Brian Nagele
Discover the top seafood restaurants in Atlanta, where culinary excellence meets the bounties of the sea. Atlanta, a city known for its vibrant food scene, offers a plethora of options for seafood lovers craving fresh and flavorful dishes. From upscale establishments to cozy hidden gems, there is something to satisfy every palate. Indulge your senses in the heart of the city as you embark on a culinary journey that showcases the ocean’s finest delicacies. Immerse yourself in an oceanic adventure where succulent shrimp, tender crab legs, and melt-in-your-mouth oysters take center stage. Each bite is a testament to the skilled chefs who expertly prepare these treasures of the sea. Whether you’re a seafood aficionado or a curious food enthusiast, Atlanta’s seafood restaurants promise a dining experience that will leave you craving more. So, embark on a gastronomic expedition and discover the best seafood restaurants in Atlanta – a city where the ocean’s treasures are brought to life on your plate.
C & S Seafood & Oyster Bar
3240 Cobb Pkwy SE, Atlanta, GA 30339
70-272-0999
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With locations in Sandy Springs and Vinings, C & S Seafood and Oyster Bar is fine dining seafood and steakhouse from owners Rich Clark and Jon Schwenk. The stunning dining room has an art deco decor, invoking a swanky 1920s lounge with luxurious leather booths and wood accents. The cocktail bar offers great happy hour and late-night cocktail hours as a prelude and nightcap to an award-winning meal. The menu at C & S offers the freshest, highest quality seafood with plates that span the culinary gamut. We suggest the cold water lobster roll.
Atlanta Fish Market
265 Pharr Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30305
404-262-3165
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Owned and operated by the famed restauranteur and chef Karatassos family, Atlanta Fish Market is one of 10 internationally acclaimed fine dining restaurants in the southeast. Located in Buckhead Village, Atlanta Fish Market is a contemporary, high-end seafood restaurant with one of Atlanta’s biggest selections of fresh fish flown in daily. Whether you want sushi, lobster rolls, or shellfish cocktails, Atlanta Fish Market prepares seafood using culinary techniques and flavors from around the world. You can choose a whole, wild-caught fish along with how you’d like it prepared for your main dish. I recommend the whole Maine Lobster, steamed and stuffed with crab.
Chops & Lobster Bar
70 W Paces Ferry Rd NW, Atlanta, GA 30305
404-262-2675
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Another Karatassos family restaurant, Chops & Lobster Bar is a fine dining steakhouse and cocktail bar specializing in tantalizing surf n’ turf dishes using fresh seafood delivered daily and USDA prime-aged beef. Located in Peachtree West, Chops & Lobster Bar has been voted Best Steakhouse in the U.S. by Zagat, and Atlanta Business Chronicle rates Chops as one of the top 25 restaurants in Atlanta. Since they’re a lobster bar, I had to start with the Maine lobster bisque au cognac, which was divine. Their signature lobster dish is the South African lobster that you can order whole, steamed, and cracked, or as a steak accompaniment.
Ray’s in the City
240 Peachtree St, Atlanta, GA 30303
404-524-9224
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Located two blocks from the famous Centennial Olympic Park in downtown Atlanta, Ray’s in the City is a fine dining steakhouse from Atlanta native and founder Ray Schoenbaum. Ray’s has been a favorite spot for traditional fine dining for steaks and seafood for nearly 40 years. The lively yet refined atmosphere includes live music from local jazz sensations from Thursdays through Saturdays. Ray’s may be a steakhouse, but they have more seafood dishes than steaks on the menu. They have a variety of seafood dishes from the South like shrimp and grits, along with rotating seasonal whole fish selections. I loved the pecan-crusted ruby red trout with lemon butter.
Lure
1106 Crescent Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30309
404-817-3650
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Lure is a fashionable, fast-paced contemporary seafood restaurant in Midtown Atlanta, offering the freshest catches prepared in stunning dishes that honor all coastal cooking traditions worldwide. Head Chef Chris Neff prepares award-winning dishes that have won accolades from Eater, CNN, and Fox Atlanta. Lure has every possible take on oysters you can imagine, from simple on the half-shell offerings to charbroiled oysters served scampi-style. They’re also famous for their southern-style hushpuppies with sea salt and whipped butter and a Vidalia onion glaze. My favorite main dish was the grilled swordfish with white bean green chili stew, lime, and cilantro.
