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A bowl of fresh oysters at Canard.
Oysters on the half-shell at Canard. Currently, Canard’s oysters come with a chile fish sauce mignonette and yuzu salt.
David Reamer

Where to Find Oysters on the Half Shell in Portland

Freshly shucked bivalves around town, served with everything from nuoc cham to tropical shandy granita

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Oysters on the half-shell at Canard. Currently, Canard’s oysters come with a chile fish sauce mignonette and yuzu salt.
| David Reamer

Whether it’s Hama Hamas harvested from the Puget Sound or Belons imported from France, there’s nothing like a spread of freshly shucked oysters on a bed of ice. And in the Pacific Northwest, a few miles from places like Willapa Bay and Nevor Shellfish, finding fresh ones isn’t a particularly challenging feat. Some are served in a purist manner to let the merroir shine through, while many are presented with the classic accoutrements, mignonette, a combo of red wine vinegar infused with minced shallots, and grated horseradish for bite. Others take more creative license with added herbs and oils, while forgoing the store-bought Tabasco for house-made hot sauces.

It’s a safe bet that many of the restaurants featured on our seafood map will also serve oysters in some form, but this map exclusively features oysters on the half shell, which aren’t exclusively served at seafood specialists. If you’re in search of raw fish, check out our sushi map, and for fried fish, our fish and chips map is a good option.

Note: Health experts consider dining out to be a high-risk activity for the unvaccinated; it may pose a risk for the vaccinated, especially in areas with substantial COVID transmission. The latest CDC guidance is here; find a COVID-19 vaccination site here.

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Interurban

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Sitting out on the patio at Interurban, it’s easy to kill a few hours over whiskey cocktails and a pile of curly fries. However, not many know that Interurban is also a nice spot to knock back oysters, served with cocktail-themed granitas, lemon, and hot sauce. The current menu pairs Hama Hamas with a tropical shandy granita, plus the customary green chile hot sauce. Interurban is open for dine-in indoors and out.

Eat: An Oyster Bar

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Eat, an oyster bar along North Williams, has a menu that nods to New Orleans, and is a bonanza for everything bivalve: baked oysters, fried oysters (a la carte or stuffed into po boys), oyster shooters, and of course, oysters on the half shell, served with classic grated horseradish and mignonette. The fun, though, is livening up the seafood by trying out the handful of fermented hot sauces, made from locally grown chiles.

Cabezon Restaurant

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This Rose City Park seafood restaurant is a steal: Oysters here are often $2 a pop, served with Champagne mignonette, are little gems that always hit the table fresh. They’re a strong starter ahead of the restaurant’s cioppino or striped bass.

Phuket Cafe

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This stylish Northwest Portland restaurant often turns heads for dishes like Thai paella with manila clams or albacore with peanut brittle and mint, but the restaurant’s simple oysters on the half shell are a worthy beginning to any meal here: Oysters arrive with a chile-laden nam jim and fried shallots, for a bracing beginning to any meal. They’re available by the dozen and half-dozen.

When dining rooms were closed, lower Burnside favorite, Canard, served elaborate seafood towers during an outdoor weekend brunch. The menu has since reverted back to dinner only, but the oysters on the half shell remain. The fresh shellfish are served with a chile fish sauce mignonette and yuzu salt for a subtly spicy, briny twist on a classic. Oysters also appear on the menu at the Oregon City location, more simply adorned with house-made hot sauce and lemon.

Flying Fish Company LLC

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This restaurant and market is the spot for sampling fresh oysters from both coasts, shucked by knowledgeable staff, including owner Lyf Gildeersleeve. The selection is heavily weighted to Pacific Northwest varieties like Kokus from Washington or Kusshi from British Columbia, though there are often specimens from Maine, as well. While they’re not always on the menu, Flying Fish is also one of the few places where diners can get a taste of hyper-local Netarts oysters from Oregon. All oysters come with mignonette and lemon.

Dan & Louis Oyster Bar

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Considering this Portland institution has been shucking oysters near the waterfront since 1907, it’s fair to say they know what they’re doing. The family-owned landmark is an ideal spot for sampling oysters, often from Washington state like the sweet and tiny Kumamotos and meaty Hammersleys. Oysters are also available in baked preparations like classic oysters Rockefeller and the oyster stew in a milky broth. As an added bonus, oysters are happy hour-priced all day Mondays.

Normandie

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In addition to the creative French-inflected menu, this Buckman bistro also offers Pacific Northwest oysters served with lemon wedges, and instead of the usual accoutrements, offers two icy granitas: one spiked with horseradish, the other incorporating lime leaf and green apple. Oysters are also available broiled, with ’nduja XO butter and tobiko.

Lazy Susan

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Diners at Montavilla’s Lazy Susan kick off a spread of charcoal-grilled steaks, jerk chicken, and coal-roasted honeynut squash with a half-dozen oysters on a bed of ice, served simply with lemon wedges and hot sauce. From 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday, oysters are $1 each — a special that’s becoming a rarity in Portland.

Southpark Seafood

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Downtown’s Southpark prides itself on local, sustainable seafood, which extends to the briny Pacific Northwestern oysters included in the chilled seafood feast, nestled alongside Dungeness crab meat, salmon poke, and wild jumbo shrimp. Oysters on the half shell are also available with horseradish and mignonette, anytime or part of the happy hour for a reduced price.

Jacqueline

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Jacqueline may be one of the city’s most popular spots for oysters, thanks to its methodical selection of fresh seasonal bivalves, array of interesting hot sauces, and $1 oyster happy hour from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays. The oysters on offer vary, sourced from places like Hama Hama Oyster Co., Netarts Bay Oyster Company, and Baywater Sweets; offerings are always local to the Pacific Northwest, however, and are served they day they’re harvested.

