The grand dame of New York oyster destinations, this 1913 restaurant is located in the lower level of Midtown’s Grand Central Station—the oldest shop in the hall. Beneath its gorgeously tiled ceiling, this cavernous room has history. Though the menu is expansive—some 30 types of oysters, plus two dozen seafood plates—a signature dish is the oyster pan roast, a spectacular (and spectacularly rich) old-school stew involving shucked Blue Points, paprika, and a veritable boatload of heavy cream.

Opened in East Hollywood in 2019, this jewel of a raw bar quickly became everyone’s favorite place to say they’re going in LA. Parisian in vibe with a big French wine list and oysters and clams set up like jewels on mounds of ice, it’s also family owned. Fresh Little Namskaket oysters are flown in from GM Joe Laraja’s own family farm in Cape Cod and served with a jalapeño and cilantro mignonette. The menu also features raw littleneck clams and crudo in cozy quarters with only 26 seats.

Lyon, France-born chef Nico Romo visited eight farms and hatcheries along the American East Coast when planning his Shem Creek oyster bar, and names his head shucker (Bella Macbeth) right on the menu. His cheerful, French-accented, wood-fired restaurant has a menu sourced largely from the lowcountry and multiple oysters from the Carolinas and Virginia, but the restaurant’s list extends to Maine, Prince Edward Island, Maryland and more.

On docks at the northern shore of Seattle’s Lake Union, Westward reserves slips for guests who arrive by boat. Renee Erickson took over the menu a few years ago and is always sure to include some lesser-known names, like Summerstone oysters from Hama Hama on Skunk Island. Her sprawling seafood towers serve 12 to 18 of them alongside baja blue shrimp, gold whitefish caviar, raw geoduck clams, and salmon rillette.

Less a restaurant and more an extremely scenic picnic area, Hog Island is a working oyster farm nestled into a patch of Tomales Bay, north of San Francisco. If you make it here, you’re eating, quite literally, from the source. Eat at the casual cafe alongside the bay with a menu of raw and barbecued oysters, salads, and sides; or buy live, unshucked oysters and shellfish to go from the retail window—along with a host of picnic provisions and shuckers—for a DIY feast at a nearby beach.

Farmers of one of the best-known oysters in the country have a low-key outdoor picnic area adjacent to the working oyster farm with strong good-time vibes. The menu at the Raw Bar is petite—mostly just plump, crisp Island Creek oysters served on the half-shell and a handful of fancy tinned seafood snacks and caviar. Local beer and canned cocktails are on hand for a picnic table feast by the firepit. Tours of the farm are also available for a truly up-close experience.

Although this instant hit has a full seafood menu, oysters from both coasts take center stage. Try them raw, or in decadent hot preparations including a classic Rockefeller (spinach, bacon, and parmigiano) or a newfangled “Angels on Horseback” preparation—bacon-wrapped and wood-grilled. The aesthetic is artfully rustic, the mood convivial, and the cocktail list extensive.

Little has changed inside since Casamento’s opened on Magazine Street in 1919. The original tile in this narrow Uptown oyster bar still gleams, and the oversized Gulf oysters—either “lovingly fried, meticulously charbroiled, or on Casamento’s signature oyster loaf” sandwiches—still draw a crowd of worldwide visitors and regulars. They also have fried soft shell crabs, seafood gumbo, and more.

No list of oyster bars would be complete with this old-school institution in Nob Hill, where visitors line up for lunch at bar stools daily (there are only 16 seats, but they serve wine while you wait). The decor is the epitome of no-frills, but the seafood is impeccable, including a broad selection of oysters from either coast, served on ice with a mignonette and a spicy Thai chili sauce. Pulling double duty as a fish market, Swan also serves excellent crab, seafood salads and cocktails.

On weekends in a parking lot in San Buenaventura State Beach in Ventura, just north of Malibu, a small truck holds bags of Kumamotos and multiple sizes of Laguna Bay oysters, sustainably farmed in nearby Baja, along with trays of golden uni and shucking gear to have your own DIY party on the beach. Or perch at picnic tables and order a plate full of raw, grilled (with habanero butter, or white wine, cream, and leeks), or fried oysters (in tacos, or with garnishes) from the Shuck Shack.