America's Best Oyster Bars

Pearl Dive Oyster Palace (Washington, D.C.)

This spot from D.C. empire builders Jeff and Barbara Black (BlackSalt, Black's Bar and Kitchen) is an urban fish shack inspired by the Gulf of Mexico, with two oyster bars and a menu of seafood gumbos and po' boys. Upstairs, Black Jack, another of the pair's restaurants, offers a wide-ranging pub menu, craft cocktails, a spiked-slushie machine, and an indoor bocce court. pearldivedc.com

Eventide Oyster Co. (Portland, Maine)

This restaurant in the Old Port district specializes in Maine oysters, including Winter Point Selects, a variety raised by the renowned harvester John Hennessey, in West Bath. "The Winter Points are about an inch and a half in size and have a very clean, bright, and briny taste," said Eventide co-owner Arlin Smith. "A smaller oyster is special because it has amazing salinity." Hennessey also provides the restaurant with big, meaty seven- to 10-year-old oysters, which chef Andrew Taylor roasts in a thick, Korean-style barbecue sauce. The caramelized oysters are served in their shells and topped with coleslaw, crispy fried potato strings, and a drizzle of chile oil. eventideoysterco.com

L&E Oyster Bar (Los Angeles)

This spot in the Silver Lake neighborhood has banquette seating and vintage light boxes that display the daily raw oyster menu. The impressive oyster selection includes varieties from all over the West and East coasts. Chef Spencer Bezaire offers three preparations for his grilled oysters: casino (butter, thyme, and Nueske's bacon), a reinvented version of oysters Rockefeller (creamy spinach and aged white cheddar), and sautéed wild mushrooms with crispy bread crumbs. leoysterbar.com

Hog Island Oyster Bar (San Francisco)

For Bay Area shellfish lovers, the place to visit is Hog Island Oyster Co., in Point Reyes, located about an hour and a half north of San Francisco. The next best thing is to eat the fresh oysters at the wraparound bar at Hog Island's Ferry Building Marketplace outpost. Selections like glistening Sweetwaters are accompanied by Acme bread, which is baked just a few doors down. hogislandoysters.com

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The Walrus and the Carpenter (Seattle)

Named for the oyster poachers in Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking Glass, chef-owner Renee Erickson's Ballard neighborhood oyster bar specializes in Washington state bivalves. The selection constantly changes but often includes sweet oysters from Samish Bay and Hama Hama oysters from the mid-Hood Canal. A nice touch: The trays arrive with a cheat sheet identifying each oyster. thewalrusbar.com

Casamento's (New Orleans)

Locals adore this little oyster-centric family-owned restaurant on Magazine Street not just for its lived-in feel and historic cred — it's been around for more than 100 years — but for its Louisiana oysters, which are served raw, fried, stewed, and more. Shuckers pull oysters out of a metal cooler and serve them simply with horseradish, Tabasco, and a wedge of lemon. The famous oyster loaf is a tottering pile of fried oysters tucked between thick slices of buttery pan bread. casamentosrestaurant.com

RELATED: Ana Castro's New Orleans City Guide

Elliott's Oyster House (Seattle)

Located on Seattle's Pier 56, this waterfront restaurant sources its sustainable oysters from local growers and offers more than 30 varieties every day, including buttery Kumamoto oysters that are cultivated in Washington's Oakland Bay and South Puget Sound. The staff members at Elliott's also volunteer their extra time to help seed, tend, and harvest the oyster beds of a local community shellfish farm. elliottsoysterhouse.com

GT Fish & Oyster (Chicago)

At his now-closed seafood restaurant, 2008 F&W Best New Chef Giuseppe Tentori served pristine oysters with inventive cucumber cocktail sauce and ponzu mignonette, as well as superb small plates that were popular with some of the city's top chefs. "They've got these amazing little lobster rolls and oyster po' boy sliders that are incredible," says local star chef Graham Elliot. "They also served New England clam chowder in a little Mason jar."

RELATED: Damarr Brown's Guide to Chicago

The Ordinary (Charleston, South Carolina)

Housed in a 1920s bank building, chef Mike Lata's oyster hall has 22-foot ceilings, majestic cathedral windows, and a kitchen that's located in the former vault. The restaurant tweets its daily selection of East Coast oysters and regional house favorites like Capers Blades and Otter Island Wilds from South Carolina. Lata creates his own versions of low-country seafood classics, including baked Otter Island oysters with bottarga butter and crispy oysters with beef tartare. eattheordinary.com

Neptune Oyster (Boston)

This casual North End seafood spot specializes in East Coast oysters, offering nine varieties daily accompanied by the classic horseradish cocktail sauce and a Prosecco-based mignonette. The fantastic chef Michael Serpa offers playful preparations like Neptunes on Piggyback — crispy deep-fried oysters served with Berkshire pork and pistachio aioli — but the restaurant's most popular dish is the spectacular 7-ounce Maine lobster roll. The sandwich is offered classic- (cold with mayonnaise) or Connecticut-style (hot with clarified butter) and served in a toasted brioche roll from Iggy's, a local bakery. neptuneoyster.com

Hank's Oyster Bar (Washington, D.C.)

