15 Essential Southern Oyster Bars

These top oyster bars are lifting up and celebrating the Southern farm-raised oyster

Kimball House

Decatur, Georgia

For oyster lovers, Kimball House in Decatur, Georgia, is a dream. Executive chef Arturo Justo brings flavor from his Mexican roots to a seasonal menu that pairs beautifully with their signature cocktails. The raw bar offers up to 18 oyster varieties daily, including “fancy oysters,” like the Tybee Salt Bombs topped with a Tokyo granita and nuoc cham. They also take their oyster expertise on the road, offering catering and on-site shucking for private events and parties.

The Ordinary

Charleston, South Carolina

Located right in the heart of downtown Charleston on King Street, The Ordinary, a converted 1920s bank building, stands as a beloved Southern seafood hall and oyster bar. Executive chef Tori Schumacher and James Beard Award-winning co-owner Mike Lata celebrate the “merroir” of the coastal Carolinas with a menu rooted in regional seafood. Their raw bar highlights three South Carolina oysters—Single Ladies, Bird Island Blades, and Steamboat Creeks.

Automatic Seafood & Oysters

Birmingham, Alabama

Located in Birmingham’s up-and-coming Lakeview neighborhood, Automatic Seafood & Oysters blends fine dining with a welcoming, laid-back atmosphere. Chef Adam Evans, along with designer Suzanne Humphries Evans, has created a space that celebrates Gulf seafood and Southern flavors. The raw bar serves a rotating half dozen oysters daily, along with favorites like cornmeal-fried and grilled oysters. Stop in for happy hour from 4-5 p.m. or a laidback weekend brunch.

St. Roch Fine Oysters and Bar

Raleigh, North Carolina

St. Roch Fine Oysters and Bar brings a touch of New Orleans spirit to Raleigh, offering what chef and owner Sunny Gerhart calls “Southern, by way of New Orleans.” The menu celebrates North Carolina seafood with Creole-inspired flavors, from roasted oysters with pimento butter to playful oyster shooters with vodka or tequila. Their daily shucker’s choice half dozen is a must-try—best enjoyed during oyster happy hour or their weekend brunch.

Fives

New Orleans, Louisiana

Tucked into Jackson Square in the French Quarter, Fives Bar focuses on fresh Gulf seafood and local ingredients. Chef Sarah Master, a semifinalist on ABC’s The Taste, highlights Louisiana favorites with a standout oyster program featuring Gulf varieties like Little Moons and Salty Coast, alongside East Coast gems such as Lucky Limes and Black Magic, all of which can be topped with a bump of paddlefish caviar.

Henrietta Red

Nashville, Tennessee

Nestled in Nashville’s historic Germantown neighborhood is an airy ode to oysters led by chef Julia Sullivan. Henrietta Red’s menu highlights fresh, seasonal fare—think scallops, trout, and tomato Calabrian oysters. The restaurant’s “heartbeat,” their oyster bar, features a sustainable, rotating selection of 12 oyster varieties daily—each shucked fresh to order and served with your choice of accoutrements. Don’t miss their $2 chef’s choice oysters during happy hour, perfectly paired with a classic cocktail.

Sea Wolf

Tybee Island, Georgia

Tucked a few blocks from the water in North Tybee, Georgia, Sea Wolf is a casual neighborhood spot known for its seasonally rotating mix of raw oysters, craft cocktails, and “fancy” hot dogs. Owned by partners Andrew Jay Ripley and Tom Worley, the restaurant features a cozy patio that serves as the perfect spot to enjoy seasonal oysters like Tybee Salt Bombs, Low Country Cups, Beausoleil, and Blackberrys—each shucked to order and best paired with a housemade cocktail.

Merroir

Topping, Virginia

Set along the banks of the Rappahannock River, Merroir is where the Rappahannock Oyster Co. story began. Executive chef Joleen Park serves a small, seasonal menu focused on the Chesapeake Bay’s bounty—everything from grilled daily catch to oyster po’ boys. Their oyster program features house-grown favorites like Rappahannocks, Olde Salts, Rochambeaus, and Barcat Shucks.

