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On a hot summer day, there's no better happy hour snack than a plate of pristine oysters on ice. It's fitting, then, that today is National Oyster Day, and that restaurants and bars all over the city are serving up the briny slurpers alongside glasses of wine and even a giveaway pair of pearl earrings. From pan roasts to po' boys, get ready to tuck into NYC's best bivalve offerings.
Lupulo
George Mendes’s Portuguese beer-and-seafood taberna serves up both its specialties with a plate of three raw oysters topped with a bright mixture of charred watermelon rind, chorizo and coriander seed, paired with a five-ounce pour of a fruity, funky Belgian-style lambic ($16).
Invite Only
This MePa tapas bar is offering happy-hour diners a compelling complement to its plate of a dozen raw East or West Coast oysters ($60): a free bottle of New Zealand sauvignon blanc, served at 5pm
Ocean Prime
This Theater District steak-and-seafood house is upping the Oyster Day ante with a giveaway of one pair of cultured pearl earrings crafted by jeweler Stephanie Gottlieb. For your chance to win the bling, head to Ocean Prime before 11pm tonight, order some dollar oysters, share a picture of them on Instagram and tag @OceanPrimeNYC and #NationalOysterDay.
Kellari Taverna
This expansive Greek restaurant in Midtown piques diners’ palates with a complimentary oyster; after that, the bivalves are just a dollar each between 5pm and 7pm. Can’t make it there today? The bar-only special continues each Monday evening.
The Ribbon
This UWS member of the Blue Ribbon empire is keeping things on the cheap all day long, offering $1 East Coast oysters until close.
City Crab Shack
The Union Square crustacean expert will be pairing oysters with crab in intriguing ways for an entire week, serving specials through next Thursday. Today only, Sewansecott salt oysters from Long Island and Virginia will cost just 99 cents each. Stop in throughout the week for dishes including a Louisiana-style oyster po' boy ($17); a gumbo over oysters, shrimp and grab over dirty rice ($16), and a San Francisco hangtown fry with fried oysters, a crab-meat scramble and maple-glazed bacon ($17).
Grand Central Oyster Bar
Every day is National Oyster Day at this storied Grand Central stunner, but today is an especially opportune time to partake in the oyster bar’s pristine bivalves. Go classic with an oyster pan roast ($13.45) or oysters Rockefeller ($16.45), or take a walk on the wild side with creative specials like roasted Blue Points with arugula-pesto–bacon butter ($11.95).
The National
Geoffrey Zakarian’s roomy East Side brasserie launches its Oyster Hour today, serving $1 East Coast oysters as well as snacky fare like mini fish tacos ($6) and mini burgers with pickled jalapenos ($5). Oyster Hour is on today, and every weeknight evening, between 4:30pm and 6:30pm.