Kyma
3085 Piedmont Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30305
404-262-0702
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Kyma is a third creation from the founders of Atlanta Fish Market and Chops, but this Mediterranean-style tavern showcases the Karatassos family’s cultural heritage. Teetering between Buckhead Forest and Garden Hills, Kyma specializes in Greek food and has one of the more beautiful settings in town, with a gorgeous constellation mural covering the ceiling. As per Greek tradition, food is served family-style, first with a round of mezze featuring all your favorite spreads with warm pita bread and small seafood plates, followed by a whole fish entrée and shareable sides. You can choose a prefix Chef’s tasting menu or order a la carte. I loved the classic spanakopita spinach pie, and the Greek imported bass, salt-crusted and baked was utterly flavorful and flakey.
The Optimist
914 Howell Mill Rd, Atlanta, GA 30318
404-477-6260
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Voted the best restaurant of the year from Bon Apetit, with glowing accolades in famed publications like Travel and Leisure and Esquire, The Optimist certainly has critics feeling optimistic. Located inside a refurbished ham-aging house in West Midtown, The Optimist offers a cool, rustic-meets-nautical chic atmosphere to enjoy sustainably sourced, high-quality seafood in all its forms. Founder and chef Ford Fry’s stunning menu revolves around a wood-fired hearth with flavors from every coastal region in the U.S. I loved the smoked fish chowder with bacon chive and oyster crackers to start. We recommend the wood hearth roasted branzino with coconut, ginger, lemongrass, mushrooms, Thai herbs, and peanuts for the main dish.
BeetleCat
299 North Highland Avenue Northeast, Atlanta, GA 30307
678-732-0360
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Another Ford Fry creation, BeetleCat is a trendy, two-story seafood restaurant and oyster bar in Inman Park with a full cocktail bar open late. The bright, tiled bar, wood floors, and vast upstairs and downstair patios make for a wonderful atmosphere to enjoy fresh seafood dishes and craft cocktails al fresco or in a fun, hip lounge. The menu at BeetleCat is experimental New American with elevated seafood-centric bar fare and other global bar food favorites like Korean-style fried chicken and Mexican street corn. Their lobster roll won the Down East Lobster Roll World Championship.
Fontaine’s Oyster House
1026 1/2 North Highland Avenue Northeast, Atlanta, GA 30306
404-872-0869
Named for owner Sam Weyman’s Uncle Fontaine, who was a regular, Fontaine’s is a friendly Virginia-Highland neighborhood Oyster House with a casual, tavern-like feel. The cozy booths, giant old-school chandeliers, and seaport light fixtures lining the exposed brick walls offer an environment as inviting as the food is delicious. The oyster bar offers 7 different varieties of oysters at any given time, and the vast menu of fry baskets, sandwiches, burgers, and Southern-style plates offer a great option for a post-oyster entrée. I loved their Jambalaya with scallops, shrimp, and andouille sausage with spicy rice.
W. H. Stiles Fish Camp
675 Ponce De Leon Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30308
678-235-3929
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Located in Virginia Highland’s Pont City Market, W. H. Stiles Fish Camp is a modern take on the classic fish shack. Owner and head chef Anne Quatrano and her team make a small, no-frills yet delectable menu of raw seafood, sandwiches, salads, and seafood soups. Using the freshest daily catches, Chef Quatrano creates an affordable and approachable menu in a fun atmosphere. There’s a small selection of wine and beer at the Fish Camp, not to mention a small nautical-inspired shop with clothes and kitchen appliances to explore after your meal. We suggest the hearty and delicious fried clam po’boy with remoulade, pickle, lettuce, and tomato, and a side of fries.
Six Feet Under Pub & Fish House
Multiple locations
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With locations in Grant Park and the Westside, Six Feet Under Pub and Fish House is a casual and lively neighborhood gastropub with amazing rooftop patios that won them Travel and Leisure’s vote for the 30 Best Outdoor Bars in America. They offer close to thirty beers on tap, a full cocktail bar, and Southern-inspired fish and shellfish dishes. To go along with the rowdy, fun pub atmosphere, Six Feet Under has some equally funny names for their seafood-centric appetizers. Take, for example, the Sweet Mouse Toes, baked sweet peppers stuffed with shrimp and wrapped with crispy bacon.
