Seafood restaurants in Washington, DC
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Blacksalt
There are many who claim BlackSalt serves both the best seafood and operates the best fish market in the city. We won’t lay those laurels down yet, but we’re also acknowledging that we hate having to drive or bus out here. As fish markets go, this one is very Georgetown-oriented, which is to say fresh, artesian, organic – and expensive. As restaurants go…well, we give it to chef Danny Wells: the man loves fish. He loves cooking fish, finding new flavors, delving into whatever culinary pleasure one can ratchet out of a sole, or skate or soft-shell crab. We’d say he’s spot-on with his shifting, innovative menu about 80% of the time, which is a fine ratio by our math.…
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A
Kinkead’s
Robert Kinkead’s restaurant is one of the most revered of DC’s old-line establishments; where others have let quality slip and slide as their name has grown, or vanished altogether, this place endures and improves. Long before being a foodie or localvore was popular – in fact, back when a sign of status was having your Japanese tuna flown in from across the ocean – this seafood powerhouse was concentrating on artfully teasing the best flavors it could find from nearby fisheries and farms. For this commitment to the region and good food in general, we give our enthusiastic endorsement. Try the flounder with tasso ham and thank us later.
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B
Hank’s Oyster Bar
There are a fair few oyster bars in Washington (slurping raw boys is good for political puffery, apparently) and Hank’s is our favorite of the bunch. It’s got the right testosterone combination, a bit of power-player muscle mixed with good-old-boy ambiance, which isn’t to say women won’t love it here. Just that guys really do. Needless to say, the oyster menu is extensive and excellent; there are always at least four varieties on hand. Quarters are cramped, and you often have to wait for a table – nothing a saki oyster bomb won’t fix.
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C
Fish Wharf
In case you didn’t know, Washington, DC is basically in Maryland, and Maryland does the best seafood in America. You get it fresh as hell – still flopping – here, where locals will kill, strip, shell, gut, fry, broil or whatever your fish, crabs, oysters etc in front of your eyes. Have a seat and a beer on the nearby benches and bliss out. If you haven’t had steamed hard crabs with Old Bay, or a fried soft-shell crab sandwich, have some, now, now for God’s sake. The wharf is also known as the Main Ave Fish Market.
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D
Tony Cheng's Seafood Restaurant
Skip the Mongolian barbeque on the ground floor - everything tastes pretty much the same, and instead head upstairs to the seafood restaurant. The place looks a little dingy, but it has one of Chinatown's best kitchens. The fare is mostly Cantonese and seafood is what to order (you can watch your dinner swimming about in tanks).
On weekends Tony Cheng's attracts droves of Chinese Americans for the traditional Hong Kong dim sum - you can still order during the week but the choices are less varied, coming off a menu and not a rolling cart.
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E
Legal Seafoods
A beloved Boston export, this place serves some of the freshest seafood in town. The menu features New England favorites like creamy white clam chowder and lobster plates, but also focuses on local specialties - the Maryland jumbo lump crab cakes are delicious. There are quite a few locations scattered across the metro area, including at Reagan National Airport. It has a sedate and polished steakhouse atmosphere; service is fast and professional.
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F
J Paul's
J Paul's house favorite, the jumbo lump crab cakes, is what you should order. Skip the appetizer sliders, which have too much bun and not enough meat, and stick to the mains instead. This atmospheric old dining saloon features a popular raw bar (where live raw shellfish are shucked and served) and does a busy happy hour trade. Only in the mood for booze and munchies? Try the cheesy crab-and-shrimp dip (around US$11) and a perfect martini.
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G
Hook
Simple and sexy, with a frosty white Zen interior, Hook is the fish bar of the future: locally sourced seafood prepped artful and uncomplicated, so the flesh of your flounder or rockfish is allowed to play with just the right nudge in the direction of deliciousness. Yellowfin swims delectably out of a cloud of white bean puree, while bass floats atop polenta, its creamy flesh complimented by smoky pork belly.
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H
Market Lunch
Inside historic Eastern Market alongside the butchers and bakers and candlestick makers, this unassuming take-away counter serves some of DC's freshest, tastiest seafood. Crab-cake platters, soft-shell crabs and fried oyster sandwiches don't get much better than this. Saturday and Sunday morning brunch features equally delicious, butter-and-syrup-soaked pancakes (blueberry, buckwheat or blue-bucks).
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I
Pesce
The colorful fish decor gives away the menu at this consistently delicious award-winning Dupont restaurant. It features bluefish, salmon and grouper - all perfectly fresh and simply prepared. The dishes at this crowded café have a Mediterranean twist: seafood pastas, Provençal fish soup, grilled sardines and scallop ceviche are among the specialties.
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J
DC Coast
If Poseidon hired an art deco revivalist to redo his temple, the final result would probably end up looking something like DC Coast’s interior. It’s a beautiful space, more chaotic for the constant hum of lobbyist lunchers. Join the crowd; who can pass up a ‘Tower of Crab’ with spicy, citrusy Tabasco butter?
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