If you’ve already ordered an at-home shucking kit and found an oyster plug, respect. But many of us aren’t so lucky, and have probably gone way too long since our last oyster. Your tragic bivalve drought can come to an end, though, if you visit any of these 11 places. They all have outdoor seating, some solid alcohol options, and as many oysters as you can eat in a sitting.
The Spots
At the new Downtown spot Over Under, you can sit on the sidewalk, 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.
Coconut Grove’s Taurus has a new menu and it includes oysters. They’re open seven days a week and start serving oysters at 5pm on the weekend. There are also cocktails, including a really refreshing frozen guava paloma that will briefly distract you from sweating. Pretty much all of the outdoor seating here is covered too, so you’ll have some shade and be good in case it rains.
Spillover in Coconut Grove is now Kush by Spillover, 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.
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. Outdoor seating is available (the restaurant also has a view of the Miami River) and you can get your oysters fresh, fried, or in an oyster cocktail. Reservations are suggested. Call (305) 375-0765 to make one.
Redfish is a new restaurant located in Matheson Hammock Park, which feels like a private island no one’s going to kick you off of. From the outdoor tables, you’ll have a really nice view of Biscayne Bay - just the kind of setting perfect for oysters and rosé. Make a reservation online if all this sounds good to you.
Phuc Yea has patio tables and some really pretty tables set up on their back patio. There, you can have some great 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 are available online.
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.
Amara in Edgewater is back open for dinner and weekend brunch. The upscale waterfront restaurant has a good amount of outdoor seating (all with a pretty nice view) and they serve oysters on the half shell at both dinner and brunch. You’ll want to make a reservation here, which you can do online.
Ella’s in Little Havana has “oyster” in its name for a reason. They’re available here all the time, but they’re on special for $1.50 each, Mon-Fri from 1-4:30pm along with more $10 entrees. They’ve set up some sidewalk tables right outside the restaurant, and while reservations aren’t required, you can call them at (786)-332-4436 to save a table.
Jaguar Sun’s pop-up dinner series (which is taking place at Lot 6, not their Downtown restaurant) has been one of our favorite quarantine dining experiences. And they’ve got oysters too, which come sprinkled with a tomatillo mignonette. We could eat 27 of them, but we do suggest saving a little room for the other things here, like the snapper aguachile and Parker House beignet churros.
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 with peaches 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.
