, like Havana roast pork, lobster mac and cheese, and fried whole snapper. Arrive a tourist, but leave a local.

When you think of California, you think about the sun, the ocean, and laid-back living, so why not eat a place that embodies all three of those when you're hungry? Well, the Pacific Beach Fish Shop does exactly that. The dog-friendly establishment wants everyone who comes to kick back and get their Zen on while enjoying great grub. Few things are better than combining those two aspects of life, so when you need a break from all of the adult stuff on your mind, head straight here to unwind.

The casual vibe here certainly helps you unwind, but the food on the menu does so even more. Fish Shop Favorites like the TKO Taco with grilled and marinated mahi-mahi topped with pineapple-habanero BBQ sauce, toasted coconut, and pineapple salsa immediately sends your appetite spiraling into a tropical paradise. However, the best part of the menu is you can build your own meal in three steps. You pick a fish, then a marinade, and finally the style you want it served (taco, salad, sandwich, or plate). The mix-and-match method means hundreds of combinations are at your fingertips, so choose wisely.

Would you dine at a restaurant that's rumored to have a ghost dwelling in it? If it serves up great seafood, then of course you would! The Shrimp Factory in Savannah, Ga., apparently has some kind of an otherworldly presence staff members have felt since 1977, but that hasn't stopped them from pumping out amazing food. Head Chef Letrecia Blake puts her fear of the paranormal aside every day to sometimes serve up to 600 dishes during a single shift. Even though it's called The Shrimp Factory, they have a whole lot of other great stuff pouring out of that kitchen as well.

Shrimp is obviously the performance lead, and it finds itself in amazing dishes like the shrimp and sausage Creole, shrimp and grits, and shrimp and crab au gratin. Each of those options is hearty, filling, and exploding with decadent flavors. That being said, you can also order dishes like Blackened Grouper Florentine and Crab Stuffed Flounder if your shrimp game isn't feeling strong.

"Friends don't let friends eat frozen fish!" is the mantra that the entire staff of Red Fish Grill lives by. Located on the often-too-wild Bourbon Street in New Orleans, owner Ralph Brennan and Executive Chef Chris Vazquez feed the locals and tourists of New Orleans amazing seafood day in and day out. Everyone knows the words "Bourbon Street" are synonymous with "party time," but thanks to Red Fish Grill, they're also synonymous with "fantastic seafood."

The chef at Red Fish Grill puts a unique spin on a lot of dishes, which means you likely haven't tried the flavor combinations before. Their signature BBQ Oysters are flash fried, drizzled in a zesty BBQ sauce, and served with house-made bleu cheese dressing. Order up some alligator boudin balls for meaty morsels of both sausage and reptile, and then get your surf on with Louisiana shrimp and goat cheese grits. Visit during brunch hours on the weekend and pair your meal with bottomless cocktails — hey, if you're gonna hang out on Bourbon Street, you might as well drink like it.

"From the boat to your plate and then to the beach..." That statement sums up how you'd expect dining in Florida to pan out. This is exactly why it's on the website of Safe Harbor Seafood, a restaurant in Florida that has a beach-access takeout window — you can go straight from surfing some tubular waves to scooping up a fresh catch without ever having to step off the sand. Safe Harbor Seafood knows exactly how to cater to the beach dwellers, and that, along with great ocean cuisine, makes it a huge hit.

The blazing summer sun does a great job at getting people in the mood for a Safe Harbor Basket. Customers choose a protein, like haddock, shrimp, clam strips, or calamari, and they get fries, slaw, and hush puppies served on the side. Of course, they can opt for an appetizer like shrimp nachos or conch fritters, or they can build themselves a Kona Bowl. First, they choose either shrimp, tuna, chicken, or portobello mushroom. Then, they add fixings like brown rice, lettuce, black beans, avocado, and red onions. Finally, they toss on some sauce, with choices like wasabi ranch, sesame ginger, and crema.

A tavern might sound like an odd place to cop some great seafood, but thanks to a man named Samuel Burrows, Sambo's Tavern takes what you know about taverns and flips the script. In 1953, "Sambo" Burrows founded the tavern in Leipsic, Del., and it's now run by his daughter-in-law, Elva, and her husband, Ike. The place only caters to those 21 years of age and up, seeing as it is a bar. According to Elva per Delaware Today, Samuel said of his age rule, "When people are going to eat crabs and drink beer, they have no business driving children around."

For a tavern, this place has a really great selection of seafood. Normally, tavern food consists of fries, burgers, wings, and anything else you can toss in a deep fryer. Here, patrons can munch on soft shell crab, rockfish sandwiches, fried clams, and flounder. There's something about sitting on a bar stool, ordering a frothy pint of beer, and tossing down a dozen oysters that feels great, and you can make it all happen at Sambo's Tavern.

