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Best Seafood Restaurants Around the World

Best Seafood Restaurants Around the World

By Travel + Leisure and Travel + Leisure Staff

March 08, 2013

201304-w-eat-like-a-local-europe-l-epuisette

Credit: Courtesy of L'Epuisette

Shellfish, displayed on ice in wire baskets, are the main attraction at Seattle’s Walrus & Carpenter, where the shucking of Pacific oysters is itself a work of art.

Such dedication to the finest local ingredients unites the best seafood restaurants across the globe, where what’s fresh is what’s for dinner. From spaghetti with sea urchin on the Amalfi Coast to crabmeat roasted over a fire in a coconut husk on the Thai island of Koh Samui, we hauled in a mouthwatering variety of fish as part of Travel + Leisure’s 100 Places to Eat Like a Local.

Consider a bouillabaisse that’s oceans away from all others—brash and intense, rich with saffron and garlic—and could only come from a restaurant in the French fishing port of Vallon des Auffes. A similarly memorable meal awaits in Lima, Peru, where culinary superstars like Eric Ripert seek out Chez Wong in working-class Santa Catalina for the city’s finest ceviche.

For travelers, sampling the catch of the day is one of the most satisfying ways to feel like a native—and nothing makes you one quite like having a strong opinion. Does Honolulu’s Ono Seafoods really have the best tuna poke? You’ll have to order a portion tossed with pickled mango, kimchi, boiled peanuts, and poi to decide for yourself.

—Nikki Ekstein

Restaurant Pricing Key
$Less than $25
$$$25 to $75
$$$$75 to $150
$$$$More than $150

See the 100 Places to Eat Like a Local

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Bangpo Seafood, Koh Samui, Thailand

Credit: Andrea Fazzari

At this family-run shack, tables in the sand are piled high with deep-fried red snapper and irresistible khoei jii (shrimp paste, crabmeat, coconut, and spices, roasted over a fire in a coconut husk). 66-77/420-010. $

Insider Video: Top Seafood Restaurants

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Sushi Dai, Tokyo

Credit: Kaelyn Ong

Join vendors and tuna auctioneers from the neighboring Tsukiji Fish Market queuing up at dawn for a post-shift sushi breakfast at this 13-seat spot. You won’t find fresher toro in all of Tokyo. 81-3/3547-6797. $$$

Insider Video: Top Seafood Restaurants

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Walrus & the Carpenter, Seattle

Credit: Geoffrey Smith

Pristine shellfish, displayed on ice in wire baskets lining a gleaming zinc counter, are the main attraction at this handsome Ballard oyster bar. The shucking itself is a work of art. thewalrusbar.com. $$

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Chà Cá Thăng Long, Hanoi, Vietnam

Credit: Brown Cannon III

Northern Vietnam’s signature seafood dish takes a star turn at this Old Quarter canteen. Firm white snakehead fish is marinated in galangal, shrimp paste, and turmeric, then sautéed at your table over a charcoal burner and served with vermicelli noodles, fish sauce, and a mountain of dill. $

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Lo Scoglio da Tommaso, Amalfi Coast, Italy

Credit: Dan Costin

Pleasure yachts from Capri and Positano drop anchor for lunch perched over the Mediterranean. The only thing fresher than the peppery wild arugula salad is the ricci (sea urchin) in the spaghetti. $$$

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Hive Beach Café, Burton Bradstock, England

Credit: Jim Wileman / Alamy

A chalkboard menu behind the counter tells you what’s on offer (fish pies; grilled herring; a crab sandwich with chips) at this classic holiday spot. hivebeachcafe.co.uk. $$

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Pantelis Marathi, Marathi, Greece

Credit: Courtesy of Pantelis Marathi

On a tiny, car-free isle between Patmos and Bodrum, Turkey, this harborfront restaurant is a popular stop for the sailing crowd. Everything is impossibly fresh, from the crawfish sautéed in lemon oil to the creamy local goat cheese. marathi-island.gr. $$

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La Guerrerense, Ensenada, Mexico

Credit: Steve Kepple

Sabina Bandera has crafted complex and flavorful seafood cocktails and ceviches—pismo clam, sea urchin, octopus, mussels, and more—from her humble street stall for almost 40 years. Don’t miss her house-made salsas. 52-646/174-2114. $

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Parador La Huella, José Ignacio, Uruguay

Credit: David Nicolas

Chic South Americans congregate amid the dunes for languorous midday meals that can last until dusk. Keep things simple with sea bass cooked over coals and a pitcher of clericó. $$$

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Marshall Store, Marshall, CA

Credit: Thayer Allyson Gowdy

The oysters alone (from a farm up the road) are worth the hour-long drive from San Francisco to a dockside shanty on Tomales Bay. But a bowl of clam chowder feels particularly restorative on a foggy northern California day. $$

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De Noordzee, Brussels

Credit: Courtesy of Noordzee / Mer du Nord

Squeeze in amid the regulars at this outdoor fish stall—they’re all devouring massive plates of perfectly steamed mussels. poissonneriemerdunord.be. $$

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Da Conch Shack, Turks and Caicos

Credit: Johnny Miller

In three pastel-trimmed cottages right on the shore, an expat chef cooks up the freshest possible conch—harvested from the ocean moments before it’s on your plate. $

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Els Pescadors, Llançà, Spain

Credit: M.Trinidad Vilchez

Beside the harbor in a tiny Costa Brava town, Els Pescadors serves up the day’s tastiest catch—prawns, John Dory, sea bass, turbot—brought in by the fishing boats bobbing just a stone’s throw from your table. restaurantelspescadors.com. $$$$

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Maison Premiere, New York City

