New York City Oyster Bars: Which Oysters Are on the Menu

Menus checked on . Raw-bar lists change daily, so use this as a guide and confirm with the restaurant.

Five of the 11 New York City oyster bars we checked post the names of their oysters online. Crave Fishbar (44), Maison Premiere (25) and Grand Central Oyster Bar & Restaurant (16) publish the longest lists. The names that turn up most often are Kumamoto, Wellfleet and Blue Point. Each oyster below links to our tasting notes, so you can decide what to order before you sit down.

Oyster bars checked
11
Name their oysters
5
Menu listings
103
Linked to tasting notes
85

Most common oysters on NYC menus

Counted across the 5 menus that name their oysters. These are the names you are most likely to see more than once in NYC.

Kumamoto oyster illustration

Kumamoto

US West Coast

The gateway oyster. Known for its sweet, melon-forward flavor and petite, deeply cupped shell, the Kumamoto is beloved by beginners and experts alike.

SweetMelon
B
S
M
C

On 4 of 5 menus: Crave Fishbar, Maison Premiere, Grand Central Oyster Bar & Restaurant, Lure Fishbar

Wellfleet oyster illustration

Wellfleet

US East Coast

Cape Cod classic. High brine, clean finish, with subtle sweetness.

BrinyClean
B
S
M
C

On 4 of 5 menus: Crave Fishbar, Maison Premiere, Grand Central Oyster Bar & Restaurant, Lure Fishbar

Blue Point oyster illustration

Blue Point

US East Coast

The classic Atlantic oyster. Crisp, briny, with mineral notes and a sharp, clean finish.

BrinyMineral
B
S
M
C

On 3 of 5 menus: Crave Fishbar, Grand Central Oyster Bar & Restaurant, Lure Fishbar

Mere Point oyster illustration

Mere Point

US East Coast

A tumbled Maine oyster from the shallow bays around Mere Point in Brunswick. Dense, crisp meat with high salinity, a subtle sweetness, and a clean, bright finish.

BrinyCleanCrisp
B
S
M
C

On 3 of 5 menus: Crave Fishbar, Maison Premiere, Cull & Pistol Oyster Bar

Beausoleil oyster illustration

Beausoleil

Canada East Coast

The perfect starter oyster from New Brunswick's Miramichi Bay. Small, refined, and elegantly mild with yeasty notes, subtle hazelnut sweetness, and a creamy texture. Farmed in floating trays that ensure pristine, uniform shells.

Mild BrineSweetYeasty
B
S
M
C

On 2 of 5 menus: Grand Central Oyster Bar & Restaurant, Lure Fishbar

Cape May Salt oyster illustration

Cape May Salt

US East Coast

A stalwart mid-Atlantic oyster from Delaware Bay, New Jersey. Briny and sweet with exceptionally plump, creamy meat from rack and bag cultivation near Cape May's salty waters.

BrinySweet
B
S
M
C

On 2 of 5 menus: Crave Fishbar, Grand Central Oyster Bar & Restaurant

Also on more than one menu: East Beach Blonde (2), Fishers Island (2), Glidden Point (2), Hammersley Inlet (2), Irish Point (2), Kusshi (2), La Saint Simon (2), Malpeque (2), Pemaquid (2), Pink Moon (2), Shigoku (2), Totten Inlet (2), Watch Hill (2), Widow's Hole (2).

New York City oyster bars and what they serve

Crave Fishbar

Midtown East 945 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10022

A seafood restaurant with three Manhattan locations that describes itself as fully sustainable. Its happy hour oyster menu was the longest named list we found in the city.

44 oysters named 36 with tasting notes

Show 32 more oysters
  • Mere Points Brunswick, ME
    BrinyCleanCrisp
  • Love Shuck Damariscotta River, ME
    MineralBrinyCrisp
  • Damariscottas Damariscotta River, ME
    BrinySweetClean
  • Glidden Point Damariscotta River, ME
    BrinySweet
  • Wiley Point Damariscotta River, ME
    BrinySweet
  • Eel Lake Nova Scotia, CAN
    SweetBriny
  • Malpeque Prince Edward Island, CAN
    BrinyCrisp
  • Barachois Prince Edward Island, CAN
    BalancedSweetBriny
  • St. Simon New Brunswick, CAN
    BrinySweetCitrus
  • Hurricane Island Little Shemogue Bay, CAN
    BrinyCrispSweet
  • Pink Moon Prince Edward Island, CAN
    BrinyCleanSweet
  • Irish Points Rustico Bay, CAN
    BrinySaltyCrisp
  • Lucky Limes New London Bay, PEI, CAN
    BrinyCitrus
  • Colville Bay Prince Edward Island, CAN
    BrinyNuttySweet
  • Shibumi Puget Sound, WA
    SweetBalanced Brine
  • Samish Bay Puget Sound, WA
    SweetMild BrineCucumber
  • Deer Creek Hood Canal, WA
    BrinySweet Melon
  • Pebble Beach Hood Canal, WA
    SweetMedium Brine
  • Kumamoto Skagit Bay, WA
    SweetMelon
  • Oishi Skagit Bay, WA
    CucumberMildSweet
  • Kusshi British Columbia, CAN
    CleanDelicateBriny
  • Stellar Bay Vancouver Island, BC
    MildSweetClean
  • Royal Miyagi Vancouver Island, BC
    SweetCreamy
  • Hama Hama Hood Canal, WA
    SweetMelonHerbaceous
  • Black Duck Salt Hog Island Bay, VA
    No profile yet
  • Bayside Sweets Nandua Creek, VA
    No profile yet
  • Wavelengths Mojack Bay, VA
    No profile yet
  • Sherwood Island Westport, CT
    No profile yet
  • Blue Whale Long Island Sound, CT
    No profile yet
  • Salty Mainers Damariscotta River, ME
    No profile yet
  • Foxley River Prince Edward Island, CAN
    No profile yet
  • Sapphire Sequim Bay, WA
    No profile yet
Oysters on the menu
The list sits under the "Oystergram Happy Hour" tab of the menu page, split into East Coast and West Coast oysters with a harvest location for each.
Happy hour
The Oystergram Happy Hour menu advertises "over a dozen varieties" at reduced prices. The menu page does not state the hours.
Other locations
428 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY 10024 (Upper West Side); 1462 2nd Avenue, New York, NY 10075 (Upper East Side)

