The best seafood restaurants in Los Angeles

One of L.A.’s most famous taco trucks, Mariscos Jalisco might be known citywide for its deep-fried shrimp tacos, but the longtime lonchera also serves fresh-to-death ceviches, tostadas and oysters on the half shell. Operating as a quartet of trucks (Boyle Heights, Downtown, Pomona, La Cienega), all four sling Jalisco-style seafood across the Southland, and many of their dishes surpass most of L.A.’s fancier seafood joints. Their signature tacos dorado de camaron live up to the hype with flavorful and fresh shrimp folded into corn tortillas, which are then fried to a golden brown and topped with thick slices of avocado and a vibrant and complex salsa roja. You’ll also want to save room for their legendary tostadas like the Poseidon topped with shrimp ceviche, octopus and a fiery red aguachile of shrimp.

Seafood lovers, rejoice: Boston’s Saltie Girl has finally arrived. A glittering ode to all things fruits de mer, this West Hollywood restaurant originally hails from New England, but has since expanded to both London and the Sunset Strip. From regional classics like lobster and full-bellied fried clams to a staggering 100-plus kinds of tinned fish, Saltie Girl does it all. The soup-to-nuts menu might not jive with L.A. diners used to more tightly curated offerings, but we appreciate the sheer level of variety and over-the-top items like the fried lobster and waffles. The lobster roll is already one of the best in the city, and the caviar offerings impart just the right amount of elegance for those looking to splurge, but even more budget-friendly items like tinned anchovies and an excellent clam chowder impart plenty of delicious ocean flavor.

This Frogtown dining destination offers something you'd be hard pressed to find anywhere else in the city: Mexican mariscos inside an impossibly chic indoor-outdoor space. By day, enter through the alley for Za Za Zá, a casual window serving a stripped-down menu that includes a mixed coctel and an enormous calamari torta. After dark, the space transforms into full-service Loreto, which serves a much larger menu of botanas (bar snacks), ceviches, tostadas and a must-try large-format grilled fish entrée best shared among four or more. Marvel in the decadence of the tostada a la Joaquin (made with fatty tuna, avocado and a creamy sauce) or opt for Loreto’s stripped-down, ultra-fiery red shrimp aguachile. Either way, the seafood is almost exclusively sourced from Baja, with inventive Japanese-inspired seasonings that make for an unforgettable seafood meal.

Beautifully plated, locally sourced and utterly delicious seafood are on the menu every night at Crudo e Nudo, a tiny restaurant along Santa Monica’s Main Street that keeps sustainability and ethics in mind. First launched as a pop-up during the pandemic, the cozy, built-out parklet hosts the bulk of the restaurant’s seating, where servers will dole out gorgeous small plates of seafood that will likely change how you look at crudo. Here, chef Brian Bornemann—formerly of Michael’s, also on this list—and partner Leena Culhane add bright, modern tweaks to the typically stalwart Italian dish, for a casually artisan seafood meal that’ll definitely upstage your everyday sushi joint the next time you're craving raw fish.

While this Koreatown strip mall joint specializes in ganjang gejang (soy-marinated raw crab), an all-around robust seafood menu, including live sea urchin, abalone and an excellent raw salmon rice bowl, make Master Ha's an excellent destination for anyone who appreciates seafood. A steamed crab rice bowl might appeal to those who prefer their seafood cooked, but you'd be missing out if you don't at least try the restaurant's ganjang gejang. Whether ordered whole or scooped out of the shell, the crab meat is sweet and tender, with none of the fishy, almost rotten odor carried by inferior versions of the dish. 

If you know, you know—Ari Kolender’s little neighborhood joint in East Hollywood is one of the most stylish places in L.A. for seafood cravings, with a couple of caveats. There are no reservations, and the wait here easily climbs past the hour mark, particularly if you’re coming with more than one other person. But good things come to those who wait: a creamy lobster roll in a sauce made of its own condensed bisque; scallop tostadas with yuzu kosho and basil; and the restaurant’s now famous raw bar selection full of creamy oysters, peel-your-own shrimp and sea urchin served straight from the shell. Paired with Found’s excellent natural wine list and the relaxed but cool ambience, a meal here is ideal for solo diners, pairs or groups of up to four (and we wouldn’t recommend rolling any deeper than that).

