It’s September and seafood lovers know what that means: Oyster season has begun. (Don’t fret about the ones you ate this summer — you can enjoy them year-round.) We’re shellebrating the season with a list of where to get ‘em in Charleston and why.
Before you dig in: These are only a handful of the many amazing oyster spots around town + some of them may fall into multiple categories.
The steal
- The Darling Oyster Bar, 513 King St. | Score $1 oysters seven days a week from 4-7 p.m.
- Rappahannock Oyster Bar, 701 E. Bay St. | Get $1.25 in-house oysters when you dine in on Sundays from 1 p.m. to close. That oyster pan roast with champagne cream sounds pretty amazing, too.
- O-Bar at Oyster House, 70 State St. | House oysters are $1.25 Monday-Friday from 4-7 p.m. and Saturday-Sunday from 4-6 p.m. Grab some hushpuppies with pecan praline butter while you’re at it.
The variety
- 167 Raw Oyster Bar, 193 King St. | Choose from a daily oyster selection of different regions, sizes + salinity levels. Try the sampler with four oysters, four clams, and four shrimp.
- Chubby Fish, 252 Coming St. | Whether you like crisp and clean or salty and sweet oysters, there’s something here for you. Pro tip: Arrive early for the best chance of snagging a table.
- Amen Street Fish & Raw Bar, 205 E. Bay St. | Sample four rotating varieties of local oysters including Lowcountry Cups and oysters from all over the East Coast.
The unique
- Pearlz Oyster Bar, 153 E. Bay St. + 9 Magnolia Rd. | Do an oyster shooter with pepper vodka and spicy cocktail sauce — take it in one gulp. Then order the baked oyster Rockefeller with crawfish, lump crab, and bacon.
- Leon’s Oyster Shop, 698 King St. | If you’re over the raw scene, grab the fried oyster roll with avocado, comeback sauce, and chives or the world-famous char-grilled oysters with lemon, parsley, butter, and Parmesan.
- Delaney Oyster House, 115 Calhoun St. | We want to try the Oysters Delaney with caviar, cream, and champagne and the seasonal dressed oysters with prickly pear mignonette.
- The Ordinary, 544 King St. | The oyster slider with nuoc cham (Vietnamese fish sauce) + fresno mayo on a freshly-baked Hawaiian roll is anything but ordinary.
The shuckable
- Lowcountry Oyster Co., 2147 Heriot St., Unit G | Order delivery or pick up 50 or 100 single oysters at Heriot Street. Beginning in October, pick up a bushel. Take a tour of the farm in Green Pond, SC.
- Crosby’s Fish & Shrimp Co., 2223 Folly Rd. | Order a 100-count box of single oysters from the James River or Core Sound. Starting October 1, grab a local bushel.
- Abundant Seafood, 4731 Mixson Ave., North Charleston + 248 Magwood Ln., Mt. Pleasant | Once October rolls around, order clusters for an oyster roast or pick up individual oysters.
Now get shuckin.’