The Ultimate Guide to Seafood in Philly
Looking for somewhere to get crabs, lobster, fried shrimp, or fresh fish? You've come to the right place.
Seafood dishes from Alice / Photograph by Gab Bonghi
This city has had a tricky relationship with seafood over the years.
Back in the day, it basically lived on fish cakes and oysters. And though we’ve had some truly famous fish houses over the years, many struggled to stay in the game. But there are a growing number of restaurants making a go of it.
Now, we’re not talking about sushi places (we already have a list of those) or steakhouses that also serve seafood (we’ve got a list of those, too). We’ve even got a list of where to buy seafood to cook up at home. This list is for those places that identify first and foremost as seafood restaurants or that handle sea creatures so well that knocking out plates of fish, octopus, or oysters has become their defining thing.
Alice, Bella Vista
Nestled in the heart of the Italian Market, this spot offers a refined, seasonal American menu with a strong emphasis on seafood. Kick off your meal with Barnegat Bay Oysters with cucumber aguachile, grilled spicy prawns with saffron, lemon, and purslane, and the Bluefin toro tartare. For the entrée, they have an impressive grilled whole branzino for two. 901 Christian Street.
Pearl’s Oyster Bar, Market East
Because sometimes, you just need oysters for breakfast. Or a salmon burger and a basket of fried jumbo shrimp for lunch. Pearl’s has been around since 1981 and is a Reading Terminal Market staple. 51 North 12th Street.
Little Fish, Bella Vista
Little Fish is such a perfectly Philadelphian restaurant — a tiny, brilliant, neighborhood BYO with a menu so small and carefully curated that it’s handwritten by the kitchen staff every night. Don’t skip their signature scallop toast — it’s always on the menu, and it’s always delicious. 746 South 6th Street.
River Twice, East Passyunk
Chef Randy Rucker offers an intimate and meticulously crafted dining experience at River Twice. The James Beard-nominated chef brings focus to seasonal, regional, and sustainably sourced ingredients. Expect a thoughtful menu of fresh seafood incorporating layers of complex flavors courtesy of Rucker’s larder, all served up in a sophisticated yet minimalist space right on East Passyunk. 1601 East Passyunk Avenue.
Oysters, caviar, and shrimp at Little Water / Photograph by Ted Nghiem
Little Water, Rittenhouse
Chef Randy Rucker’s latest seafood concept explores the little bodies of water he’s lived near over the course of his life, from the Gulf Coast to here in the Delaware Valley. This spot is a little more laid back than River Twice, but you can still expect amped-up seafood dishes like the hashbrown topped with crab and Maine uni, a shrimp cocktail with smoked catsup and shaved horseradish, a fried oyster BLT with pickled green tomatoes, and a caviar service with hushpuppies (a nod to Rucker’s southern roots). 261 South 20th Street.
Clam Tavern, Clifton Heights
There are basically two of this place, one right across the street from the other. But the Original Clam Tavern (as opposed to the Broadway Bar & Grille) is the O.G., and that’s where you want to get a seat for your baked clams, shrimp cocktail, and stuffed flounder. Pro tip: If you go to Broadway for happy hour, you can get some of the Clam’s award-winning seafood on the cheap. 339 East Broadway Avenue.
Estia, Center City, Radnor, and Marlton
This place flies in fresh fish from the Mediterranean to stock its menu. That’s pretty badass right there — and a strong statement in a place so close to its own sources of local and regional sea creatures. 1405-07 Locust Street, 222 North Radnor Chester Road, and 140 West Route 70.
Jaffa, Kensington
Michael Solomonov is known for exploring Israeli cuisine from different perspectives whether it’s through a no-frills shipudiya where meats are cooked on a charcoal grill, a retro hummus spot, a fine dining restaurant, or a fast-casual falafel joint. This time, he’s taking us to the Levantine port city of Jaffa, where you can get yellowtail pastrami, scallops and merguez, and a whole lot of oysters. 1625 North Howard Street.
Lobster rolls / Photograph courtesy of Luke’s Lobster
Luke’s Lobster, Rittenhouse
There aren’t too many places in town serving lobster rolls, but if you want one done right, Luke’s Lobster is your best bet. This family-owned seafood business hails from Maine, and it shows in every roll, brimming with giant chunks of lobster. 130 South 17th Street.
Seafood Unlimited, Rittenhouse
For classic, no-fuss seafood, you can always rely on Seafood Unlimited. This is where you want to go for jumbo shrimp cocktail, fried catfish sandwiches, and fish and chips. They also have one of the best seafood happy hours in town with buck-a-shuck oysters, fried ahi tuna lollipops, and shrimp tacos. 270 South 20th Street.
