Hawkins International loves any opportunity to enjoy culinary delicacies. As National Oyster Day is right around the corner, we’ve curated a list of our favorite oyster spots. Wherever you are Saturday, make sure to treat yourself to a fresh dozen (or two), and share pictures of your feast with us using the hashtag #HIPReats!
While the Grand Central Oyster Bar has been a New York City seafood staple for over 100 years, and rightfully so, Manhattan has plenty of options for oysters.
The Mermaid Inn’s East Village location is the best place to enjoy a daily Oyster Happy Hour (5-7pm), which includes $1 East Coast oysters, select $5 beers, $7 wines, and $8 cocktails. If you find yourself in Brooklyn, be sure to stop by Bushwick’s Mominette. The French bistro regularly offers any kind of oyster for $1, best enjoyed in their beautiful garden along with their growing selection of wine, spirits, and microbrew beers. And at Grand Banks, the oyster selection changes daily, favoring wild-caught, sustainably farmed, and locally sourced species of oysters. They also partner with the Maritime Foundation and generate funds to support maritime conservation, education, and preservation. Oh, and did we mention it’s on a boat?
It should come as no surprise that two more of our favorites are on the East Coast. South Kingstown, Rhode Island, is home to Matunuck Oyster Bar, where they serve their very own Matunuck Oysters, grown in Potter Pond right off their waterfront patio. Even further northeast is Portland, Maine’s Eventide Oyster Co., (unsurprisingly) offering deliciously fresh Maine oysters, which are all the more delicious when served right from the enormous block of Maine granite sunken into the concrete bar that serves as the shellfish display.
If you’re lucky enough to find yourself in France this weekend, you can still celebrate National Oyster Day abroad! Just an hour and a half west of Bordeaux near the Bay of Biscay, you can grab a table on the outdoor patio of Chez Boulan in Cap Ferret. For four generations, the Boulan family has painstakingly and meticulously farmed their oysters, and there’s no better way to appreciate the fruits of their family business than with a glass of white wine overlooking the picturesque Bassin d’Arcachon.
Bon Appetit!