Chicago's GT Fish and Oyster was opened in 2011 by Chef Guiseppe Tentori and the Boka Restaurant Group with one goal in mind: redefine the experience of American seafood restaurants. Well, the effort put into that redefinition earned the chef and restaurant group several accolades, including a four-star rating from Time Out Chicago. Chef Tentori was honored as a two-time semifinalist for "Best Chef: Great Lakes" from the James Beard Foundation, and while the accolades speak volumes, the menu itself shouts even louder.

Feeling bold? Then start your meal off with the looming Full Seafood Tower and get a full pound of lobster, two ounces of king crab, three shrimp, three snow crab claws, two clams, four mussels, and six oysters. Of course, you're far from finished. Next, explore the fish tacos with garlic marinade, chipotle aioli, and crispy pork chicharrons. Or, direct your attention to Seafood Gnocchi: small pillowy potato gnocchis tossed with shrimp, squid, mussels, and clams in a basil sauce. You'll feel your stomach smiling wide afterward.

Picturing a sardine factory doesn't exactly bring the prettiest image to your mind, but don't let this name fool you for a second. The Sardine Factory is exactly the opposite of the image you're likely thinking about. Opened in 1968 by two experienced restaurant managers, Ted Balestreri and Bert Cutino, this Monterey, Calif., establishment found success by following one simple tactic: "Every customer has to be treated like the most important person on earth."

In order to make customers feel important, it's vital they're served incredible food, and that's exactly what comes out of the kitchens here. The wild California sardines are lightly smoked and served with onions, capers, lemon, and a chopped egg. The "World Famous" abalone bisque, which was created for President Reagan's Inauguration, has bacon, chives, and Madeira wine. Entrées like the Parmesan-Crusted Steak with Scallops and Prawns and the sashimi-grade Ahi Tuna are the reason celebrities like Julia Child, Rachael Ray, and even Prince Albert II of Monaco have paid a visit. This factory sure ain't going anywhere anytime soon.

You wouldn't necessarily expect a landlocked state like Colorado to produce some really high-quality seafood dishes, and no one could blame you for that expectation. However, they can prove you wrong, and the proof comes in the form of Stoic & Genuine. The Denver seafood spot that scoffs at the idea landlocked states might struggle with their seafood game. Their website proudly boasts, "No ocean. No worries." Fresh seafood is flown in daily, so even though there are no bodies of water in sight, Executive Chef Jennifer Jasinski is able to crank out stellar ocean cuisine.

As you look at the menu, you notice there is some Asian flare that pops up in a handful of dishes, and that's great news for your appetite. The Red Curry Wonton Noodles comes with a delicate filet of black sea bass, bok choy, napa cabbage, and lotus root, and the Hamachi in the Hamachi Salad is crusted in togarashi, the Japanese spice mixture. The raw bar options are plentiful, with three different "tower" options available depending on how large your party is. Additionally, the three crudo options are a gentle and delicious way to kick off the whole dining experience. The word "landlocked" means nothing when it comes to seafood here.

Entrepreneur and founder of Lure Fishbar John McDonald knows a thing or two about launching successful restaurants. His portfolio includes (ready for it?) Lure Fishbar New York, Lure Miami, Lure Chicago, Bowery Meat Company, Burger & Barrel, Bistrot Leo, Butterfly, and A60, a private roof bar. He's exactly the guy you want at your side when you have an idea because he delivers. Opening a restaurant is one of the riskiest ventures one can make, but someone like McDonald has the experience to ensure your culinary ship stays afloat.

An amazing menu is absolutely vital for success, and Lure Fishbar doesn't fall remotely short when it comes to theirs. The raw bar has a huge array of both shellfish and sushi, including signature sushi rolls and individual cuts of sashimi. Even if you're a sushi fiend, it's nearly impossible to ignore the hot entrées and appetizers. Sea Urchin Bucatini with blue crab screams decadence. Deviled eggs with crispy oysters, pickled chile, and American caviar is something out of a dream. Additionally, the Miso-Glazed Salmon tickles the fancy of anyone who loves the ocean with every flaky bite. Well done, Mr. McDonald.

"At Marea, the authentic, bracing flavors of coastal Italy meet the style and swagger of New York to form a new kind of gusto." When it comes to New York City, people are always in search of something that offers new gusto, and this restaurant certainly delivers. It received a coveted Michelin star and a James Beard Award in 2010 for Best New Restaurant. This is the kind of place you plan to visit months in advance, so you can mentally prepare your mind and appetite (and wallet) for the luxurious dining experience Executive Chef Lauren DeSteno proudly delivers.

To say the menu is showered in decadence would be doing a huge disservice to the food — it's more than that. The fusilli pasta has succulent chunks of red wine-braised octopus and glistening bone marrow. The casarecce houses jumbo lump crab, a creamy uni puree, and Calabrian chili. The aragosta (lobster) dish has mushrooms and caramelized sunchokes. Whichever way you turn, you're confronted with a new dish bursting at the seams with exotic flavors. It's time you treated yourself to a Marea evening.