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The Infatuation
12 Unmissable Seafood Dishes In Philly
By Alison B. KesslerCandis R. McLean,
9 days ago
Stir-fried lobster, countless oysters, and clams worth fighting over. Philly is home to some seriously exceptional seafood, and summer is prime time for it—you just need to know where to look. From classic spots that have been slinging shrimp since the ‘60s to the newcomers shaping the city’s dining scene, these are Philly’s unmissable seafood dishes.
Mawn is a tiny BYOB in Bella Vista known for excellent Cambodian dishes that we’d eat every day (if only we could get in). And the littleneck somlaw macchi is no exception. It’s a bowl of clams that bob around in a tamarind lemongrass, basil oil, and Thai chili broth that looks almost volcanic orange. But it’s not fiery—it’s rich, creamy, and layered with flavor. It’s the clam dish of our fantasies, and by that we mean our regular, everyday lives, wherein we think about it constantly until we get to eat it again.
Kensington’s Cantina La Martina has mastered two things: incredible tamales and seafood cured in citrus. There are eight ceviche options on the menu, including an excellent vegetarian option with hearts of palm, and the only build-your-own-aguachile in town. The best one, though, is the Peruvian ceviche mixto with white fish, tuna, crab, octopus, choclo, sweet potato, and a fruity aji amarillo. Bring a few friends, a few bottles (it’s a BYOB), and eat unbelievably refreshing bites of the ocean.
When it comes to oysters—buck-a-shuck, roasted a la Rockefeller, or on a tower with their seafood brethren—no one does it like Oyster House. The Rittenhouse raw bar has been around since 1947, so they know their way around shellfish. It’s a great choice for groups, but if you’re craving a dozen for yourself, grab a seat by the windows along Sansom Street and have at it.
For about one blessed month a year, JJ Thai serves soft shell crabs in garlic sauce. We live for that month, and survive the remaining 11 on dreams of these crispy crustaceans. The Rittenhouse staple serves them crisp—never greasy—and tossed in a buttery, slightly sweet garlic sauce, then plated on top of just-wilted spinach and Chinese broccoli. You should be visiting JJ all year round for fantastic Thai staples, but if you’re not going in early summer for these crabs, we can’t be friends.
Perfectly crispy fried shrimp and a line where you run into your barber, neighbor, or sibling who’s catching up with the staff about what’s been going on since they stopped by yesterday? It could only happen at this North Philly institution. The fried shrimp is battered with a slightly sweet seasoning that reminds us of a good seafood boil. The self-proclaimed "Colonel of Shrimp" behind the business hasn't changed the recipe in decades, which explains why Philadelphians have been coming back since 1966.
Royal Sushi in Queen Village lives at the center of this Venn diagram: excellent seafood, rowdy bar, and pristine omakase. Despite the front of the house feeling like a fun party, there’s nothing casual about this $155 indulgent plate of seafood. It includes an assortment of Japanese fish from Toyosu Market—think salmon, squid, fatty tuna—plus buttery, umami-rich uni, Japanese scallop, ikura, osetra caviar, and tamago. It’s a delightfully salty and refreshing seafood revelation that’s as beautiful to look at as it is to eat.
Nothing says “I just got paid" quite like ordering My Loup’s glimmering plateau de mers. Toppings change from time to time, but you’ll always find a deluxe arrangement of oysters, clams, and pickled shrimp with aioli and saltines—one of our single favorite bites in the city. Whether you come to this Rittenhouse French restaurant for a sexy date night or a martini-fueled friend hang, you need this platter on your table.
Few places in Philly make great jambalaya and gumbo. Even fewer make stacked po’boys on French bread straight from NOLA. Luckily there’s Old City’s Khyber Pass. You could opt for the New Orleans-style sandwich topped with fried chicken (the real deal or vegan) or roast beef. But we get our po’boy as the seafood gods intended: topped with lettuce, tomato, a slather of mayo, and crispy fried shrimp. Praise be.
Little Fish’s intimate Bella Vista dining room is full of couples on dates eating oysters, friends catching up over tuna crudo, and groups who’d travel from Frankford on a tricycle just to get their hands on the butter-roasted halibut. But if you can only order one thing from the Asian-inspired BYOB, first, we’re so sorry, and second, it must be the scallop toast. Thick cuts of buttery scallops are dressed with a chili oil drizzle, confetti of chives, and soy. And it comes on slices of soft sesame baguette. It’s a creation that will make you yearn for every toast to have scallops on it, or to have the stamina to cross neighborhoods on a tricycle if your car breaks down.
The best lobster dish in town is served in a banquet hall in the Northeast. It comes whole and buttery, stir-fried with ginger, scallion, and crispy chunks of pork. We like plenty of other food at this dim sum institution—especially juicy shu mai, crispy shrimp balls, bbq pork buns, and rice noodle rolls—but you should make a point to order the lobster off the restaurant’s menu, rather than just sticking to what you see on the roving carts. Something this aromatic, deliciously salty, and a little bit sweet is well worth the 30-minute wait for a table on Sunday morning.
The dishes at Center City’s Vernick Fish are great—after all, swanky seafood is their love language. They usually have three crudo options (and occasionally a ceviche), and they’re all worth talking about nonstop. Fresh hiramasa, fluke, and torched king salmon are paired with chili oil and jicama. The scallop crudo with green tomato, Thai basil, and lime leaf is gorgeous, especially if you’re looking for something with a mellow, sweet bite. Whatever option you go for, it'll have you insisting you're a raw-fish pescatarian from here on out.
Sometimes, you just need to get down, dirty, and cover your fingers with the buttery residue of a seafood boil. The Shake Seafood in NoLibs gets this—that’s why their tables are covered in paper, and bibs and gloves come with each order. The menu is straightforward. You pick your protein from the sea—like steamed crawfish, shrimp, black mussels, and crab legs. And then you go all out on the extras, like tender broccoli and sauces in the bag (we like cajun). The result is tender seafood dripping in spicy juices that we can’t get enough of. Sure, your hands will look like the prime suspects in an Old Bay crime scene, but that’s a small price to pay for a great seafood boil.
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