After a rocky beginning, this sustainable seafood restaurant in Echo Park has transformed into a reliable neighborhood destination for lobster rolls, freshly shucked oysters and a New England-inspired bill of fare. Where the Lonely Oyster stands out most, however, is with certain specialties brought to the table by lead chef Dom Crisp, previously of Pasadena's Saso (now closed) and L&E Oyster Bar. Above all, we're talking about Crisp's must-try cioppino, which features a mix of fresh seafood cooked à la minute in a flavorful, buttery broth we've yet to taste anywhere else. Other touches, like the housemade ice cream and vegetable sides made with seasonal produce, add even more flair to your meal.

This Westside seafood institution started at the Santa Monica Pier and 80 years later, the retail market and café—now operating blocks from the Pacific on Main Street—is still family-run and Santa Monica’s one-stop shop for all things seafood. The sprawling seafood case boasts every imaginable bivalve, crustacean and finned creature, with a chalkboard that lists fresh catches of the day such as sturgeon filets and spiny lobsters. Grab a seat at the raw bar and dive into oysters and crudo simply dressed so the quality of the fish can shine through. Crab Louie and cioppino satisfy with textbook versions of the classics, but a better move, in our humble opinion, might be hearty New England and Manhattan clam chowders.

This casual sit-down restaurant in Culver City offers all kinds of dreamy ceviches, from traditional to over-the-top, plus other less seafood-centric Peruvian classics like lomo saltado and rotisserie chicken. In spite of its no-frills location at the gridlock-prone corner of La Cienega and Washington, this isn’t your run-of-the-mill roadside eatery. Opt for the eye-catching Hangover ceviche, made with fresh fish, calamari, and huge kernels of Peruvian corn or chef Walther Adrianzen's bloody clams with lemon drop pepper and leche de tigre—every ceviche is flavorful and bright, and will definitely leave you wanting to come back and try even more.

Extremely fresh fish, primarily from New Zealand, lies at the heart of this retail market and raw bar at the western edge of Culver City. While we'd skip the lobster items here, the tomato-y cioppino here comes brimming with fresh crab, shrimp, mussels and whitefish and the no-frills grilled fish entrées are simply cooked and delicious. The popular fish and chips are flavorful as well, and we're partial to the tuna poke appetizer, which comes pre-marinated and uses high-quality tuna—none of pale red frozen variety you'll find at build-your-own bowl spots around town. If you're around Marina del Rey, Mar Vista, Venice and Culver City, Tangaroa Fish Market should be your go-to whenever you're looking for flavorful, simply cooked and high-quality seafood.

Nashville-spiced hot catfish, housemade capicola with muffuletta relish and a hearty skillet of perloo brimming with shrimp and oysters—Sammy Monsour’s Preux & Proper may have closed, but the chef is already making up the difference with his new destination-worthy Southern seafood restaurant in Downtown L.A. Lowcountry cuisine manifests itself in Charleston-inspired dishes like the perloo and Gullah Geechee-style braised kale, but Joyce’s menu draws inspiration from all over the map for a flavorful romp through the American South. Located inside the former Red Herring space, the restaurant also offers a fleet of sustainably made cocktails and a late-night tinned fish menu on weekends for night owls.

Quality and consistency have kept this upscale restaurant chain around for over two decades, and the original is right here in Downtown Los Angeles. There, executive chef Jose Peraza is turning the catch of the day into dishes like wild Massachusetts black sea bass with escabeche; charcoal-grilled California spiny lobster with coleslaw; and classics like cioppino and buttery oysters Rockefeller. For the office crowd, over a dozen types of oysters and an outstanding bar program satiate those after-work cravings. For beachside views, there’s also a location right on Santa Monica’s Ocean Avenue.