Credit: Evan Sung

Craving oysters in New York? Williamsburg’s Maison Premiere has excellent Caraquet oysters on the half shell. maisonpremiere.com. $$$

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Sushi Yasuda, New York City

Credit: Darcy Strobel

There are many sushi restaurants in New York, but try Midtown’s Sushi Yasuda for Arctic char, ebi (shrimp), uni (sea urchin), and ikura (salmon roe). $$$$

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El Vaso de Oro, Barcelona

Credit: Ricard Giner

Among the old fishermen’s houses of Barceloneta, this sepia-toned cervecería is full of local sea dogs and other salty types who come for house-brewed lager and a dizzying array of tapas (boat-fresh squid and shrimp; flash-fried padrón peppers). And when a football match is on, forget about it: the tiny bar is as jammed and as rowdy as it gets. $

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Chez Wong, Lima, Peru

Credit: Alejandro Garcia

Culinary superstars like Eric Ripert seek out this diminutive dining room—tucked inside a residential building in working-class Santa Catalina—for the city’s finest ceviche, sliced and seasoned by chef Javier Wong. It’s only open for lunch; reserve a spot well in advance. $$$

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Aik Yuen, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Credit: Babe in the City - KL

NYC chef and Malaysian food expert Zak Pelaccio swears by Hokkien mee, a savory-sweet tangle of egg noodles charred in a wok with crisp bits of lard, pork, shrimp, fish cake, and cockles. Seek it out at Aik Yuen Restaurant, in the K.L. suburb of Setapak. Jalan Sarikei, Setapak. $

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Ono Seafoods, Honolulu

Credit: DYLAN + JENI

Is this the best tuna poke on Oahu? Hometown hero Ed Kenney (chef-owner of Town restaurant) says so. Order a portion tossed to order—along with pickled mango, kimchi, boiled peanuts, and poi—and decide for yourself. 808/732-4806. $

Insider Video: Top Seafood Restaurants

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Casamento’s, New Orleans

Credit: Cheryl Gerber

Oysters fresh from Gulf Coast waters—whether served raw on the half shell or fried on Louisiana’s answer to Texas toast—rule the roost at this narrow, tile-lined, classic New Orleans seafood joint. $

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Café de Hong Kong, Singapore

Credit: Courtesy of Cafe de Hong Kong

Homesick Hong Kongers come for comfort food such as fried rice with fish roe. 65/6255-3865. $

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Whampoa Food Street (Keng) Fish Head Steamboat, Singapore

Credit: Bern aka The Hungry Bunny

Slurp up every last drop of fish head steamboat, a rich stock of grouper or pomfret bobbing with thick slices of fish, prawn, squid, cabbage, and sour plum. 65/9127-6550. $

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Seafood Express, Hyder, AK

Credit: D.L. Simpson

“Diana and Jim Simpson’s Seafood Express is a school bus that’s been converted into the best place we know of to get fish-and-chips. Jim’s a fisherman; he plies the cold Alaskan waters for the sweet shrimp, halibut, and salmon that make up the focus of Diana’s menu.” hyderalaska.com. $$ —Jack Donachy, CNN iReporter

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Coconut’s Fish Café, Maui, HI

Credit: Adam G Bartell

“Go straight to Coconut’s Fish Café for amazingly fresh fish for under $12. The chef-owner personally delivers each dish and explains the preparation.” coconutsfishcafe.com. $$ —Terrance Mullins, CNN iReporter

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Phil’s Fish Market & Eatery, Moss Landing, CA

Credit: Dorian Jon

“Everything about Phil’s Fish Market & Eatery is unpretentious and quaint. Large, steaming bowls of cioppino are one of the most popular dishes.” philsfishmarket.com. $$ —Penelope Penn, CNN iReporter

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Swan Oyster Depot, San Francisco

Credit: Kendra Aronson

“Swan Oyster Depot turned one hundred in 2012. The Sancimino brothers (six of them!) are always joking around behind the counter. Order cracked crab and a pint of Anchor Steam.” $$ —Ron Nichols, CNN iReporter

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L’Épuisette, Marseilles, France

Credit: Courtesy of L'Epuisette

In the fishing port of Vallon des Auffes, the idyllic L’Épuisette serves a proper Provençal bouillabaisse that’s oceans away from all others—brash and intense, rich with saffron and garlic and tasting unmistakably of the sea. $$$

Insider Video: Top Seafood Restaurants

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Best Seafood Restaurants Around the World

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Bangpo Seafood, Koh Samui, Thailand

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Sushi Dai, Tokyo

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Walrus & the Carpenter, Seattle

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Chà Cá Thăng Long, Hanoi, Vietnam

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Lo Scoglio da Tommaso, Amalfi Coast, Italy

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Hive Beach Café, Burton Bradstock, England

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Pantelis Marathi, Marathi, Greece

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La Guerrerense, Ensenada, Mexico

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Parador La Huella, José Ignacio, Uruguay

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Marshall Store, Marshall, CA

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De Noordzee, Brussels

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Da Conch Shack, Turks and Caicos

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Els Pescadors, Llançà, Spain

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Maison Premiere, New York City

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Sushi Yasuda, New York City

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El Vaso de Oro, Barcelona

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Chez Wong, Lima, Peru

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Aik Yuen, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

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Ono Seafoods, Honolulu

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Casamento’s, New Orleans

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Café de Hong Kong, Singapore

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Whampoa Food Street (Keng) Fish Head Steamboat, Singapore

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Seafood Express, Hyder, AK

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Coconut’s Fish Café, Maui, HI

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Phil’s Fish Market & Eatery, Moss Landing, CA

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Swan Oyster Depot, San Francisco

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