With exceptional seafood options like this, it's hard to believe St. Louis is hundreds of miles from the sea. These ten restaurants offer land-locked seafood lovers the variety of fresh and flavorful dishes one often associates with coastal towns just steps away from an ocean full of fish. No need to travel, we've got everything you need right here.
See also: The 10 Best Sushi Bars in St. Louis
The Peacemaker Lobster & Crab Co. (1831 Sidney Street; 314-772-8858)
The Peacemaker Lobster & Crab Co., which opened to much acclaim just last week, is the creation of Sidney Street Café chef and owner Kevin Nashan. The menu was inspired by Nashan's time spent cooking and living in New Orleans and his travels in Maine. The restaurant takes its name from its signature dish, "The Peacemaker" — a fried oyster version of the New Orleans po' boy sandwich made from a hollowed loaf of French bread that is buttered and filled with fried oysters and finished with lemon juice and pickles. Additional menu items include steamed blue crab, seafood boils, chowders, gumbos and a raw bar with crudos and oysters from the Gulf and Atlantic ocean.
DeMun Oyster Bar (740 DeMun Avenue; 314-725-0322)
If you're craving oysters, the DeMun Oyster Bar is the perfect spot to indulge in the creamy, sweet mollusks of the Pacific Northwest including the popular Kumamoto oyster and, when available, the coveted Olympia oyster. The selection changes daily according to the day's fresh delivery. For the uninitiated, a good way to dive in might be the oyster combination platter which offers three oysters to try — one fried, one grilled and one raw. Other menu items include a hearty oyster stew, stuffed oysters, mussels, clams, crab cakes, grilled salmon, ribeye and pasta. The quaint French bistro décor adds the perfect touch of pearly elegance.
Oceano Bistro (44 North Brentwood Boulevard; 314-721-9400)
With more than twenty seafood items on the menu (and just a few each from land —chicken, tenderloin and a pork chop), Oceano is a celebration of all things from the sea. The menu takes its cue from flavors that have stood the test of time from coastal cities around the globe and features many mouth-watering dishes not found anywhere else in St. Louis: spiced south pacific big eye tuna, fennel-dusted and seared scallops, walleye, steamed shellfish soffrito, grilled branzino and a red chili rock shrimp chop salad, just to name a few.
