For a city surrounded by water, New York makes you work to find great seafood — but when it's good, it's world-class. These are the raw bars, fish houses, and temples of fine dining that get it right.
01$$$$Seafood
Midtown, Manhattan
Eric Ripert's temple of fish has held the city's highest honors for decades. If there's one special-occasion seafood meal in America, this is it. Book well ahead — or try the lounge, which serves without the formality.
Quick InfoMap155 W 51st St, New York, NY 10019
02$$$Seafood
Midtown, Manhattan
Beneath the Guastavino-tiled vaults of Grand Central since 1913. Sit at the counter, order a pan roast and a dozen on the half shell, and feel the city hum. Stick to the counter and the classics; that's where the magic lives.
Quick InfoMap89 E 42nd St, New York, NY 10017
03$$$Seafood
Midtown East, Manhattan
Sustainable seafood without the stuffiness — a neighborhood fishbar with one of the best oyster happy hours in Midtown. The weekday oyster happy hour is one of Midtown's great bargains.
Quick InfoMap945 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10022
04$$$Seafood
SoHo, Manhattan
A yacht-cabin dining room below Prince Street serving pristine sushi, a serious raw bar, and the SoHo crowd that comes with it. The sushi bar in back is a quieter alternative to the main-room bustle.
Quick InfoMap142 Mercer St, New York, NY 10012
05$$$Seafood
Williamsburg, Brooklyn
A New Orleans-inflected oyster and absinthe den with a garden out back. The happy-hour oysters and a Sazerac make a perfect Williamsburg evening. Happy-hour oysters run weekday afternoons, and the garden seats are the prize.
Quick InfoMap298 Bedford Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11211