6 Restaurant Chains Serving Consistently Excellent Fried Oysters
Fried oysters are one of those magical foods that can transport you straight to the coast with just one bite. Golden, crispy, and packed with ocean flavor, they’re a seafood lover’s dream come true.
Finding a restaurant that serves them perfectly every single time can feel like striking gold. Whether you’re craving a classic po’boy or a platter piled high, these chains have mastered the art of frying oysters to perfection.
1. Acme Oyster House
Since opening its doors in 1910, this New Orleans legend has been slinging some of the Gulf Coast’s finest fried oysters. Their famous Peace Maker po’boy stuffed with golden fried oysters is the stuff of culinary folklore.
Locals and tourists alike line up around the block for a taste. However, patience pays off when you bite into those perfectly seasoned, crunchy-on-the-outside, tender-on-the-inside beauties that have kept people coming back for over a century.
2. Felix’s Restaurant & Oyster Bar
Right across the street from its famous competitor sits this French Quarter gem that’s been serving up fried oyster magic since 1940. Their fried oyster po’boy comes loaded with plump, golden oysters that crunch with every bite.
What makes Felix’s special? They source their oysters fresh daily and fry them to order. The shrimp-oyster combo platters are downright legendary, giving you the best of both worlds in one delicious meal.
3. Drago’s Seafood Restaurant
Though Drago’s earned fame for their charbroiled oysters, their Fried Oyster Platter deserves superhero status too. Each oyster gets a light, crispy coating that lets the sweet, briny flavor shine through like a beacon of deliciousness.
If you’re torn between charbroiled and fried, just saying, you can order both! Their multi-location presence means more people can experience these Gulf treasures without booking a flight to Louisiana every time a craving hits.
4. Wintzell’s Oyster House
Founded in 1938 in Mobile, Alabama, Wintzell’s has been an oyster paradise for generations of seafood fans. Their fried oysters pop up everywhere on the menu, from crispy salads to hearty dinners and overstuffed po’boys.
The walls are covered with quirky sayings about oysters that’ll make you chuckle between bites. Where else can you get fried oysters prepared six different ways while reading hilarious oyster wisdom? Only at Wintzell’s, the home of Alabama’s happiest oyster eaters.
5. Taylor Shellfish Oyster Bar
Out on the West Coast, Taylor Shellfish brings Pacific Northwest oyster perfection to the fried oyster game. Their family has been farming shellfish since 1890, so they know oysters like superheroes know their origin stories.
When they fry up their own farm-raised oysters, the result is next-level freshness you can actually taste. Their oyster po’boy showcases plump, crispy oysters that prove the Pacific can throw down with the Gulf Coast any day of the week.
6. Legal Sea Foods
This Boston-born chain has been a New England treasure since 1950, and their commitment to quality seafood is no joke. Though they’re famous for clam chowder, their fried oysters deserve standing ovations too.
During their annual Oyster Festival, Legal Sea Foods goes all-in with creative fried oyster preparations that celebrate these briny gems. If you want consistently excellent fried oysters with that classic New England touch, Legal Sea Foods delivers every single time you walk through their doors.