Sidecar Patio & Oyster Bar

New Orleans, Louisiana

Sidecar Patio & Oyster Bar in New Orleans’ Warehouse District offers one of the South’s most extensive oyster programs under executive chef Blake Offret. The restaurant features more than 20 oyster varieties spanning Gulf, East, and West coasts, curated by their dedicated oyster sommelier. Guests can choose from selections like Louisiana’s Murder Point, Virginia’s Wavelength, or Washington’s Hama Hama, all served with housemade mignonettes on the spacious outdoor patio.

Little’s Oyster Bar

Montrose, Texas

Executive chef Jason Ryczek helms Little’s Oyster Bar, featuring a 10-seat raw bar with rotating oyster selections alongside wild Texas Gulf shrimp and Maine lobster. The restaurant earned the top spot on Houston Chronicle’s 2023 Best Restaurants list. Marking the Pappas Restaurant Group’s first chef-driven concept in over 50 years, Ryczek’s menu emphasizes sustainable Gulf Coast seafood, much of it caught by Pappas’ own boats, and includes a premium caviar program featuring California white sturgeon.

The Urban Oyster

Baltimore, Maryland

In 2017, chef Jasmine Norton opened The Urban Oyster, the first female and Black-owned oyster bar in the US. Baltimore Magazine named it the “Best Raw Bar” in 2019. Norton specializes in chargrilled oysters with creative flavors like Cheese Louise, bacon barbecue and cheddar, and Volcano, served alongside daily raw oyster selections. The Hampden restaurant prioritizes Chesapeake Bay oysters for their clean, crisp taste and features Norton’s celebrated cream of crab soup and Maryland jumbo lump crab cakes.

Southerleigh Fine Food & Brewery

San Antonio, Texas

Occupying the historic Pearl Brewery’s 1894 brewhouse, Southerleigh Fine Food & Brewery earned a 2024 MICHELIN Bib Gourmand for its Texas coastal cuisine. Executive chef Jeff Balfour features chef-curated oysters from Texas producers including Big Tree, Copano, and Clearwater Gardens, alongside Gulf seafood like red snapper and local crab. Southerleigh sources directly from Gulf fishermen and maintains relationships with sustainable oyster farms, serving oysters on ice with housemade barbecue mignonette and prepared horseradish.

Seabear Oyster Bar

Athens, Georgia

Executive chef Patrick Stubbers and Peter Dale opened Seabear Oyster Bar in 2016 inside the historic Bottleworks building, earning recognition on Condé Nast Traveler’s 2016 list of best places to eat worldwide. The restaurant features a rotating selection of six oyster varieties from locations including Hog Island Bay, Virginia, Kachemak Bay, Alaska, and Wassaw Sound, Georgia. Seabear is known for Stubbers’ signature Parker House rolls with brown butter and raw sugar, plus deep-fried clam strips and a celebrated New England-style clam chowder.

Seabird

Wilmington, North Carolina

Chef Dean Neff, a 2024 James Beard finalist for Outstanding Chef, opened Seabird in 2021. The downtown restaurant emphasizes seasonal North Carolina seafood with dishes like smoked catfish and oyster pie and Eastern NC-style cioppino. Featuring North Carolina-farmed oysters year-round, including exclusive Seabirdies from Hold Fast Oyster Company and Dukes oysters from N. SEA Oyster Co., Seabird offers daily oyster specials with selections served raw, Rockefeller-style with Benton’s bacon, or barbecued with roasted shrimp.

Pêche Seafood Grill

New Orleans, Louisiana

Pêche Seafood Grill won the 2014 James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant in America. Chef-partners Donald Link, Stephen Stryjewski, and Ryan Prewitt created this wood-fired seafood restaurant in the Warehouse District. Now helmed by chef de cuisine Nikki Cabrera-Mills, the restaurant features Gulf-sourced oysters from locations including Dauphin Island and Grand Isle, served exclusively raw at their oyster bar. Pêche’s live-fire cooking over hardwood coals produces dishes like whole grilled redfish and baked drum.

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