Quaintrelle

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Oyster preparations at this Southeast Clinton restaurant are often aesthetically beautiful and intricate, whether they’re dotted with trout roe or watermelon granita. A recent preparation complemented the oysters with nuoc cham, sour plum, and yuzu sake granita, available on their own or in a tasting menu.

Street Disco

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This brand-new Foster-Powell restaurant hit the ground running, serving dishes like albacore tuna tartare and grilled chicken hearts with cherry mostarda. The oysters hew far simpler here, joined by a bottle of house hot sauce and lemon; varieties rotate, of course, with eye-droppers for the hot sauce to apply judiciously.

Interurban

Sitting out on the patio at Interurban, it’s easy to kill a few hours over whiskey cocktails and a pile of curly fries. However, not many know that Interurban is also a nice spot to knock back oysters, served with cocktail-themed granitas, lemon, and hot sauce. The current menu pairs Hama Hamas with a tropical shandy granita, plus the customary green chile hot sauce. Interurban is open for dine-in indoors and out.

Eat: An Oyster Bar

Eat, an oyster bar along North Williams, has a menu that nods to New Orleans, and is a bonanza for everything bivalve: baked oysters, fried oysters (a la carte or stuffed into po boys), oyster shooters, and of course, oysters on the half shell, served with classic grated horseradish and mignonette. The fun, though, is livening up the seafood by trying out the handful of fermented hot sauces, made from locally grown chiles.

Cabezon Restaurant

This Rose City Park seafood restaurant is a steal: Oysters here are often $2 a pop, served with Champagne mignonette, are little gems that always hit the table fresh. They’re a strong starter ahead of the restaurant’s cioppino or striped bass.

Phuket Cafe

This stylish Northwest Portland restaurant often turns heads for dishes like Thai paella with manila clams or albacore with peanut brittle and mint, but the restaurant’s simple oysters on the half shell are a worthy beginning to any meal here: Oysters arrive with a chile-laden nam jim and fried shallots, for a bracing beginning to any meal. They’re available by the dozen and half-dozen.

Canard

When dining rooms were closed, lower Burnside favorite, Canard, served elaborate seafood towers during an outdoor weekend brunch. The menu has since reverted back to dinner only, but the oysters on the half shell remain. The fresh shellfish are served with a chile fish sauce mignonette and yuzu salt for a subtly spicy, briny twist on a classic. Oysters also appear on the menu at the Oregon City location, more simply adorned with house-made hot sauce and lemon.

Flying Fish Company LLC

This restaurant and market is the spot for sampling fresh oysters from both coasts, shucked by knowledgeable staff, including owner Lyf Gildeersleeve. The selection is heavily weighted to Pacific Northwest varieties like Kokus from Washington or Kusshi from British Columbia, though there are often specimens from Maine, as well. While they’re not always on the menu, Flying Fish is also one of the few places where diners can get a taste of hyper-local Netarts oysters from Oregon. All oysters come with mignonette and lemon.

Dan & Louis Oyster Bar

Considering this Portland institution has been shucking oysters near the waterfront since 1907, it’s fair to say they know what they’re doing. The family-owned landmark is an ideal spot for sampling oysters, often from Washington state like the sweet and tiny Kumamotos and meaty Hammersleys. Oysters are also available in baked preparations like classic oysters Rockefeller and the oyster stew in a milky broth. As an added bonus, oysters are happy hour-priced all day Mondays.

Normandie

In addition to the creative French-inflected menu, this Buckman bistro also offers Pacific Northwest oysters served with lemon wedges, and instead of the usual accoutrements, offers two icy granitas: one spiked with horseradish, the other incorporating lime leaf and green apple. Oysters are also available broiled, with ’nduja XO butter and tobiko.

Lazy Susan

Diners at Montavilla’s Lazy Susan kick off a spread of charcoal-grilled steaks, jerk chicken, and coal-roasted honeynut squash with a half-dozen oysters on a bed of ice, served simply with lemon wedges and hot sauce. From 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday, oysters are $1 each — a special that’s becoming a rarity in Portland.

Southpark Seafood

Downtown’s Southpark prides itself on local, sustainable seafood, which extends to the briny Pacific Northwestern oysters included in the chilled seafood feast, nestled alongside Dungeness crab meat, salmon poke, and wild jumbo shrimp. Oysters on the half shell are also available with horseradish and mignonette, anytime or part of the happy hour for a reduced price.

Jacqueline

Jacqueline may be one of the city’s most popular spots for oysters, thanks to its methodical selection of fresh seasonal bivalves, array of interesting hot sauces, and $1 oyster happy hour from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays. The oysters on offer vary, sourced from places like Hama Hama Oyster Co., Netarts Bay Oyster Company, and Baywater Sweets; offerings are always local to the Pacific Northwest, however, and are served they day they’re harvested.

Quaintrelle

Oyster preparations at this Southeast Clinton restaurant are often aesthetically beautiful and intricate, whether they’re dotted with trout roe or watermelon granita. A recent preparation complemented the oysters with nuoc cham, sour plum, and yuzu sake granita, available on their own or in a tasting menu.

Street Disco

This brand-new Foster-Powell restaurant hit the ground running, serving dishes like albacore tuna tartare and grilled chicken hearts with cherry mostarda. The oysters hew far simpler here, joined by a bottle of house hot sauce and lemon; varieties rotate, of course, with eye-droppers for the hot sauce to apply judiciously.

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