Chef-owner Jamie Leeds worked with Dragon Creek Aqua Farm to develop the restaurant's signature meaty oyster that has a mild, sweet flavor and light brine. At the 65-seat flagship of her mini-empire, Leeds offers a rotating variety of oysters on the half shell as well as perfectly fried oysters and prized middleneck clams. Other popular dishes include pan-seared rockfish and oyster Rockefeller pasta. hanksoysterbar.com

Island Creek Oyster Bar (Boston)

This casual oyster bar in the Hotel Commonwealth is co-owned by Skip Bennett, founder of Island Creek Oysters, the Duxbury Bay oyster farm that supplies some of the country's best restaurants. The restaurant serves stellar seafood dishes and offers a raw bar that showcases the magnificent, super-briny Island Creek oysters.islandcreekoysters.com

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Acme Oyster House (New Orleans)

The neon sign that reads "Waitress Available Sometimes" and checkered tablecloths are part of the down-home appeal of this popular 100-year-old oyster house. The restaurant offers super-fresh oysters harvested from local waters and served four ways: raw, chargrilled, deep-fried with creamy remoulade, and as a shooter: in a shot glass with vodka and hot sauce. acmeoyster.com

Tomales Bay Oyster Company (Marshall, California)

Located an hour outside San Francisco, this historic oyster destination is essentially a celebrated picnic spot overlooking Tomales Bay, where many of the oysters are farmed. Oysters can be purchased by the dozen or in bags of 50 and are served accompanied by shucking knives and gloves, lemons, limes, and Tabasco. tomalesbayoystercompany.com

Oyster House (Philadelphia)

The walls of the bright, open dining room at this excellent seafood restaurant are decorated with beautiful vintage oyster plates collected by third-generation owner Sam Mink. Oysters arrive daily from mid-Atlantic, New England, and Canadian waters and are great with local craft beers like the intense Yards Love Stout, which is brewed with oysters in the kettle. oysterhousephilly.com

RELATED: Emily Riddell's Philadelphia City Guide

B&G Oysters (Boston)

Barbara Lynch has seven restaurants and bars to her name, including the elegant French-Italian No. 9 Park. At her chic oyster bar, there are always a dozen daily-changing varieties on offer, all served with an ingenious Prosecco mignonette. Lynch also created some of the most creative lobster dishes in this crustacean-mad city, such as the BLT with lobster, and the chive-and-celery-studded lobster roll. bandgoysters.com

Matunuck Oyster Bar (South Kingstown, Rhode Island)

The creation of oysterman Perry Raso, this superb seafood spot exclusively serves Rhode Island oysters, including Matunuck oysters from Raso's seven-acre farm in nearby Potter Pond. The farm offers educational tours of its shellfish operation, even allowing visitors to put on waders and explore the water. rhodyoysters.com

Gilhooley's Raw Bar (San Leon, Texas)

Located in the middle of a dirt-and-shell parking lot, with an aging boxcar bisecting the building, this rustic seafood shack serves superb shellfish supplied by Misho's Oyster Company, a large Texas processor. In addition to its fresh raw Gulf oysters, the bar is also popular for a barbecued dish called Oysters Gilhooley: fresh oysters topped with garlic butter and Parmesan cheese, then smoked in a pecan-wood fire pit. gilhooleystx.com

Swan Oyster Depot (San Francisco)

There's almost always a line at this family-owned spot that's over a century old and serves outstanding fresh Olympia oysters as well as clams, sea urchins, crab, and lobster from the West Coast. The 20-stool marble lunch counter is surrounded by maritime decorations, including a mounted stuffed swordfish and framed fish posters. swanoysterdepot.us

Dan & Louis Oyster Bar Restaurant (Portland, Oregon)

This nautical-themed restaurant has been serving local oysters since 1907. The rotating oyster menu often includes varieties like the creamy, mildly salty Olympias from Washington state and the sweet, cucumbery Fanny Bays from British Columbia. danandlouis.com