1051 W Peachtree St NW, Atlanta, GA 30309
404-233-7980
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Originally a decades-old Buckhead staple, Steamhouse Lounge has now been a favorite Midtown haunt for the past 14 years. Known for its relaxed, casual atmosphere in a kind of dive-like space, the Steamhouse Lounge has a classic seafood shack menu with cheap beer and infamous boozy punches. The signature dish at Steamhouse Lounge is the Lobster Bisque, but I loved their more creative bar fare, like the crab cake melt with swiss cheese and tomato on grilled whole wheat. For picky kids, they have chicken tenders, burgers, grilled cheeses, and fish fingers. Their the signature drink is the Goombay Smash, and it’s dangerously delicious.
St. Cecilia
3455 Peachtree Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30326
404-554-9995
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Yet another restaurant from famed Atlanta Chef and restauranteur Ford Fry, St. Cecilia is a Mediterranean-inspired seafood restaurant and raw bar specializing in coastal dishes from Spain, Italy, and France. Located inside Buckhead’s beautiful Pinnacle Building, St. Cecilia has earned countless accolades from every culinary publication. Forbes Travel Guide describes the menu as “showstopping.” The small plates at St. Cecilia feature Italian crudo specialties like Tonno, yellowfin tuna, smoked trout roe, and cured egg yolk. The selection of hand-made pasta and risotto is outstanding. I recommend the Mafaldini al Nera, with squid ink, calamari, shrimp, and clams.
Drift Fish House & Oyster Bar
The Avenue East Cobb, 4475 Roswell Rd #1410, Marietta, GA 30062
770-635-7641
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Located in East Cobb, Drift Fish House and Oyster bar is a high-end contemporary seafood restaurant committed to sustainably sourced seafood and locally sourced produce, meat, and dairy. Chef and owner Doug Turbush uses a wood-fired grill to create refined and perfectly executed entrees with an equally elegant offering of raw oysters and shellfish flown in fresh daily. The beautifully curated multi-course menu relies mainly on wood-fired cooking techniques. I recommend starting with the wood-roasted crab dip with roasted poblano and corn. The grilled Mahi Mai with crispy polenta and Mexican street corn is a vibrant and flavorful main dish.
Bon Ton Atlanta
674 Myrtle St NE, Atlanta, GA 30308
404-996-6177
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Located in Atlanta’s bustling Tech District in Midtown, Bon Ton Atlanta is a festive Cajun and Creole restaurant and bar. It’s a hidden gem in Atlanta, inside a small, unassuming NOLA dive bar. Along with classic Cajun and Creole favorites, Bon Ton has a wealth of Vietnamese and Pan Asian seafood dishes like banh mi and rice bowls. Whether you want fried oysters, fried catfish baskets, or a classic crawfish boil, Bon Ton has all the Lousiana-style seafood favorites for a great price. We love their spicy Nashville-style fried oyster in a po’boy with pickles, lettuce, tomato, and remoulade sauce with a side of red beans and rice and slaw.
Bonefish Grill
2997 Cobb Pkwy SE, Atlanta, GA 30339
678-202-3394
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Bonefish Grill is a family-friendly, yet upscale seafood bar and grill in the River Oaks Estates neighborhood that focuses on seasonal menus of fresh seafood dishes and fine cuts of steak served in a dressy-casual atmosphere. Bonefish started as a Florida seafood kitchen in 2000 and has since grown to be a nationally loved affordable yet refined seafood restaurant over the past 22 years. Bonefish Grill has a varied menu of classic steakhouse sides and entrees along with a fusion of global seafood dishes that take inspiration from Europe, Asia, the Southwest, and the deep south. We especially liked their wood-fired seafood. Try the wood-fired Chilean seabass with a side of creamy, cheesy bacon mac and cheese casserole.
The Oceanaire Seafood Room
1100 Peachtree St, Atlanta, GA 30309
404-475-2277
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The Oceanaire Seafood Room is a nationally acclaimed fine dining fresh seafood restaurant with ten locations around the U.S. The Oceanaire’s Atlanta location is in a beautiful modern dining space in Midtown. The Oceanaire Seafood Room’s commitment to fresh, sustainably sourced seafood, a luxurious atmosphere, and stellar service has won TripAdvisor’s Certificate of Excellence and Opentable’s vote for one of the best special occasion restaurants. The extensive wine list at The Oceanaire consistently wins the Wine Spectator’s Award of Excellence, with a wide variety of whites, reds, roses, and sparkling wines to pair with your meal. My favorite dish was the grilled Kvarcoy arctic salmon served with parmesan risotto, porcini mushrooms, and a pinot noir demi-glace.