Maison Premiere

Williamsburg, Brooklyn 298 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11249

An oyster and absinthe bar on Bedford Avenue, open since 2011. Its site says the bar carries more than thirty oyster varieties; the posted menu listed 25 when we checked.

25 oysters named 18 with tasting notes

Show 13 more oysters
  • Malpeque Malpeque Bay, PEI
    BrinyCrisp
  • Kumamoto Oakland Bay, WA
    SweetMelon
  • Totten Totten Inlet, WA
    BrinyRichButtery
  • Hammersley Inlet South Puget Sound, WA
    SweetMild BrineCucumber
  • Peale Passage Pickering Passage, WA
    Mild BrineCucumberCreamy
  • Shigoku Bay Center, WA
    SweetCucumber
  • Orient Point Orient, NY
    No profile yet
  • Mayflower Point East Dennis, MA
    No profile yet
  • Edgewater Wareham River, MA
    No profile yet
  • Hood Canal Hood Canal, WA
    No profile yet
  • Olympic View Hood Canal, WA
    No profile yet
  • Mintersweets Henderson Bay, WA
    No profile yet
  • Smokey Bay Smoket Bay, BC
    No profile yet
Oysters on the menu
The oyster menu is a PDF dated August 2026. Each oyster is listed with the bay or river it comes from.
Happy hour
The restaurant's site says an oyster happy hour is not currently offered.

Grand Central Oyster Bar & Restaurant

Midtown East 89 E 42nd St, New York, NY 10017 (Grand Central Terminal, Lower Level)

A seafood restaurant on the lower level of Grand Central Terminal, open Monday through Friday. Its daily menu is posted online with the day's oysters listed by name.

16 oysters named 16 with tasting notes

Show 4 more oysters
Oysters on the menu
The site posts a dated daily menu. The raw bar section names each oyster with its state or province and a per-piece price.

Cull & Pistol Oyster Bar

Chelsea 75 9th Ave, New York, NY 10011 (Chelsea Market)

The Lobster Place's sit-down seafood restaurant inside Chelsea Market. The raw bar menu names a dozen oysters, mostly from Maine, Massachusetts and New York.

12 oysters named 9 with tasting notes

Oysters on the menu
The site labels this a sample raw bar menu that rotates daily. Each oyster has an origin and a one-line tasting note.
Happy hour
Half-priced oysters Monday to Friday, 4pm to 6pm, covering the full oyster list.

Lure Fishbar

SoHo 142 Mercer Street, New York, NY (at Prince Street)

A seafood restaurant below street level on Mercer Street, with a second location in Chicago. The raw bar menu is served from open to close.

6 oysters named 6 with tasting notes

Oysters on the menu
The raw bar and sushi menu lists East Coast and West Coast oysters by name, plus four dressed "signature" versions.

Docks Oyster Bar & Seafood Grill

Midtown East 633 3rd Avenue, New York, NY 10017

A Midtown East seafood grill with an oyster bar, sushi rolls and shellfish plateaus. Oysters are sold as a sampler from that day's East and West Coast selection.

This menu does not name its oysters, so we have not guessed. Ask your server what is on today, then look each one up in our oyster profiles.

Oysters on the menu
The oyster bar section lists an "Oyster sampler: daily selection of east + west coast oysters". No varieties are named.
Happy hour
At the bar every day, 3pm to 7pm. The happy hour raw bar lists an "Oyster du Jour" at $1.50.

Flex Mussels

Upper East Side 1431 3rd Ave, New York, NY

A seafood restaurant on Third Avenue with a raw bar. The dinner menu offers oysters as a daily selection and in two shellfish platters.

This menu does not name its oysters, so we have not guessed. Ask your server what is on today, then look each one up in our oyster profiles.

