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Clams with vinho verde sit on a white plate next to large, head-on shrimp on a separate plate in this overhead shot. — Clams with Vinho Verde at Cervo’s.

16 Spectacular Seafood Spots in NYC

From raw bars to fried fish and anything in between

by Eater Staff Updated Oct 13, 2023, 9:21am EDT

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Clams with Vinho Verde at Cervo’s.

| Cervo’s

by Eater Staff Updated Oct 13, 2023, 9:21am EDT

Seafood has covered itself with a halo of virtue over the last few years, recommended by dietitians and doctors for its relatively low-calorie count, richness in minerals like iron and iodine, freshness and ease of preparation, and, of course, for its omega-3 fatty acids. New York is fortunate to be right on the ocean, and some of the best seafood sold in restaurants is locally and sustainably caught.

Many traditions inform our seafood consumption. From Japan and Korea come the eating of raw fish as sushi; from New England and Canada come chowders; while France contributes soup de poisson and bouillabaisse. Mexico, Peru, and Ecuador have their ceviches, while Cantonese whole-fish recipes are renowned for their delicacy — and there are too many other schools of seafood thought available for New Yorkers to count.

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Johnny's Reef

This City Island seafood spot, closed for the first week of Lent but open thereafter Thursdays through Sundays, has been around since the 1960s. It serves up affordable fried fish and french fries, ordered at a counter, along with dense milkshakes. The outdoor space at Johnny’s Reef has plenty of picnic tables that overlook the Long Island Sound.

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2 City Island Ave, Bronx, NY 10464

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A deck with people sitting at tables in the sun. — Outdoor seating with a view of the Sound.

Grand Central Oyster Bar

The tile-lined, arched, and subterranean space at Grand Central Oyster Bar is one of the few places displaying Guastavino vaulting, and it may be the most dramatic place to eat your fish and chips in the city. The fish is textured and flaky, and the fries are exceptional, too — and you’ve never seen a thicker tartar sauce.

89 E 42nd St, New York, NY 10017

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Glistening big filet with french fries, ketchup, and tartare sauce. — Fish and chips at Grand Central Oyster Bar.

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A Salt & Battery

Forget the standard one or two fish options. This dependable British takeout spot in the West Village, from the same owners as Tea & Sympathy next door, serves some great fish and chips. There are four different choices — cod, haddock, sole, or whiting — served in two different sizes, and portions are pretty generous. The large size is big enough for two. Order chips separately, or mix it up with another quintessential English side, mushy peas or battered beets.

112 Greenwich Ave, New York, NY 10011

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A giant breaded filet. — A huge cod filet overshadows the chips at A Salt & Battery.

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Mary's Fish Camp

While the prototypical New York seafood spot may be a sprawling dining hall like Grand Central Oyster Bar or London Lennie’s, there was a fad a couple of decades ago for smaller, more intimate places with more adventuresome menus. Inspired by a Florida-style fish camp, Mary’s debuted in 2000, peddling fish is some surprising preparations, which have included banh mi, tacos, and its signature conch chowder.

64 Charles St, New York, NY 10014

Visit Website

A long white rectangular dish with cubed raw fish and capers and herbs on top. — Peruvian style ceviche tiradito at Mary’s.

Also featured in:

15 Stellar Spots for Raw Bar in NYC

The Clam

You can usually count six or seven clam dishes on the menu of The Clam, a West Village staple, but the bill of fare is certainly not limited to bivalves. Lobster hash, codfish tacos, and pan roasted halibut are served with parker house rolls, Old Bay fries, and broccoli rabe. But that doesn’t mean you should ignore the New England clam chowder or spaghetti and spicy red clam sauce.

420 Hudson St, New York, NY 10014

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A bowl of white with oyster crackers on top. — New England clam chowder at the Clam.

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Mermaid Oyster Bar

With three locations in Manhattan, and a memorably playful iconography, the Mermaid Oyster Bar and its offshoots started out in the East Village (branch no longer open) as a hip seafood spot with a menu that ran to raw oysters, chowders, crab cakes, fried calamari, and slaw, slaw, and more slaw. And so it remains, a crowd-pleasing establishment centered on several types of raw oysters — East Coast or West Coast — and a respectable selection of standard dishes.

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89 MacDougal St, New York, NY 10012

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A dozen raw oyster on a tray of ice. — Oyster service at Mermaid Oyster Bar.