The Big Ketch Saltwater Grill – Buckhead
3279 Roswell Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30305
404-474-9508
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Located in the family-friendly Buckhead neighborhood, The Big Ketch Saltwater Grill proclaims to be Atlanta’s official beach house both for its fresh seafood and laid-back, sunny appeal. They source their seafood and culinary inspiration from the Southern coasts, and their giant outdoor patio always has live music to serenade the evening happy hour. The patio is a great spot for lunch on a sunny day or a summer evening dinner alfresco. The menu features beach stand classic seafood dishes like fish tacos, fish and chips, and lobster rolls while also having heartier entrees like fettuccine and clams or a gulf shrimp platter.
Crawfish Shack Seafood
4337 Buford Hwy NE #170, Atlanta, GA 30341
404-329-1610
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Crawfish Shack Seafood is a unique Cajun and Vietnamese fusion restaurant in a humble and quaint Northeast Atlanta eatery. Founded in 2008 by Vietnamese transplant Hieu Pham, Crawfish Shack Seafood has since gained national acclaim with writeups in the New York Times and a coveted feature on Anthony Boudain’s The Layover. The Crawfish Shack has my favorite po’boy selection in town. They take frying to the next level, and everything from fried shrimp to scallops to oysters has the perfect proportion of breading, spice, and oil. If you can’t decide what to get, try the all-encompassing Shactastic Seafood platter with mussels, snow crab, crawfish, shrimp, and andouille sausage served in typical backyard crawfish boil fashion.
Louisiana Bistreaux Seafood Kitchen – Buckhead
3312 Piedmont Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30305
404-941-9545
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Located in the heart of Buckhead, Louisiana Bistreaux Seafood Kitchen is a casual, family-friendly bar and grill specializing in Louisiana cuisine, with all your favorite gulf-coast dishes from gumbo to jambalaya. Everything from cocktails to the carefree and festive ambiance replete with mardi gras beads makes you feel like you’re having a Bourbon Street party. Try their authentic Hurricane, a classic NOLA rum punch. They also make an especially delicious Cajun Bloody Mary with jalapeno-infused tequila. We love their signature crawfish etouffee over white rice, which was as delicious as any we’ve tried in the Big Easy.
Sirius Seafood
1845 Piedmont Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30324
443-206-6613
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Sirius Seafood is a hip and fashionable seafood bistro in a beautifully designed mid-century modern bar and dining space in Piedmont Heights. Everything from food presentation to ambiance is top-notch, garnering a large local following. You can expect a long wait, but it’s well worth the extra time. Plus, the cocktails are fabulous, so you can take a seat at one of the colorful swivel bar chairs to savor a few while you wait. The small yet delicious contemporary steak and seafood menu has a Southern flair. I recommend the jumbo lump crab cakes or the fried lobster tail with smoked gouda and cheddar mac and cheese and asparagus.
Why Trust Us?
When it comes to local restaurant recommendations, we pride ourselves on being a reliable and trustworthy resource. Our suggestions are not just based on our personal experiences, ensuring a more authentic and well-rounded perspective, but also on extensive online research. We diligently searched the internet and reviewed 6 credible sites and blogs, including Atlantaeats and Eater.
We compiled all the findings in one location and sorted them by the frequency of mentions to ensure you receive top-notch recommendations. We strive to present you with a curated list of establishments that truly stand out, allowing you to enjoy the best dining experiences possible.
Interested in the sources we consulted? Check out the list of all 6 sites we referenced below this paragraph, offering transparency and an opportunity for our readers to explore further. Our commitment is to deliver trustworthy and unparalleled recommendations, helping you make informed decisions on your culinary journeys.
https://www.atlantaeats.com/blog/best-seafood-atlanta/
https://atlanta.eater.com/maps/best-seafood-restaurants-atlanta
https://www.opentable.com/cuisine/best-seafood-restaurants-atlanta
https://www.thrillist.com/eat/atlanta/best-seafood-restaurants-atlanta
https://www.gayot.com/restaurants/best-atlanta-ga-top10-seafoodrestaurants_7at.html
https://wanderlog.com/list/geoCategory/82147/best-seafood-restaurants-in-atlanta