Oysters on the menu
The raw bar lists "Oysters: daily selection, east coast & west coast" at market price. No varieties are named.
Happy hour
Every day 4pm to 6pm, plus 9pm to 10pm Sunday to Thursday and 9pm to 10:30pm Friday and Saturday. The happy hour menu lists $2 oysters.

Jeffrey's Grocery

West Village 172 Waverly Place, New York, NY 10014

A West Village restaurant with a raw bar and shellfish plateaus. Oysters are grouped by ocean, with a separate small-batch option, and can be ordered as a mix of all three.

This menu does not name its oysters, so we have not guessed. Ask your server what is on today, then look each one up in our oyster profiles.

Oysters on the menu
The raw bar sells oysters by the half dozen or dozen in three groups: "Atlantic", "Pacific" and "Small Batch". No varieties are named.

Mermaid Oyster Bar

Greenwich Village 89 MacDougal Street, New York, NY 10012

The Greenwich Village oyster bar from The Mermaid Inn group, which also runs a Times Square oyster bar. The daily oyster selection is not posted online.

This menu does not name its oysters, so we have not guessed. Ask your server what is on today, then look each one up in our oyster profiles.

Oysters on the menu
The raw bar lists a "Daily Oyster Selection: east & west coast varieties" at market price. No varieties are named.
Happy hour
4:30pm to 6pm Tuesday to Sunday, and all night on Mondays. Chef's choice oysters are $2 each with a minimum of six.

Strange Delight

Fort Greene, Brooklyn 63 Lafayette Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11217

A Brooklyn restaurant serving dinner nightly and brunch on weekends, with cold oysters and a seafood tower on the menu. The site describes its oysters only as local.

This menu does not name its oysters, so we have not guessed. Ask your server what is on today, then look each one up in our oyster profiles.

Oysters on the menu
The brunch menu lists "Cold Local Oysters" with mignonette and cocktail sauce. No farms or varieties are named.
Happy hour
$2 oysters Monday to Thursday, 5pm to 6:30pm.

Upstate Craft Beer & Oyster Bar

East Village 95 First Avenue, New York, NY 10003 (corner of Sixth Street)

An East Village seafood and craft beer bar that says it orders from the market daily and keeps no freezer. It opens at 5pm.

This menu does not name its oysters, so we have not guessed. Ask your server what is on today, then look each one up in our oyster profiles.

Oysters on the menu
The menu on the site covers starters and main plates only. It does not include an oyster list, and says the menu changes daily with the market.
Happy hour
5pm to 7pm, seven days a week. The site does not say what the happy hour includes.

How we put this together

We opened each restaurant's own website and its posted menu on the date shown. We read the posted menus of 19 New York seafood restaurants and raw bars and kept 11: the five open restaurants that named their oysters, plus six oyster-focused spots that did not. Nothing here comes from review sites or other guides.

Oyster names and origins are copied from each menu as printed. A name links to one of our profiles only when it clearly refers to the same oyster. Flavor tags come from our profiles, not from the restaurant. Menus were checked on September 30, 2026; raw-bar lists change daily.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which NYC oyster bars list their oyster varieties online?

Five of the 11 we checked on September 30, 2026: Crave Fishbar (44 varieties), Maison Premiere (25 varieties), Grand Central Oyster Bar & Restaurant (16 varieties), Cull & Pistol Oyster Bar (12 varieties) and Lure Fishbar (6 varieties). The other 6 describe their oysters only in general terms, such as a daily selection.

What are the most common oysters on NYC menus?

Across the 5 menus that name their oysters, the most repeated are Kumamoto (4 menus), Wellfleet (4 menus), Blue Point (3 menus), Mere Point (3 menus) and Beausoleil (2 menus). In total we counted 103 menu listings.

Which NYC oyster bars have an oyster happy hour?

Seven of the restaurants here advertise a happy hour on their own sites: Crave Fishbar, Cull & Pistol Oyster Bar, Docks Oyster Bar & Seafood Grill, Flex Mussels, Mermaid Oyster Bar, Strange Delight and Upstate Craft Beer & Oyster Bar. The days, times and what is included are in each listing above, as the restaurant states them. Confirm before you go, because happy hours change without notice.

What should I order at a New York City oyster bar if I'm new to oysters?

Start with names that are easy to find and easy to like. Of the oysters on more than one NYC menu, our profiles mark Kumamoto, Beausoleil, Hammersley Inlet and Kusshi as beginner friendly. Order two or three varieties, a couple of each, and taste them plain before adding sauce.

What if the menu does not name its oysters?

Ask your server for the name of each oyster and where it was grown. Most raw bars know both, even when the printed menu does not say. As a rough guide, East Coast oysters tend to be brinier and crisper, and West Coast oysters tend to be sweeter and creamier with cucumber or melon notes. Once you have a name, you can look it up in our oyster profiles.

Why is the list at the restaurant different from this page?

Raw bar lists change daily with what the farms ship. This page records what each restaurant's own website showed on September 30, 2026. Treat it as a guide to the kind of oysters a place carries, and check the menu link in each listing for the current selection.

Browse all oyster profiles How to order oysters Best oysters by taste All oyster bar guides