McCormick & Schmick’s, Center City
Just as there are big, chain steakhouses that dominate the red meat landscape, so too are there big, chain fish houses that serve a variety of seafood in upscale surroundings tailor-made for draining people’s expense account per diems. McCormick & Schmick’s is one of those — big, lovely, competent, and expensive as hell. 1 South Broad Street.
Ocean Prime, Center City
And Ocean Prime is another one of the same — plus a little sushi, $14 smoked gouda tater tots, and jumbo lump crab cakes with sweet and sour slaw and horseradish-mustard aioli. 124 South 15th Street.
Fried oysters and chicken salad — one combo only locals will know — at Oyster House / Photograph courtesy of Bondfire Media
Oyster House, Center City
If you’ve lived in Philly for ten minutes, you’ve already heard of Oyster House. If you work in the city, you’ve probably already spent many (barely remembered) lunches there. Fresh oysters, gin cocktails, lobster dinners, and fisherman’s stew are this spot’s specialty — plus crab cakes, lobster rolls, and punches that will put you on the floor if you’re not careful. There’s also the fried oysters and chicken salad combo, a Philly favorite dating back to the 1800s. 1516 Sansom Street.
Mari BYOB, Queen Village
Italian classics, like a monkfish piccata, spaghetti and crabs, or fried calamari, done exactly right. 795 South 3rd Street.
Caffe Aldo Lamberti, Cherry Hill
An Italian restaurant, absolutely. But one that focuses on the seafood, with fish flown in daily, a whole spread of carpaccio and crudo, plus whole lobsters, cioppino, crab legs, and baby Spanish octopus with artichoke hearts and pesto. 2011 Marlton Pike West.
Positano Coast, Old City
Another restaurant from the Aldo Lamberti family, this one specializing in the seafood of the Amalfi Coast. The dining room is beautiful, and there’s outdoor seating and a raw bar, plus a large wine list. 212 Walnut Street, 2nd Floor.
Frutti di mare at Oltremare / Photograph by Gab Bonghi
Oltremare, Old City
Chef Townsend Wentz’s seafood-forward modern Italian restaurant offers an elegant menu showcasing fresh, vibrant flavors. The sweet Maine lobster risotto with mushrooms and Parmesan Reggiano is a must-try, as is the roasted salmon, which comes with fennel mussels, all in a tomato saffron broth. For pasta lovers, the frutti di mare loaded with shrimp, calamari, mussels, squid ink, and ‘nduja is a celebration of the ocean’s bounty. 121 Walnut Street.
Vernick Fish, Center City
Vernick Fish is the spot to go when you’re looking for a ball out over an impressive array of crudos, small plates of broiled oysters and crispy octopus with kimchi cucumber, and a whole roasted branzino with maitake mushroom that hits just right every single time you go. 1 North 19th Street.
The Shake Seafood, Northeast Philly and Northern Liberties
Another New Orleans-inspired joint for Philly, the Shake is doing baskets full of fried fish and Cajun fries, crab legs, corn, and hushpuppies. But the big draw is their bags — pounds of crab legs, head-on shrimp, clams, and steamed oysters, served in a bag with Cajun spices, corn, or potatoes. 2141 Cottman Avenue, 5717 Rising Sun Avenue, and 180 West Girard Avenue #106A.
Anastasi Seafood, Bella Vista
Once upon a time, the Anastasi family sold crabs out of the living room of their house on 9th Street. These days, they operate out of the former Neuf space in the Italian Market, serving buck-a-shucks, crab cakes, bowls of mussels, fresh fish, and, of course, lots and lots of crabs. 1039 South 9th Street.
Bonk’s Bar, Port Richmond
A revamped menu and beer list earned this revived neighborhood staple a Best of Philly in 2017. Hit them up the next time you’re craving good beer and a crab boil. 3467 Richmond Street.
Sid Booker’s Shrimp Corner / Photograph by Jason Varney
Sid Booker’s Shrimp Corner, North Philly
It’s worth going out of your way for the fried shrimp at Sid Booker’s, a Philly institution that’s been around for basically forever. Go simple: Order as many fried shrimp as you can eat, and save room for the potato chips that soak up all the shrimp-y goodness underneath. 4600 North Broad Street.
Bob’s House of Crabs, North Philly
Long lines. Lots of crabs. May as well start waiting now. Chalmers Avenue & North 30th Street.
Gallo’s Seafood, Northeast Philly
They’ve got a huge menu and have been serving lunch and dinner daily for decades. So if you’re looking for a place that’s put in the years and knows a thing or two about frying fish and boiling lobsters, Gallo’s has you covered. 8101 Roosevelt Boulevard.
Jules@Market, Bristol
A BYOB with an open kitchen that puts out impressive seasonal raw bar towers and excellent, simply prepared plates of fish, like roe-topped hamachi crudo in a horseradish buttermilk sauce with chive oil. 111 Market Street.