Dame

Dame began life as a summer pop-up in the first year of the pandemic, focusing on fish and chips cooked to perfection with a crunchy beer batter. The permanent restaurant in the same location is tougher to get into, but its fried hake and thick-cut fries are worth the trouble if you do.

87 MacDougal St, New York, NY 10012

Visit Website

An overhead view of Dame’s fish and chips, featuring a large serving of fried hake, french fries, a ramekin of tartar sauce, and a lemon wedge. — Fish and chips at Dame.

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Lure Fishbar

If you want real luxury, few places are better than Lure in the northeast corner of Soho. The subterranean spot really makes you feel like you’re in the hold of a ship, with its overarching crossbeams and nautical lanterns, and come evening or weekend brunch the place is filled with families, businesspeople, tourists, and nearly every other category of diner, chowing down on whole fish, grand shellfish plateaux, dim sum. and a novel form of sushi via chef Preston Clark.

142 Mercer St, New York, NY 10012

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The dining room at Lure Fishbar.

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Greenpoint Fish & Lobster Co.

You know your fish and chips will be fresh when it’s served right in a fish market. Greenpoint Fish & Lobster dates to 2014 and has been selling wholesale fish to fancy restaurants in addition to the chowders, lobster rolls, and raw bar items it provides to diners on the premises. The spare furnishings and gleaming white interior make your fish and chips taste even better.

114 Nassau Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11222

Visit Website

A gleaming white dining rooms with stools along two parallel counters. — The dining area of Greenpoint Fish & Lobster

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Cervo's

A pick-me-up kind of restaurant, tiny Cervo’s is the place to snag a seat at the bar for a plate of green tomatoes with fried rock shrimp, mussels escabeche, or a fried skate wing with sungolds and bottarga. Tuck a glass of boutique Spanish vermouth in a rainbow of colors into your evening in between snacks.

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43 Canal St, New York, NY 10002

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Clams with vinho verde sit on a white plate next to large, head-on shrimp on a separate plate in this overhead shot. — Clams with vinho verde and shrimp.

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Maison Premiere

Maison Premiere, founded in 2011, is modeled on a New Orleans absinthe cafe. Yes, it’s a fun place to drink. Among plates, consider oysters, crudo, caviar, bowls of mussels, and lobster rolls. The absinthe service alone is worth a visit, but the selection of oysters is formidable.

298 Bedford Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11249

Visit Website

Maison Premiere — The interior of Maison Premiere.

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Fulton Fish Co

Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s seafood counter within his Tin Building in Fidi carries on the legacy of the building, formerly home to the Fulton Street Fish Market. Go here for its raw bar, tinned sardines, fried clams, or fish and chips.

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96 South St, New York, NY 10038

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A gold installation that hangs from the ceiling looks like a whale. — The installation at the Tin Building.

Saint Julivert

This jewel box of a restaurant shows off the talent of Alex Raij and Eder Montero with dishes like cod pot pie, squid a la plancha, and, as always, dynamic specials like the fun-to-eat gooseneck barnacles. Consider the Violet Hour from 5 to 5:30 p.m., during which diners can create their own three-course meal for $45.

264 Clinton St, Brooklyn, NY 11201

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Saint Julivert Fisherie octopus carpaccio — Octopus carpaccio at Saint Julivert.

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Littleneck

At this stylish 12-year-old seafood spot decorated with flotsam and jetsam is so near the Gowanus Canal you can almost hear the waves lapping. Relish gussied-up takes on Northeastern clam-shack fare, including New England-style fish and chips served with Old Bay fries, house pickles, and slaw, along with mussels, Portuguese fisherman’s stew, and a whole porgy fit for two with roasted potatoes.

288 3rd Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11215

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Steam clams and parsley and a bowl of broth on the side. — Steamers at Littleneck.

Also featured in:

The King of Fish

This place surprised Sunset Park a couple of years ago by appearing on Fifth Avenue serving fish tacos and other Baja and Sonora style fish dishes of scintillating freshness. On the menu, there’s a nicely breaded fish taco, plus an unbreaded one too, but there are also aguachiles, ceviches, and raw tuna tostadas. Sit in the back room with its onrushing shark.

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4515 5th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11220

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Molcajete filled with green liquid and shrimp. — Shrimp aguachile verde at King of Fish.

Also featured in:

Randazzo's Clam Bar

Run by the fifth generation of the Randazzo family, this restaurant is not only one of the city’s best Italian restaurants, it’s one of the city’s best seafood restaurants. It dates to 1916 — an era when the bay was lined with clam shacks, and now there’s only one. Today, it serves an array of seafood classics, including both New England and Manhattan chowders as well as a standout version of zuppa di pesce.

