Strange Delight

Equal parts Brooklyn and New Orleans , Strange Delight has a peppy 1950s feel that lends itself well to Kool-Aid-red cocktails and some of the fattest fried shrimp you’ve ever seen. Despite the breezy service and pastel kitsch, it’s easy to burn through cash on booze and crustaceans here—but whether you spend $50 or $150, you’ll have a great time, with seriously good seafood .

In terms of experience, this place offers two routes. For a big night out, book a table in the back dining room with mint green tables and a carnival’s worth of globe lights. Start with crab-and-shrimp remoulade, then eat a slab of swordfish belly that oozes fat like a warm stick of butter. If you’re keeping things casual, grab a high-top in the walk-in-only area up front, and focus on the cheapest entree: a $25 fried shrimp sandwich. Ideally, the menu would have more relatively affordable options, but if you find yourself crunching your way through that milk bread masterpiece once a month, you should know that’s still a very good life.

Food Rundown

photo credit: Kate Previte

Chinese Broccoli Salad

This salad amounts to about one or two fistfuls of food. It’s not huge, but get it anyway. The plate of heavily dressed greens with fresh herbs and panko is a nice way to kick things off.

photo credit: Kate Previte

Shrimp Loaf

Pillowy milk bread is the ideal vehicle for cornmeal-crusted shrimp that provide some serious crunch. Inspired by Casamento’s in New Orleans, this sandwich tastes as good as it looks, with help from Duke’s mayo and crisp giardiniera.

photo credit: Kate Previte

Le Grande Remoulade

The shrimp loaf is exceptional, but this is the showstopper. Along with your little bowl of crab and shrimp dressed with a zippy remoulade, you’ll receive a buffet of crudites, perfectly jammy eggs, and fried saltines that taste like cajun-spiced pie crust.

photo credit: Kate Previte

Crab Dip

Fortified with boursin, this warm dip has big chunks of crab and a strong lemony flavor. We’re fans, but if you’re choosing between this and Le Grande Remoulade, pick the latter every time.

photo credit: Kate Previte

Tower Service

Strange Delight’s seafood tower comes in a few different sizes, starting at $35. It’s fun, but the oysters always taste a tad lifeless. You’re better off ordering the smoked fish dip and shrimp remoulade separately.

Broiled Oysters

Strange Delight serves three varieties of broiled oyster. They range from mildly pleasant to mildly disappointing. The oysters rockefeller have a bit too much absinthe, and the spicy BBQ ones mostly just taste like barbecue sauce. There are better ways to spend your money here.

Bread Pudding

To wrap things up, your server will deliver a gift on the house: an adorable little plate of custardy bread pudding.