Ah, shucks!

If you’re a seafood lover living in New Orleans, the world is your oyster. Whether you’re a purist preferring them on the half-shell (topped only with a squeeze of lemon and a few drops of Tabasco) or you like them golden-fried and piled high on a po’boy, oyster aficionados revel in the dozens of creative and classic dishes available locally. Here are a few pearls of wisdom for where to go for some of the city’s best oyster offerings.
 
Felix’s Restaurant & Oyster Bar (739 Iberville St.)
A favorite French Quarter destination for over 70 years, Felix’s provides oyster-lovers with a myriad of options, including chargrilled, Buffalo or Bienville-style platters.
 
Cafe B (2700 Metairie Road, Metairie, Louisiana)
This Old Metairie bistro serves both elevated comfort food, like steaming bowls of oysters Rockefeller soup topped with Herbsaint, and New Orleans classics, like flash-fried oysters with white remoulade sauce.
 
Pascal’s Manale Restaurant (1838 Napoleon Ave.)
An uptown fixture for over 100 years, this eatery hosts an oyster happy hour every Monday through Friday where freshly shucked selections are half price from 3 to 6 p.m.  
 
Drago’s Seafood Restaurant (3232 N. Arnoult Road, Metairie, Louisiana, and 2 Poydras St., New Orleans)
Brushed with garlic butter and dusted with a blend of Parmesan and Romano cheeses, Drago’s charbroiled oysters are a delectable local staple.
 

Whether you’re a purist preferring them on the half-shell or you like them golden-fried and piled high on a po’boy, oyster aficionados revel in the dozens of creative and classic dishes available locally.

Elysian Seafood (2381 St. Claude Ave.)
Elysian Seafood keeps on shucking daily at St. Roch Market, providing 75-cent raw oysters nightly during the last hour of service.
 
Seither’s Seafood (279 Hickory Ave., Harahan, Louisiana)
This Harahan hideaway offers seafood stuffed specialty sandwiches, like the oyster, bacon and mozzarella "Monster" po’boy, alongside a traditional raw oyster bar.
 
Luke (333 St. Charles Ave.)
Chef John Besh’s French brasserie focuses on a menu of locally sourced seafood, offering classic plates of P&J oysters stuffed with gulf shrimp and blue crab and extravagant platters piled with lobster, oysters, mussels, crab and ceviche.  
 
Antoine’s Restaurant (713 St. Louis St.)
Established in 1840, Antoine’s is known as the country’s oldest family-run restaurant. A must-try dish, the legendary oysters Rockefeller was invented here, originally named for the richness of its sauce.