2017 Emmons Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11235

Visit Website

Pasta with seafood at Randazzo’s. — Zuppa di pesce at Randazzo’s.

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Johnny's Reef

2 City Island Ave, Bronx, NY 10464

This City Island seafood spot, closed for the first week of Lent but open thereafter Thursdays through Sundays, has been around since the 1960s. It serves up affordable fried fish and french fries, ordered at a counter, along with dense milkshakes. The outdoor space at Johnny’s Reef has plenty of picnic tables that overlook the Long Island Sound.

Open in Google Maps

2 City Island Ave, Bronx, NY 10464

Visit Website

A deck with people sitting at tables in the sun. — Outdoor seating with a view of the Sound.

Grand Central Oyster Bar

89 E 42nd St, New York, NY 10017

The tile-lined, arched, and subterranean space at Grand Central Oyster Bar is one of the few places displaying Guastavino vaulting, and it may be the most dramatic place to eat your fish and chips in the city. The fish is textured and flaky, and the fries are exceptional, too — and you’ve never seen a thicker tartar sauce.

89 E 42nd St, New York, NY 10017

Visit Website

Glistening big filet with french fries, ketchup, and tartare sauce. — Fish and chips at Grand Central Oyster Bar.

A Salt & Battery

112 Greenwich Ave, New York, NY 10011

Forget the standard one or two fish options. This dependable British takeout spot in the West Village, from the same owners as Tea & Sympathy next door, serves some great fish and chips. There are four different choices — cod, haddock, sole, or whiting — served in two different sizes, and portions are pretty generous. The large size is big enough for two. Order chips separately, or mix it up with another quintessential English side, mushy peas or battered beets.

112 Greenwich Ave, New York, NY 10011

Visit Website

A giant breaded filet. — A huge cod filet overshadows the chips at A Salt & Battery.

Mary's Fish Camp

64 Charles St, New York, NY 10014

While the prototypical New York seafood spot may be a sprawling dining hall like Grand Central Oyster Bar or London Lennie’s, there was a fad a couple of decades ago for smaller, more intimate places with more adventuresome menus. Inspired by a Florida-style fish camp, Mary’s debuted in 2000, peddling fish is some surprising preparations, which have included banh mi, tacos, and its signature conch chowder.

64 Charles St, New York, NY 10014

Visit Website

A long white rectangular dish with cubed raw fish and capers and herbs on top. — Peruvian style ceviche tiradito at Mary’s.

The Clam

420 Hudson St, New York, NY 10014

You can usually count six or seven clam dishes on the menu of The Clam, a West Village staple, but the bill of fare is certainly not limited to bivalves. Lobster hash, codfish tacos, and pan roasted halibut are served with parker house rolls, Old Bay fries, and broccoli rabe. But that doesn’t mean you should ignore the New England clam chowder or spaghetti and spicy red clam sauce.

420 Hudson St, New York, NY 10014

Visit Website

A bowl of white with oyster crackers on top. — New England clam chowder at the Clam.

Mermaid Oyster Bar

89 MacDougal St, New York, NY 10012

With three locations in Manhattan, and a memorably playful iconography, the Mermaid Oyster Bar and its offshoots started out in the East Village (branch no longer open) as a hip seafood spot with a menu that ran to raw oysters, chowders, crab cakes, fried calamari, and slaw, slaw, and more slaw. And so it remains, a crowd-pleasing establishment centered on several types of raw oysters — East Coast or West Coast — and a respectable selection of standard dishes.

Open in Google Maps

89 MacDougal St, New York, NY 10012

Visit Website

A dozen raw oyster on a tray of ice. — Oyster service at Mermaid Oyster Bar.

Dame

87 MacDougal St, New York, NY 10012

Dame began life as a summer pop-up in the first year of the pandemic, focusing on fish and chips cooked to perfection with a crunchy beer batter. The permanent restaurant in the same location is tougher to get into, but its fried hake and thick-cut fries are worth the trouble if you do.

87 MacDougal St, New York, NY 10012

Visit Website

An overhead view of Dame’s fish and chips, featuring a large serving of fried hake, french fries, a ramekin of tartar sauce, and a lemon wedge. — Fish and chips at Dame.

Lure Fishbar

142 Mercer St, New York, NY 10012

If you want real luxury, few places are better than Lure in the northeast corner of Soho. The subterranean spot really makes you feel like you’re in the hold of a ship, with its overarching crossbeams and nautical lanterns, and come evening or weekend brunch the place is filled with families, businesspeople, tourists, and nearly every other category of diner, chowing down on whole fish, grand shellfish plateaux, dim sum. and a novel form of sushi via chef Preston Clark.

