clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile
Oysters on ice with mignonette and lemon
Shucked and ready
Rachel Palmer/Parsons

Where to Slurp Oysters From the Shell in London

Unadorned, roasted, or topped with bright, cunning condiments — here are the best bivalves in the city

View as Map
Shucked and ready
| Rachel Palmer/Parsons

While its aphrodisiac properties might be widely disputed, the oyster’s popularity is not. London’s earliest oyster bars began cropping up around the late 18th century and those buttery and briny bivalves played a formative role in the awkward, gangly years of the city’s dining scene. One might even argue that, as a nostalgic porthole to the past, they’re just as important today.

Perhaps M.F.K Fisher put it best when she wrote that “an oyster in its best state needs nothing more than to be opened for me!” But — unfortunately for the shellfish lovers and the hapless lovers out there — poorly shucked and shell-flecked oysters are almost as ubiquitous in London as Oyster cards. But fear not: Whether they’re serving them pickled, fried, or fanned nude on a bed of ice like Fisher suggests, these are the best places to find oysters in London.

Read More
Eater maps are curated by editors and aim to reflect a diversity of neighborhoods, cuisines, and prices. Learn more about our editorial process. If you buy something or book a reservation from an Eater link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics policy.

Oysteria @ Portobello Road Market

Copy Link

This pleasant little grill and seafood bar runs at Portobello Road Market every Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Which, to all intents and purposes, means: breakfast oysters. Oysters are sourced from Richard Haward’s Oysters and can be bought either freshly dressed, with toppings that range from nduja and honey to a Thai mignonette, or grilled with Irish churnmaster Abernethy’s black garlic butter and parmesan. The latter is grunt-worthy grub.

Bibendum Oyster Bar

Copy Link

The oyster bar at Claude Bosi’s Michelin-starred Bibendum in Chelsea is as sexy and Gallic as the man himself, which is to say that it’s extremely sexy and gallic. The chef’s selection, running to eight regions from three countries, even includes the amazingly named Amazing oysters from the Marennes-Oléron oyster beds in France.

The Sea, The Sea

Copy Link

Part deli, part fish shop and part seafood bar, The Sea, The Sea is a wholly worthy spot where eating oysters just feels ... Right. Sidle up to the bar, order six or twelve oysters freshly rendered apart by executive chef Leo Carreira, and remember why there’s so much romance written about the gnarly little creatures.

Scott's

Copy Link

Scott’s has kept Londoners satiated in the seafood department, opening as an oyster warehouse all the way back in 1851. Nowadays, things are lot less salt-stained warehouse and a lot more Mayfair chic; Jersey Pearls, Dooncastle Rocks, Lindisfarne Rocks, Ostra Régal, and Gillardeau make up the brunt of the comprehensive oyster selection.

Wiltons Restaurant

Copy Link

Only available from September through to April, the oysters at Wiltons Restaurant are some of the finest and freshest in the city. Expect to find Helford natives, Jersey Rocks and Colchester natives on the menu around this time of the year. It’d be remiss not to try out the oysters served “Christian Dior” with white wine sauce, whipped cream and truffle. It’s just as extra as it sounds.

Bentley's Oyster Bar & Grill

Copy Link

This Mayfair mainstay supposedly gets through upwards of 1,000 oysters a day, which is absolutely mad. The oyster bar here is well-stocked with native oysters from West Mersea, Helford and Galway — best served nude — as well as cultivated Jersey, Menai and Carlingford Rocks that can be tarted up either Vietnamese or Rockerfeller-style.

Darby's

Copy Link

Robin Gill’s NYC-inspired oyster bar and restaurant is as suave as it gets. The “Black, bubbles, rock ‘n’ roll” offer that runs from Wednesday to Saturday, between the hours of 5 and 7 p.m., is what sets it apart from the shucking crowd. During those two blissfully happy hours Jersey oysters are £1.50; half a dozen oysters and a pint of Guinness is £15; or, if feeling extra liquid, half a dozen oysters and a glass of English sparkling wine comes in at £20.

The Drop Wine Bar

Copy Link

As far as date night options go in the strangely sterile Coal Drops Yard, The Drop Wine Bar is one of the best bets. The wine list is full of some fairly interesting bottles that start from a friendly £27, and the opportunity to pair some of that plonk with a fat Jersey or Carlingford is difficult to pass up.

Parsons

Copy Link

Parsons is a friendly spot, where it’s impossible not to feel at ease with a glass of something bright — the owners also run excellent wine bar The 10 Cases just across the road — and a plate of something briny. Both Jersey oysters and Colchester Rocks are available, and sometimes there might be a deep-fried oyster snack.

The Oystermen Seafood Bar & Kitchen

Copy Link

Presented with the Best Restaurant gong at the OFM Awards 2019, Matt Lovell and Rob Hampton initially set up their shucking service as a means to host first-class oyster bars at

weddings and events. It’s since grown into one of Covent Garden’s most accomplished and pleasant neighbourhood restaurants, with a rotating selection chalked up on blackboards and buffalo oysters or oysters lardo on the cooked side.

Seabird

Copy Link

This newish restaurant, perched on the 14th floor of The Hoxton Hotel in Southwark, is a sight for sore eyes. It’s also a site for those with a soft spot for oysters. Why? Well, there’s a whopping 16 different types of oyster on the menu. Is that too many? Probably. Is trying them all recommended? Absolutely. Oyster happy hour provides the chance to tuck into some shells starting from £2.

Prawn on the Lawn

Copy Link

Porthilly Rocks at this 35-seater in Highbury come either raw, for an affordable £3, or deep-fried with garlic and crème fraîche, for a still-affordable £4. Both are delicious, and both a shining, if somewhat barnacled example, of how Prawn on the Lawn is a pearl of a place that does the basics oh-so right.

