If you’re one of those people with an at-home shucking kit and an oyster delivery plug, respect. But many of us aren’t so lucky, and need to journey outside to enjoy the wonders of the oyster - and perhaps a cocktail or two. The places on this guide certainly aren’t the only restaurants in Miami serving oysters, but they’re all perfect places to sit down, have a few drinks, and run through as many oysters as your budget/stomach will allow.
The Spots
Having a conversation about oysters in Miami without talking about Mignonette would be like if The Last Dance just left out Michael Jordan. Nobody wants to watch that. Mignonette isn’t the most budget-friendly oyster option (it’s usually around $3 per oyster) but it is a great spot for the kind of person who appreciates the subtle flavor differences between regional oysters (or at least pretends they do). You can sit at the bar and keep it simple with drinks and a dozen, or grab a table and get into some of the other delicious seafood they serve here.
Boss Cow is a great casual seafood option in Brickell. They have raw bar standards like oysters, clams, stone crab, and shrimp cocktail, along with more seafood options, including rolls (crab, lobster, and shrimp), a tasty crab omelette over rice, and seafood ramen. The food’s solid - all good enough to confidently bring a date or coworkers you’re trying to impress. But what we really like about this place is that it’s fun - not too stuffy or formal like most Brickell restaurants. They have indoor, bar, and outdoor seating, and the dining room is covered in neon signs and simple white tiles that kind of make this place feel like a secret room inside a subway station.
At the Downtown spot Over Under, you can drink excellent frozen palomas and piña coladas, and eat a variety of fresh Gulf oysters. Doesn’t that sound nice? Maybe one thing leads to another and you get a cheeseburger (very good) and some fish dip (also very good) too. This is the kind of place where you might just hang out for a couple of hours and have four drinks without really realizing it.
Spillover in Coconut Grove has rebranded as Kush Coconut Grove, but don’t get too confused with semantics. All you need to know is that they’ve still got oysters. West coast and east coast varieties are available for about $3 each. There are also alligator bites, plenty of beer, cocktails, and the burgers you know and love from Kush, just in case those oysters don’t fill you up. There’s a decent number of outdoor tables here and you can have a beer while you wait just in case the place is full.
River Oyster is a classic Brickell spot that recently moved into a new location not too far from the old one. But everything we loved about this place is still true, including the fact that they have some excellent oysters. Order a dozen, some champagne if you’re feeling it, and pretend to celebrate something. Also, get the scallop crudo. It’s fantastic and no fake celebration would be complete without it.
Shuckers is one of the few waterfront restaurants in Miami where the prime views don’t come with incessant house music and $300 bottles of rosé whizzing by your head. It’s casual, and the food here is what you want in a breezy raw bar. They have good wings, frozen drinks, and oysters too. But the best part of Shuckers is its wide-open view of Biscayne Bay. There are also a ton of TVs, and chances are they’re playing whatever game you want to see.
At Phuc Yea in MiMo, a great Vietnamese/Cajun spot, you can have some cocktails while enjoying $1 east coast and $2 west coast oysters on Fridays and Saturdays from 5-7pm. On Sundays, they’re available all day long, from noon-9pm. Reservations aren’t a bad idea, and they have indoor and outdoor seating too.
Garcia’s is a classic Miami spot for anything involving seafood. If it swam or lived in water at some point, they serve it here. And they probably make it taste really good too. The outdoor seating has a view of the Miami River, while the inside feels like being inside an old wooden ship. Wherever you sit, you can get your oysters fresh, fried, or in an oyster cocktail.
Montey’s is a big, outdoor, waterfront restaurant in Coconut Grove that looks like a tiki hut that ate some magical beans and became huge. If they didn’t serve oysters here, we’d be a little offended. Luckily, they do. Gulf oysters are available all day long, and so are some strong frozen drinks, which are slightly cheaper during Happy Hour every Mon-Fri from 4-7pm.
Jaguar Sun’s pop-up dinner series has been one of our favorite quarantine pivots. And they’re currently serving a menu inspired by the old school steakhouse, which means you can spend a solid two hours here ordering martinis and rounds of oysters. We do suggest saving a little room for the other things here, like the Parker House rolls and 40-day aged ribeye.
The upscale waterfront restaurant has a good amount of outdoor seating (all with a pretty nice view) and they serve oysters - which are just $1 all day long on Tuesdays. You’ll want to make a reservation here, which you can do online. And if you’re still hungry after your oysters, they’ve got a great grilled snapper and other very good seafood dishes.
We couldn’t imagine Michael’s Genuine without oysters. Thankfully, we don’t have to. The Design District restaurant is still serving a daily selection by the dozen and half-dozen along with a very good menu of pizza, roasted fish, and a stracciatella that’ll go real nice with your oysters. Come here if you want to feel a little fancy and possibly have a martini or two. You should probably make a reservation online.