142 Mercer St, New York, NY 10012

Visit Website

The dining room at Lure Fishbar.

Greenpoint Fish & Lobster Co.

114 Nassau Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11222

You know your fish and chips will be fresh when it’s served right in a fish market. Greenpoint Fish & Lobster dates to 2014 and has been selling wholesale fish to fancy restaurants in addition to the chowders, lobster rolls, and raw bar items it provides to diners on the premises. The spare furnishings and gleaming white interior make your fish and chips taste even better.

114 Nassau Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11222

Visit Website

A gleaming white dining rooms with stools along two parallel counters. — The dining area of Greenpoint Fish & Lobster

Cervo's

43 Canal St, New York, NY 10002

A pick-me-up kind of restaurant, tiny Cervo’s is the place to snag a seat at the bar for a plate of green tomatoes with fried rock shrimp, mussels escabeche, or a fried skate wing with sungolds and bottarga. Tuck a glass of boutique Spanish vermouth in a rainbow of colors into your evening in between snacks.

Open in Google Maps

43 Canal St, New York, NY 10002

Visit Website

Clams with vinho verde sit on a white plate next to large, head-on shrimp on a separate plate in this overhead shot. — Clams with vinho verde and shrimp.

Maison Premiere

298 Bedford Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11249

Maison Premiere, founded in 2011, is modeled on a New Orleans absinthe cafe. Yes, it’s a fun place to drink. Among plates, consider oysters, crudo, caviar, bowls of mussels, and lobster rolls. The absinthe service alone is worth a visit, but the selection of oysters is formidable.

298 Bedford Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11249

Visit Website

Maison Premiere — The interior of Maison Premiere.

Fulton Fish Co

96 South St, New York, NY 10038

Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s seafood counter within his Tin Building in Fidi carries on the legacy of the building, formerly home to the Fulton Street Fish Market. Go here for its raw bar, tinned sardines, fried clams, or fish and chips.

Open in Google Maps

96 South St, New York, NY 10038

Visit Website

A gold installation that hangs from the ceiling looks like a whale. — The installation at the Tin Building.

Saint Julivert

264 Clinton St, Brooklyn, NY 11201

This jewel box of a restaurant shows off the talent of Alex Raij and Eder Montero with dishes like cod pot pie, squid a la plancha, and, as always, dynamic specials like the fun-to-eat gooseneck barnacles. Consider the Violet Hour from 5 to 5:30 p.m., during which diners can create their own three-course meal for $45.

264 Clinton St, Brooklyn, NY 11201

Visit Website

Saint Julivert Fisherie octopus carpaccio — Octopus carpaccio at Saint Julivert.

Littleneck

288 3rd Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11215

At this stylish 12-year-old seafood spot decorated with flotsam and jetsam is so near the Gowanus Canal you can almost hear the waves lapping. Relish gussied-up takes on Northeastern clam-shack fare, including New England-style fish and chips served with Old Bay fries, house pickles, and slaw, along with mussels, Portuguese fisherman’s stew, and a whole porgy fit for two with roasted potatoes.

288 3rd Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11215

Visit Website

Steam clams and parsley and a bowl of broth on the side. — Steamers at Littleneck.

The King of Fish

4515 5th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11220

This place surprised Sunset Park a couple of years ago by appearing on Fifth Avenue serving fish tacos and other Baja and Sonora style fish dishes of scintillating freshness. On the menu, there’s a nicely breaded fish taco, plus an unbreaded one too, but there are also aguachiles, ceviches, and raw tuna tostadas. Sit in the back room with its onrushing shark.

Open in Google Maps

4515 5th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11220

Visit Website

Molcajete filled with green liquid and shrimp. — Shrimp aguachile verde at King of Fish.

Related Maps

Randazzo's Clam Bar

2017 Emmons Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11235

Run by the fifth generation of the Randazzo family, this restaurant is not only one of the city’s best Italian restaurants, it’s one of the city’s best seafood restaurants. It dates to 1916 — an era when the bay was lined with clam shacks, and now there’s only one. Today, it serves an array of seafood classics, including both New England and Manhattan chowders as well as a standout version of zuppa di pesce.

2017 Emmons Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11235

Visit Website

Pasta with seafood at Randazzo’s. — Zuppa di pesce at Randazzo’s.

Related Maps