Daffodil Mulligan

Copy Link

Richard Corrigan is a man responsible for not one but two entries on this list and, all things considered, it’s fairly safe to say that the fella is mad for oysters. Jersey Rock, Colchester and West Mersea native oysters can all be found on the menu at his latest restaurant on Old Street. Just don’t squeeze any lemon into a native on his watch — that’s a cardinal sin in his eyes.

BRAT Restaurant

Copy Link

Just like everything else that finds its way into the kitchen at this Shoreditch stalwart, Jersey oysters are given the wood grill treatment at Brat and roasted with minced celery and seaweed for an extra umami punch. There’s not much else to say except that these are some of the best oysters going from one of the best restaurants going.

Oysteria @ Portobello Road Market

This pleasant little grill and seafood bar runs at Portobello Road Market every Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Which, to all intents and purposes, means: breakfast oysters. Oysters are sourced from Richard Haward’s Oysters and can be bought either freshly dressed, with toppings that range from nduja and honey to a Thai mignonette, or grilled with Irish churnmaster Abernethy’s black garlic butter and parmesan. The latter is grunt-worthy grub.

Bibendum Oyster Bar

The oyster bar at Claude Bosi’s Michelin-starred Bibendum in Chelsea is as sexy and Gallic as the man himself, which is to say that it’s extremely sexy and gallic. The chef’s selection, running to eight regions from three countries, even includes the amazingly named Amazing oysters from the Marennes-Oléron oyster beds in France.

The Sea, The Sea

Part deli, part fish shop and part seafood bar, The Sea, The Sea is a wholly worthy spot where eating oysters just feels ... Right. Sidle up to the bar, order six or twelve oysters freshly rendered apart by executive chef Leo Carreira, and remember why there’s so much romance written about the gnarly little creatures.

Scott's

Scott’s has kept Londoners satiated in the seafood department, opening as an oyster warehouse all the way back in 1851. Nowadays, things are lot less salt-stained warehouse and a lot more Mayfair chic; Jersey Pearls, Dooncastle Rocks, Lindisfarne Rocks, Ostra Régal, and Gillardeau make up the brunt of the comprehensive oyster selection.

Wiltons Restaurant

Only available from September through to April, the oysters at Wiltons Restaurant are some of the finest and freshest in the city. Expect to find Helford natives, Jersey Rocks and Colchester natives on the menu around this time of the year. It’d be remiss not to try out the oysters served “Christian Dior” with white wine sauce, whipped cream and truffle. It’s just as extra as it sounds.

Bentley's Oyster Bar & Grill

This Mayfair mainstay supposedly gets through upwards of 1,000 oysters a day, which is absolutely mad. The oyster bar here is well-stocked with native oysters from West Mersea, Helford and Galway — best served nude — as well as cultivated Jersey, Menai and Carlingford Rocks that can be tarted up either Vietnamese or Rockerfeller-style.

Darby's

Robin Gill’s NYC-inspired oyster bar and restaurant is as suave as it gets. The “Black, bubbles, rock ‘n’ roll” offer that runs from Wednesday to Saturday, between the hours of 5 and 7 p.m., is what sets it apart from the shucking crowd. During those two blissfully happy hours Jersey oysters are £1.50; half a dozen oysters and a pint of Guinness is £15; or, if feeling extra liquid, half a dozen oysters and a glass of English sparkling wine comes in at £20.

The Drop Wine Bar

As far as date night options go in the strangely sterile Coal Drops Yard, The Drop Wine Bar is one of the best bets. The wine list is full of some fairly interesting bottles that start from a friendly £27, and the opportunity to pair some of that plonk with a fat Jersey or Carlingford is difficult to pass up.

Parsons

Parsons is a friendly spot, where it’s impossible not to feel at ease with a glass of something bright — the owners also run excellent wine bar The 10 Cases just across the road — and a plate of something briny. Both Jersey oysters and Colchester Rocks are available, and sometimes there might be a deep-fried oyster snack.

The Oystermen Seafood Bar & Kitchen

Presented with the Best Restaurant gong at the OFM Awards 2019, Matt Lovell and Rob Hampton initially set up their shucking service as a means to host first-class oyster bars at

weddings and events. It’s since grown into one of Covent Garden’s most accomplished and pleasant neighbourhood restaurants, with a rotating selection chalked up on blackboards and buffalo oysters or oysters lardo on the cooked side.

Seabird

This newish restaurant, perched on the 14th floor of The Hoxton Hotel in Southwark, is a sight for sore eyes. It’s also a site for those with a soft spot for oysters. Why? Well, there’s a whopping 16 different types of oyster on the menu. Is that too many? Probably. Is trying them all recommended? Absolutely. Oyster happy hour provides the chance to tuck into some shells starting from £2.

Prawn on the Lawn

Porthilly Rocks at this 35-seater in Highbury come either raw, for an affordable £3, or deep-fried with garlic and crème fraîche, for a still-affordable £4. Both are delicious, and both a shining, if somewhat barnacled example, of how Prawn on the Lawn is a pearl of a place that does the basics oh-so right.

Daffodil Mulligan

Richard Corrigan is a man responsible for not one but two entries on this list and, all things considered, it’s fairly safe to say that the fella is mad for oysters. Jersey Rock, Colchester and West Mersea native oysters can all be found on the menu at his latest restaurant on Old Street. Just don’t squeeze any lemon into a native on his watch — that’s a cardinal sin in his eyes.

BRAT Restaurant

Just like everything else that finds its way into the kitchen at this Shoreditch stalwart, Jersey oysters are given the wood grill treatment at Brat and roasted with minced celery and seaweed for an extra umami punch. There’s not much else to say except that these are some of the best oysters going from one of the best restaurants going.